Little information is available as of yet on this bright young group entering the Contemporary Christian Music scene out of Chicago.  The black and white photography design and layout of Fue’s debut EP Hallelujah was done by background vocalist Abi Rutzky.  The quintet is standing grouped together in an open semi-circle in unassuming poses in the woods – an appropriate stance of simplicity and humility.  As for the band’s name, Fue, it is unlikely that it comes from the past tense form of the Spanish word meaning “to be”.  Based on the band’s innovative musicality, it would rather make more sense for Fue to be named after the Japanese word for flute.  An unadorned shoot of bamboo was made to produce a wide array of lovely and haunting sounds by the ancient Japanese who used these as spiritual tools.

These small clues may offer an inkling of insight into the true nature of the band.  Composed of the three May brothers and two Rutzky sisters, Fue is an artistic powerhouse.  The trio of songs on Hallelujah are hymns of praise presented as a formidable group effort.  Joanna Rutzky is the principle songwriter and vocalist.  Her crystalline vocals resemble a finely polished Barlow Girl but the comparison ends there as the May brothers prove to be a highly talented and excellent back up ensemble.  Aaron May triumphs on drums in “Faithful” with his playing liberating the song from its mellow beginnings and charging into the second chorus.  Adding to his full sound is a nice string arrangement undoubtedly buffed up by producer Jaben Pennell.  Joanna adds a delicate touch on the keyboard in the fade out of the coda.

“Abide in Love” features excellent vocal blending between Joanna and Abi.  Like the opening song, “Abide in Love” has its hills and valleys in musical excitement.  The soft, rich opening of the song is but a memory when the heavy Arabian-tinged, string-laden bridge pulses over clean angst driven guitars.  Then, just as before, the music slowly melts back into the placidness from hence it came.

Tim May on guitars and his brother Ryan on bass get a chance to jam out with Aaron on the title track.  The boys’ heavy rock sound creates an electrifying backdrop for Joanna’s lovely vocals.  She never has to push or strain her voice but rather relies on the instrumentation to convey a sense of spine-tingling excitement.  Three songs is more than enough to appreciate that a new modern sound is taking shape with Fue, but it is not nearly enough to be sated.  As the band continues to play together and mature as musicians and songwriters, undeniably Fue will gain notoriety and a loyal fan base.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Fue, Hallelujah

The Quick and the Dead’s songwriting team could all be distant cousins of the great Contemporary Christian Music pioneer Steven Curtis Chapman, with earthly lyrics that strike a chord with the common man without being preachy.  This is an poignant quality for a band that chooses to play on the streets and in crowded homeless shelters rather than staying in a comfortable church setting like so many of their contemporaries.  While the octet’s music is appealing to the upright Christian, it’s the poor and destitute that can benefit more from the message of 10:42, and the band caters to these souls by showing up on their doorstep instead of foolishly hoping that these folks will saunter into their sanctuary.

Band leader Laurie Schwab opens the album with “One More Day,” a well-crafted tune reminiscent of the innocent pop rock of the early 60’s.  Schwab’s delivery is clear and clean with excellent enunciation.  Her Mama Cass vocals sing through Christian lyrics with substance, a trait some CCM artists lack by being too high and lofty.  Unfortunately for this mostly good song, it gets a bit campy in the coda with the full repetitive chorus and the bass singer down in the low ranges.

In redemption, the male lead vocalist in the ballad “From the Moment” does a better job by not singing the slightly lilting melody too stiffly.  The keyboards employ a reed patch that adds a nice touch to the opening, colors the bridge, and expertly leads the modulation into the final chorus.  Another lovely ballad on the group’s debut is the duet “The Choice” co-written by Schwab and her husband Tim who handles the percussion duties for the band.  The song is well structured and all the vocal harmonies blend together eloquently.

The vocals in “J.C.”, however, are muddy.  This upbeat rock and roll BTO-sounding song driven by T. Schwab’s classic rock fills is too much for the layered vocals.  The lyrics are unclear and the electric guitar is sloppy with poor tonality.  The same problems seem to befall the group in the unexceptional cover of Robin Mark’s “Days of Elijah.”  The tempo is a tad too quick for everyone to keep up with, and the busy orchestration adds to the sense of chaos.  Between unison voices and guitars and keyboards all playing their hearts out, the music and the message gets jumbled.  In the coda, a soprano is singing a beautiful countermelody, but she can barely be heard over all the other instruments.  In “Fighting the Battle” the lead vocals again get covered up by the rest of the band and the tempo is noticeably unsteady.

The Quick and the Dead is a fabulous group of volunteers who are performing out of love for the music and the message they convey.  Some of the songs possess wonderful moments, like the tasteful electric guitar embellishments in the dramatic number “Fathers Wake Up”, and the intricate instrumental coda in “Listen To Him.”  The ballad “I Believe” boasts the best keyboard and electric guitar work on the entire album.

A little more polish could do The Quick and the Dead some good, but the originality of the songs.  They are to be commended for writing intelligent Christian music that can appeal to the masses.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews 10:42, Quick and the Dead

Alyre’s debut album Fetterman Ave harnesses that distinct Jersey vibe, known only and found only in the special makings of New Jersey artists.  This unique edge invokes passion, drive and ultimate listen ability.  While Alyre possesses all of these traits, his overuse of heavy electric guitars, mixed with his own thin tenor voice lacks the definitive power punch.

“Blonde Hair and Broken Hearts” features a wall of heavy crunching guitars and unfortunately Alyre’s voice is not strong enough to carry it through.  The timbre of his vocals is not a good mix with harsh tones.  The other pitfall of this tune is that the strings clash with the guitars as well.

Joining Alyre on his debut is Katrina, who sings a duet as the voice of an angel in “Come Down To Me,” but the beautiful spell these two artists cast in the beginning of the song is broken when an onslaught of garage rock noise overtakes them.  It is fitting to use instrumentation to aid in telling the musical story but not at the expense of overwhelming both the vocals and the message.

To make up for this, the two singers work well together in the title track with Katrina on backup vocals adding sweetness to the song with her lovely harmonies.  The bongos open the number creating a chill, jamming coffeehouse flavor.  The electric guitar is used sparingly between phrases and the acoustic work in the bridge with the bongo introit is great.  With the different overlapping layers it is disappointing that the coda is truncated.

Alyre’s best performance is “I Will Stay” where he sings in a call and response format with himself with excellent dovetailing effect.  The string work is much more tasteful and the acoustic guitar solo in the bridge is well executed.  Alyre however does fall into the trap of trying to sing too dramatically and loses his center of pitch on occasion.

The most radio friendly number is “Help Me” with its retro 90’s innocent pop melody.  The quick lyrics and cute acoustic back up is reminiscent of Smash Mouth and holds true to the adage that less is more.  Alyre’s vocals sound comfortable and not strained in the least with all of the acoustic work nicely complimenting the song.

“You’re Not Alone” is on the album as a full production number and as an acoustic version, with the latter being better.  When Alyre is not drowned out by loud guitars that cover his vocals, his true qualities are able to shine more.  Like Mark Wahlberg’s troubled character Chris Cole, in the rock movie “Rock Star,” Alyre does better with less show and sounds more natural and believable in an acoustic setting.  With his raw talent and Jersey roots, he could do more with his music by branching out and trying different musical ideas with his songs.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Alyre, Fetterman Ave

Throughout the history of rock and roll music, trios have wielded phenomenal creative palettes, and through its small size have been able to intricately play off each other’s genius. The power of three has held amazing potential with enthralling results.  Marcus Eaton with his comrades Kevin Rogers (drums) and Garrett Sayers (bass) are following the blueprints left by Cream, Rush and The Police.  These three musicians, with Eaton’s leadership, have released ten awesome original tracks on As If You Had Wings that are an aural pleasure to imbibe in again and again.

The intricacy of Eaton’s songs is gratifying and unfortunately lacking in most mainstream rock.  Eaton’s style is an excellent mixture of maturity and excitement.  In addition to his songwriting and guitar prowess, his vocals are phenomenal.  Every lyric is clearly enunciated, yet sounds relaxed.  Every embellishment, lilt, lift and falsetto musing comes off naturally.  Case in point is heard in the way he vocally dances around the title of “Weightless.”

“Dreams of Flying” possesses a funky blues quality, like Maroon5’s debut Songs About Jane.  Eaton’s singing has that quirky bravado of Adam Levine in the verses but then smoothly transitions to a more melodic mellifluous tone in the chorus and just as easily switches back again.  His honeyed voice can sincerely sing the flamenco tinged love song “Who You Are”, and then transform to the more defiant and hurt “Over You” with ease.  It embodies a true gift and Eaton candidly and expertly utilizes his voice as an instrument throughout As If You Had Wings.

In “Dismantle the Machine,” drummer Kevin Rogers dexterously lays down a polyrhythmic drum track with inventive precision while Eaton weaves an intricate electric guitar countermelody.  He displays rapid fire strumming in the bridge all culminating in the controlled chaos of the coda.  Topping that however, is the crazy fun jam at the end of “You Can’t Close You Eyes.”  The fast eighth note accompaniment and harmony structure gives “Life in Reverse” an early U2 feel, though Eaton’s vocal delivery and the overall acoustic quality of the song is reminiscent of Shawn McDonald’s debut Simply Nothing. Rogers gets to flex his skills again with a series of rapid sextuplet rolls in the coda.

Great rock artists through the decades have taken interesting lyrics, coupled with complex arrangements, and with a dash of ingenuity make the delivery sound effortless and highly enjoyable.   Eaton has achieved this feat on As If You Had Wings and is the apex of what other indie artists should endeavor towards.  It is a highly commendable album and fantastic effort by Marcus Eaton.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews As If You Had Wings, Marcus Eaton

Summer In My Soul is a joyful album and Mela Kamin is simply delightful.  Not only is her singing a softer version of the bubbly Colbie Caillat, her lyrics are genuine and she has teamed up with a great group of Nashville CCM’s finest.  All dozen songs on the album were written by Kamin along with drummer/guitarist Dan Needham and keyboardist Carl Herrgesell.  The production is top notch thanks to these two seasoned veterans.

The title track opens the album with a sunny, Michelle Branch type pop number.  Kamin’s singing is pure and clear and the full chorus adds depth.  It sets the mood for the overall vibe of  Summer In My Soul which is a fun, whimsical, 90’s reminiscent feeling.  The songs are light, airy and carefree.  Kamin sounds like there is nothing more she would rather be doing than singing these songs she has penned.  “What He Does” embodies this lackadaisical style and Kamin sounds cute and playful as she happily sways around with the melody ala Leigh Nash in “Surrounded By Your Love.”  A more retro feel is channeled in “Start With One” with the heavy downbeats and synthesizers in the chorus that break the melodic flow of the song and target the listener to focus on the lyrics.  Kamin has been singing about the bravado of past prophets when really God has empowered each of us to rise above by starting with one small step at a time.

It can be challenging to appreciate the great music, song structures and inspiring lyrics all at the same time with these songs.  Kamin writes in a friendly, personal style that is flowing with inspiration.  The poignant ballad, “I Pray” is a quiet, whispery outpouring of the power of prayer with Kamin mimicking the dramatic nuances of Jaci Velasquez by singing with incredible serene intensity.  In “You’re Beautiful” Kamin rocks out more backed by electric guitars and harnesses the Nashville modern cowgirl sound made popular by songstresses Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.  She even ends the song with a cute acapella vocal slide.

Needham and Herrgesell have finely polished Kamin’s debut and with the help of cellist John Catchings have added some beautiful musical interludes in “I Need To Be” and “Take Me Back.”  Any of the tunes on Summer In My Soul would play well on CCM/AC radio but “Take My Life” has the potential to be a standout praise and worship number.  It has accessible lyrics, easy accompaniment and a moderate tempo.  Plus there is plenty of room for the soloist to lead and embellish the melody and a dramatic call and response in the last chorus into the coda.

Mela Kamin is not trying to prove or improve a thing with Summer In My Soul – she is writing and singing from her heart and that truly shows in this formidable debut.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Mela Kamin, Summer in My Soul

Nothing but good karma for Linda Bonadies’ sophomore set Karma. One would never guess that this talented singer/songwriter took a 15 year absence from music.  The superb quality of these ten songs would suggest that Bonadies has been writing and singing all her life.  Her maturity lends itself to both her lyrics and vocal performance – but there is nothing matronly about Karma. Bonadies’ panache gives her music an unassuming, friendly vibe, like that of a good role model or mentor.  Her voice is stripped of any girlish qualities but rather exudes confidence and a graceful presence, like Stevie Nicks minus the excessive vibrato (thankfully).

The opening title track is catchy and upbeat with repetitive “da da daas” that cannot help but get stuck in your head.  The straight ahead melody is a simplistic definition of karma itself: what goes around comes around.  David Coe’s electric guitar solo in the bridge continues this accessible trend by only slightly straying from the melody with his embellishments.  Ultimately Karma ends with another tune at almost the same tempo to neatly wrap the album and bring it full circle.  “Lead With Your Heart” continues with the realistic, self-analyzing lyrical advice that brushes up but never slips into the realm of cliché.

Sandwiched in between these two numbers is a fabulous array of adult contemporary gems.  Bonadies conveys that life is not always rosy in “Runaway Train.”  The well-written instrumental opening is accentuated with piano atop quick percussion.  By the second verse a nice string arrangement has entered the mix.  As the song progresses, so does the wall of sound until the coda where the electric guitar plays over the percussion and ends with a stinger.  The most unique track on Karma is “Stir Crazy.”  It strays from the pop realm and hinges on a more hard/Goth rock feel with a heavy amount of echo effect on Bonadies’ voice and a repetitive, singular note melody.  The suspended cymbal and strings add to the dramatic effect and is an excellent departure from all the other songs on the album.

One of the most delightful qualities of Bonadies’ songwriting is her exquisite ability of making the most of her background vocals.  “Take Nothing For Granted” exhibits excellent vocal layering wrapped around Kerry Takahashi’s lovely cello work.  The background vocals in the innocent love song “For A Night” have an endearing Carpenters quality, minus their signature oboe/trumpet solo.  The countermelody in “The Way It Is” is first rate with more notable acoustic guitar work by Coe.  Bonadies’ confident vocals are never grating but can at times have a rough curl around her “r” sounds.  This makes the duet “You” with Tony Burnett not work quite as well.  Both vocal deliveries are great but their voices are not the best compliment for each other.  At times Burnett’s vocal line is above Bonadies’ yet her voice is not quite so low that it makes for the song to have an overall excess of treble sounds.

Nonetheless, the blend on the entire album is great, Bonadies’ songwriting skills are phenomenal and the music loving community is incredibly fortunate to have such a talented artist back in our midst again.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Karma, Linda Bonadies

There’s no question that Kentucky native Matthew Fogle has his heart in the right place, what with his motto of “Serve. Inspire. Rock.”  On his debut Christian rock EP Plea:491, Fogle wades into waters that many have traversed before with full-bodied spirits and high expectations.  This Louisville gentleman’s songs are decent but the delivery lacks luster.  Fogle’s voice has a nasally pitch that comfortably rests in the upper treble regions.  Without a hint of country twang, he instead bends the pitch to his will ala Tom Petty but strays dangerously close to the far edge of the tonal center – usually drifting sharp.  This unfortunate characteristic is emphasized in “God of Power and Might” where the long “ee” sounds of Fogle’s lyrics are held out and his vibrato does little to help the situation.  In Fogle’s defense, this track is mostly acoustic, leaving the minute details of his vocal delivery more exposed despite the full sound of the guitar, drums, and piano.

Fogle tries a different vocal approach in “Come Back Source”, where he heavily accents and enunciates the beginning syllable of each word, adding an exciting dynamic to this song that expertly juxtaposes the minor piano riff in the verses to the lilting sing-along chorus.  The slightly overdriven guitar solo in the bridge is well executed.  Fogle’s guitar playing only gets better in “Garden Flame” with his bluesy bridge solo and tasteful blend with the synthesizers.

The most interesting track on Plea:491 is “Splashdown.”  From its straight-ahead rock opening to its well-structured chorus, Fogle attempts his most daring vocal range on this song and for the most part delivers a reputable performance.  However, the song with the most potential and appeal to his target audience is “You’ll Be There.”  This poignant ballad is well-written and could easily become another praise and worship standard, though some tweaking may be needed in the instrumental arrangement.  “You’ll Be There” is the only track to boast a string quartet that does a beautiful job from the serene cello opening to the excellent melodic bridge.  The danger however lies when the synthesizer sneaks in coupled with Fogle’s all ready high voice and the blend loses its charm.

Despite his uninspiring vocals, Fogle’s songs are good and his enthusiasm should not wane. Plea:491 is a gracious debut from a singer/songwriter who should not be deterred or deflated.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Matthew Fogle, Plea:491

East meets west is only one of the unique pairings that give Shady Cats its approachable, signature sound.  Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Grady Crumpler hails from North Carolina while drummer Bill Eagen sought his musical dreams in California.  Both musicians share a mutual love for classic rock.  Top shelf of course being the tunes heard on vintage vinyl and not the digitally compressed versions overplayed on commercial radio.

Crumpler has a knack for not just channeling a particular artist but capturing the musical genre’s energy.  “You Got A Way” takes the mid-60s full studio sound revolutionized by The Beach Boys Pet Sounds album and creates a great blend of guitars and multi-layered vocals with a call and response motif in the chorus.  The instruments fade out in the coda leaving the harmonizing vocals a cappella and there is a faint hint of a sailing “waa-ooo” floating over top ala Brian Wilson.  “Take Me” has more of a bluesy feel with the rock organ adding dimension to the sound as was prominent in many of the British Invasion bands of the time.

With his extensive musical skills, Crumpler is more than capable of embellishing upon the normal rock combo instrumentation.  In the samba style “All the Way” a marimba played by Chad Barger. is heard keeping time with the drums.  The dramatic song “In the Moment” opens with a worldly percussion mix before cleaning fading away as the electric guitar sneaks in and the high-hat takes control of the beat.

“She Kisses Me With Her Eyes” is more of a pop/punk number with the fast repetitive crunch guitars and the vocals sliding over top.  Crumpler sings in a slightly lower range than previously heard on the album up to this point.  His voice sounds natural and full as he cruises through the lyrics with a Bob Dylan type panache.   The guitar solo is well done with tasteful effects.

“I Want Independence” has another quick guitar solo and is the shortest track on the album, clocking in less than two minutes.  This tune is a blatant digression from rock past and clearly exudes a more modern rock sound with its overblown guitars and growling lyrics.  Crumpler’s voice, though, is not gritty enough to pull it off and, try as he might, he sounds too reserved despite the vocal effects.

The best vocal performance of Love Callin’ is heard on the last track “Desperation.”  The melancholy piano sets the mood for this ultimate hard knock life song as the drums and crash cymbal roll into the second verse.  Crumpler really allows himself to cut loose with his voice despite almost squeaking on one of the big, long held notes in the chorus.  As always, he makes excellent use of his background vocals and wailing electric guitar solo.  The energy is maintained throughout the extended instrumental ending before the ominous final vocals are uttered.

Love Callin’ has been in the making for over ten years.  This time span has allowed Crumpler and Eagen countless hours to rehearse, experiment and ultimately maintain the confidence to play comfortably.  No two songs on the album are alike; rather each one boasts its own unique likable listen-ability.    Crumpler’s songs are all very well structured and the production on the entire album is superb.  If the lead vocals overall would just get a bit more gutsy it would make a grand debut even grander.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Love Callin', Shady Cats

Angels have inspired songstresses from many different genres through the years with highly successful results from Amy Grant’s pop song “Angels Watching Over Me” in the early 80’s to Sarah McLachlan’s mournful ballad “Angel” in the late 90’s.  Now seasoned performer Cheryl Metrick brings a Broadway flair to the mystery and wonder of angels with her tune, “There Are Angels.”

Celestial beings have a knack at making their presence known to us during the time of a traumatic or life-changing event.  For Metrick, she was recovering from surgery when the lyrics to this heavenly tune materialized.  To properly sing a song about this huge comforting revelation, Metrick asked Frank Owens to embellish upon her music and lyrics.  Owens is another Broadway veteran and has previously served as musical director for such artists as Johnny Mathis, Connie Francis and Petula Clark.  This sound is evident in his arrangement style and he does a fine job of making “There Are Angels” a big production number.

The song opens with Owens on piano playing the introduction to Bach-Gounod’s “Ave Maria.”  Metrick enters with her cabaret phrasing and dramatic speak-singing about her contemporary thoughts on guardian angels.  Classic Broadway, she even adds in a few cutesy squeaks, a la Kristin Chenoweth.  At times there may be a little too much echo on Metrick’s voice and her “errr” enunciation, as in “other” and “heart,” are borderline grating.  Owens nicely uses the full string section at his disposal adding moving sweeps and lots of color, and the horns and harp are great.  As the song progresses, it is reminiscent of a popular 1960’s Dusty Springfield hit or Jimmy Webb arrangement.

Despite the grand instrumentation, the song lacks a huge climax.  It goes forward but fails to go anywhere really exciting.  Metrick does pull off a fine vocal performance including holding on to the last held note of the piece where she falters initially and then settles into the tonal center and adds a tasteful vibrato to the fade out.  “There Are Angels” is a good song, with a good message that may indeed truly touch some listeners, but it seems to be yet another variation on a long-standing theme.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Cheryl Metrick, There Are Angels

As the title suggests, Out of Nowhere captivates the listener out of nowhere with its incredible unassuming majesty.  Stephanie Mainville is in amazing talent and has already amassed a lengthy tally of accolades in her native Canada.  Out of Nowhere is Mainville’s second solo album and will undoubtedly continue to earn her more much deserved recognition.

Assisting her in this magnificent creation is longtime friend Kevin Fox who produced, arranged, recorded and mixed the album.  He is also the first artist heard on the opening track “Nice To Know” with his light acoustic guitar strumming.  Fox and Mainville have delivered a finely polished work where every instrument is cleanly balanced, the instrumentation is divine and Mainville’s vocals sparkle like precious gems in every song.

The first single off Out of Nowhere is “Wait,” with Kevin Anderson on piano.  This dramatic love song opens quietly, then builds in the second verse with the addition of the drums.  This gentle ebb and flow culminates with a vocal break before the last chorus where Mainville’s vocal mordents expertly lift over the piano and Fox gracefully adds background vocals as the piece decrescendos.

Mainville’s enunciation throughout the album is impeccable.  Her mature speak-singing and ability to slightly change vocal tones for each song is well noted.  The majority of the songs on Out of Nowhere are her original works; however there are two covers including “Shelter” by 80’s American roots rock band Lone Justice.  This group featured Maria McKee on lead vocals with the help of Steven Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist).  This earthy rock song is an excellent fit for Mainville and adds further dynamics to an all ready interesting album.

The most uninspiring piece on Out of Nowhere is “Out West,” not due to musicality but more so for the banal lyrics.  Whether Mainville meant to or not, the lyrical content is a collection of clichés encircled in a country folk waltz.  The first verse ends with an ill-fated allusion to the superstitious number thirteen as she muses on being “invited to dine at a table for twelve,” before launching into the underwhelming chorus: “Cuz I’m just a square peg in a round hole / the shoe doesn’t fit anymore…”  Thankfully to some extent, Mainville’s cute melodic singing throughout does manage to salvage the tune.  One not-so-great song however should not deter anyone from thoroughly enjoying this album.  The crystalline quality of Mainville’s voice is reminiscent of Celtic Woman Hayley Westenra finely mixed with the power and energy of Lisbeth Scott.

Although the album cover features Mainville in a garden with her violin, the majority of the string work on Out of Nowhere lies in the shadows and serves to add depth and beauty to the music instead of taking center stage.  This mold is broken however in “Hold Me Down” featuring guest violinist Hugh Marsh (heard on the Chronicles of Narnia soundtracks).  His sweet, somber string work lays the perfect foundation for Mainville to deliver an exquisite performance where her high notes ringing with the timbre of a cherub’s lullaby.

There truly are not enough kind words to say about Out of Nowhere.  Mainville and Fox should be proud of the work they have done.  It is an aural work of art, finely crafted and destined to give a warm feeling of serenity to any listener who is blessed enough to partake.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews Out of Nowhere, Stephanie Mainville