There have always been those musicians that have started to learn an instrument after being inspired by someone else. Whether it was to play as good as the person that inspired them, or to produce music in the style of that influence, there are many reasons for someone to pick an instrument.

English musician Kevin Curtis is one such musician that started playing after being influenced by someone else. He picked up the guitar after hearing guitarists like Jeff Beck and David Gilmour playing their music. After he learned to play the guitar, Kevin began to develop his own musical style.

Soon, Kevin was looking for more influences to add to his style of performance. It was at this point that he discovered the playing of instrumental guitarists like Joe Satriani. Having listened to guitarists like Satriani and others, Kevin started developing a desire to compose his own music.

Taking these influences, Kevin ended up creating two albums, 1994’s Living in 10 City, and 1996’s Union. With these releases, Kevin shows that he knows how to rock. But after releasing these two CDs, it would be a while before Kevin would create another one.

After a decade since the release of his last album, Kevin Curtis has finally released a new album. This new release is called Lighter Shades. The newest release by Curtis is a little different than his other albums in that the new album was created over a long period, with Kevin Curtis having composed each track on the release one song at a time. Taking the time to compose each song as its own entity gave Curtis the ability to create an album that lacked the monotony that a lot of instrumental rock albums seem to have.

Another thing that sets Lighter Shades apart from the previous releases by Kevin Curtis is that, while the new compositions still show that he knows how to write music, they also show that he can write in different styles. Each song on this release gives the listener a slightly different perspective on Kevin and his way of writing.

The songs on this album are not all in the rock vein. Some of the songs, like Those Before, are more about the melody than they are about Curtis’ ability to rock out. Those Before is a ballad-like song that brings to mind a moment of remembering. The song features Kevin in a very relaxed state of playing, letting the song itself take center stage.

While most of the album is very laid back in style and playing, there are some instances where Curtis’ ability to play is very evident. On the song Texan Man, Kevin gives the tune a very hard rockin’ quality and allows himself the chance to show the world what he can actually do with the instrument. And on Ebb and Flow, the musician slows down the pace but still proves that he can definitely hang with the best guitarists out there.

The other thing that comes across when listening to this album is the fact that Kevin Curtis is more than just a fine guitarist, he is also a fine musician that can play many different instruments. While having composed the songs on guitar, the album was fleshed out by Kevin as he also played bass, drums, and keyboards that helped add dimension to the release.

If you like instrumental rock, or instrumental music in general, Lighter Shades by Kevin Curtis is an album you need to check out. To find Kevin Curtis and his Lighter Shades album, as well as his other releases, go to his website at www.theaxemancometh.co.uk.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Kevin Curtis, Lighter Shades

Having lived in the Cleveland area for all of my life, I am surprised that I have never heard of guitarist Rob Metz until I received his CD in the mail. It is a great pleasure to have been introduced to the Akron, Ohio musician and his album, “Axis Shift”.

There are many guitarists out in the music world that are trying to stand apart from the crowd. But when a lot of those guitarists seem to come from the same train of thought as Joe Satriani does musically, it gets boring hearing the same style over and over again.

After hearing so many people compose music that sounds like Satriani, it is good to finally hear a guitarist that composes music in a manner that does not bring to mind that musician. And with Rob Metz, there is so much more to his music than just the straight-out rock that most instrumental guitarists seem to like composing. While based mostly in rock, the music that Metz creates contains some instances of Heavy Metal, and also some jazz aspects, as well.

Axis Shift starts off with a strong rock track entitled “Cosmic Ascension”. As the title suggests, the song brings to mind floating through the air. Rob’s smoking approach on his guitar playing gives a good contrast to the light feel of the rest of the instrumentation in the song.

One of the best songs on the album is “Desert Song”. The song starts out having a very strong jazz base, and then enters into a more rock-based feel. The two styles seem to alternate back and forth. And while the styles are of different mindsets, they work well together, creating a musical blend in the song that few musicians can duplicate. The song is one of the strongest tracks on the release, in my opinion.

Another song that stands out on the album is “Eastern Wind”. The song allows Rob to show off his playing style. And with the song having a slower tempo, it also allows for the musician to really focus on each note that is being played and not rush through the piece.

To create the album, many talented musicians from the area, including Byron Nemeth, another guitarist from the Northern Ohio area that creates music in the same vein as Rob Metz, joined Rob. Byron adds his touch to the album on the track “Flying Machine”. And when Byron joins Rob on the song, his guitar solo helps to make a strong track even stronger.   

Taking all of the styles of music that are including in Rob’s style of composing, along with the talent of all of the people that helped create the album, “Axis Shift” by Rob Metz is a definite pleasure to listen to. And it is a pleasure to find someone from my area that I was not aware of. Now that I have heard of Rob Metz, I will be following his career. I suggest you do the same.

If you like great instrumental music, whether of the rock, jazz, or metal variety, Rob Metz has created an album in “Axis Shift” that should make any music lover happy. To find out more about Rob Metz and his music, go to his website at www.robmetz.com. You can also find him on MySpace at www.myspace.com/robmetz.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Axis Shift, Rob Metz

Caleb Scates is a musician who is currently making a name for himself in the music world. In the last year, Caleb has received some well-deserved coverage. The musician had his music featured in several websites as well as in some hard copy magazines. Part of the reason for this coverage had to do with Caleb’s current release entitled “Reeducation”.

The new CD by Caleb Scates is a well-made piece of current rock music. But what makes it stand out is the fact that the album was created by one man- Caleb Scates. With no one but himself, Caleb recorded the guitar, bass, and drum parts of the songs with producer John Curley at Ultrasuede Studios. The resulting album of Reeducation shows that Caleb knows how to write music, and he knows how to create each musical part in a song to help bring to life his musical visions.

When a person takes on a musical project to record everything that appears on the release by himself, there is the chance that the resulting music may sound as if someone with limited skills created it. But that is not the case with the new CD from Caleb. The talented musician plays each of the musical instruments with the same amount of expertise. It takes talent to learn to play an instrument; and since Caleb plays all of the parts on the album, you can tell he has the talent it takes to create an album like this.

The new release contains 8 songs. 6 of the tracks on the album are hard rockers. These songs allow Caleb to show off his ability to play the guitar, bass, and drums. The last 2 tracks, “Every Time” and “Red Rose,” show Caleb taking it easier while he shows he guitar-playing talent. The album shows you the two sides of Caleb, which gives you some idea of what his music writing style is like.

Reeducation, the new album from Caleb Scates, is a good place to start if you have never heard of this songwriter. It is also the place to go if you want to rediscover the talents of this songwriter. The album shows the listener that one man can make music that sounds as good as anything that a full band can create…as long as that one man has the talent it takes to create the whole album on his own; and Caleb definitely has that talent. And he knows what to do with that talent.

The next question is: If he can create something this good when he is working on it by himself, what can do when he gets the chance to record with other musicians as part of a band? I will keep my eyes and ears open for more from this musician to find that out. I suggest you do the same. In the meantime, you can discover the current album from Caleb Scates “Reeducation,” by going to his website at www.calebscates.com. You can also find him on MySpace at www.myspace.com/kaylubsk8s.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Caleb Scates, Reeducation

While there are many people out there in the music industry who want to be the ultimate “Rock Star,” there are just as many musicians who would be just as happy to take the path to popularity by simply being known as a “singer-songwriter”. James Taylor. Warren Zevon. Van Morrison. Tom Waits. These are just some of the musicians who are known more for their writing ability than they are known for being rock stars. And while these men are known to the music world, there are many, many others who have made a career as singer-songwriters but have not yet become as well-known as these four.

Jacob Carver is one such musician who would fit into the singer-songwriter category. Jacob released his first album of music in 2007. That album, “Done Gone,” was the typical “one man and his guitar” released that introduced the world to the writing style of that solo musician.

With that 2007 release, Jacob was known as a solo singer-songwriter. However, all of that changed one year later. In late 2008, Jacob Carver released his newest album, entitled “Only Too Well”. This new album not only showcases Carver’s writing style, it also proves that he has become a talented frontman as well, as he now has been joined by a group of talented musicians who have helped transformed his compositions into full-fledged songs.

On his new release of “Only Too Well,” Jacob Carver’s songs have been given new life with the help of Tom Albers on guitar and lap steel, Darren Ross on bass, David Warburton on drums, and Alex Mandel on piano. Along with some other friends who have added some finishing touches to the album, these musicians make Carver’s songs complete. While earlier, solo versions of these songs might have sounded very simple with just Jacob and his guitar, the full, fleshed-out versions that appear on “Only Too Well” have a richness that would’ve been missing had this been just another solo effort by Carver. And while the songs do include the bass, drums and electric guitar, there is still the simple singer-songwriter feel to the album.

With the standard grouping of acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and drums, “Only Too Well” from Jacob Carver could be considered a rock release. However, there is also the piano, lap steel, cello, and occasional folk rock feel to the songs that make the album more of an “Americana” release. And since the songs started out being written by a singer-songwriter and not your typical “rock star” musician, the Americana label fits the music perfectly.

The Americana label also fits with the topics that Jacob has chosen to write about on “Only Too Well”. There are songs about traveling, remembering years gone by, and struggling through the day-to-day; all things that have to do with life. “Only Too Well” features 11 songs by Jacob Carver. Some of the best tracks on the release include “Bourbon and Blood,” “Bitterhanded,” and “Highway Miles”.

Like James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Van Morrison, and Tom Waits, Jacob Carver is a singer-songwriter. And like these men, Carver has the talent to make it big with his songs someday. You can find 11 of his songs on his newly released album of “Only Too Well”.

To find out more about Jacob Carver, you can find him online at www.jacobcarver.com.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Jacob Carver, Only Too Well

To start making music, you first have to find yourself a good teacher. And if you find a teacher that gives you the right type of help and direction, you can end up having what it takes to make a name for yourself. Musician Stephen Luke had already been a guitarist but needed to regain his form after surgery made him put music aside until he healed. When the time was right, Stephen took that first step to becoming that musician he had once been and found himself a teacher by the name of Kelly Richey. Richey is a blues-rocker that has been making music in her own right for the last decade. That experience was the right thing that Stephen Luke needed to relearn the guitar. And Richey helped give Luke the training necessary to regain his musical form.

After finding out that there was something more to this musician than just a person who wanted to learn guitar, Kelly Richey became a writing partner with Stephen Luke and the two musicians created an album of music. That album, No Man’s Land, was just released by Stephen Luke on Sweet Lucy Records, the same label that released material from Kelly Richey. No Man’s Land by Stephen Luke has only been out for a little while, as the release date for the album was February 14, 2009.

Staying true to Kelly Richey’s musical style, Stephen Luke and Richey have created an album that is part rock and part blues. That musical combination works well on the release, as Luke’s vocal style is perfect for the blues. The songs are well crafted, and with Kelly Richey’s guitar playing that fills up the sound on the new release, the tracks on the album are very strong.

The title track of  “No Man’s Land” seems to be autobiographical, as the words seem to tell the story of Stephen’s experience with the accident that left him unable to play the guitar, and his rise back from that unfortunate situation. The song, although somber in tone, is very uplifting, as if to say, “anything is possible”. The rest of the album seems to be composed in the same straightforward “matter-of-fact” style that lets the listener know exactly what Stephen is feeling.

Although most of the album was created with Kelly Richey on lead guitar, there are several instances when Stephen Luke is the person playing the guitar parts. Songs like “Long Way From Home,” “Hurricane,” and “Do You Bleed?” allow the listener to hear the playing style of Luke when he takes the lead on the instrument. You can even hear him play the slide guitar on the track “The Devil Won’t Win Twice”.

To help complete the album, Stephen Luke and Kelly Richey had some help filling in the sound on the tracks that make up the release. The rest of the musicians that helped to create the album include: keys by Bill Brandenburgh, bass by Michael Scharfe, and drums by David Clawson, with background vocals contributed by Andrea Summer, Rick Brantley and Steve Ellerman.

Having to overcome an injury is something that would make some people give up. But Stephen Luke is proof that when you have the determination and the right amount of help, you can make it back from anything. And the newly released album from Luke, No Man’s Land, is a testament to that. And the album is also a great way to prove that he is still a man with a song in his heart. 

To find out more about Stephen Luke and his music, go to his website at www.stephenlukemusic.com. You can also find him on MySpace at www.myspace.com/stephenlukemusic. You can also find Stephen on the Sweet Lucy Records website at www.sweetlucymusic.com.  

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews No Man's Land, Stephen Luke

Musicians Holly Joy and Rikk Currence have come together to form a modern day Pop-rock duo. The husband and wife outfit goes by the moniker of JoyFocus. In the style of the makeup of The Eurhythmics, Currence is the musical backbone of the band as Joy is the voice of the band. Together, the music that they produce is part rock, part pop.

JoyFocus has created a sound that is very radio-friendly. The music from the duo is a combination of 80s New Wave, today’s modern rock music and some religious overtones. Having said that, the music by the duo is full of messages, some religious, some not. Either way, the music of JoyFocus has been shaped in a way that most of the people who hear their music will find something that will drawn them into it.

Together, Holly Joy and Rikk Currence have created three independent releases of their brand of radio-friendly music. Prior to 2009, JoyFocus had put out their releases of “Ultra Catchy Atomic Pop Interlude- Volume 1” and “Super Happy Family Wish Record”. But the band has taken their sound and stepped it up a notch with the release of their newest release of “Cyber Suburban Electro Rock Circus”. “Cyber Suburban Electro Rock Circus” is the first album release from JoyFocus. The album contains 8 original compositions by the duo and one cover track.

The album starts out strong with one of the songs that have religious overtones- “Audrey Is Gone”. The track is about missing a person who made a difference in the lives of so many people that knew her. The album stays strong with the next track of “Princess Samantha,” a track about someone looking for her ‘Prince Charming’ who has not found what she is looking for.

Another of the best tracks on the album is the only song on the album that was not written by Rikk Currence- “Here Comes The Rain Again,” the song from The Eurhythmics. The new version stays true to the original while updating the song for the 21^st Century. Even though the song is not one by Currence, the composition fits in perfectly with the sound of JoyFocus. After “Here Comes The Rain Again,” the album is brought to an end with a reprise of the first track on the album, “Audrey Is Gone”.  The rest of the album is just as strong. Almost all of the tracks from the release could be used as singles.

As a writer, Rikk Currence has the right amount of talent for writing songs. The songs that he writes could easily become singles that get tons of play on today’s radio stations.

And then there is the other side of Currence- the musician side.

As a musician, Rikk Currence wrote all of the music as well as created all of the music that appears on the new release. The musician has created a musical base that made it easy for Holly Joy to add her vocals to the album.

Currence has found the perfect partner in Holly Joy as she has the same type of talent in her singing ability. One of the best examples of Joy’s singing ability is the harmony that she created on the track “Grey Day My Way (War of Me)”.

Together, the two musicians have created one of the best musical partnerships in the music industry today. Their newest album, “Cyber Suburban Electro Rock Circus,” is very strong and is a solid release. With a combination of New Wave music, today’s current rock music, and a little Christian Rock, JoyFocus has a sound that could attract a large fan base if given the chance. 

To discover “Cyber Suburban Electro Rock Circus,” the new album from Rikk Currence and Holly Joy’s musical outfit of JoyFocus, go to the band’s website of www.joyfocus.com. The band can also be found on MySpace at www.myspace.com/joyfocus. 

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Joy Focus, Rikk Currence

Sometimes you happen to come across a CD from a band or musician that captures your attention from the moment you put it on. Even if there is something just a little different or unusual about it, the release from that band or musician makes you want to let the CD play out so you can experience the whole album that is contained within the CD. A new CD was just released by the name of  “Mechanic Organic” that falls into this situation. It is this album that recently drew me in with its unusual nature.

“Mechanic Organic” is the debut release from an outfit from Brooklyn, New York that goes by the name of Anima Anonima. Anima Anonima is a group of three musicians that use the names of FunGus, Su Dunham and Tim. These three members of Anima Anonima are all multi-instrumentalists and have combined their talents to create their new release of “Mechanic Organic,” a name that is very appropriate, as the band has created, almost from scratch, a new music sound by compiling soundbites from many different sources. With that foundation in place, the band went on to add sound loops, organized noise and other frequencies, as well as keyboards and live drums to create their music that has been described as “cinematic rock” or Electronic/Dance Rock music.

One of the best tracks on the album is “Melodica”. The rhythm for the song was painstakingly compiled from many soundbites to create a strong dance groove, and then the rest of the instruments, including a melodica (a hand-held keyboard that’s breath-powered), are brought together for one of the strongest songs on “Mechanic Organic”.

Another strong track on the album is the song “Money Hungry”. The song is one of the few instances when the band gets away from the keyboard-based sound. The band uses the rock-trio setting of guitar, bass and drums to create this indie-rock song that features Su on vocals with the simple lyrics of: “You’re Money Hungry, just like me.” The song creates a nice change of pace on an album that was mainly created using keyboards. But as the song also contains the ever-present organized frequency and feedback, it hardly seems out of place.

The three members of Anima Anonima formed having come from the indie-rock, jazz and electronic scenes in Brooklyn, New York. This helps to explain the fact that much of the material on “Mechanic Organic” was created at the time of recording. It also helps to explain why much of the new album has a very jazzy vibe to it. One of the songs on the album that comes across as jazzy is the track “Carbon Monoxide”. The track was created with the help of Eleanor Moonier, who adds her personal touch as she reads the poem she penned with the band adding the musical background.

The drum loops, the soundbites, the rock style, the noises and other frequencies, and jazz poetry come together on Anima Anonima’s new release of “Mechanic Orgainc” to create an album that is never dull and always entertaining. Unusual at times, the release keeps the listener interested. FunGus, Su Dunham and Tim have created an album unlike anything else. And that’s what makes it so good.

To learn more about Anima Anonima, check out their MySpace account at www.myspace.com/animaanonima.  

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Anima Anonima, Mechanic Organic

Dan Freedman is a pianist who is currently living in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is a long way from his native country of England, where he had become a household name with his weekly “Dan The Music Man” radio spots on BBC radio. The radio program took place while Dan was still in his youth. But after completing bachelors and masters degrees in computer science, the world lost a true musical talent. It wasn’t until 20 years of being a software entrepreneur that he found himself in Hawaii. It was there that the true musician in him came calling. Now after only about one year from that time, Dan Freedman is back being a musician making many an appearance as a guest musician in concerts, as well as the leader of his own jazz band. It is this newly refocused musician that has just released a new album entitled “Art Attack”.

It is on “Art Attack,” the new release by Dan Freedman, that you find three different styles of jazz by the musician. You can hear solo pieces, piano duets (with Dan playing both parts), and pieces in a jazz trio setting (with Dan playing all three parts, including piano, Double Bass, and drums). While most of the selections on “Art Attack” are solo performances, the piano duets and trio settings on the album help to add a little variety to the release.

On most jazz releases, you will find that the musicians usually fall into two categories: the “I only play the compositions the way the composers meant them to be played” frame of mind, or the “I only play my own compositions” frame of mind. Though there are exceptions to the rule, rarely do you find someone who will take the opportunity to arrange a piece to fit their own playing style. But this is exactly what makes “Art Attack” by Dan Freedman so enjoyable: The compositions that Dan chose to be part of the album have been arranged by him in such a way that they sound unique, as if no one else had played them before. This is the reason why this album is such a breath of fresh air.

The two best arrangements on the album belong to “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Chopsticks”.  “Sweet Georgia Brown” is one of the few instances on the release when Dan adds a second piano track to a song. This creates a very unusual and entertaining take on the song that has become best known as the “theme song” for the Harlem Globetrotters. But the most unusual arrangement on the album belongs to the song “Chopsticks,” the song most people know as the tune that is played by two fingers on the piano keyboard. With Dan’s version, however, the melody starts the song off and then only peaks its head out once in a while throughout the performance of the song. This gives the song a very unique feel to it.

For all of the instrumentation on the album, Dan plays all of the piano and bass parts. He also plays most of the percussion, as well. However, for the songs “On Green Dolphin Street,” Giba Moojen performed the drum part.

While there are great pianists elsewhere, very few can also play the bass and drums. This sets Dan apart from many of the other pianists out there right now.

Dan Freedman has recorded an album of jazz that is both creative and fresh, and also a joy to listen to. If you are a fan of jazz music and would like to find an album by one of the best jazz pianists on the planet, check out “Art Attack” by Dan Freedman. You can find Dan Freedman online by going to his website at www.dan88.com.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Art Attack, Dan Freedman

One of the most important things you need when you need to decide on when forming a band is what to call the outfit. And when you start the process of deciding on what that name might be, you may look everywhere for inspiration.

One band from New York found what they were looking for in a name form the cinema: The Rochester, New York band of Ace Merrill took their name from a character from the 1986 film “Stand By Me”.

The Rochester, New York band of Ace Merrill is a quartet of musicians that was looking for their own style of music. The band is comprised of Josh Dettman on vocals, Joe Harris on guitar/keyboards/vocals, Emery Rizzo on drums, and Phil Kruger on bass guitar. It is this band of musicians that have combined their musical tastes to form yet another musical hybrid of the rock genre. The quartet has combined the genres of Indie-Rock and Hardcore to create their own style that has since been dubbed “Indie-Core”.

After being together since 2007, the band took their sound and went into the studio to create their first release. The resulting release is called “When The Strangeness Strikes”. “Indie-Core” is a very accurate description of Ace Merrill’s sound. The band part of Ace Merrill, Harris, Rizzo, and Kruger, have created their own style of rock music that sits slightly outside of the normal sound of today’s rock music, which ends up giving their sound that “Indie” badge. Then Dettman adds his aggressive approach as the band’s vocalist that would be at home in a “Hardcore” band.

To say that Harris, Rizzo, and Kruger only play Indie-Rock in the outfit would be incorrect. The band alternates their sound and approach from Indie-Rock to a heavier Hardcore sound when Dettman adds his “hardcore” vocals to the mix. That combination is what makes up the band’s musical style. And it is that style that has been classified as “Indie-Core”.

Ace Merrill’s “Indie-Core” musical style has been recorded and released on the band’s 2008 EP entitled “When The Strangeness Strikes”. “When The Strangeness Strikes” contains five of the band’s songs. “He Could Be A Killer,” the EP’s first song, is the perfect example of the band’s Indie/Hardcore style. The song starts off with the band playing a song that is heavily Indie and when Josh Dettman gives more emotion with his voice, the band increases their energy to match his. The whole EP plays out this way.

If you like Indie-Rock or Hardcore music, then Ace Merrill is a band that has created a CD of music that might interest you. The band has created a rock hybrid that contains a large amount of Indie-Rock. And there’s just enough Hardcore music to satisfy any fan of the genre. The two music styles may not be two styles that you would normally find together, but Ace Merrill makes the two genres work together and their “When The Strangeness Strikes” EP shows you what can happen when you go about trying to create your own style: You may end up with something unique. The band and their unique sound caught the attention of AP Magazine. The magazine ended up naming the band one of their “Bands of the Month”.

To find out more about Ace Merrill and their music, you can find the band on MySpace at www.myspace.com/acemerrill.  

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Ace Merrill, When The Strangeness Strikes

With a lot of today’s music following the same lack-luster trends, the majority of the songs being released and promoted, no matter what genre, seem to sound alike. With nothing to separate one song from another, it is not surprising that the music industry as a whole finds itself in the crisis that it’s in.

To repair some of the damage that has already been done, the music industry can take a lesson from Bill Shaouy, the singer and songwriter for the band Desmond Drive. With Desmond Drive, Shaouy has created an album that is unlike most of the material being produced today. The band’s album is called “I Called I”.

Along with Bill Shaouy on vocals and keyboards, the rest of Desmond Drive is made up of Rob Gal on guitars, Steve Platnick on bass, and Chuck Kelly on drums. To help Shaouy shape the music for the album, Rob Gal also helped to produce the release.

The music by Desmond Drive on “I Called I” is a little different. Bill Shaouy did not compose the songs while using the trends of today’s music; if anything, the music of Desmond Drive is based upon material from earlier decades. The music contains a fair amount of references to the British Invasion, as well as other rock eras from the past.

Much of the British Invasion influence comes from references to The Beatles. With the orchestrations that help to bring depth to Desmond Drive’s album, you can almost imagine some of the songs being written by Lennon/McCartney. The song “Isn’t It A Wonder” sound like it could have come from “The Magical Mystery Tour” album.

While more Fab Four references exist in the band’s music, the British Invasion was not the only influence to Shaouy’s writing. While listening to the album, you can almost hear references to Springsteen and Bob Seeger. There is also an unmistakable reference to Roy Orbison.

The song “Poker Face” sound like it could have come from any part of Orbison’s song catalog. The style of the track would have fit perfectly with Orbison. And of course, the timpani in the song definitely conjure up visions of Orbison’s music. Plus, with Shaouy having a voice that is almost operatic in quality at times, the parallels are certainly apparent.

The most interesting track on the album is “One Night”. The seven-plus minute opus includes an orchestral beginning and has a style that reminds you of Todd Rundgren.

While most of the album “I Called I” from Desmond Drive was composed while using many influences from the past, the entire album is not that way. There are a few hints at modern day music. The track “My Tribe,” for instance, sounds very fresh with loop-like drumming and other instrumentation that make the song sound very modern.

The opening recitation by the Greek Chorus also separates the album from other current releases. The chorus makes several appearances throughout the release, including the third and final time when the speakers are interrupted by a phone call. This adds a little humor to the album, and, in a way, tells the listener not to take things so seriously. 

Using influences from the past, and adding a little humor to the release, Bill Shaouy and the rest of Desmond Drive have created an album that should make people who want something more from today’s music happy. For that “something more” in your music, check out the current release from Desmond Drive, “I Called I”. 

To check out the music by Bill Shaouy and the rest of Desmond Drive, visit them online at www.desmonddrive.com.

Reviewed By Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Desmond Drive, I Called I