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Category Archives: Nick Deriso
Mike McGuire, Kentucky Morning EP
Mike McGuire’s new six-song EP Kentucky Morning takes the themes and atmospheres of 2011’s Beyond the Ark to a darker, more contemplative place. Even his lone cover, the Rolling Stones’ bleak “No Expectations,” speaks to a project surrounded by heartache … Continue reading
Adam De Lucia, “Hypnotist”
Intrepid guitarist Adam De Lucia seeks to create electronic accompaniment that sounds downright human – and he largely succeeds on Hypnotist. Along the way, he’s watched in wonder as a student with both Israeli guitar alchemist Oz Noy and former … Continue reading
Nate Kimball, “Warrior’s Journey”
Las Vegas trombone player Nate Kimball plays with none of his native city’s glitzy clichés. In fact, Warrior’s Journey is a wonder of tensile, perfectly constructed, never-showy modern jazz. He begins with a smoke-filled introduction on the title track, coupled … Continue reading
Mister Link “Do It in the Name of Love”
Though his baritone has been consistently compared to that of Jim Morrison, Mister Link’s music connects with more modern sounds on Do It in the Name of Love, from the Cars and R.E.M. to the Smiths and the White Stripes. … Continue reading
Alchalant “Grad Song”
Alchalant begins “Grad Song” with an insistent rhythm, and a flat, dirge-inspired vocal – something that stirs up a dark portent in what might have been a sweetly reminiscent lyric: “I miss the days I was young, playing outside in … Continue reading
Alchalant “Better Off Dead”
“Better Off Dead” leaps out with a gnarled, noisy verve, making terrific use of the kind of scronky attitude that marked early New Wave. Singer-songwriter Alex Matijow’s vocal stays with the period, as he howls and growls like the best … Continue reading
Laura Ainsworth “Keep It To Yourself”
Dallas, Texas-based Laura Ainsworth, though performing last-century throwback cocktail jazz, may have stumbled into a zeitgeist defining moment with the album-opening title track from Keep It To Yourself. Whether she knew it or not back in the recording studio, this … Continue reading
Bobby Katz “Lifetime Thing”
At its heart, this is a piano record, filled with moving ballads that connect on a deeply emotional level. Elsewhere, however, Bobby Katz shakes things up considerably. Lifetime Thing, to its great credit, never falls into the trap of sounding … Continue reading
Burning Gums “Burning Gums”
A stylistic tour de force, this self-titled trio effort manages to take in many of jazz music’s most notable influences, even tosses in a dash of Pacific island flavor, but it never falls into the rote imitative traps of so … Continue reading
Mike McGuire “Beyond the Ark”
Americana singer-songwriter Mike McGuire travels a land of heavy weather, echoing church bells, sad tales and long memories. But he never lets go of the one thing that binds us together: Faith, in ourselves, in our future paths, in our … Continue reading
