MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
SPRING 2014 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
ANGEL AIR RECORDS - A member of Monty Python, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah
Band, Grimms and The Rutles, Neil Innes hardly needs an introduction
to pop fans. In May 2014, Neil will take his “An Evening With
The Rutles” out on the road. For a good indication of how that
will sound, you might want to pick up on the 2014 double CD release
of Neil Innes & Fatso - Farewell Posterity Tour.
Kicking off with a pair of Rutles classics, the double CD set
was recorded live and feature a wide range of live versions of classics
by The Rutles, the Bonzos and more. Funny how the Rutles’ songs
are all credited now to Innes / Lennon / McCartney but that’s
world we live in today! For his band, Neil gets ace support from great
musicians including Rutles’ cofounder / drummer John Halsey.
In the liner notes to this Angel Air classic, Neil takes the listeners
through the history of all these memorable songs. We may all be a
little wiser (and a little fatter), but great music lives forever.
www.NeilInnesAndFatso.com
ATO
/ BELLA UNION - Texas based Midlake released Antiphone
in 2013. A cosmic kind of Grateful Dead meets the Eagles,
the ten track Antiphone ebbs and flows in a mid ‘70s Pink
Floyd kind of way. The six piece band shares the song writing credits
and the songs are complex and clearly well thought out. Compared to
early 2000’s jam bands like String Cheese Incident, Midlake have
a near commercial rock sound. Vocalist / guitarist Eric Pulido
is a solid front man for these songs and the solid musicianship
and backing vocals he gets from all the players here is first rate.
Fans of 1970’s era Pink Floyd, say around the time of Wish
You Were Here, and the cosmic rock sound of String Cheese Incident
circa 2005 will thoroughly enjoy this adventurous rock album by Midlake.
www.midlake.net
BITTER BUTTONS - Over in the U.K. the band known as Schnauser
(not to be confused with the canine breed called schnauzer) has
released their definitive musical statement. The 2013 CD from Schnauser,
entitled Where Business Meets Fashion is a mind blowing
tribute to the finest elements of U.K. pop and rock. Fans of Syd Barrett
(founder of Pink Floyd), early David Bowie and even fans of Sgt.
Pepper era Beatles, should check this CD out. At the helm of the
Schauser ship is singer-songwriter / guitarist Alan Strawbridge,
assisted here by Duncan Gammon (keys, vocals), Holly McIntosh
(bass, vocals) and Jasper Williams (drums). Schnauser cites
influences like YES (with Bill Bruford), The Kinks, XTC and Stackridge.
Not bad yet, in their own way, Schnauser are honoring the past great
while exploring a wholly new and vital realm of 21st century prog-pop.
Where Business Meets Fashion is a bold and fascinating musical
statement that serves as a wake-up call to pop music in general. www.schnauser.co.uk
BLACK
SHEEP GLOBAL RECORDINGS - Brother of Lovin’ Spoonful founder
John Sebastian, and the co-writer of that band’s fabled 1966
number one, “Summer In The City”, Mark Sebastian never
got a lot of accolades for his songs or albums but 43 years later
that changed with Mark’s Bleecker Street album in 2009.
Mark is back again with the 2014 CD release of The Real Story,
the follow up to Bleecker Street, released on his own Black
Sheep Global label. Brother John, on harmonica appears on a track
here as well as a steady band with Jimi Zhivago (bass, keys)
and Blake Fleming (drums). The 9 tracks here, as expected,
incorporate breezy pop and rock elements of Lovin’ Spoonful,
Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren and various classic pop and rock styles
made popular on both coasts. If you miss the high quality of pop and
rock classics from the early 1970s, give a good listen to the immensely
entertaining songs and sounds on Mark Sebastian’s Real Story.
www.CDBaby.com
BLUE NOTE RECORDS - Playing keyboards and organ in Tom Petty’s
band since the 1970s and a session musician who’s worked with
Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and the Stones, Benmont Tench arrives
in 2014 with his first solo album You Should Be So Lucky.
The album was produced by U.K. producer legend Glyn Johns so
it sounds extra good. Amazingly, Glyn was after Benmont to make this
record. As a singer-songwriter, a keyboard wizard and a singer, Benmont
is a triple threat and there’s plenty of memorable pop-rock tracks.
There’s a sound you’ve heard before, a kind of musical deja-vu
in play on Benmont’s CD plus there’s a couple of very cool
instrumentals that lets him stretch out his piano-esque musical ideas
in a rewarding way. Tom Petty and Ringo Starr lend a
hand along with a core band with Don Was and Ethan Johns
but the real star on You Should Be So Lucky are
these very impressive new songs by Benmont Tench. www.BlueNote.com
BLUE NOTE RECORDS - Among the most expressive, gifted singer-songwriters
since Van Morrison, Amos Lee strikes a note for universal musical
goodness with his 2014 CD, his 5th, entitled Mountains Of Sorrow,
Rivers Of Song. Mixing folk, jazz, 
blues,
ragtime and Americana, Amos just keeps hitting them out of the park
on his latest Blue Note masterpiece. Fans of the late great J.J. Cale,
Clapton and Van the man will love Amos Lee’s CD. A gifted singer-songwriter
and a fine guitarist in his own right, Amos gets amazing backup from
a range of musicians here including producer Jay Joyce (guitars),
Zack Djankian (bass, guitars), Andy Keenan (steel /
baritone guitars), Giles Reaves (drums, keyboards), and a whole
lot more including a guitar performance on the CD closing “Lowdown
Life” by Tony Joe White. The heavier songs can rock up
a storm or likewise the introspective tracks are mesmerizing but the
key here is just about all the songs on Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers
Of Song hold up nicely spin after spin. www.AmosLee.com
BLUE
NOTE - I could listen to Rosanne Cash sing the phone book
and it would be entertaining. The CD release of The River &
The Thread is one her best solo albums to date. Eleven tracks
of deep and rich country rock and pop filled with a host of pleasing
sonic surprises, The River & The Thread was produced by
Rosanne’s collaborator John Leventhal, who adds in a solid
performance on guitars, bass, sitar, organ and a host of other instruments.
Among the many fine players contributing here are Dan Rieser (drums)
and Tim Luntzel (bass). Strings enhance several tracks including
“The Long Way Home” and the evocative “Night School”,
the latter with its stark references to Mobile, Alabama. Rosanne was
born in Memphis and in Rosannes’s words ‘The connection
to Memphis is powerful and deep'. During the course of the album,
Rosanne traveled throughout the south and even visited Robert Johnson’s
grave site and dug up old ghosts from the Civil War. The River
& The Thread is a stunning reminder of just how much Rosanne
Cash and the entire Cash family is intertwined in the long and winding
history of America’s music and its rich history. www.RosanneCash.com
BROKEN SILENCE / NORDIC NOTES / BESTE! UNTERHALTUNG
- Icelandic singer-songwriter Gudrid Hansdottir released
a great solo album in 2011 called Beyond The Grey. Still
recording for the German based Beste! Unterhaltung label, Gudrid is
back in 2014 with another well done release—a 7 song CD called
Taking Ship. The CD follows in the spirit of
her full length CD though, while Gudrid wrote the songs, she gets
support this time from lyricist Heinrich Heine. Gudrid is kind
of the Kate Bush of Iceland so that’s a good comparison for the
uninitiated. Recorded in Iceland and Finland, the songs on Taking
Ship are sung in English except for one and the CD was superbly
produced by Gudrid and Janus Rasmussen. The CD is well packaged
and features excellent watercolor design with a poster complete with
full lyrics. Speaking of intriguing and exotic female singer-songwriters,
Nordic Notes has another impressive CD release with Maízan
from Norwegian singer Elin Kåven. Translated
into Thaw (in English), the album features a unique kind of
ambient folk music inspired by Elin’s life amid the Sami people
near the arctic circle in Norway. Elin is also a tribal belly dancer
in Northern Norway. Commenting on her unique ambient folk music, Elin
adds, ‘The album, Thaw, shows my Sami background from
a new side, where the traditional, mythical and modern are mixed.’
While most of her lyrics are sung in the Sami dialect, there’s
a near dance music vibe on several songs, clearly making it of interest
to both folk music fans and ambient electronica fans looking for something
unique and different. www.NordicNotes.de
/ www.ElinKaaven.com
BLUE CASTLE RECORDS - Cofounder of the Byrds and Crosby Stills
Nash & Young, David Crosby culminates his 50 years history
in music with the 2014 CD release of Croz. The
11 track album was co-produced by Crosby, Daniel Garcia and
Crosby’s son James Raymond and features some solid guitar
work from Shane Fontayne and Marcus Eaton. The album
is said to have the same kind of vibes as Crosby’s famous first
solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name and some tracks
of Croz kind of hark back to Crosby’s final work with
The Byrds on Notorious Byrd Brothers. Throughout his career,
David Crosby never missed a beat to commercialize his music
and bring it to a wider audience, thus making Croz essential
for both long time fans and the uninitiated. www.DavidCrosby.com
CAREER RECORDS - There’s cool sonic stuff coming out
of the Montana hinterlands. We're talking about modern masters of
the art of 21st century psych-pop Donovan’s Brain and
their 2013 album Turned Up Later. Donovan’s
Brain came to the attention of mwe3.com thanks to their 2010 album
Fires Which Burn Brightly. In the spirit of that album, Turned
Up Later features a memorable mix of 1960’s flavored psych-pop
tracks and a more progressive rock in the spirit of Procol Harum and
other bands from that first era of prog-rock. There’s also a
kind of offbeat Frank Zappa vocal type sound on a track or two here,.
Like its predecessor, Turned Up Later continues to feature
the combined production of Donovan’s Brain two main singer-songwriters
Ron Sanchez and Bobby Sutliff. This latest DB album
features a range of other esteemed players including drummer Ric
Parnell. Seven albums in, Donavan’s Brain attains new psych-pop
heights with Turned Up Later. www.CareerRecords.com
CHIEF INJUSTICE - A solid album of steady country rock and
pop, The Would Be Plans by Jimmer features singer-songwriter
and guitarist Jimmer Podrasky. Recorded in L.A., the sound
is all over the musical map—from Springsteen style music to a
kind of Gram Parsons meets John Cale sort of country style rock. A
number of musicians form the core band including Mitch Marine (producer
/ drums), Brian Whelan (guitars) and Ted Russell
Kamp (bass / lap steel guitars) with a number of guest artists
also appearing. “She Has Good Records” is pure power pop
and will bring a smile to any McCartney fan while “With This
Ring” is a flashback to 1950’s style pop. Jimmer’s
eclectic merger of country, rock and power pop coexist on an album
filled with a wide range of sonic enjoyments. Extra points for the
unusual CD packaging. www.Jimmermusic.com
CLOCKWORK RECORDS - Based down in Georgia, the band known
as Afterlife have a very strong progressive rock / pop album
release with Compass Rose. Rocking out since
1986, the 3 piece band features Mike Hudson (guitars, vocals),
Jonathan Dorsey (bass, vocals) and Warren E. Davis, Jr.
(drums). Afterlife have been compared to a number of notable rock
legends including The Police, Tom Petty and even The Cars. The band
cites The Beatles as a main influence so, pop fans, listen up, these
guys can play. Compass Rose is actually the band's 4th album
and Afterlife puts their collective musical experience into making
a fine album of all original material that takes their rock influences
in a fresh direction. www.facebook.com/afterliferock
CONCORD MUSIC GROUP - The sound of the blues is alive and
well on the 2013 CD called Badlands from the Kansas
City based group known as Trampled Under Foot. The band’s
name may be taken from the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, but
the sound of TUF is much more honest and straight ahead blues-rock.
Trampled Under Foot singer Danielle Schnebelen sounds like
a 21st century Janis Joplin, while guitarist Nick Schnebelen adds
in some potent electric guitar sounds. The rhythm section of Jan
Faircloth (drums) and Mike “Shinetop Jr” Sedovic
(keys) adds extra depth and presence to the Trampled Under Foot
sound. The Badlands CD was recorded in L.A. and features some
excellent production from the legendary Tony Braunagle (percussion)
and keyboard great Mike Finnegan. The band’s originals
click, while an electrifying CD closing cover of the James Brown classic
“It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” seals
the deal on one of the most exciting and electrifying blues-rock albums
in recent memory. www.tufkc.com
DISQUO BLEU - The story of The Monochrome Set goes
back to the late 1977 period and The B-Sides. Lead singer Adam Ant
left for a solo career and the others formed Monochrome Set. With
original members Bid (vocals) and Lester Square (guitars)
and Andy Warren (bass) still forming the axis of the
band, they’re joined on the 2014 CD release of Super Plastic
City by drummer Steve Brummell (drums) and producer
Jon Clayton (organ) for a memorable 11 cut, post-punk pop album
that sounds timeless yet cutting edge for the 21st century. There’s
some fine harmony vocals but mostly it sounds like Lou Reed or even
John Cale produced by Brian Wilson. The release features top production
smarts, cool cover art, complete lyrics and inventive CD packaging.
What more could you want from a 21st century pop-rock album? www.TheMonochromeSet.co.uk
DMACECO / NDY - South Florida based Not Dead Yett! features
a cool mix of soulful pop, R&R and reggae sounds. Produced by
Don Mizell, the self-titled Not Dead Yett! CD features some
soulful vocals from Dr. Don DJ and Hi-Hat Carter. The
songs range in style. Most are electro-pop with catchy choruses and
1980’s synth style dance grooves. The 12 track CD is sort of
the South Florida version of The Art Of Noise. “Let’s Go,
Let’s Go” is a solid single with dance music beats carrying
the music onwards. The arrangements are kind of sparse, mostly with
synth style grooves, but the music is so much fun you won’t notice.
Dr. Don Mizell worked with jazz-fusion artists like Grover Washington
and Stevie Wonder and in 2005 he worked on Ray Charles’ historic
album of the year with Phil Ramone. Even with such a rich pedigree,
Don DJ has a lot of fun to share with the soulful South Florida synth
pop of Not Dead Yett! www.NotDeadYett.com
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON RECORDS - Best known as the gifted daughter of the
late great sitar master Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar released
her latest masterpiece called Traces Of You in
2013. Anoushka’s CD release on Deutsche Grammophon is filled
with a fantastic mix of sitar flavored Indian sounds flavored with
various sonic spices from electronica, jazz and Western classical
music. Key to the sound of Traces Of You is Anoushka’s
collaboration with fellow Indian music explorer and acclaimed artist
in his own right, Nitin Sawhney, who adds in various performances
on guitars, programming and piano as well as handling various production
chores. The sound of Traces Of You is mostly instrumental except
for several vocal tracks performed by Anoushka’s half-sister
Norah Jones—who is a celebrated pop star on her own. An
excellent sitar player with the Shankar touch, Anoushka adds in one
vocal of her own on the track “Metamorphosis”, which is
just filled with a wild sense of sonic abandon. Fans of the Shankar
family’s vast repertoire of incredible sitar filled Indian music
and World music will love Anoushka’s incredible sounding Traces
Of You. www.AnoushkaShankar.com
DUALTONE RECORDS - Based up in the good old Catskill Mountains
in Upstate N.Y., Simone Felice is making waves in the country
rock world with his 2014 solo album, Strangers. Simone
was a key member of The Felice Brothers band and since 2009, he’s
been recording solo. There’s plenty of solid country flavored
rock and pop on Strangers and you can read along in the CD
booklet. The recording is clean and crisp and is a welcome addition
to the world of 21st century pop. Backing up Simone’s songs,
vocals and drumming are a number of players including his brothers
and co-producer and co-writer David Baron. Influenced by giants
who came before him, including The Band and Bruce Springsteen, the
CD gets better with each spin so if you have the time for new, quality
Americana music, make friends with Simone Felice’s Strangers.
www.SimoneFelice.com
E.A. RECORDINGS - Based in upstate N.Y., guitarist Scott
Helland is well known for his amazing instrumental albums. Scott
called his albums ‘ambient, acoustic, instrumental space folk.’
Ten years after, Scott is back with several releases featuring his
folk / cabaret band called Frenchy And The Punk. Essentially
a duo with his partner Samantha Stephenson, Frenchy And The
Punk have been accurately described as “an energetic hybrid
of European folk roots, punk attitude, World Beat eclecticism and
traveling player theatricality.” Mostly acoustic, FATP is
fine showcase for Scott’s acoustic guitar work and Ms. Stephenson’s
vocals. The overall effect is a pretty timeless mix of folk and pop
cabaret and the sound can be heard in all its glory on the group’s
2014 CD ep called Cartwheels, which is
a fine follow up to the group’s 2012 full length CD called Hey
Hey Cabaret. www.FrenchyAndThePunk.com
EDITION
RECORDS - Based in the U.K., Edition Records have a number of
excellent releases in their catalog and they can add in the 2014 self-titled
CD release from the band Slowly Rolling Camera. Musically,
SRC’s CD is quite indescribable. One part Art Of Noise, another
part Rotary Connection, Slowly Rolling Camera blends vocal jazz with
a kind of futuristic electronica that will baffle as well as delight
listeners. Their record label compares SRC to other current bands
such as Cinematic Orchestra, Submotion Orchestra and Bonobo but there’s
quite a unique sounding, cinematic soulful atmosphere here. Some tracks
are quite meditative while others really rock up a storm in a positive
jazz fusion style. Key to the SRC sound is singer / lyricist Dionne
Bennett who gets excellent support from Dave Stapleton (composer,
keys), Deri Roberts (sound design / producer) and Elliot
Bennett (drums). The core four SRC members get great support from
a range of musicians, including string section and electric guitarist
Chris Montague, who, when combined, really rounds out the sound
stage. Progressive jazzers and instrumental fusioneers looking for
something new and different should give a listen to Slowly Rolling
Camera. www.EditionRecords.com
ELIJAH FORD MUSIC - One CD that got away from mwe3.com during
our fabled move from NYC to South Florida during the summer of 2012
was Upon Waking, from Austin, Texas based Elijah
Ford. Son of guitarist Marc Ford of Black Crowes, Elijah
delivers the goods on his debut solo album. Kicking off with a killer
track called “Surprise, Surprise”, the Upon Waking
album merges pop and rock with a rootsy kind of Texas rock sound that’s
filled with catchy melodies and killer riffs. Recording in Anahuac,
Texas, Elijah gets solid support from his multi-instrumentalist pop
as well as fine players such as drummer Matthew Smith as well
as fine studio work from engineer Grant Jackson Wilborn. More
recent developments in 2014 include, following Upon Waking and
the 2012 EP CD release of Ashes, Elijah Ford & The Bloom
are preparing a new album for 2014 release. www.ElijahFordMusic.com
ESOTERIC RECORDS - Fans of rock legend Jack Bruce are in
for a treat with the 2014 CD release of Silver Rails.
It’s been quite a while, ten years in fact, since Jack released
an all new studio solo album and clearly, with Silver Rails,
the wait has yielded a most impressive batch of new music that bears
the Jack Bruce stamp of excellence. Fans of Jack’s recorded work
in Cream will note that the songs here are co-written by lyricist
Pete Brown, the wordsmith who co-wrote the best of Cream with
Jack. Fans of Jack’s work with Robin Trower will also
note his appearance here as well as another guitar legend, Phil
Manzanera. Also on board is guitar hero Uli Jon Roth, keyboardist
John Medeski, Jack’s son, guitarist Malcolm Bruce,
who along with fellow guitarist Tony Remy, turns in a spectacular
performance on a very Cream like highlight here called “Don’t
Look Now”. Superbly produced at the fabled Abbey Road studios
by Rob Cass, (also here on percussion), the ten track Silver
Rails features further contributions by lyricist Kip Hanrahan
and Jack’s partner Margrit Seyffer. Drummer Frank
Tontoh keeps a steady beat on an album that will just amaze long
time Jack Bruce fans. www.JackBruce.com
F2 RECORDS - Over in the UK, progressive rock is alive and well
with the 2013 CD release of Redacted by the band known
as Also Eden. Released on the F2 Records label, the 8 cut CD
is filled with a range of progressive rock and hard rock elements
and the CD booklet features easy to read lyrics to all the songs.
No one does hard rock / progressive rock better than the English and
true to form, Also Eden cites influences such as Genesis, The Flower
Kings, YES, Marillion, Porcupine Tree among others, so fans of those
bands will get a buzz off of the complex, driving sound of Also Eden.
The six piece band features excellent playing all around from all,
including Rich Hardin (voice, lyrics), guitarist Simon Rogers
and Andy Davies (producer, keyboards). Prog-rock fans will
find much to like about Also Eden. www.AlsoEden.com
FORTUNATE FOOL RECORDS - There’s a slew of solid pop tunes
full of memorable hooks and choruses on Timekeeper,
the 2014 CD from singer-songwriter Lucy Schwartz. Even though
she’s clearly from another, younger generation of singer-songwriters,
you can hear a lot of Beatles style influences on a number of tracks
here including track four “Feel So Fine” and the album’s
upbeat showpiece, “Captain Sunshine”. (try getting that
hook out of your head!) After gaining acclaim for her first two albums,
including her second album, Life In Letters, produced by by
Mitchell Froom—with her third solo album Timekeeper, Lucy
Schwartz strikes pop-rock gold. The album features Lucy’s songs,
keyboards and vocals front and center along with a number of other
players, including some fine electric guitar work by Blake Mills
and drummer Stuart Johnson. Strings and things and whole
lot more solid musicianship really enhances Lucy’s latest piece
of pop craft work. www.LucySchwartzMusic.com
FULL TIME HOBBY - A group espousing hypnotic, indescribable sounds,
The Magnetic North has a winner on their hands with their 2013
CD called Orkney: Symphony Of... Ostensibly,
the Orkney Symphony blends introspective New Age pop and rock
with a kind of Eno-esque euphoria that’s simply hard to resist.
The Magnetic North features three key members—Erland Cooper,
Hannah Peel and Simon Tong—who are aided by several
musicians and a string section. Some of the Magnetic North’s
ambient / orchestral style of pop may be a bit understated at times,
but if you hang in there long enough, the album simply begs for multiple
replays. Ambient pop fans looking for something new and progressive
should give this Magnetic North CD a spin. www.SymphonyOfTheMagneticNorth.com
FU:M - There’s a whole lot of country rock goodness on the
eighth album by the group known as Blackie And The Rodeo Kings.
The album, simply entitled South features group mainstays
Tom Wilson and Stephen Fearing joined by Nashville guitar
hero and esteemed producer Colin Linden. The Blackie sound
is kind of reminiscent of Bob Dylan and The Band, especially considering
the band’s Canadian roots. With the three musicians joined by
the rhythm section of Johnny Dymond (bass) and Gary Craig
(drums), the sound of Blackie And The Rodeo Kings is 21st century
country rock at its finest. Even thought the sessions are primarily
acoustic based, there’s plenty of down home, toe-tapping sounds
to appeal to both folk rockers and country rockers too. www.BlackieAndTheRodeoKings.com
GROUNDLOOP RECORDS - A very cool album of intimate, relaxing singer-songwriter
sounds, ‘Til The Morning is a fine introduction
to the music of Edie Carey + Sarah Sample. Produced by Scott
Wiley, the 14 track CD features a number of musicians though the
sound is so tasteful and sedate it sounds like you’re listening
in the living room of these ladies. Although both Edie and Sarah play
acoustic guitars and sing their lovely harmony vocals, there’s
still some impressive guitar work from a number of musicians here,
including producer Wiley and some elegant pedal steel guitar by Dylan
Schorer. Sarah and Edie also compose their own music but on ‘Til
The Morning they pick and choose to cover a number of classics
from the songbooks of Woody Guthrie, Stephen Foster, Peggy Lee and
others. Conceived to be a “harmony rich collection of beloved
and original lullabies and comforting songs “, ‘Til The
Morning is among the most serene and easy on the ears singer-songwriter
albums of 2014. www.EdieCarey.com
/ www.SarahSample.com
GUN 20 RECORDS - The packaging of the new Jack Cheshire
CD is great and the music ain’t too bad either. Singer-songwriter
/ guitarist Jack Cheshire’s third album, Long Mind Hotel
is in the forefront of the new wave of English art-pop that’s
making everything old, new again. Mixing the erstwhile psych-folk
of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake and the deadpan nonchalance of Morrissey
as influences, the music on the ten track CD is very well recorded
with Jack getting ace backup from his four piece band, including guitarist
David James Pearson, who sounds very Chris Spedding inspired
while giving the music a slightly jazzy bent. The iTunes / Spotify
crowd will enjoy this but if you can, seek out the amazing CD packaging
and concept art of the CD itself, it will restore your faith in audio
fidelity. www.JackCheshire.com
HEATHER STEWART MUSIC - With the 2013 CD release of
What It Is, California singer-songwriter Heather
Stewart follows in the musical styles of pop rock legends such
as Bonnie Raitt, Chrissie Hynde and Sheryl Crow. There’s plenty
of anthemic Americana and well strummed acoustic country-rock sounds
on What It Is but it’s done in a unique way making the
CD an all around winner. The musicianship of Ms. Stewart’s backing
is also first rate with her band driven by some excellent guitar work
from Blake Mills and Marty Rifkin. Strengthened by live
“off the floor” production by Greg Critchley, What
It Is sounds quite good on CD too, no doubt owing to the fact
that it was recorded at L.A.’s fabled Sunset Sound and Sound
Factory studios. www.Heather-Stewart.com
HEMIFRÅN
/ PARAPLY RECORDS - Sweden
was always a legendary hub of pop, rock and jazz music. Although known
to informed international music fans for their amazing instrumental
rock fusion and jazz-rock artists, Sweden continues to be an epic
source of 21st century pop and rock. The best of Sweden’s current
indy artists are compiled on a 17 track, 70 
minute
2014 compilation from the powerhouse label team of Hemifrån
and Paraply Records. Home Is Where The Heart Is features
a wide range of established as well as promising pop and rock artists.
Kicking off with a guitar instrumental by Pontus Swanberg,
the CD moves quickly onto the latest pop classic from renowned Swedish
pop pundit Klas Qvist, and his Citizen K outfit, called
“Our Town”. Also here is a fine new track entitled “Spiders”,
from an interesting band called A Sister Or Two. Home
Is Where The Heart Is
does a fine job representing a wide range of pop artists from Sweden
and obviously says a lot about the state of the art of 21st century
pop music from the Scandinavian stronghold. Home Is Where The Heart
Is closes out with another instrumental, this time by an artist
called Berra Karlsson, while Berra’s sister, singer Cina
Samuelson is also featured on this CD with a fine country-pop
track, “This Country Girl”, that sounds like it came straight
out of Nashville. The CD packaging of this compilation album is first
rate with its unconventional yet highly effective artwork and insert.
Scandinavian and international music fans, don’t miss the unique
and catchy pop-rock experience of Home Is Where The Heart Is. www.hemifran.com
IAN NEAL RECORDS - U.K. keyboardist Ian Neal released
a fine CD called Astro in 2013. It’s mostly instrumental
prog-rock but several tracks do feature Neal’s vocal skills.
It’s hard to describe who he sounds like but there’s some
majestic, Sci-fi space music inspired rock sounds running throughout
the CD. Fans of Pink Floyd with Richard Wright (circa Wish You
Were Here) and Roine Stolt and his Flower Kings band will find
much to like about Ian Neal and his keyboard based music. Towering
synths and all forms of rock electronica meld into one unique wall
of sound on this harmonious sounding 7 track, 49 minute album, which
up to now, unfortunately is available only as a digital download.
Commenting on his musical approach on Astro, Ian adds, ‘My
aim is that every piece produced is exquisitely constructed, intriguing
and will not tire of being played again and again.’ On that front
alone, clearly Ian Neal has succeeded on his prog-rock opus called
Astro. www.IanNeal.com
INSIDE OUT MUSIC - One of the finest guitarists in Sweden for
the page 35 years, Roine Stolt is back in the big way in 2013
with Desolation Rose, a double CD set from his
band The Flower Kings. Released on Inside Out, the double CD
set features 18 tracks with Roine backed up by his Flower Kings band
mates including Tomas Bodin (keyboards), Jonas Reingold
(bass, vocals), Hasse Fröberg (vocals, guitar), Felix
Lehrmann (drums) and more. On the 18 track Desolation Rose,
Roine and his Flower Kings band mates are at the top of their
game. Stolt’s trademark guitar sound is all over this set which
mixes extended instrumental passages with more usual songs that feature
Roine’s English lyrics. Is there a concept here? If so, it takes
a back seat to the monumental progressive rock sound and vision in
play throughout the double CD set. As is typical with Inside Out CD
releases, the sound is first rate and the album artwork / packaging
makes the Desolation Rose album a joy to hear and behold. www.FlowerKings.se
IN THE RED RECORDS - Hailing from the Motor City, Detroit,
Michigan, The Dirtbombs are knockin’ ‘em dead with
their 2013 CD called (wait for it...) Ooey, Gooey, Chewy, Ka-blooey!
What does it all mean? (lol) One can’t be too sure but musically,
The Dirtbombs, at least on this CD, sound like The Archies produced
by Lou Reed. Grungey sounding power pop with judicious use of sonic
fuzz and harmony vocals, the five piece Dirtbombs feature some fine
songs and vocals by Mick Collins, while his Dirtbombs band
mates enhance the proceedings with tasty backup. Released by L.A.
based In The Red Records, the cover art for the ten track Ooey,
Gooey, Chewy, Ka-blooey! lists a special thanks to the great Brian
Wilson, who is credited on the CD closing “We Come In The
Sunshine”. Ooey, Gooey, Chewy, Ka-blooey! is bright and
sunny West Coast style pop played by a fine, rockin’ five piece
band. www.Dirtbombs.net
JUDY PHILBIN MUSIC - Keeping It Simple is a fine
outing from singer Judy Philbin and guitar wiz Adam Levine.
Essentially a duo album, the 12 track CD is getting rave reviews from
a number of guitar insiders—not only for Judy’s fine vocal
stylings and song selections but also for the dexterous guitar work
of Adam Levine, who multi-tracks his guitars. Song wise, Keeping
It Simple keeps it simple with a selection of always memorable
classics from the great American songbook—including fresh covers
of Hoagy Carmichael, Rogers & Hammerstein, Frankie Lyman, Roy
Orbison and more, while others, including the title track, are Philbin
/ Levine originals. Recorded in California, Keeping It Simple succeeds
by putting together a fine album of classic melodies, hot guitar playing
and memorable vocal tracks. The guitar-centric Keeping It Simple
is a great choice for fans of classic, timeless jazz-pop covers.
www.JudyPhilbin.com
LAST GANG RECORDS - Singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega is
making waves with her 2013 CD Tin Star. The 11
cut album is filled with rockin’ country sounds in the spirit
of Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen and of course female singer-songwriters
such as Rosanne Cash and Dolly Parton. With Tin Star, the Toronto
bred / Nashville based, Lindi falls neatly into the alt country /
roots / folk-rock genre. Lindi also claims living in Nashville had
a positive effect on her music adding, ‘I knew I liked country
and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more
genuinely.’ As much as country music influenced her, there’s
plenty of rootsy rock and roll influences here. On her third solo
record, Lindi’s band is white hot, with solid electric guitar
pickin’ from Dave Cobb, who also did a bang up job producing
the CD. If you like your female country music singer-songwriters with
a dose of rock ‘n’ roll, Tin Star by Lindi Ortega
will be right up your alley. www.LindiOrtega.com
LESTER RECORDS - Although he joined Split Enz after their
groundbreaking years, Neil Finn has had the longest lived solo
career and he reaches a new pinnacle with Dizzy Heights.
Interestingly, Neil took the songs to Upstate New York and worked
with co-producer Dave Fridmann, sound man for Flaming Lips.
Apparently, Neil wanted Dave to mess around with weird sounds and
make his sound more expansive. Some tracks work better than others,
track four “Divebomber” is particularly effective with Neil
sounding like another Neil, Neil Young during his late ‘60s psychedelic
era. Split Enz was always a band that was equal to the sum of its
parts and, solo with Dizzy Heights, Neil Finn offers a brave
attempt to go back to those great late 1970s albums he made with his
brother Tim Finn and Phil Judd. www.NeilFinn.com
LITTLE RED RECORDING COMPANY - A rock solid effort from the band
known as The Whybirds, the 2014 CD released of A Little
Blood offers a mix of rootsy rock in the spirit of The Allman
Brothers and The Eagles and in doing so, comes up with something unique
in the process. The UK band’s third studio album, A Little
Blood features songwriting contributions from all three members—Dave
Banks, Ben Haswell and Luke Tuchscherer. The sound
of A Little Blood may sound retro-rock in places but it's delivered
with a seasoned sense of sonic maturity that wouldn’t be out
of place in 1974. All in all, if you enjoy bands like The Eagles and
Bad Company, you’ll get a splendid solid buzz from The Whybirds.
www.TheWhyBirds.com
LUNA PARK / THIRTY TIGERS - What more could you ask from a
pop-rock record is a good way to describe the new album by folk-rock
balladeer and NYC legend Garland Jeffreys. He’s been around
for decades and, compared to some of the household names, Garland
never got his proper recognition. Fitting in somewhere between Lou
Reed, Arthur Lee and Bruce Springsteen, Garland can raise an audience
like Bruce and knock you out with his sharp-tongued delivery like
Lou. Garland’s 2013 album is humorously entitled Truth
Serum. The album gets a real soul-rock groove going
and several tracks standout including the single from the album “Is
This The Real World”, which anyway you cut it is one of the great
songs of the 21st century. The studio sound is top notch and the band
just sparkles and, while now at 70, with the release of Truth Serum,
Garland Jeffreys still maintains his presence as one of the great,
living rock legends. www.GarlandJeffreys.com
MALS - The CD release of Fabric Of Space Divine by
the band known as Daymoon is one of those rare albums
that expertly mixes prog rock, ala Pink Floyd with a more humanistic
kind of pop-prog sound. The band is based in Portugal and is centered
around the keyboard / guitar sound of Fred Lessing, who gets
some fine backup from his band mates including Bruno Evangelista
(vocals, guitars), Andre Marques (drums), Renato Bonfim
(bass) and a whole lot more. Also on hand are several vocalists
including Jeff Markham and Michael Dorp as well as Joana
Lessing (keyboards, percussion) In addition to the progressive-rock
influences, there’s also some select English folkloristic influences
(featuring recorders, complex time signatures, etc.) that make them
sound a bit like Gentle Giant at times. Fans of GG and other prog-rock
legends will enjoy this CD, which is tastefully packaged with detailed
liner notes, lyrics and who played what where and when. Prog-rock
fans, give a listen to Daymoon. www.Daymoon-Music.com
MVD AUDIO/ SECRET RECORDS - Released in the U.S. through
MVD, the 2014 CD release of Make My Day by blues rocker
Fast Eddie Clarke is a welcome development for the blues rock
world. The U.K. guitarist has worked with a number of musical legends,
including Motörhead and on Make My Day, Eddie teams with
Shakatak keyboardist Bill Sharpe. Blues rockers who still miss
greats like Rory Gallagher, Paul Kossoff and now Alvin Lee will get
a charge from Fast Eddie’s Make My Day CD. Extensive liner
notes by Eddie and complete lyrics brings the CD history into perspective.
The songs are really catchy and Eddie’s vocals are spot-on but
it’s really his ace guitar work that will catch your ear. www.FastEddieClarke.com
MVD AUDIO / DADGAD MUSIC - One of the most
renowned acoustic guitarists in the world, Pierre Bensusan is
feted with the 2014 release of Encore. Essentially
a 3 CD, 35 track showcase for Bensusan’s live perfromaces, the
three hour Encore CD set, subtitled 40 Years Of An Open
Mind: Travel Journal, spans four decades of music
going back to 1975. At its best Pierre’s relaxing music is mostly
instrumental although Encore does feature several of his French
language vocal tracks. Music fans will note that there’s also
several tracks here featuring Pierre performing with Dream Theater’s
Jordan Rudess from 1998. Although the 3 CD Encore set
was planned to only include tracks from 1998 to 2013, disc 2 here
starts off with five tracks from May 1975. Bensusan’s guitar
based music has been called jazz, Celtic folk instrumental and even
New Age, yet as he proves throughout Encore, his music is very
hard to typify. Commenting on Encore, Pierre adds, ‘I
would say that Encore is probably my most truthful recording ever,
because the studio is not always a very dangerous place. These are
moments in time reflecting ways of approaching these songs that I
never did before and never did again.’ The constant factor
throughout Encore is Pierre’s sense of fretboard perfection,
especially, as expressed here, in front of his appreciating fans.
In addition, the 38 track 3 CD Encore set features a booklet
with in-depth liner notes by Pierre, complete discography information
of all the tracks here, along with rare pics of Pierre through the
years. Encore is the definitive document of Pierre Bensusan
live in concert. www.PierreBensusan.com
PLAY IT AGAIN SAM - Possessing the voice of an angel, Danish chanteuse
Agnes Obel returns for a second album entitled Aventine.
Too classical influenced to be considered orchestral rock, Aventine
features a band of musicians adding cello, harp, melodica and
other acoustic instrumentation. More like a sonic portrait with lots
of watercolors as opposed to strict neoclassical music, Aventine
is both hypnotic and beguiling. Central to Aventine is
the voice and piano of Agnes Obel. Commenting on her music, Agnes
adds, ‘I was seeing and hearing more and more links in the
music to all sorts of genres from different times, also outside of
the genres that I normally think of in relation to my music.’
Aventine is not rock by any stretch, yet the CD is filled with
all kind of progressive influences that filter through the mix. Orchestral
pop fans with a penchant for acoustic piano and enchanting female
vocals will find something intriguing upon spinning this latest sonic
masterpiece by Agnes Obel. www.AgnesObel.com
PRESAGIO RECORDS - With the 2013 CD release of 4:45 AM,
the Chilean group known as Aisles sets a new standard for
21st century international prog-rock. The band’s 2010 album In
Sudden Walks was pretty widely acclaimed and their 2013 album
is sure to be of interest to progressive rock and pop fans. The band
cites both YES, Rush and King Crimson among their big influences and
fans of guitarists such as Steve Howe and Alex Lifeson will enjoy
the new progressive rock sound of Aisles. The six piece band features
the solid guitar work of Germán Vergara and Rodrigo
Sepúlveda and the lead vocals of Sebastian Vergara
but all the members of Aisles have something to offer on the release
of 4:45 AM. Aisles are masters of the modern day studio and
the band reaches a new sonic plateau with their latest CD masterpiece.
www.AislesProject.com
PROPELZ - Back in 1968, guitar ace and master singer-songwriter
Jeremy Spencer was a key member of the original Fleetwood Mac.
In a harrowing twist of sonic fate, following the Mac’s brilliant
Kiln House album from 1970, Jeremy actually left the Mac. After
releasing a pair of great solo albums in the early 1970s, Jeremy was
basically never heard from again till his long awaited comeback, entitled
Precious Little in 2006. In 2014, Jeremy returns again with
Coventry Blue, an excellent album that basically
puts his legacy back up in the spotlight again. A mix of instrumentals
and vocal tracks, the music on Coventry Blue echoes Jeremy’s
amazing work in Fleetwood Mac during the late 1960s and very early
1970s. Jeremy was never really noted for his instrumental compositions,
yet on Coventry Blues there’s a range of great guitar-centric
instrumentals that eerily echoes the work of Jeremy’s one time
band mate in the Mac, the nearly long, lost Danny Kirwan. Track 14
of the 15 track CD, entitled “The World In Her Heart” is
simply one of the greatest instrumentals ever composed by either Jeremy,
Peter Green or Danny. Fans of Danny and great Mac albums like Then
Play On and Kiln House will love Coventry Blue. The
album features a number of fine musicians and was superbly produced
by Jeremy and long time, original Fleetwood Mac fan, guitarist Brett
Lucas. The CD booklet features track by track notes by Jeremy
discussing each of these memorable new songs. Original Fleetwood Mac
fans don’t miss Coventry Blue. www.JeremySpencer.com
QZQ RECORDS - A mix of progressive rock stylings and singer-songwriter
tendencies, Outside The Inside is a fine introduction
to the music of Illinois based Scott May. May amazes here by
composing and recording the entire album on his own. In his liner
notes, May says he learned how to write songs from Jim Peterik and
Jim and his band, The Ides Of March, of which Scott May is a current
member of, are also cited. Also mentioned in the CD booklet is Moody
Blues founder Mike Pinder, who May cites in the same sentence as Dr.
Lonnie Smith as being one of his gurus. Come to think of it, some
of the guitar solos on on Outside The Inside are kind of Pinder-esque.
Each song here has a kind of sonic charm, with May’s vocals serving
well the dramatic melodic cadences. Pinder’s sense of the dramatic
as applied to progressive rock is well adhered to here and certain
key tracks echo the inventive late 1960's rock sound of The Ides Of
March. An album with a sound of its own, Outside The Inside is
time well spent for progressive rock fans. www.TheIdesOfMarch.com
RAMSEUR
RECORDS - Oklahoma native Samantha Crain recorded her third
full-length album in San Francisco. Released on the North Carolina
based Ramseur label and produced and engineered by John Vanderslice,
the 11 track Kid Face is a low key yet highly effective
showcase for Samantha’s singer-songwriter based muse. Several
artists assist but the accent is squarely on Ms. Crain’s insightful
and honest songs. It’s hard to describe the Kid Face CD
but it definitely falls into the 21st century singer-songwriter, lo-fi
country / alt-pop music category. Neil Young fans will get a kick
out Ms. Crain’s sparse, yet intense studio approach. Much like
fellow Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie, Samantha broadened her sonic
perspective by traveling but she adds, ‘coming back home brings
me perspective and focus.’ With several praiseworthy reviews
in Rolling Stone and even The New York Times, it’s worth catching
Samantha Crain early on in what is shaping up to be promising career.
www.SamanthaCrain.com
RAYGUN RECORDS - Some say the golden age of 20th century pop began
with Brian Wilson’s mid to late 1960s pop experiments. That trend
hasn’t really ever stopped and the latest band to revel in the
intricacies of Wilsonian era pop is called Cold Crows Dead.
The UK band released their album I Fear A New World
and names dropped in various CD reviews of the album include Mercury
Rev, Flaming Lips and of course Joe Meek, the Fabs and the ‘Boys.
Somewhere in that place where the 1960’s meet 2020 can be felt
and heard on this excellent new Cold Crows Dead album. The CD was
tastefully produced by Paul Steel and features music by him
and band mate Murray Macleod. Wilson / Beach Boys disciple
Stephen John Kalinich gets a song writing credit here which
will no doubt take the CD to a higher level in the pop world. Other
musicians round out the sweeping studio sound, not unlike the master
himself, with mastering by Ed Woods (lol). Despite it’s
eclectic, unrelenting pop punch, Cold Crows Dead is no laughing matter.
www.ColdCrowsDead.com
RAVENHEART MUSIC - England’s Ravenheart Music scored points
for their 2013 CD release of South African prog-metal band Crimson
Chrysalis. Fans of that band might also get a buzz from Ravenheart’s
CD release of Nocturnes For The Divine & The Damned by
Toronto-based prog-metal band Under Heaven. Ravenheart’s
specialty is releasing albums by female-fronted rock and metal bands
and so Under Heaven is right up their alley. Featuring the music of
composer Matthew Binks and singer Tammy Everett, the
Under Heaven sound is very much in the prog-metal genre while also
including elements of classical, Celtic, New Age, gothic rock and
industrial too. Binks is a gifted multi-instrumentalist who combines
searing electric guitars and solid percussion with all tracks featuring
Ms. Everett’s vocals which echo the sound of Annie Haslam of
Renaissance. The songs rock hard but if you hang in there and give
it chance, the CD is time well spent for prog-rockers and rock metal
fans looking for something new and cool. www.Under-Heaven.com
ROCKET GIRL / REVIVE RECORDS - In the spirit of late 1980’s
instrumental rockers Love Tractor and more recently Explosions In
The Sky, the band known as God Is An Astronaut make exploding
rock sounds of their own on their 2013 CD entitled Origins.
The 12 track CD from the country of Ireland features a devastating
wall of instrumental rock sound that offers a solid showcase for guitarists
Torsten Kinsella (guitar) and Niels Kinsella (bass)
who get solid support from Jamie Dean (keys) and Lloyd Hanney
(drums). Several other musicians add fuel to the sonic wall of
fire here. GIAA’s Origins album is, ostensibly, mainly
instrumental but some of the songs do feature vocals that are near
buried, yet sort of morph into the mix without any discernible words.
Sort of like a more instrumental, Irish equivalent of Sigor Ros, God
Is An Astronaut will impress instrumental rock fans as well as all
types of 21st century progressive rock / wall of sound electronica
fans. www.superadmusic.com/god/
ROUNDER RECORDS - Regarded among his fans as the most innovative
banjo player of his generation, Tony Trischka released Great
Big World in early 2014. A mix of Americana instrumental and
bluegrass vocals, the 13 track CD touches on all manners of traditional
Americana music. Trischka explains, ‘It’s kind of hard to
pin down, because there’s so much on it. It’s all over the
place, which is kind of where I live.’ The CD is packed with
a who’s who of country / traditional / bluegrass musicians including
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Russ Barenberg (guitars).
The instrumental tracks are great and even the vocal cuts sound authentic
on Tony Trischka’s Great Big World. Also out in 2014 on
Rounder is a fine country bluegrass album entitled The Game,
which is actually the eleventh album from Blue
Highway. Blue Highway features Shawn Lane, (vocals, mandolin
and fiddle), Tim Stafford (guitars), Wayne Taylor (bass),
Rob Ickes (dobro) and Jason Burleson (banjo). The net
result is yet another great country bluegrass album from Blue Highway
on the legendary Rounder Records label. www.rounder.com
RUNNING MOOSE / PRESENCE RECORDS - Also recent on Presence
is a cool new CD from rising prog-rockers U.N.i entitled
Dreamland. In contrast to the all instrumental band
Moonwagon (also on Presence), the U.N.i sound is vocal based prog
featuring
the music of keyboardist / guitarist Jouni Lehtonen and voice
of Finnish songstress Petra Lehtonen, who it is said is no
relation to Jouni. The songs feature a mix of progressive rock, Finnish
folk and electronic sounds. The press release for U.N.i also says
the band was influenced by tangos, circus music and even Celtic sounds,
while the lyrics are drawn from public domain works by William Shakespeare,
Lewis Carroll and Sara Teasdale. The U.N.i band features a number
of musicians including some excellent electric guitar work from Kari
Riihimäki, Markku Tuomi (drums), Jussi Ahonen (bass),
a four piece string section, horns and a whole lot more. Progressive
rock fans will catch a sonic buzz from this excellent U.N.i CD. www.JouniLehtonen.com/uni
/ www.RunningMoose.fi
SIBA RECORDS - Released on the Siba label in 2013, is an excellent,
self-titled pop-rock album by New Better Spring Band. The eleven
track CD features the music and vocals of group leader Aili Järvelä.
Unlike many other Finnish rock and pop artists, New Better Spring
Band sing in English. Like a 21st century Finnish version of ABBA,
their songs should have international appeal. The seven piece NBSB
features solid all-around musicianship and they get some fine assistance
from other top Finnish players. Another excellent release on Siba,
the NBSB CD features a booklet with all the info and lyrics. Lastly
on Siba is FBB, a new folkloristic CD by the
Sibelius Academy Folk Big Band. Good old fashioned Finnish
folk music is never out of style and the FBB blend a range of polkas,
waltzes and atmospheric folk music's. All in all, these two CD titles
are a good indication of 21st century Finnish pop music at its best.
www.siba.fi/sibarecords
SONATA CD - Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanna returned
in 2013 with a fine album of experimental rock music called The
Forester. Credited to Susanna and Ensemble neoN,
The Forester is very much in the realm of Brian Eno and Harold
Budd—ambient, but with neoclassical overtones. On The Forester,
Susanna teams with the Norwegian group called Ensemble neoN.
Together, the fortuitous musical meeting combines the near Baroque
strings, woodwinds and piano of Ensemble neoN with Susanna’s
captivating piano and vocals. Produced in Oslo by Deathprod and
Susanna, the CD has already been compared to Kate Bush, Tim Buckley
and even classical legend Debussy. The meticulously recorded album
is both challenging and expansive but taken as a whole is totally
musically beguiling and literally begs for repeated listens. If experimental
neoclassical 21st century music is your thing, look no further than
The Forester by Susanna and Ensemble neoN. www.SusannaMagical.com
SOVIET BERET - Described as Socialist R&B, Thee Faction
started out in the late 1970’s and in 1985, since leaving
England for Yugoslavia, they have remained an active band ever since.
On their 2013 album, Good Politics Thee Faction take
their late 1970’s pop-punk sound into political waters with a
range of left wing, Marxist-Leninist communist flavored manifestos
set to rock music. Even though their lyrics are socialist, Thee Faction
also understands rock and even post-rock punk. A lot of this album
is like looking into England’s backyard politics yet there’s
also something universal here. Some of Good Politics harks
back to Ray Davies circa his Preservation Act 2 era. Fans who
thrilled to the Kinks during that Muswell Hillbillies era will
get a buzz off of Thee Faction. www.TheeFaction.org
SQE MUSIC - Singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn has a beautiful
cinematic voice that draws you in. Ms. Ahn’s songs and vocals
are given free reign and the effect is stunning on her 2014 CD entitled
This Is Where We Are. The musical setting is
fairly sparse and doesn’t hit you over the head—instead
it draws you in with a lush backdrop of soft-rock. Commenting on her
latest epic work, Priscilla explains, ‘For me, this album
was about finally finding my voice again as a songwriter and a singer.
This Is Where We Are portrays who I am now and another side of myself
that I’d never really been able to show in other albums.’
The 13 track CD was expertly produced by Keefus Ciancia and
neatly falls into the realm of dreamy electro pop. A number of musicians
assist, making This Is Where We Are time well spent for fans
of 21st century pop music. www.PriscillaAhn.com
STILL SOUND MUSIC - When you think of rock opera you might
think Tommy or The Kinks’ Arthur. But what happens
when you think of rock and opera as two separate yet equal partners?
Well, near operatic voices and state of the art experimental rock
take part in a bold sonic experiment on the 2014 CD release from the
Brooklyn, NY based band, The Knells. There’s a little
skull on the very cool cover art so we might be taking about death
(as in death knells) but The Knells album is teeming
with life and some intriguing music. Fans of wild rock sounds from
early 1970's Canterbury England will note the use of some excellent
harmonizing female vocals here, not unlike Hatfield And The North,
although the sound of The Knells is much more avant gard rock
based than jazz or fusion music. At the core of the Knells’ sound
is guitarist and composer Andrew McKenna Lee. The Knells’
sound is very downtown New York—think John Cale producing the
Swingle Singers. As a guitarist, Lee is one part Frisell, one part
Fred Frith and part Terje Rypdal and he has written some fantastic
rock music with three part female voices, while the entire band is
propelled by a powerful rhythm section. The Knells is all about well
constructed, pioneering 21st century rock-based music and, matching
the intelligent nature of the album, the CD sound and recorded sound
is excellent as well. Uniquely packaged, The Knells is highly
recommended listening for fans of experimental rock. www.TheKnells.com
STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT / CHERRY RED RECORDS - The debut
album by the artist known as Bird Radio, (aka Mikey Kirkpatrick)
entitled The Boy And The Audience is making waves with
fans of English rock style cabaret. More rock than merely cabaret,
the Bird album does pay homage to early 1960s crooners like Anthony
Newley and early David Bowie and more recently Duke Special, but there’s
also a cutting edge thing going on here too. The CD is beautifully
packaged and features excellent cover art and booklet with lyrics.
Some of the Bowie comparisons to Bird Radio is quite amazing, especially
Bowie’s covers of Jacques Brel. Is Bird Radio the Jacques Brel
of the 21st century? The Boy And The Audience was superbly
produced by Rick Campion and the CD sound is made even made
better by the golden mastering ears of Jon Astley. Although
Bird Radio is rock cabaret at its 21st century best, the artist known
as Bird Radio is also busy doing instrumental film soundtracks so
keep your ears open for Bird Radio. www.BirdRadio.co.uk
SUNBIRD RECORDS - On her 2013 CD, Austin, Texas based singer-songwriter
Kimmie Rhodes has chosen to reinterpret a solid collection
of tracks most everyone knows. 21st century country flavored rock
at its best, the appropriately entitled Covers features
Kimmie singing the songs of Leon Russell, Lennon & McCartney,
Jagger & Richards, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, U2, Neil Young, Mark
Knopfler and more. Produced by multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Rhodes,
Covers features contributions from a number of musicians including
Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball, Colin Linden and
among others. Covers is a laid back but effective look back
at some of the best pop songs ever written and they all seem to benefit
thanks to Kimmie’s heartfelt vocals. A CD closing cover of the
Beatles “A Little Help From My Friends” seals the deal.
Fifteen solo albums into her career, Austin classic country rock singer
Kimmie Rhodes hits another new high with Covers. www.KimmieRhodes.com
SUNDAZED
RECORDS - Sundazed
Records’ honcho Bob Irwin knows his jangle pop by heart so it’s
no wonder he signed new U.K. paisley poppers The See See, releasing
their first U.S. album Days, Nights & Late Morning Lights
in early 2014. Released on CD and Lp, the album compiles various
tracks and early singles and is a catchy, upbeat look at a band basking
in the glory of pop history while working and recording in the world
of 21st century retro-pop. Central to The See See is lead singer and
songwriter Richard Olson who comes following in the jingle-jangle
morning in these days of future passed. Certain tracks on Days,
Nights & Late Morning Lights sound influenced by any number
of legendary pop music icons—from Love and The Byrds to Strawberry
Alarm Clock and Buffalo Springfield. Of course Richard and his merry
band of players can only dream about just how cool it was growing
up in the 1950's and 1960’s but they come pretty darn close on
a CD that brings the future up to date with a modern day reflection
of a classic time and a classic sound that continues to be classic.
Days, Nights & Late Morning Lights is a 21st century trip
down jangle-pop memory lane by a rising band well worth keeping your
eyes on. www.sundazed.com
SUNN CREATIVE - Cool name for a record company, Sunn Creative
have a sunny and well created album out in 2014 from the UK band known
as Bram Stoker. Funny enough no one in the band is actually
named after the famed author but with the 2014 CD release of Cold
Reading, Bram Stoker takes its place among the
great prog bands of all time. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that
these guys have been playing since 1969 and not many knew it! They
should have been as big as at least Camel. Original founding keyboardist
from 1969, Tony Bronsdon sounds well inspired by greats like
Tony Kaye and even Keith Emerson although not as flashy. The most
effective tracks are the instrumentals but guitarist / producer Tony
Lowe, also from the early lineup adds pizzazz and the two
are joined by several other musicians, including vocalist Will
Hack on four tracks for a rockin’ time. There’s
all kind of sonic sign posts along with the and some will find these
guys obviously are in the same league Genesis, Camel, YES and all
the greats, and Hack even sounds like John Wetton or Richard Sinclair.
But, releasing an album of new music in 2014, Bram Stoker takes it
a step into the future, sounding unpretentious yet well schooled.
A cool rediscovery from Bram Stoker, Cold Reading is a most
cool and effective 21st century prog-pop CD indeed. www.BramStokerMusic.com
THE END RECORDS - Brooklyn based The End Records just keeps
hitting them out of the park. We’re talking about recordings
here of course, and newly released by The End in early 2014 is Slo
Light by the band known as Davidge. The brainchild
of synthesist Neil Davidge, Slo Light is expressive
synth driven pop and rock filled with a barrage of sonic electronica.
Key here are some great guest vocals including a track featuring U.K.
vocal legend Sandie Shaw and singer Cate Le Bon among
others. Having a number of classy female singers on hand only enhances
the potency of this modern day classic from Davidge. Neil Davidge
keeps the proceedings together with his potent electronics and keyboard
sounds while drummer Andrew Morgan also contributes a range
of electronica and string arrangements. Several drummers keeping the
sound big and boomy when its called for, while other times the sound
is intimate and atmospheric. Davidge covers most of the sonic bases
on what is shaping up to be one of the most impressive albums of 21st
century rocktronica albums in 2014. www.NeilDavidge.com
THE END RECORDS - The Brooklyn, N.Y. based record label known
as The End Records have a fine new CD from Swedish singer-songwriter
Nina Persson. The 12 track CD, Animal Heart is
a near perfect album of Byrds flavored folk-rock, cabaret and power
pop. Sweden has long been a bastion of tasteful pop music, even going
back to ABBA, and this first ever solo 
album
from Ms. Persson is a most welcome export from the Scandinavian stronghold.
Ms. Persson turned heads around as the lead singer with The Cardigans
and, very much in the spirit of that band and her CD titles as A Camp,
Animal Heart firmly establishes her as a gifted solo career
in her own right. Recorded in Gothenburg and Brooklyn, NYC, Animal
Heart finds the singer in the excellent company of a solid band
including co-writers and multi-instrumentalists Eric D. Johnson
and Nathan Larson. www.TheEndRecords.com
THE END RECORDS - It wasn’t very highly publicized but
sometime in 2012, Petula Clark released a fine album of new material
called Lost In You. Recorded with some unknown
but excellent musicians, the CD was released on the enterprising Brooklyn
label called The End Records. Obviously, after listening to the CD,
Petula is neither lost nor at the end, as this CD is a bold modern
statement CD by an artist who was never fully understood by FM radio
and rock audiences anyway, especially in the years following her immensely
popular string of Top 25 hits on AM radio back in the 1960's. Some
tracks on her latest album sound eerily like Anna Domino or did Petula
kind of influence 1980’s pop divas like Anna? Sure there’s
even a classic here, a new down tempo and very chill version of “Downtown”
while a sobering cover of the Lennon classic “Imagine” sprinkles
Petula’s magic dust on a song that changed the world. What a
pleasant surprise! www.TheEndRecords.com
VIRGIN
/ EMI - It's been six years since Mike Oldfield released
his album Music
Of The Spheres. That album—a classically inspired
instrumental music masterpiece—is now followed by the 2014 CD
release of Man On The Rocks. A most welcome return
to form, Man On The Rocks is very much an Oldfield-esque rock
album. Featuring Mike working in his studio in The Bahamas, Man
On the Rocks was recorded using state of the art 21st century
technology with Mike directing the recording process via Skype with
musicians in the studio in Los Angeles. Produced by Stephen Lipson,
the 11 track Man On The Rocks features a memorable batch of
fresh Oldfield originals that pairs his guitar work with vocalist
Luke Spiller from the band The Struts. Also playing on Man
On The Rocks is bass legend Leland Sklar and drummer John
Robinson. A number of other musicians lend a hand including Davy
Spillane (whistles), Matt Rollings (piano) and Michael
Thompson (guitars), while producer Lipson adds in guitars as well.
Mike always featured 
excellent
singers on his rock vocal albums and true to form, Luke Spiller takes
on Mike’s latest complex and challenging tracks with vim and
vigor. Even if you’re mainly a fan of Mike’s instrumental
works including Tubular Bells, the classic QE2 as well
as his now fabled 1976 album with Pekka Pohjola (to name just a few),
the sheer rock power and energy of Man On The Rocks will leave
you breathless and coming back for more. Commenting on Man On The
Rocks, Mike explains, “The logical thing for me to have
done would have been to make another Tubular Bells-style album to
try and cash in, but I’m not that kind of person and the new
album Man On The Rocks is all live, back to basics rock.”
There’s way too many highlights to mention here, but the title
track “Man On The Rocks” is surely one of Mike’s most
powerful songs as is the lead off track “Sailing” and the
memorable “Minutes”. Man On The Rocks takes its place
right up there with Mike Oldfield’s great progressive rock albums.
www.MikeOldfieldOfficial.com
VOLUMNIA RECORDINGS - There’s plenty of power-pop goodness
in the grooves of Into The Unknown by the band known
as Roto’s Magic Act. At the helm is singer-songwriter
/ guitarist James Rotondi and the entire 14 track CD is filled
with a 21st century mix of eclectic and derivative pop sounds. Clearly
inspired by West Coast pop legends like Jellyfish and The Beach Boys,
(with a shot of rustic roots rock influences from Robbie Robertson
and The Band especially on the amazing title track) Rotondi gets excellent
backup from a number of unknown yet clearly gifted musicians including
producer Bryce Goggin. Although you could swear the sound is
West Coast in origin, it’s amazing to note, the CD was recorded
in good old Brooklyn, NYC. It’s hard to pick out the single here
but I would put my money on track 9 “The Old Trapdoor” which
sounds like a mix between Jason Falkner and The Raspberries. Extra
points for the fantastic CD packaging and album art, lyrics included.
Roto’s Into The Unknown is one of the most auspicious
power pop / prog-pop albums of 2014. www.RotosMagicAct.com
WARP RECORDS - One of the strangest (in a good way) albums
of the past year is the 2013 CD release of ilp by the
U.K. based artist known as Kwes. Sort of the R&B / trip-hp
version of the Art Of Noise for the 21st century, Kwes makes music
for the future in the present tense. Even though it’s his debut
full length album, Kwes has been releasing EP singles for a while
as well as working with artists such as Hot Chip, Bobby Womack and
Damon Albarn. Kwes describes his music as being Free-Pop, (whatever
that means, lol) and true, the CD is very experimental / free-sounding,
mixing soul music with daring electronica soundscapes. The sound is
excellent and the CD packaging is first rate, complete with printed
lyrics to the album’s strange and beautiful productions. The
album production / sound is quite mysterious and apparently Kwes plays
everything, making him one, truly gifted 21st century man. www.kwes.info
WOODSTOCK RECORDS - Having released eight studio CDs and two
live CDs on Woodstock Records, Professor Louie & The Crowmatix
bring their timeless rock sound up to date with the early 2014
release of Soul Blues. Coming from the 
Woodstock,
N.Y. area, the Professor Louie sound is very much rooted in the legacy
of The Band and their Americana sound mixes blues, rock, soul and
gospel music to great effect. The band clicks and their sound is further
augmented with The Rock Of Ages Horns. In addition to the Professor’s
original tracks, Soul Blues features solid covers of Al Green,
Jimmy Rogers, Ashford & Simpson while the CD closes out in a rousing
fashion with “Baby Don’t Do It”, a song made popular
by both The Band and The Who. The album is superbly recorded
and, with its mix of both live tracks and studio cuts, Soul Blues
is a fantastic statement from the powerhouse rock sound of Professor
Louie & The Crowmatix. Fans of The Band should give a listen to
Soul Blues. www.WoodstockRecords.com
WYNNTOWN RECORDINGS - Hailing from Edinburgh Scotland, The
Wynntown Marshals are modern country rock at its finest. There’s
also a hint of Beatles style pop at their core and after giving their
2013 CD, entitled The Long Haul, a good listen,
you can hear why they also cite groups like Tom Petty, Neil Young,
Matthew Sweet and Gram Parsons among their big influences. Centered
around the lead vocals and guitar of Keith Benzie, the five
piece band is rounded out by some fine pedal steel guitar work by
Iain Sloan who also doubles on guitars so there’s also
some neat twin lead guitar sounds throughout. The band is filled out
with the solid rhythm section of Murdo MacLeod (bass, guitars)
and Kenny McCabe (drums). A number of guest artists add further
fuel to the fire here. Described as Scottish alt-country / Americana,
The Wynntown Marshals bring country rock into the 21st century with
the harmony filled yet thoroughly rocking sound of The Long Haul.
www.WynntownMarshals.bandcamp.com
XL - The Icelandic rock group known as Sigur-Rós
released their latest magnum opus Kveikur in 2013.
One could definitely use the word indescribable to explain the otherworldly
sound of this album. With nine amazing songs (all with Icelandic titles),
Kveikur sounds like music concrete translated into patterns
of rock music that leaves the listener completely baffled but enchanted
at the same time. The Sigur-Rós sound is so amazing, that even
fans have described them as being not of this world. The band’s
guitarist Jónsi, has a high falsetto voice and it works
to great avail on the Kveikur album. Jónsi gets excellent
support on Kveikur from his band mates including Georg Hólm
(bass) and Orri Páll Dyrason (drums). With their
gargantuan waves of rock sounds, punctuated by the relentless beat
and wall of sound, the best way to describe Sigur-Rós is that
they sound like U2 produced by Phil Spector. Whatever they’re
doing is truly sonically revolutionary. Recorded in Iceland and Los
Angeles, the Kveikur album is hypnotic and keeps you coming
back for more. www.Sigur-Ros.co.uk
INSTRUMENTAL
4ZERO
- One CD that was overlooked in 2012 was the album The Star
Child by the group known as Moon Of Ostara. The brainchild
of guitarist / singer-songwriter Fred Laird, Moon Of Ostara
is an offshoot of Fred’s work with Earthling Society. Primarily
a 4 piece, all instrumental work by Fred and drummer / percussionist
Jon Blacow, The Star Child album is a trippy (remember
that word?) album filled with instrumental magic in the spirit of
cosmic space music progenitors like Michael Rother, Ash Ra Tempel,
Obscured By Clouds era Pink Floyd, that first Jefferson Starship
album, Tangerine Dream and other late 1960s, early 1970’s artists.
True to form, the album is described on the 4Zero website as being
‘A proto-druidic hallucinogenic journey into he realms of the
star child.’ Attention space music fans: does it get any cooler
than this? www.4zerorecords.co.uk
ADENA PRODUCTIONS - Back
in 2010, Ohio based guitarist Neil Jacobs released his 5th
solo album Twelve String Guitar and in 2014 he follows up with
The Peasant Sabbatical. The 13 track CD features
a fresh album filled with Neil’s imaginative instrumental 12
string guitar-based sounds. Among the original tracks are traditional
songs from places like 
Serbia
and Bulgaria and there’s even a tribute to a 2006 massacre of
Amish school children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that Neil has sagaciously
turned into music on his 12 string guitar sound. Commenting on the
title of his latest CD, Neil explains, ‘The Peasant Sabbatical”
is a tongue in cheek description of my journey. I like to refer to
the “Peasant Sabbatical” as one that you embark on willingly,
and without the assurance of a guaranteed reward. At one point we
toyed with using the tarot “Fool Card” to represent the
CD, meaning that the peasant sabbatical was undertaken with naiveté
and perhaps misplaced confidence. Many of my travels were serendipitous,
and certainly off the beaten path.’ In his track by track
liner notes, Neil takes you through the discography information for
each track while also mentioning the various musicians that accompany
his instrumental arrangements. The Peasant Sabbatical is a
fantastic, global journey of instrumental music created by a master
of the 12 string acoustic guitar. www.NeilJacobs.com
ALOUD MUSIC - Over in the good city of Barcelona, Spain a new
band called Exxasens is exploring a new hybrid guitar instrumental
sound with the release of their acclaimed Satellites CD.
Comprised of a mix of instrumental space-rock, post-rock and ambient
rock, the band’s 8 track CD on Aloud Music will be of interest
to fans of 21st century new wave industrial, post rock bands such
as Explosions In The Sky with other guitar influences such as The
Edge of U2 and even Andy Summers of The Police. Coming from Spain,
the guitar-centric album release is Spain’s latest addition to
the worldwide instrumental guitar sound. The four piece band rocks
hard and throughout features the razor sharp guitar work of Jordi
Ruiz. Another fine new pop-rock band on Aloud, this one with vocals
is the band Fira Fem, who tap into a post modern new pop sound
with the 2013 CD release of Madrid. The four
piece band sings in English and features the voice and guitars of
Óscar de la Fuente with additional synth guitar work
from Manuel Cachero. Again, in this album there’s a definite
influence from The Police and even other post 1980’s rock. www.AloudMusic.com
ANNA PHOEBE MUSIC - Echoing the works of great rock violinists
such as Eddie Jobson, U.K. based Anna Phoebe is turning
heads around with her 2013 CD release entitled Embrace.
Although the CD EP has only four tracks that clock in around 20
minutes total, there’s plenty of stimulating sounds here. Anna
gets solid backup from her band including Nicolas Rizzi (guitar)
and Franceso Lucidi (drums). There’s even a tabla player
on hand to make things even more spicy. Ms. Phoebe cites Roxy Music,
Trans Siberian Orchestra and Jethro Tull among her big influences.
Being all instrumental, the Embrace album will find a home
with progressive rock fans as well as classical music buffs with an
open ear to instrumental rock experimentalism. Either way, Anna Phoebe
presents the art of instrumental rock violin in an exciting new light.
www.AnnaPhoebe.com
ART OF LIFE RECORDS - Baltimore-based
guitarist Carl Filipiak returned in 2013 with a solid live
album of instrumental jazz-rock fusion entitled Live At The
Cat’s Eye. A group effort featuring Carl Filipiak
And The Jimi Jazz Band, the seven track album was recorded in
2011 and 2012 and features a number of Filipiak originals as well
as covers of the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
and Billy Cobham’s “Stratus”. Earlier, Carl recorded
the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper classic “A Day In The Life”
in the spirit of Jeff Beck and likewise, his take of “I Want
You (She’s So Heavy)” is a real treat for jazz guitar fans.
Featuring
Carl backed up by his band, the Jimi Jazz Band, the sound is
very much straight ahead jazz-rock with nods to greats like Jeff Beck,
John Scofield and even from a rock guitar standpoint, Peter Frampton.
Carl gets excellent support from his trio band members including three
different bass players—Mike Pope, Steve Zerlin and
Matt Everhart—as well as Paul Hannah (sax) and
Frank Young (drums). The songs range in style from near progressive
fusion to a funkier brand of jazz-rock. Filipiak is a huge Beatles
fan and his cover of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
is one of the best instrumental versions of the track to date. Even
with his leanings as a fusion guitar interpreter of classic rock,
Carl readily admits, ‘When I was a teenager, I loved both The
Beatles and Miles Davis, but I couldn’t figure out how to put
them together. Then Hendrix came along and showed the way.’ Fans
of Hendrix, Miles and The Beatles will find something unique and interesting
about Carl Filipiak’s brand of jazz-fusion. In the CD liner notes,
Geoffrey Himes discusses Carl’s affinity for Jimi Hendrix
and how much the album follows in the wildly innovative Hendrix guitar
style. Having released eight solo albums, with the 2014 CD release
of Live At The Cat’s Eye, Carl Filipiak brings his brand
of guitar centric fusion alive and well into the 21st century.
www.CarlFilipiak.com
BASEMENT
AVATAR RECORDS - Borrowing sounds and visions from progressive
rock, neoclassical and 1960’s soundtrack scores, the band known
as Proud Peasant has a winner on their hands with the 2014
CD release of their debut studio album, Flight.
A solid 21st century progressive instrumental rock band, the Austin,
Texas based Proud Peasant features the music of guitarist Xander
Rapstine. The Proud Peasant bio cites band influences like King
Crimson, Gryphon, Camel and Mike Oldfield and true to form, the CD
actually reflects that. The Oldfield influence is perhaps the best
comparison and fans of Mike’s early 1980s instrumental works
will love this CD. Proud Peasant also cites other modern day prog-rock
bands, yet being all instrumental, the sound is very eclectic. Proud
Peasant’s Flight is very contemporary, yet very reflective
and respectful music played by musicians who are boldly carrying the
torch for progressive music forward and beyond into the great unknown
of the 21st century. www.ProudPeasant.com
BASHO
MUSIC - An album of freewheeling, modern instrumental jazz, The
Impossible Gentlemen features the talents of U.K. based piano
virtuoso / composer Gwilym Simcock. Gwilym has worked with
jazz giants like Kenny Wheeler, Bill Bruford and Bill Frisell and
he now turns his focus to The Impossible Gentlemen album entitled
Internationally Recognized Aliens, released in
2014 on the Basho Music label. Assisting Gwilym’s piano work
are fine players like Mike Walker (guitars, compositions),
Steve Swallow and Steve Rodby (bass) and Adam Nussbaum
(drums). With such a range of fine players on hand, you’d
expect a very high quality of sound and that’s what you get.
Mixing fine instrumentalists from the U.S. and the U.K. is a solid
idea and for fans of modern, bop and free jazz in 2014, it doesn’t
get a lot better than The Impossible Gentlemen. Much more late night,
relaxing jazz as opposed to free or avant gard jazz, Internationally
Recognized Aliens is smooth sounding without being lightweight,
avant gard without being overly harsh. In other words, with Internationally
Recognized Aliens, The Impossible Gentlemen hits a veritable sweet
spot in 21st century modern jazz. www.Impossible Gentlemen.com
BCM ENTERTAINMENT - In a strange twist of fate, keyboardist
/ pianist Brian Culbertson rerecorded his first solo album,
entitled Long Night Out, and in 2014 he has remade the album
as Another Long Night Out, as a 20th anniversary.
The catch here is that the album was remade with some of the finest
players in contemporary jazz including David Benoit, Russ
Freeman, Chuck Loeb, Steve Lukather and a whole
lot more. commenting on remaking his first solo album, Culbertson
adds, ‘For many years, I have wanted to remake the first album
using real musicians and thought the 20th anniversary would be the
perfect time. Another Long Night Out is a return to my roots
as a contemporary jazz player. I always liked these songs and I even
like them more now with real musicians playing them. The sound of
21st century contemporary jazz fusion is alive and well and thriving
with the 2014 CD release of Brian Culbertson’s Another Long
Night Out. www.BrianCulbertson.me
BLACK HEN MUSIC - Based in Canada and in Nashville, guitarist
/ producer Steve Dawson has recorded and released a wide range
of instrumental and pop vocal music. As the creative founder of Black
Hen Music, Steve has worked with a number of up and coming artists
(check out his production of the Roxanne Potvin CD) but it’s
Dawson’s work as a solo artist that has always excited guitar
fans. Back in 2008, Steve released his instrumental Telescope CD,
which featured him performing a number of guitars, both electric and
acoustic, while backed up by a band including drummer Scott Amendola.
On his 2014 solo album, entitled Rattlesnake Cage,
the sound gets back to an all acoustic instrumental, finger style
guitar picking / slide guitar format which borders on the rustic and
rural. It takes quite a guitarist to entertain with just one guitar
and Dawson is just that guitarist. The eleven cut Rattlesnake Cage
album finds Steve getting back to the guitar form known as “American
Primitive” that was first explored by legends like John Fahey
and Leo Kottke. Among the guitars Steve plays on the CD are both 6
and 12 string acoustic, a National tricone guitar and a Weissenborn
Hawaiian guitar - all played without effects. A must hear for fans
of Kottke, Ry Cooder and the late, great Bert Jansch, Steve Dawson’s
Rattlesnake Cage is a stellar example of a master guitarist
exploring the infinite possibilities of modern roots music. www.BlackHenMusic.com
/ www.SteveDawson.ca
CELLAR
LIVE - On
her 2014 CD, A Meeting Of Minds, NYC based guitarist
Sheryl Bailey takes a cue from the classic jazz guitar
/ organ trios of the past and the results put forward another solid
jazzy instrumental offering. Sheryl rises to the 
occasion
on her new 12 track CD, composing a range of instrumental originals
that make the most of her jazzy guitar grooves. On A Meeting Of
Minds, Sheryl joins forces with a solid trio, featuring Ron
Oswanski (Hammond B-3) and Ian Froman (drums). One of the
finest guitarists on the 21st century jazz guitar scene, Sheryl always
preferred the warm and fuzzy sound of vintage jazz, eschewing the
sometimes manic side of jazz-rock, so her new album may say 2014 yet
the grooves take you back the time-honored instrumental jazz sound
of the 1950’s and ‘60s and the timeless sound of organ trio
greats like Charles Earland, Groove Holmes and the king of the B-3,
Jimmy Smith. Commenting on the album in the liner notes of the CD,
Sheryl explains, ‘I named this recording A Meeting Of Minds,
because it is a testament to what happens when you keep a group working,
hanging and touring together. For me, this is the ultimate experience
in having a band.’ Recorded in New Jersey and released by
the Cellar Live record label, A Meeting Of Minds features in
depth liner notes by both Sheryl and music journo Jim Carlton.
www.CellarLive.com
/ www.SherylBailey.com
CHARLESTON SQUARE RECORDINGS - Jazz guitar ace Fareed Haque
was signed to Sting’s Pangaea label back in the late 1990’s
and he’s also recorded for Blue Note Records among other famous
labels. Fareed’s 2014 album, entitled Out Of Nowhere is
a solid jazz trio album featuring his guitar skills paired with Billy
Hart (drums) and George Mraz (bass), along with
other musicians who play on various tracks. The Chicago based guitarist
has worked with some of the greats including Sting, Joe Zawinul, Ramsey
Lewis and countless others yet on his own albums, the sound is pure
guitar instrumental. With a heritage that includes Pakistani and Chilean
background, Fareed is not a stranger to including exotic instrumentation
in his music and several tracks on Out Of Nowhere feature the
sound of tablas, an instrument that isn’t uncommon in south Asian
music. Fareed also played in an offshoot band called Garaj Mahal and
after that that band, the group MathGames in which he performs moog
guitar. Even with his exotic musical inclinations, on Out Of Nowhere,
the sound is pretty straight ahead guitar jazz for most of the
tracks, with the occasional tabla and electronica etching to spice
things up. Most of the tracks are originals but several covers, including
a brilliant cover of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”
adds fuel to the sonic fire here. Taken as a whole album, Fareed Haque’s
Out Of Nowhere is a bold sonic statement from a world class
guitarist. www.fareed.com
CUNEIFORM
RECORDS - The
2014 CD release of Static Motion by the Swiss band Sonar
is certain to be one of the year's most acclaimed albums of experimental
electric guitar music. Featuring the interlocking guitar sound of
Stephan Thelen and Bernard Wagner, this first Sonar
CD release on the highly regarded Cuneiform Records label also features
key contributions 
by
Christian Kuntner (bass) and Manuel Pasquinelli (drums).
In critically acclaimed write-ups and reviews, much has been made
of the tritone guitar sound of Sonar and for a cross-reference on
the band’s influences you might look to early Mahavishnu Orchestra
and shades of King Crimson’s work circa 1973. As expected and
as delivered on Static Motion, Sonar defines the art of experimental
guitar music in the early 21st century. Completely instrumental, the
net result of Static Motion is an experience akin to hearing
the sonic equivalent of a fascinating M.C. Esher painting, complete
with spiraling patterns of guitar sounds juxtaposed over hypnotic
jazzy fusion rhythms. One could also cite Robert Fripp and certain
works of California Guitar Trio as being comparable to the Sonar sound,
yet with the 2014 CD release of Static Motion, Sonar stakes
out a most unique musical terrain all their own. www.sonar-band.ch
DEEP EDDY RECORDS - Industrial strength instrumental surf-rock
at its best, Kill, Baby...Kill! is a solid musical statement
from the band known as Corridor X. Heavy metal meets surf /
grunge is nothing new but in the hands of this rising band, the genre
gets a new burst of life. The Atlanta, Ga. based Corridor X quartet
is a solid band featuring Noah Holt (guitars), Chris Eagle
(keys), Josh Jackson (drums) and Erek Smith (bass),
backed up by several guest musicians. There’s actually 99 tracks
on their CD but after the first 12 you’ll have to sit through
minutes of silence to get to track 99! It’s all done in good
taste though, so if hard rock / heavy metal meets surf-rock is your
thing, look no further than Corridor X. www.DeepEddy.net
DELTA GROOVE MUSIC - One of the preeminent blues labels in
the world today, Delta Groove has a fine instrumental blues album
out by harmonica virtuoso Bob Corritore. Bob’s 12 track
Delta Groove CD is called Taboo. Releasing an
album of all blues-based harmonica instrumentals is a pretty daring
idea but thanks to the variety of musicians on board, Bob’s CD
is always entertaining. The CD features liner notes by esteemed blues
harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite who adds, ‘Bob really
nails the ‘50s Chicago Chess sound, but also exhibits modern
ideas.’ Among the guitar greats taking part in Taboo include
blues icons Jimmie Vaughan and Junior Watson while the
CD also features a wide range of musicians including three drummers.
Most of the tracks on Taboo are Corritore originals yet, start
to finish, the sound is very authentic and will please fans of the
blues as well as fans of blues-rock guitar based instrumentals. Extra
points for the very “taboo” looking CD cover art. www.BobCorritore.com
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON RECORDS - Best known as the gifted daughter of the
late great sitar master Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar released
her latest masterpiece called Traces Of You in
2013. Anoushka’s CD release on Deutsche Grammophon is filled
with a fantastic mix of sitar flavored Indian sounds flavored with
various sonic spices from electronica, jazz and Western classical
music. Key to the sound of Traces Of You is Anoushka’s
collaboration with fellow Indian music explorer and acclaimed artist
in his own right, Nitin Sawhney, who adds in various performances
on guitars, programming and piano as well as handling various production
chores. The sound of Traces Of You is mostly instrumental except
for several vocal tracks performed by Anoushka’s half-sister
Norah Jones—who is a celebrated pop star on her own. An
excellent sitar player with the Shankar touch, Anoushka adds in one
vocal of her own on the track “Metamorphosis”, which is
just filled with a wild sense of sonic abandon. Fans of the Shankar
family’s vast repertoire of incredible sitar filled Indian music
and World music will love Anoushka’s incredible sounding Traces
Of You. www.AnoushkaShankar.com
EAST MEETS WEST MUSIC - It’s quite true that World Music
hero and icon Ravi Shankar passed away into the next world
in San Diego on December 11, 2012. He was 92 years old. In the year
before he passed, Ravi recorded two instrumental albums of new ragas
and in 2013 they were released on California based East Meets West
Music. The two albums are entitled The Living Room Sessions
Part 1 and The Living Room Sessions Part 2.
According to Ravi (from the CD liner notes), “At almost
92 years, I was fooling around at home in Encinitas, California with
my sitar, playing pieces with Tanmoy Bose on tabla. We recorded
seven ragas in four days in my living room and had a lot of fun.”
Both Living Room Sessions CDs sound amazing and clearly
demonstrate that even at 92, Ravi had all his marbles and musical
skills in check. Liner notes written by Sukanya Shankar are
quite praiseworthy, describing how even at an advanced age in human
years, Ravi thoroughly enjoyed making what would turn out to be his
final recorded works. East Meets West Music has done a great job preserving
and reinstating these final albums from the great man and humanitarian
who introduced Indian music and specifically, the sitar to music lovers
of the Western world. Lastly, East Meets West also has another Ravi
related album—a tribute album to Ravi featuring Hindustani vocalist
Ashwini Bhide Deshpande—Arghyam (“The
Offering”) which is part of a series celebrating the life, music
and legacy of Ravi, entitled Utsav! Ravi fans owe it
to themselves to give a listen to these excellent and superbly packaged
CDs. www.EastMeetsWestMusic.com
/ www.RaviShankar.org
EL TORO RECORDS / BUENRITMO - Over in Spain, El Toro Records
are keeping the spirit of the late 1950’s / early ‘60s alive
and well with the 2013 CD release of Impacto Inminente by
instrumental rockers Los Mambo Jambo. A mix of rootsy instrumental
rock and roll with a touch of surf-rock sounds, the 10 track CD 
clocks
in under a half hour yet there’s plenty of action-packed instrumental
rock on hand to keep even the most ardent instro rock fan happy. The
instrumentation of the five piece band is pretty straightforward with
guitarist Mario Cobo sounding like a young, super-energized
Duane Eddy, while sax honker Dani Nel-Lo gives the sound a
fresh vital groove. The CD cover art is also first rate and fits the
frantic balance of the sound. Fans of American surf-instro pioneers
like Duane Eddy, Link Wray, The Ventures and modern instro rockers
Los Straitjackets will enjoy this rockin’ powerful CD from Los
Mambo Jambo. www.ElToroRecords.com
ESKI MUSC - Bass
ace and multi-instrumentalist Erik Scott is one among a few
select rock musicians who made a successful foray into the world of
experimental jazz-rock and even borrows from what some dare to still
call New Age. Erik Scott’s 2014 CD, And The Earth Bleeds
is filled with such a wide range of instrumental and pop/rock
vocal music, it will make your head spin. Erik’s 2011 CD, Other
Planets was an instrumental music classic, although on And
The Earth Bleeds he blends in several vocal tracks amid his instrumental
excursions. Erik Scott’s sonically adventurous bass work on And
The Earth Bleeds continues to amaze, while some of the instrumental
tracks feature special sounding instruments such as pedal steel guitar.
Commenting on the unique sound of his new album, Erik explains, ‘Bleeds
differs from Other Planets in the strong use of the medieval violin,
the Scottish / Celtic melodies, and the use of vocals on some tracks.
I continued to go for cool sounds on the electric bass, especially
on the melodic lines, but the 'outer space' vibe is less, I think.’
Drawing
on an expansive sonic palate, Erik Scott cites Pink Floyd, Ennio Morricone
and Michael Manring among his influences yet the sound on And The
Earth Bleeds is also quite unusual and personal. As he did on
Other Planets, Scott masterfully blends in a wide range of
sonic electronic effects that he uses, in his words, ‘to enhance
the otherworldliness of the music.’ Erik Scott’s music
history includes time in the bands of Alice Cooper, Flo & Eddie
and the group Sonia Dada. Erik Scott's musical legacy continues to
flourish with the superb contemporary fusion sound of And The Earth
Bleeds. www.ErikScottBass.com
FAVOR
PRODUCTIONS - Mixing hip-hop rhythms with the sound of contemporary
jazz instrumental music is a great idea and the concept comes to life
on the 2014 CD release of Tell You Something by saxophone
master Sam Rucker. With eight original tracks and three classic
covers, Tell You Something is filled with a stellar mix of
hip-hop, vintage R&B, gospel etchings and of course improvisational
jazz nuances. Rucker gets excellent support from a number of musicians,
including jazz legend Norman Connors, who is further praised
here with a Rucker cover of the Connors classic “You Are My Starship”.
The CD sounds great thanks to top notch mixing and mastering by Euge
Groove. Several female vocalists add in some background vocals
that serves to enhance the instrumental nature of the album. Commenting
on his latest instrumental jazz masterpiece, the Virginia-based Rucker
adds, ‘My desire as an artist is not only to entertain, but
to be a communicator - to connect with the listener in such a way
that they are encouraged and inspired by my music. Even as an instrumentalist,
I believe my music speaks lyrically and I use it to convey an unlifting
message.' Sam Rucker’s Tell You Something is contemporary
instrumental jazz at its finest. www.SamRucker.com
GONZO
MULTIMEDIA - Back in 1975, the Virgin Records label could do no
wrong. Having already established Mike Oldfield as a world class artist,
Richard Branson, Simon Draper and company turned their focus to great
progressive artists in other countries. Case in point was the France-based
group called Clearlight, who released their fantastic Clearlight
Symphony album on Virgin. Fitting in with other Virgin artists
like Gong and their guitarist Steve Hillage, Clearlight and their
leading light Cyrille Verdeaux went on to release a number
of albums in their long history. Lo and behold, Cyrille and Clearlight
are back in 2014 with an album of brand new music magic that sounds
like the past 38 years never happened. Which means of course that
the 2014 CD release of The Impressionist Symphony is
a fantastic comeback. In the spirit of that first Clearlight Symphony
album on Virgin, the 2014 CD release of The Impressionist Symphony
is filled with a wealth of progressive instrumental music and
there’s also contributions from Gong legends Steve Hillage
(guitars), Tim Blake (synth / keys) and Didier Malherbe
(winds) A number of other artists contribute adding to the symphonic
and progressive nature of Clearlight’s new eight cut, 65 minute
CD. Gonzo Multimedia has done a great job on the CD release and the
booklet is filled with pictures of all the artists including producer
Don Falcone, who plays tubular bells! Even if you missed the
first, fabled Clearlight Symphony album back in the 1970s,
Clearlight’s masterpiece, The Impressionist Symphony is
a great way to experience the magic of a veritable progressive rock
legend. www.Clearlight888music.com
/ www.GonzoMultimedia.com
HELP RECORDS - The sound of guitar instrumental music is alive
and well on the 2013 CD from the Switzerland based band known as Joeland
Guitar Sound. Essentially the work of father and son guitarist
Roland Siegfried and Joel Siegfriend, Joeland Guitar
Sound features several other fine players who round out the band sound.
On their rockin’ 14 track CD, Joeland picks out some great songs
to cover here including the Beatles’ classic, “The Ballad
Of John & Yoko”, Billy Swan’s “I Can Help”
and the Shadows’ classic “Round And Round”—all
done instrumentally in the style of The Shadows and the multitude
of bands they influenced. Fans of Hank Marvin, Albert Lee, The Beatles,
The Ventures and all the great instro bands and artists over the years
will get a definite buzz from Joeland Guitar Sound. www.joeland.ch
HKJ MUSIK - Back in the 1980’s, guitarist Dan Jonsson
was a member of the short-lived , yet highly influential instrumental
rock band called Triangulus. The band featured members from the influential
Swedish bands Ragnarök and Samla Mammas Manna. Also on hand for
the first Triangulus album was the late great Björn J:son Lindh.
Nearly 30 years later Don is back in a big way with the first album,
entitled Snow Tears from his band Tow Truck Two.
The band is very much rooted in the Triangulus mold yet also has a
few interesting side effects. Rounding out the 3T sound is another
guitarist called Hans Thunberg, along with the rhythm section
of Olle Stockman (bass) and Anders Jogstam (drums).
High powered processed guitars merge, with stunning effects, with
the solid rhythm section on a CD that is best described as being 21st
century progressive instrumental rock. Fans of Ragnarök and Triangulus
will completely enjoy this wildly diverse and entertaining instrumental
rock album from Sweden. www.facebook.com/TowTruckTwo
HOME RECORDS - Very European influenced instrumental music
in the spirit of Philip Glass and bands like Holland’s Flairk,
the Belgium based Aranis continues making waves with their
2012 opus called Made In Belgium. All instrumental,
Made In Belgium cites a number of influences, including early
rock in opposition band Universe Zero, as well as Philip Glass, Michael
Nyman, Bartok, Bach, Mike Oldfield and a whole lot more. With only
acoustic instruments—including guitars, piano, strings, accordion,
strings and more—Aranis manages to get a decisive chamber rock
fusion sound that is both pleasant and challenging at the same time.
A number of composers are covered here, including Wim Mertens and
Roger Trigaux and Daniel Denis, the latter two legends of fellow Belgium
band Universe Zero. Kindred spirit, King Crimson’s Trey Gunn
manages a cameo appearance on this CD as well. There’s also something
quite cinematic about Aranis, as their music has a definite soundtrack
quality that must be quite amazing to behold in a concert setting.
Aranis and their latest classic Made In Belgium successfully
merges both neoclassical sounds and rock (in thinking) in a most pleasurable
21st century sonic setting. Give a listen to Aranis and check out
their five albums so far released, including RoqueForte (Aranis
IV - 2010) and Songs From Mirage (Aranis III
- 2009). Keep an ear out for the next Aranis opus, Made In
Belgium II, coming in late 2014. www.HomeRecords.be
/ www.aranis.be
IAN NEAL RECORDS - U.K. keyboardist Ian Neal released
a fine CD called Astro in 2013. It’s mostly instrumental
prog-rock but several tracks do feature Neal’s vocal skills.
It’s hard to describe who he sounds like but there’s some
majestic, Sci-fi space music inspired rock sounds running throughout
the CD. Fans of Pink Floyd with Richard Wright (circa Wish You
Were Here) and Roine Stolt and his Flower Kings band will find
much to like about Ian Neal and his keyboard based music. Towering
synths and all forms of rock electronica meld into one unique wall
of sound on this harmonious sounding 7 track, 49 minute album, which
up to now, unfortunately is available only as a digital download.
Commenting on his musical approach on Astro, Ian adds, ‘My
aim is that every piece produced is exquisitely constructed, intriguing
and will not tire of being played again and again.’ On that front
alone, clearly Ian Neal has succeeded on his prog-rock opus called
Astro. www.IanNeal.com
INTI PRODUCTIONS RECORDINGS - Based in L.A., guitarist Ciro
Hurtado was born in Peru and settled in California. Ciro’s
sixth solo album, released in 2012, is appropriately entitled Los
Angeles Blues. In the spirit of John Fahey and Leo
Kottke, Ciro’s acoustic guitar music is all instrumental and
is alternatively jazz and kind of classically based with New Age with
slight Latin and Flamenco guitar undertones. A guitarist with a multifaceted
musical personality, Ciro Hurtado covers a whole lot of ground on
the appealing and relaxing guitar-centric sounds of Los Angeles
Blues. www.CiroHurtado.com
J&R ADVENTURES - If you’re an instrumental jazz-rock
fusion fan, the CD/DVD release of Rock Candy: Funk Party Takes
New York - Live At The Iridium will be music to your ears.
It might have been just a matter of time before blues-rock guitar
hero Joe Bonamassa threw his hat into the fusion / instrumental
arena yet with this 2 CD / 1 DVD set he does so with 
style.
Released on the J&R Adventures label, the double CD and DVD set
features Joe and a solid band rocking out at the fabled Iridium night
club in midtown Manhattan. The Iridium is a small place but the walls
were shaking that night! Joe gets excellent backup from his band which
includes Tal Bergman (drums), Ron DeJesus (2nd guitar),
Mike Merritt (bass), Renato Neto (keys) and Daniel
Sadownick (percussion). Clearly the musical ESP on these live
tracks is quite astonishing. Recorded and filmed during the course
of three nights in June 2013, Live At The Iridium is a pure
instrumental groove fest that features an electrifying mix of jazz-rock,
rock instrumental and of course funk grooves. Watching and hearing
Bonamassa delving into these instrumental jazz-rock-funk tracks is
a wonder to behold and these guys keep it totally real and work up
quite a sweat in the process. There’s a DVD/Blu-ray version while
the DVD/2CD set is an excellent sounding choice for audio buffs. The
packaging and overall sound and vision is excellent and there’s
also a 30 minute documentary on the DVD, plus a colorful booklet filled
with pics and notes from all the players here. Fans of Joe Bonamassa’s
blues-rock sound should give a listen to his latest, and totally rockin’
instro jazz-funk forays with Rock Candy Funk Party. www.RockCandyFunkParty.com
LMB MUSIC - Featuring studio production by famed producer /
New Age music conceptualist Will Ackerman, the 2014 CD release
of Emergence is the finest album yet from acoustic /
finger-style guitarist Lawrence Blatt. The 12 track, all instrumental
album should be right up the alley among fans of Ackermans’s
world renowned Windham Hill Records. Recorded 
in
Ackerman’s Vermont-based Imaginary Road studio, Emergence
features Lawrence working with Ackerman’s “A-list”
of solo instrumentalists including violinists Charlie Bisharat
and Lila Sklar, Eugene Friesen (cello), Sam Bevan
(double bass), Jill Haley (English horn), Richard “Gus”
Sebring (French horn) and Jim Rothermel (penny whistle).
Earlier album releases, including Fibonacci’s Dream and
The Color Of Sunshine were both critically acclaimed, yet the
release of Emergence brings Lawrence Blatt's guitar-centric
brand of instrumental music to a whole higher level. The sound on
Emergence is more 21st century guitar-based mood music than
meditative acoustic instrumental, yet there’s elements of both
that should have wide crossover appeal not just among contemporary
art music aficionados but also among guitar fans looking for an eclectic
acoustic instrumental music experience. For Emergence, Blatt
states that his compositional style was influenced by a ‘world
full of complex patterns and seemingly unexplainable order, from the
beauty of an individual snowflake to the migration patterns of birds
and butterflies.’ The unexplainable complexity of life and the
miracle of sound is brought under the sonic microscope on Lawrence
Blatt’s excellent Emergence CD. www.LawrenceBlatt.com
LONE RIDER RECORDS - U.K. guitarist Peter Williams returned
in 2013 with, Remembering Roy Orbison: Only The Lonely,
a guitar instrumental tribute to the late great Roy Orbison.
Most fans of legendary American rock ‘n’ roll remember Roy
as the voice and artist behind song classics like “Oh! Pretty
Woman”, “Only The Lonely”, “Dream Baby” and
countless others. An ace guitarist with a great ear, Peter Williams
is the perfect choice to reinterpret Orbison’s music in a guitar
instrumental setting as he does so tastefully here. Covering 16 tracks
associated with Orbison as guitar instrumentals, Remembering Roy
Orbison is rounded out by six additional “bonus” instrumental
covers including tracks written by Sonny Curtis, Danny Whitten, Goffin-King
and more. Clearly, Williams is most comfortable in the setting of
1960’s music as he has proven on his other instrumental guitar-based
tribute albums to Elvis Presley, John Leyton, The Shadows and others.
What’s even more amazing is that Peter performs all the instruments
himself and the sound of the CD is first rate. Fans of Orbison, as
well as fans of classic late 1950’s and 1960s music will enjoy
the magic guitar instrumental sound of Peter Williams. The Only
The Lonely Roy Orbison tribute CD is a great introduction to Peter’s
unique guitar / tribute approach to now classic music. In addition,
the inside of the CD booklet features extensive liner notes by Peter
discussing the significance of Roy Orbison’s timeless, magical
pop melodies. www.LoneRiderRecords.com
LUCAS LEE MUSIC - The influence of King Crimson, and all their
various members over the years, has had a very positive impact on
21st century music and recording musicians. Case in point is the 2014
CD release called Normalcy Bias, the second album
by Canadian-bred, California-based guitarist Lucas Lee. On
his seven track CD, his second album, Lucas is joined by King Crimson
thumper Pat Mastelotto, who adds in some of his typically fantastic
drumming. With Lucas playing all the guitars, keys and bass, backed
by Pat, the sound of Normalcy Bias is very futuristic instrumental
jazz-rock that sort of invents a new kind of prog-rock sound. There’s
no shortage of innovative guitar-centric ideas here that, while influenced
by King Crimson, is not wholly derivative of their various sounds.
In other words, Lucas Lee’s Normalcy Bias is an original
sounding sonic masterpiece of 21st century, progressive instrumental
art-rock that will find a good home with jazz-rockers, prog-rockers
and art-rockers, young and old. www.LucasLeeMusic.com
M.A.C.E. - Heavy metal is a hit or miss affair, especially
when it comes to the guitar. That much heaviness can be a burden for
some listeners, for others, it's a panacea to solve their sonic ills.
One guitarist sure to gain acclaim among hard rock and heavy metal
guitar fans is Michael Angelo Batio and his all instrumental
CD Intermezzo. Clearly, Batio can excel in almost
any type of guitar setting, yet he’s chosen the guitar art form
of heavy metal instrumental as the vehicle for his fretboard art forms.
A number of musical friends assist Batio on Intermezzo including
George Lynch, Guthrie Govan, Chris Poland and a whole lot more.
Suffice to say, the guitar work is fast and furious with hardly a
note out of place. Some of it is more melodic and more easily accessible
than other tracks but for a guitarist that has been described the
“number one fastest guitarist of all time”, Intermezzo
is quite a powerful musical statement. Hard rockers and heavy
metal instrumental fans don’t miss Michael Angelo Batio. www.angelo.com
MUSEA - Going strong since 1999, Madrid, Spain based Kotebel
released an underrated CD in mid 2012 called Concerto For
Piano And Electric Ensemble. Kotebel cites a number
of prog-rock legends as influences including Keith Emerson, Gentle
Giant, PFM, YES and classical icons like Ravel and Stravinsky. The
all instrumental nature of their sound is very wide ranging but the
album successfully merges avant-garde rock fusion, classical rock
and even some Spanish classical influences as well. Kotebel’s
Concerto album features five talented musicians including,
guitarist / composers César García Forero, who
gets solid backing from his Kotebel band mates. Also included in the
CD is a flexi type of DVD that looks great and shows on video what
virtuosos these musicians are. Fans of symphonic prog-rock—complete
with searing electric guitars, syncopated drum / bass workouts and
mellotron sounds galore—will get a real charge off of Kotebel’s
elegant instrumental rock sound. www.kotebel.com
MVD VISUAL - As a founding member of Emerson Lake & Palmer,
drummer Carl Palmer has always had a loyal fan base and they
come out for Carl Palmer - Decade: 10th Anniversary Celebrating
The Music Of Emerson Lake & Palmer. Of course without
Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, ELP drummer Carl Palmer soldiers on with
near hard rock / heavy metal versions of ELP classics of the past,
all done instrumentally. Firing on all cylinders live in 2011 in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, Palmer’s band features a solid power trio sound
with electric guitarist Paul Bielatowicz and bassist Simon
Fitzpatrick. For this nearly two hour live DVD from the Carl Palmer
Band, larger pieces, like the large scale rock concept work “Pictures
At An Exhibition” and the side long "Tarkus" are given
instrumental, guitar-centric power trio versions that can’t compare
to the originals and the reason they work here is they don’t
try to be. Transcribing the original Emerson keyboard parts and Lake’s
vocals to be played instrumentally is a pretty bold move that presents
an innovative melodic hard rock overview of ELP’s classical rock
approach in a live concert setting. Combining a complete concert and
interviews with the musicians, as well as producer Bruce Pilato,
is a neat way to bring Carl Palmer’s illustrious prog-rock legacy
alive and kicking into the 21st century. www.mvdb2b.com
MVD AUDIO / DADGAD MUSIC - One of the
most renowned acoustic guitarists in the world, Pierre Bensusan
is feted with the 2014 release of Encore. Essentially
a 3 CD, 35 track showcase for Bensusan’s live perfromaces, the
three hour Encore CD set, subtitled 40 Years Of An Open
Mind: Travel Journal, spans four decades of music
going back to 1975. At its best Pierre’s relaxing music is mostly
instrumental although Encore does feature several of his French
language vocal tracks. Music fans will note that there’s also
several tracks here featuring Pierre performing with Dream Theater’s
Jordan Rudess from 1998. Although the 3 CD Encore set
was planned to only include tracks from 1998 to 2013, disc 2 here
starts off with five tracks from May 1975. Bensusan’s guitar
based music has been called jazz, Celtic folk instrumental and even
New Age, yet as he proves throughout Encore, his music is very
hard to typify. Commenting on Encore, Pierre adds, ‘I
would say that Encore is probably my most truthful recording ever,
because the studio is not always a very dangerous place. These are
moments in time reflecting ways of approaching these songs that I
never did before and never did again.’ The constant factor
throughout Encore is Pierre’s sense of fretboard perfection,
especially, as expressed here, in front of his appreciating fans.
In addition, the 38 track 3 CD Encore set features a booklet
with in-depth liner notes by Pierre, complete discography information
of all the tracks here, along with rare pics of Pierre through the
years. Encore is the definitive document of Pierre Bensusan
live in concert. www.PierreBensusan.com
NEW VISTA RECORDS - The
music of the late, great Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim
has remained a constant source of inspiration for both musicians
and music lovers as well. Inspired by Jobim’s magical bossa nova
jazz sound, Florida-based guitarist Les Sabler released a great
sounding album of Jobim’s timeless music appropriately entitled
Jobim Tribute. On the 2014 CD release of Jobim
Tribute, Les chose to cover some of Jobim’s most popular
tunes as well 
as
some lesser known Jobim classics. Although he’s best known as
a guitar instrumentalist, Les also demonstrates his vocal talents
on several tracks here that he sings in both English and Brazilian.
As if to further demonstrate his affinity for Jobim’s music,
Les traveled to Brazil in 2010, immersing himself in the rich history
of Brazilian music while exploring the places that Jobim himself was
inspired by. Most of the songs here are from the 1960’s, while
the CD opener “A Felicidade (Happiness)” was actually featured
as the opening song in the 1959 film Black Orpheus. Another
highlight here is a fine Sabler cover of Jobim’s classic “Triste”
from his highly influential 1967 Wave album. Les has chosen
to surround himself with excellent musicians for the Jobim Tribute
album including Clay Perry (keyboards), Celso Alberti
(drums), Tom Zink (string arrangements) as well as the
late, great percussionist Joe Lala, who passed away shortly
after this album was recorded. Track by track liner notes by Scott
Yanow takes you through the album’s discography information.
Les Sabler’s other album releases feature combined elements of
jazz, fusion, Latin music and contemporary jazz and the 2014 CD release
of Les’ Brazilian music homage—Jobim Tribute is a
most welcome development in the musical progression
of one of America’s finest jazz guitarists. www.LesSabler.com
NORTHERN SPY - Over in Australia, the band known as The
Necks are making sonic waves with their 2013 CD entitled Open.
The CD is very much experimental jazz and possibly avant gard
/ neoclassical in scope, but there’s so many amazing sounds on
hand, you’ll be at a loss for a more accurate description. The
CD is elegantly packaged and the studio sound is excellent so overall,
Open truly does justice to the concept of the CD as a viable
21st century sonic art form. To their credit and estimation, The Necks
have a number of CD releases in their catalog, with the first dating
back to 1989. Described as making “lengthy pieces which slowly
unravel in the most mesmerizing fashion”, The Necks’ Open
features a solid interplay between members Chris Abrahams (piano),
Tony Buck (drums) and Lloyd Swanton. In fact, the entire
Open album is one long 68 minute pieces that builds slowly
into a kind of Tubular Bells/ Eno-esque type of sonic
opus. Jazz buffs and minimalist instrumental music fans who enjoy
experimental jazz that borders on a very unique type of 21st century
minimalist New Age instrumental sound will find much to enjoy about
The Necks’ latest masterpiece Open. www.TheNecks.com
OKEH RECORDS / SONY MASTERWORKS - Sony Music has been
coming through of late with their reactivation of the OKeh Records
(pronounced ‘okay’) imprint, now a part of their Masterworks
line. A great new Bill Frisell album from 2013 called Big Sur reintroduced
OKeh (correct spelling) to music listeners again and guitar lovers
will also take note of a worthy 2014 instrumental music CD entitled
Golden Age by New York guitarist Nir Felder.
Concerning the title of his CD, Nir chimes in and wonders whether
there really ever was a “golden age” in history. I can imagine
younger guitarists and music lovers who didn’t have the good
luck to grow up in the 1960s and early 1970s, yet with all the wars
and assassinations American youth suffered through during the 1960s,
was even that a golden age? So, looking back Nir adds, ‘Has
there really ever been one? The question is always, according to whom?
So there is a lack of clarity about whether things are going great
or they’re really bad, and the music reflects that.’
Best part of Nir Felder’s Golden Age are the sublime sounding
all original instrumentals that borders on jazz and even jazz-rock.
Some of the songs feature snippets of political speeches from all
types of political figures—from Hilary Clinton and Richard Nixon
(talk about polar opposites!) to Elie Wiesel and even Lou Gehrig.
Those voice overs are strategically inserted into the mix (on just
a couple tracks) yet it adds to the tension of Nir’s evocative
instrumental tracks. Although he’s a diehard jazzbo, Nir is also
a smart 21st century fusion guitarist, one who’s well aware of
the greats who passed before him and wiser for that. Although the
CD is predominantly guitar-centric, Nir’s band is first rate
and his album features excellent studio support from Aaron Parks
(piano), Matt Penman (bass) and Nate Smith (drums).
There’s way too many sonic highlights to mention here, but the
9+ minute “Memorial” is a great, somber and sobering track,
filled with electrifying dirge-like guitar motifs sure to make listeners
sit up and notice. With Golden Age, Nir Felder brings the art
of instrumental, guitar based jazz-fusion to a higher level. www.NirFelder.com
/ www.Okeh-Records.com
PROMOTION MUSIC RECORDS - The sounds of native American flutes
and a number of other intriguing instruments form the core of the
CD called Sacred Spaces. With the flutes sound
of Peter Phippen at the center, the ten track CD also features
a number of other instruments played by Enrique Rueda (harps,
kantele, tambor) and Rahbi Crawford (crystal bowls and crystal
pyramid). The sound of Sacred Spaces is totally relaxing New
Age meditation music. The playing of all the musicians is excellent
and the moods are truly magical. The CD packaging comes with a complete
bio and background of each of these renowned musicians. www.PromotionMusicRecords.com
PROPELZ - Back in 1968, guitar ace and master singer-songwriter
Jeremy Spencer was a key member of the original Fleetwood Mac.
In a harrowing twist of sonic fate, following the Mac’s brilliant
Kiln House album from 1970, Jeremy actually left the Mac. After
releasing a pair of great solo albums in the early 1970s, Jeremy was
basically never heard from again till his long awaited comeback, entitled
Precious Little in 2006. In 2014, Jeremy returns again with
Coventry Blue, an excellent album that basically
puts his legacy back up in the spotlight again. A mix of instrumentals
and vocal tracks, the music on Coventry Blue echoes Jeremy’s
amazing work in Fleetwood Mac during the late 1960s and very early
1970s. Jeremy was never really noted for his instrumental compositions,
yet on Coventry Blues there’s a range of great guitar-centric
instrumentals that eerily echoes the work of Jeremy’s one time
band mate in the Mac, the nearly long, lost Danny Kirwan. Track 14
of the 15 track CD, entitled “The World In Her Heart” is
simply one of the greatest instrumentals ever composed by either Jeremy,
Peter Green or Danny. Fans of Danny and great Mac albums like Then
Play On and Kiln House will love Coventry Blue. The
album features a number of fine musicians and was superbly produced
by Jeremy and long time, original Fleetwood Mac fan, guitarist Brett
Lucas. The CD booklet features track by track notes by Jeremy
discussing each of these memorable new songs. Original Fleetwood Mac
fans don’t miss Coventry Blue. www.JeremySpencer.com
Q-RIOUS MUSIC - Dominic Miller is a guitarist’s
guitarist. Having played as Sting’s guitarist, on every album
since the 1991 release of The Soul Cages, Miller also has a
solo career and his 2014 CD release Ad Hoc is well worth
hearing. for Ad Hoc, Miller has put together a fine band including
Rhani Krija (percussion), Lars Danielsson (bass, cello),
Sebastian Studnitzky (trumpet) and fellow guitarist Dylan
Fowler (lap steel). Dominic calls his album Ad Hoc for
all the right reason, number one being the eclectic nature of the
album. In the spirit of Sting, Miller excels in an eclectic form of
instrumental guitar music while borrowing from jazz and pop. Ranging
from low-key acoustic tracks to more developed fusion instrumentals,
Ad Hoc is 21st century instrumental guitar music at its best.
Commenting on Ad Hoc, Miller explains, ‘As with past albums,
all the tunes are written fairly quickly. It’s the arranging
that takes time. I love solving problems, like how to get from one
key to the next and back 'home' successfully’. Overall, Ad
Hoc is a solid follow up CD to Miller’s 2012 album on Q-Rious
entitled 5th House (that album featuring drummer Vinnie
Colaiuta and bassist Pino Palladino). A fine showcase for
Miller’s acoustic guitar work, Ad Hoc is a successful
blend of 21st century jazz, chill out electronica, acoustic folk,
contemporary classical and world music. www.DominicMiller.com
RARE NOISE RECORDS - Rare Noise continues on as one of the
most adventurous free jazz meets progressive rock labels in the world
with the 2014 CD release of Elec3Cities by the three
piece band known as Chat Noir. Trying to put a name on the
face of the music Chat Noir have made on this sonic masterpiece would
be like trying to describe the color purple. There was a wild band
from Sweden in the early 1970’s called Älgarnas Trädgård
from back in 1972 and that wild sense of free form, dreamy progressive
rock and jazz sound permeates this amazing Chat Noir album. Described
on the Rare Noise web site as a mix of chamber music and jazz, Chat
Noir features three gifted musicians: Michele Cavallari (keyboards),
Luca Fogagnolo (bass) and Giuliano Ferrari (drums).
Together on their 2014 Elec3Cities, their sound is both perplexing
and sublime. Elec3Cities is clearly one of the most amazing
sounding jazz meets prog-tronica, all instrumental albums of the decade.
www.RareNoiseRecords.com
RARE
NOISE RECORDS - One of the most adventurous of all the 21st century
free jazz labels is Rare Noise Records. Experimental, avant gard and
prog-rock are all musical genres broached by Rare Noise and the 2014
CD release of the new album by Twinscapes is one of the label’s
best. Twinscapes, the self-titled CD and the group features the dueling
basses of Colin Edwin (most notably of Porcupine Tree) and
Lorenzo Feliciati. Both Colin and Lorenzo are bass players
and their self-titled Twinscapes album is an all-instrumental
tour-de-force featuring contributions from the likes of the esteemed
David Jackson (sax player from prog legends Van der Graaf Generator),
Andi Pupato (drums) and Nils-Petter Molvaer (trumpet).
Of course, the Twinscapes album is very much “out there”
but the sonics, complete with all sorts of programming and electronica,
hang together quite nicely and the CD is superbly recorded. Commenting
on working with another bass player on the Twinscapes CD, Colin
Edward explains, ‘I was familiar with Lorenzo’s band Naked
Truth and also his solo album Frequent Flyer and had been toying
with the idea of a dual-bass project with a bass player friend of
mine. So, I immediately thought it was something worth doing as an
experiment, at least.’ Music fans who enjoyed Colin’s amazing
album from 2012 with guitarist Jon Durant, entitled Burnt Belief,
will completely enjoy the similarly amazing musical atmospherics
in play on the Twinscapes album. www.RareNoiseRecords.com
REAL MUSIC - A CD certain to gain acclaim among fans of instrumental
New Age music as well meditation / ambient / soundtrack albums is
the 2014 Real Music CD release of Flow by the Danish artist
known as Haiku. Essentially the 
creation
of Danish electronic music synthesist Henrik Hytteballe, Flow
is a masterpiece of transcendental synthesized sounds. Although Henrik
has a background in both ambient instrumental and pop music, on Flow
the sound is focused on sublime electronics and is more in the spirit
of acclaimed Real Music artists such as Gandalf and Bernward Koch,
but with a Danish twist. Although Haiku's Flow album was released
in Denmark in 2009, it’s emergence as a Real Music worldwide
release is a most welcome development for fans of ambient electronic
instrumental music. With several releases in the Haiku catalog, Henrik’s
specialty is in composing music for soundtracks and music for meditation
and yoga, and there’s a definite sense of relaxing timelessness
on the Flow CD. Henrik is also promising Haiku's much anticipated
follow up to Flow, set for release in 2015. One of the most
calming and reflective sonic experiences you could have, Haiku’s
Flow is 21st century mood music at its finest. www.RealMusic.com
REAL
WORLD RECORDS - Headed up by Genesis founder Peter Gabriel, the
Real World Records label has always been about experimental music
that breaks new ground and challenges the status quo. The Real World
label lives up to its name with the 2014 CD release of Utopia,
by Tom Kerstens' G PLus Ensemble. All instrumental, the
nearly 75 minute CD is chock full of daring musical moves, all headed
up by Tom’s dazzling guitar work. Influences abound, including
California Guitar Trio, Philip Glass and even some of Mike Oldfield’s
work, and as such, centered upon acoustic music visions, Utopia
is very much experimental and hypnotic at its core. The album
also features outstanding contributions from arranger Artem Vassiliev,
co-producer Joby Talbot and arranger and avant gard
composer extraordinaire John Metcalfe. With Tom handling guitar
and bass guitar, the album also features second guitarist Amanda
Cook and a very Penguin Cafe Orchestra influenced string section
called The Tippett Quartet that further fleshes out Kerstens'
musical ideas. Utopia is a totally innovative and quite beguiling
album of modern day avant gard neoclassical musical ideas from guitarist
Tom Kerstens. www.TomKerstens.com
/ www.RealWorldRecords.com
/ www.GPlusEnsemble.co.uk
RENO DEL MAR MUSIC - One of the brightest stars of the American
desert Southwest music scene is the group known as Reno del Mar.
Back in 2010, Reno del Mar released their self-titled, critically
acclaimed album and in 2014 they’re back with a new CD entitled
For Rose. The Reno del Mar lineup still features
the dual guitar sound of Phil Lipman and Mark Wilsey but
this time out they’ve added a new sound with the addition of
violinist Beth Dounis. The Reno del Mar sound is even fuller
thanks to Beth’s violin sound, which brings an element of the
symphonic to the mix. Recorded in Tucson, Arizona, For Rose sound
is very much rooted in the American desert Southwest sound which mixes
a 
nouveau
flamenco instrumental guitar sound with a rustic Americana meets World
Music vibe. Being all instrumental, the music on For Rose is
very imaginative and the songs just breeze by with the album still
sounding fresh after multiple spins. Both Wilsey and Lipman have in
depth backgrounds in both guitar-based jazz and rock and, together
with the addition of Beth Dounis, they infuse the Reno del Mar sound
with a fresh, renewed energy that comes to life in living color on
the For Rose album. Fans of nouveau flamenco and even 21st
century classical instrumental will receive much enjoyment from Reno
del Mar and their excellent For Rose album. www.RenoDelMar.com
ROCKET
GIRL / REVIVE RECORDS - In the spirit of late 1980’s
instrumental rockers Love Tractor and more recently Explosions In
The Sky, the band known as God Is An Astronaut make exploding
rock sounds of their own on their 2013 CD entitled Origins.
The 12 track CD from the country of Ireland features a devastating
wall of instrumental rock sound that offers a solid showcase for guitarists
Torsten Kinsella (guitar) and Niels Kinsella (bass)
who get solid support from Jamie Dean (keys) and Lloyd Hanney
(drums). Several other musicians add fuel to the sonic wall of
fire here. GIAA’s Origins album is, ostensibly, mainly
instrumental but some of the songs do feature vocals that are near
buried, yet sort of morph into the mix without any discernible words.
Sort of like a more instrumental, Irish equivalent of Sigor Ros, God
Is An Astronaut will impress instrumental rock fans as well as all
types of 21st century progressive rock / wall of sound electronica
fans. www.superadmusic.com/god/
RUNE GRAMMOFON - Norway is known for its breathtaking scenery
and icy cool guitarists. Of course the name Terje Rypdal comes to
mind as being Norway’s greatest jazz rock guitarist. That said
a newcomer named Hedvig Mollestad is raising eyes and ears
as being a young, female fusion guitar ace. Still, the 2014 CD release
of her new CD, Enfant Terrible must be a first at least
regarding the news coming out of Norway. Hedvig is also being compared
to Jimmy Page for sheer sonics, and one listen to the lead off track
"Laughing John" confirms this fact. The Hedvig Mollestad
Trio features the young jazz guitarist recording with Ellen
Brekken (bass) and Ivar Loe Bjornstad (drums) and the result
is a six track 36 minute CD that rocks and swings. Fans of instrumental
jazz-rock, for something new and different, give a listen to guitarist
Hedvig Mollestad. www.RuneGrammofon.com
RUNNING MOOSE / PRESENCE RECORDS - The revolution in
sound created by the late, great Pekka Pohjola continues on in his
native country. One label with a steady hand on the Finnish prog-rock
and instrumental rock fusion pulse is Running Moose and its sub labels,
Presence Records and Puuma Records, headed up by Matti Kervinen, himself
a fine 
keyboardist
and member of the group Pax Romana. One 2013 Running Moose CD release,
entitled Foyers Of The Future is solid showcase by the
band known as Moonwagon. Parts of this electrifying fusion
affair harks back to the early 1980s and the heyday of Pekka Pohjola
while Moonwagaon is also kind of futuristic sounding, not unlike a
variation of some of the more progressive guitar-centric instrumental
tracks recorded during the mid 1980’s by The Shadows. Some excellent
guitar work by Joni Tiala adds sizzle to this fine example
of 21st Century Finnish instrumental prog. Somewhere in heaven Pekka
Pohjola is smiling down on Moonwagon. Commenting on carrying on the
tradition of great Finnish instrumental progressive rock music, Moonwagon's
Joni Tiala, in the following interview, told mwe3.com, 'Foyers
Of The Future was a lot of fun, composing and rehearsing the material
took a little less than a year. We wanted everything to be properly
ready before going into the studio. Lots of the music came out just
jamming together, and some of the songs were composed more precisely.
Some ideas were really old, some ideas were just crazy but we really
liked the material and felt comfortable with it. And we still do.
Everybody had something to give.' www.RunningMoose.fi
SEAN WEAVER MUSIC - Solo guitar instrumental music is a true
musical art form. One guitarist recording solo on both electric and
acoustic guitar is Sean Weaver, who is making waves with his
12 track, 2013 CD, Half Past Midnight. Very much
rooted in the sweet-sounding chord melody style of fretboarding made
famous by Chet Atkins, Weaver starts the all instrumental album off
in style with his version of the classic jazz track “Little Rock
Getaway”—a jazz standard made famous by Les Paul—and
Weaver does the song justice. All the tracks here—a fine array
of jazz standards along with covers of The Beatles, Joni Mitchell
and Don McLean—merge seamlessly under the watchful and faithful
hands and ears of Sean Weaver. In his liner notes, Sean Weaver discusses
jazz guitar legends such as Chet Atkins, Johnny Smith and Ted Green,
as well as his fondness for Clapton and B.B. King. Fans of Les Paul
and Chet Atkins will enjoy Sean Weaver’s guitar-centric universe.
www.SeanWeaver.com
SIBA RECORDS - Over in the country of Finland, the name Tolonen
is considered gold when it comes to the guitar. True to form, a new
Tolonen is making waves on the six string horizon. We’re talking
about Otto Tolonen and his 2013 CD called Toccata.
Otto’s album is very much rooted in classical guitar and
on his new Siba Records CD, Toccata, he covers a number of
guitar composers including Erik Bergman (SuitePour Guitare - from
1949) all the way through till Sauli Zinovjev (Elegietta - from
2013). The CD sounds excellent and the colorful album artwork and
packaging is enhanced by in depth liner notes (in both Finnish and
English) about Otto and all the composers covered here. www.OttoTolonen.net
/ www.siba.fi/sibarecords
SIBA RECORDS - Over in Finland, accordion master Antti Paalanen
continues breaking new ground for the fabled instrument. Antti’s
latest CD is called Breathbox and features nine tracks
of solo accordion music. The sound is quite a mix of World Beat sounds
(think Finnish folk-jazz) and a kind of alt-New Age instrumental sound.
True, the CD is from 2010 (it’s 2014 now) but the timeless aspects
of Antti’s sound give the album a long lasting appeal. The accordion
holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Finns and Scandinavians
in general, and when it comes to solo instrumental accordion music,
it just doesn’t get any better than Antti Paalanen’s Breathbox
CD. www.siba.fi
SUNN CREATIVE - Cool name for a record company, Sunn Creative
have a sunny and well created album out in 2014 from the UK band known
as Bram Stoker. Funny enough no one in the band is actually
named after the famed author but with the 2014 CD release of Cold
Reading, Bram Stoker takes its place among the
great prog bands of all time. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that
these guys have been playing since 1969 and not many knew it! They
should have been as big as at least Camel. Original founding keyboardist
from 1969, Tony Bronsdon sounds well inspired by greats like
Tony Kaye and even Keith Emerson although not as flashy. The most
effective tracks are the instrumentals but guitarist / producer Tony
Lowe, also from the early lineup adds pizzazz and the two
are joined by several other musicians, including vocalist Will
Hack on four tracks for a rockin’ time. There’s
all kind of sonic sign posts along with the and some will find these
guys obviously are in the same league Genesis, Camel, YES and all
the greats, and Hack even sounds like John Wetton or Richard Sinclair.
But, releasing an album of new music in 2014, Bram Stoker takes it
a step into the future, sounding unpretentious yet well schooled.
A cool rediscovery from Bram Stoker, Cold Reading is a most
cool and effective 21st century prog-pop CD indeed. www.BramStokerMusic.com
SUPERBALL MUSIC - Produced by 65 Days Of Static and
Dave Sanderson, the CD release of Wild Light is
a startling listening experience. Recorded in the U.K. and released
on L.A. based Superball Music, the CD is a great example of 21st century
electronica with near dance floor rhythms, while the music is offset
by a kind of avant gard music concrete, if you can imagine such a
thing for cosmic chill-out disco. The menacing atmospherics and razor
sharp synthesizer etchings are straight out of Pink Floyd’s arsenal
of sonic tricks but the beat is heavier and faster. Being all instrumental,
65 Days Of Static makes music that will appeal to fans of adventurous
instrumental rockers, from Tangerine Dream through to Explosions In
The Sky. File under: industrial post-rock instrumental. www.65DaysOfStatic.com
TABLE POUNDING RECORDS - Being raised as an American in New
York City, one is never far away from his or her roots—roots
as in other countries, some half way across the world. A good example
of the Jewish cultural experience in old New York can be heard on
the 2014 CD release of The Big Picture, by clarinet
virtuoso David Krakauer. Like it is for so many native New
Yorkers of Eastern European descent, traditional Yiddish music (from
Romania for example) was always in the mix. On The Big Picture,
Krakauer Klezmer-izes famous movie soundtrack themes to which
he adds, ‘For the music part, I’ve taken themes from
iconic films with Jewish content and re-imagined them with a band
of world-class musicians.’ The recorded music side is basically
the soundtrack part that coincides with Krakaurer’s month long
series of shows in February 2014 at New York’s Museum of Jewish
Heritage. So, you don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate The
Big Picture because the all instrumental music fare is really
excellent and features a mix of 21st century classical, jazz, avant
gard and traditional Klezmer sounding arrangements played by an excellent
band (featuring guitarist Adam Rogers, drummer Jim Black
and more) as well as fantastic CD packaging and cover art, which
should win a Grammy. Also on hand here are Sheryl Bailey (guitar)
and Nikki Parrott (double bass). Krakauer and company’s
take on Prokofiev’s “The March”, the arrangement as
featured in Woody Allen’s movie Love And Death, is simply
brilliant. In the end, David Krakauer’s The Big Picture
truly transcends traditional cultural roots and metamorphosizes into
something modern and innovative. www.AbrahamIncMusic.com
/ www.DavidKrakauer.com
THOSSOUNDS - One of the most intriguing instrumental guitar
albums released during 2013, Unnamed Lands is a fantastic
meeting of the musical minds, so to speak, between guitarist Bert
Lams (of the California Guitar Trio) and fellow fretboard maven
Tom Griesgraber. The 14 track, self-produced Unnamed Lands
CD has just about every possible type of guitar sound on it—from
lush, deep and meditative CGT type guitarscapes, to a more electric
/ eclectic type of guitar-esque fusion sound punctuated by Tom’s
electrifying stick / loops / pedal and assorted synth / electronica
sounds. Their album, Unnamed Lands is based around the early
plight of early American settlers, exploring American lands in the
19th century in their covered wagons. From the following interview
with Tom and Bert, Tom Griesgraber explains, 'The 
inspiration
for us getting together was I think just one of a shared curiosity
and love for music. We both listen to a very broad spectrum of music
and have something of a common musical language that I think ultimately
puts things like mood, atmosphere and feel above things like technique
or complexity. Of course there are plenty of odd meters flying about
and tricky instrumental parts but I’d like to think they take
a back seat to actually conveying a sense of mood and a story through
the music.' Unnamed Lands is all very Americana at its
core, while the all instrumental sounds allows you to imagine the
travails of early American explorers as you read along, track by track,
in the fascinating, detailed CD booklet and expertly designed album
packaging. Bert Lams and Tom Griesgraber bring a new chapter of 21st
century guitar expertise to the fore with the fascinating sounds of
Unnamed Lands. www.thossounds.com/lamstg
/ www.BertLams.com
TOUCAN TANGO MUSIC - There’s something so stately and
eloquent about the sound of the trumpet, especially in jazz. That
thought comes sharply into focus after hearing Pavane,
the 2013 CD from U.K. trumpet master Paul Higgs. The 11 track,
all instrumental CD is filled with a refined mix of atmospheric classical
and jazz sounds—all featuring Paul’s masterful trumpet backed
up by a range of musicians on drums, bass guitar and strings. Interestingly,
Paul also plays piano on the Pavane album and the intricate
recorded interplay between trumpet and piano is quite amazing. Paul’s
varied musical background is in composing and arranging music for
film, theater and TV so there is that appealing aspect running throughout
the CD as well. Paul’s multi-textured instrumental music would
sound great in the Albert Hall (or Carnegie Hall) as well as Ronnie
Scott’s jazz club for that matter. Fans of crossover classical
/ jazz music, and especially trumpet fans, will enjoy Pavane by
Paul Higgs. www.PaulHiggs.com
ULTIMAE RECORDS - Carrying on the tradition of electronic music
greats such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream, Lyon, France
based Ultimate scores another winner with their 2014 CD release of
Passages. Subtitled Framed By Nova,
the
12 track CD is actually the third Ultimae compilation by London-based
DJ, promoter and music journalist Massimo Terranova. A 72+minute
compilation feature a new mix of ambient electronica, Passages
features a collection of classic Ultimae Records artists that
presents a stunning cross-section of often startling but always arresting
instrumental music that combines all manners of electronic music with
minimal dub, chill-out sounds, atmospherica and down tempo sounds.
Although many listeners enjoy Ultimae’s downloads, if you can
find the CD of Passages you won’t be sorry because, as
is the case with all Ultimae CDs, the packaging and presentation and
artwork is fantastic and more than suits this impressive collection
of 21st century electronica / instrumental sounds. Photo credits here
by Giovanni Calemma are just staggering and add so much to
the overall sonic experience. With a wide range of Ultimae artists—including
AES Dana, James Murray, Miktek and Lars Leonard
and many more—sonically remixed by Terranova, Passages
is a fantastic electronic music experience that borders on the
existential. www.ultimae.com
WHALING CITY SOUND - Guitar legend Joe Beck passed
away in 2008 and in honor of his vast jazz legacy Whaling City released
Get Me Joe Beck by the Joe Beck Trio. Recorded
live in 2006 at Anna’s Jazz Island in Berkeley, California, the
guitar hero is joined here by they rhythm section of Peter Barshay
(bass) and Dave Rokeach (drums). In this live trio setting,
that turned out to be his final recordings, Joe gets to shine while
performing classics from the pens of Hoagy Carmichael, Jobim, Arthur
Schwartz, Ira Gershwin, Victor Young and more. The tracks on Get
Me Joe Beck are tunes most jazz buffs know inside out, yet the
guitar magic of Joe Beck dusts them off so they shine again. The CD
is filled with praiseworthy notes from Whaling City Sound founder
Neal Weiss, music promoter and club owner Anna de Leon as
well as a sum it up kind of quote from the late great Joe Beck. www.WhalingCitySound.com
WHITE GATES PUBLISHING - Northern
California based guitarist Jack Gates exhibits a mastery of
a wide range of jazz guitar genres on the 2014 CD release of Voyage
Of The Troubadour. Assisted by the fine rhythm section
of Phil 
Thompson
(drums) and Dean Muench (bass), as well as featuring the vocals
of Sharyl Gates, the 12 track CD is best described as a mix
of Latin, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban sounds all accented by Jack’s
nimble fretboard work. Commenting on the title, Jack adds, ‘The
traveling troubadour concept, was how music moved from place to place
for hundreds of years. Generally, the music was made with just a couple
of stringed instruments and maybe some percussion. On this album I
wanted to capture that sort of sparseness with just a few instruments
and occasional voice, and have the music subtly reflect different
styles, motifs and rhythms that I have discovered and enjoyed playing
during my career.’ As a guitar instrumentalist, Jack Gates
proves his worth on his latest CD, while the addition of Sharyl's
vocals on several tracks adds to the overall variety of music showcased
here. Jack Gates' Voyage Of The Troubadour is a masterpiece
of subtle and refined jazz guitar sounds. www.JackGatesMusic.com
REISSUES
& RETROSPECTIVES
ANGEL AIR RECORDS - Following his time as the first
ever solo artist signing on Apple Records, Jackie Lomax joined
the band Heavy Jelly. Originally planned for release on Apple
Records, the self-titled Heavy Jelly album finally saw
CD release in early 2014 on Angel Air. The 1970 album, consisting
of eight Lomax originals, features a number of musicians including
Animals drummer Barry Jenkens, as well as members of Badfinger
and the horn section of Bobby Keys and Jim Price. The
album is very much different the first Jackie Lomax album on Apple,
Is This What You Want? Instead of the concise Beatles inspired
pop songs on his Apple solo album, the songs on Heavy Jelly are well,
more heavy, with some tracks presaging a more jam band type sound
that would reemerge 30 years later in 2000. Angel Air’s Heavy
Jelly reissue features in depth liner notes and complete lyrics
of the album. Heavy Jelly follows Angel Air’s 2013 CD
release of Jackie's final album, Against All Odds. www.JackieLomax.com
ANGEL AIR RECORDS - Still featuring founding member Andy Scott,
the band known as Sweet are still alive and kickin’ nearly
45 years since their first album in 1971. Sweet were part of the original
glam rock movement and, while not quite as acclaimed as Bowie and
T. Rex for example, the Sweet legacy lives on thanks to Angel Air’s
13 track CD of Hits. Essentially a rerecording
of all the big Sweet hits, the Hits CD was recorded by the
2013 version of the band with only Andy Scott left from the original
lineup. Also out on Angel Air by Sweet in 2013 is Sweetlife,
an 11 track CD reissue of the 2002 Sweet album with all the tracks
written by Andy Scott and keyboardist Steve Grant. Angel Air’s
reissue of Sweetlife features in depth liner notes by James
McCarraher. Sweet fans and pop historians will want to check out
Angel Air’s 2013, 17 track CD reissue of the 1992 Sweet album
The Answer. Even though The Answer finally
came out in ‘92, Sweet made their big comeback of the 1980s in
1986 and that event is brought into focus on the 2012 Angel Air CD
release of Sweet’s Live At The Marquee album, which was
recorded in 1986 and first released in 1989. Also released by Angel
Air in the Spring of 2014 is Level Headed Tour Rehearsals 1977.
This 16 track CD features recordings from Shepperton Studios where
the Sweet were rehearsing for their 1977 Level Headed Tour. Each
of these latter day Sweet CDs on Angel Air takes an in depth look
at an often underrated pop-rock legend. www.AngelAir.co.uk
BGO RECORDS - The life of Buddy Holly may have ended
on February 2nd, 1952 but The Buddy Holly Story did
not. Case in point is BGO’s 2014 CD pairing of both The
Buddy Holly Story and The Buddy Holly Story Vol. II,
originally released as consecutive albums in 1959 and 1960.
A lot has been made of Buddy’s famous “Apartment Tapes”
cut at the Brevoort in Greenwich Village weeks before he died. Some
like the original, unadorned versions came out finally in the US back
in 2010 but for many, the original, posthumous releases that came
in 1959 and 1961, with the "sweetening" from other musicians
are still the best and certainly the most rocking. Even back in 1959,
the studio capability of Holly’s clique of sound men was 
incredible
and no doubt influenced legendary U.K. producers like Norrie Paramor
and George Martin who found some great artists in Buddy’s style
with The Shadows and The Beatles. Combining Buddy’s last songs
as fans first heard them on these 1959 and ‘60 albums, with his
biggest hits added, both of these albums were huge in England after
Buddy died, even more directly influencing both The Shadows and Beatles.
The 24 track CD features excellent 2013 liner notes by Barry Holley
as well as further notes by Maria Elena Holly from 1960
and original notes from Vol. 1 by Ren Grevatt. Another
artist featured on BGO with a variety of releases is Argent founder
/ guitarist Russ Ballard, his latest on BGO being a 19 track
single disc CD pairing Barnet Dogs and Into The
Fire. Argent, the band started by Russ and Rod Argent
is also featured with several BGO reissues and these two albums on
one CD offers more proof of Ballard’s mastery of the pop-rock
genre. Featuring two classic Ballard albums, released in 1980 and
1981, BGO’s pairing of Barnet Dogs and Into The Fire
features in depth, 2014 liner notes by Neil Daniels with
the booklet also adding in complete lyrics. Also out in 2014 on BGO
is Freakin’ At The Freakers Ball, by the
late great singer-songwriter, comedian and artist Shel Silverstein.
Although best known for his big song writing hits “A Boy Name
Sue” and “Cover Of The Rolling Stone”, Shel's Freaking
At The Freakers Ball was released on Columbia Records back in
1972 to great acclaim. BGO’s 2014 CD reissue features the original
12 track album and in depth liner notes by John O’Regan as
well as complete lyrics. That classic British invasion era is well
represented with BGO’s 2014 double CD release of Live At
The BBC by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes. All the
great British bands recorded at the BBC and The Tremeloes were one
of the best from that era. The double CD set features 37 tracks including
interview clips from Brian Poole and other members of The Tremeloes.
Recorded live in the studio for BBC programs such as Saturday Club,
Live At The BBC features a number of Tremeloes classic covers
like “Walking My Cat Named Dog” and “Here Comes My
Baby” along with numerous pics of the band and new for 2013 liner
notes by David Wells. BGO has a number of reissue CDs from
country rock legends Poco and they add to their catalog with
the 2014 CD reissue of Poco’s 1989 comeback album Legacy.
The beauty of this album is that it was the first Poco album since
1969 to feature all of the original members. BGO’s 2014 CD reissue
of Legacy features a bonus track, complete lyrics and 2014
liner notes by John Tobler. www.BGO-Records.com
BROADWAY VIDEO / VSC / MVD - With John Lennon sadly
dead and gone 34 years now, it’s almost hard to believe The
Rutles ever existed at all. Of course, we’re talking about
The Rutles here and not The Beatles but still you can’t help
but admire the work and craft that went into The Rutles and their
fantastic Beatles spoof movie from 1978, All You Need Is Cash.
That movie did come out on DVD on Rhino records but fans of both
The Rutles and The Beatles will want to check out a 2013 reissue of
All You Need Is Cash on Broadway Video (distributed by Music
Video Distributors). This new 2 hour DVD / Blu-ray reissue of the
Rutles’ movie has been enhanced with a new HD restoration complete
with an 5.1 audio mix. Also here is the 1978 movie’s follow up
called Can’t Buy Me Lunch, a very cool feature
in its own right that originally came out in 2002. Broadway Video’s
double disc reissue of the Rutles contains All You Need Is Cash
on one Blu-ray disc along with a second disc featuring the DVD
version of All You Need Is Cash (which looks great by the way),
along with other perks including Can’t Buy Me Lunch, and
other bonus features including a 2013 interview / commentary with
Rutles bass player Eric Idle. All the great Rutles songs, composed
by cofounder Neil Innes, along with other memorable performances
from Rutles members Ricky Fataar and John Halsey are
still there to be totally enjoyed. There’s even a cameo here
by Beatles icon George Harrison to give the movie even more
cred. Can’t Buy Me Lunch features a number of artists
talking about The Rutles including James Taylor and Bonnie
Raitt. If you missed The Rutles back in 1978, and in 1996 when
they made their fabled second album Archaeology, it’s
not too late to catch their amazing story in depth thanks to this
amazing double disc Blu-ray / DVD set. The Rutles’ history is
wild stuff indeed but definitely worth the trip back in time! www.rutlemania.org
/ www.MVDb2b.com
MUSIC
VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS - Released in the U.K. by Pride and distributed
in the US by MVD is Fifty By Four from rock superstars
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. This band of rock legends
needs no introductions but even their most ardent fans will find much
to enjoy on this nearly 3 hour documentary on CSN&Y. In addition
to a wealth of footage of the band themselves, the Fifty By Four
documentary features a number of rock journalists adding much
insight into the bands history as well as other interview clips from
music insiders like Dallas Taylor, Joe Lala, Joe
Vitale, Danny Kortchmar and many others. It will be hard
for long time fans to stop viewing this fascinating documentary. Also
available on MVD is a three DVD box set from U.K. based Chrome Dreams
on the late great Lou Reed. Simply entitled Tribute,
the nearly 5 hour long, 3 DVD box set is actually three DVD titles
packed in one box set. Included are: The Velvet Underground
- Under Review (75 minute film about NYC’s greatest
rock legend), Punk Revolution NYC - The Velvet Underground,
The N.Y. Dolls & The CBGB’s Set as well as The
Sacred Triangle - Bowie, Iggy & Lou - 1971 - 1973.
Each of these DVD titles has been released separately but it’s
great to see them fitting together as part of a video retrospective
surrounding the late, great Lou Reed. Also available through MVD is
The 1970s Review, a 2 and half hour DVD on rock
guitar hero Eric Clapton. By late 1968, Clapton had left rock
superstars Cream and this DVD tells the tale of Clapton’s post-Cream
era of the the 1970’s including his work with Delaney & Bonnie
and Derek & The Dominos, an era that led to his his successful
solo career. The DVD is a sequel to the earlier release of Clapton’s
The 1960s Review DVD and features in depth interviews all around
including Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby Whitlock, Clapton biographer Marc
Roberty and is loaded with other features too. www.seeofsound.com
MVDvisual - The history of the American rock band Devo
is brought in into focus on Devo - The Complete Truth About
De-Evolution. Formed way back in the late 1970’s,
Devo was a completely unique musical experience that borrowed from
both post-punk, New Wave and avant gard music. Their early song “Mongoloid”
was quite revolutionary for its time. The band eventually signed to
Warner Bros. Records and went “commercial” if that's the
right word, and even had videos on MTV during the mid 1980s. The history
of Devo and all their classic videos are brought together into one
superb DVD package, released on the great MVD label. The DVD features
20 videos that really demonstrates just how revolutionary Devo was
during their heyday. Along with the video clips, there’s also
a range of bonus material showcased on the DVD including commentary
tracks featuring group members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald
V. Casale. The original film for “Mongoloid”, directed
by Bruce Conner, is essential for long time Devo fans. www.ClubDevo.com
RAVEN RECORDS - Australia is a huge place but clearly the best
CD reissue label there is the still rocking Raven Records. Raven’s
catalog is filled with classic reissues, mainly of American and U.K.
artists. Hundreds of CDs later, Raven is still booming with a 2013
double reissue CD set by American rock band legend Paul Revere
& The Raiders. Something Has Happened 1967-1969 is
a double CD flashback to the 1960s, pairing 4 album titles—Goin’
To Memphis (1968), 
Something
Happening (1968), Hard ‘N Heavy (with marshmallow)
(1969) and Alias Pink Puzz (1969). This would
have been a time when Raiders’ lead singer and group front man
Mark Lindsay had taken over production chores from Terry Melcher
and there was less evidence of hit singles compared to a more album
friendly experience. These albums were played much on FM radio back
then, but then again, taken as a whole package, the albums on Something
Has Happened 1967-1969 underscores a unique period from a
classic AM radio band. Another recent CD on Raven worth hearing is
True Confessions: The Epic Sessions by NYC folk-rocker
Garland Jeffreys. A 2 CD set that features three album recorded
between 1980 and 1982, Garland’s Raven double CD from 2013 combines
Escape Artist and the Escapades EP with
a bonus track making for 15 tracks on disc one with the five track
live EP Rock & Roll Adult and Guts For Love
combined for 16 tracks on disc two. True Confessions is
the third Garland Jeffreys CD on Raven, following Best Of 1977-1983
(Wild In The Streets) and another double CD set combining
Ghost Writer / One-Eyed Jack and American
Boy & Girl. Another American rock legend well documented
on Raven is The Dictators who are recalled on Raven with Faster...
Louder - The Dictators’ Best 1975-2001. Raven’s
20 track CD from the NYC legends features their authentic proto-punk
sound combined with vintage rock & roll. Well known for their
retro-rock meets proto-punk sound, The Dictators were famously produced
by Blue Oyster Cult’s mentors Murray Krugman and Sandy
Pearlman and Raven’s CD follows the band's mid to late 1970s
period up to and including their 2001 comeback D.F.F.D. Another
NYC folk-rock legend given the Raven treatment is Elliott Murphy,
who is remembered here with Lost Generation & Night Lights
- The RCA Years. Recorded in 1975 and 1976, the single
disc, 19 track CD features the NYC legend at the height of his powers.
A wide range of musicians back Murphy on both albums with Lost
Generation produced by famed Doors producer Paul A. Rothchild
and Night Lights produced by Blood, Sweat & Tears legend
Steve Katz. Both albums are accurately described as “timeless
singer-songwriter rock ‘n’ roll.” Last but not least
here is Baby, I’m For Real! - Raven’s
double CD set from soulful songstress Esther Phillips. Featuring
four classic albums released between 1971 and 1974, Raven’s double
CD set from Esther Phillips demonstrates why she is compared to other
giants like Nina Simone and Dinah Washington and why she’s still
held is such high regards among fans of blues, soul, jazz, pop and
country music. As expected, the musical fare is vast and sweeping
- from covers of Gil Scott-Heron to Bill Withers and Joe Cocker -
and the wide range of session musicans here include Eric Gale, George
Benson, Billy Cobham and more. As is usual with Raven, each of their
CDs are superbly remasterd and feature in depth liner notes that give
historically accurate insights into the artists and their albums.
www.RavenRecords.com.au
RIGHT RECORDINGS / MVD - The Move never did anything
normally. Hardly a trace of the band could be found in the U.S. until
Herb Alpert’s A&M Records released Shazam Stateside
in early Fall 1969. Already huge in England, and presumably elsewhere,
The Move were basically abandoned by A&M, as it seems most UK
bands on that label baled out, but in a bizarre twist of industry
lore, they quickly were signed by Herb Belkin at Capitol for two brilliant,
yet commercially unsung albums. Of course this was moot in a year
or two by 1971, as The Move became Electric Light Orchestra, or ELO
as they became known. All this is pretty tragic (lol) as the key genius
behind The Move, Roy Wood was always two steps ahead of the
others yet nothing more came from The Move as it were. In 2014, Right
Recordings, through MVD, released a fine double live album of The
Move, from their 1969 Shazam tour the results of which can
be heard on the double CD set Live At The Fillmore 1969.
The sound quality of the live set is good for 1969 and plus it
was actually recorded at Fillmore West. The CD set is chock full of
liner notes by ex Movers—including the late, great Move singer
Carl Wayne—all with the exception of Roy, who apparently
has nothing to do with the current Move lineup headed by original
drummer Bev Bevan. If you’re a fan of classic U.K. pop
and progressive rock, you can’t say you’ve heard it all
until you've listened to Roy Wood and The Move. www.MVDb2b.com
SUNDAZED MUSIC - If there was one American band that could be
described as being ahead of their time it was The Velvet Underground.
Dropped by MGM label honcho turned republican politician Mike Curb
and MGM Records in 1970 as a band promoting hard drugs, Velvet Underground
never got the chance they clearly deserved and it wouldn’t be
till David Bowie championed group founder Lou Reed, in early
1972, did things change. The early classics of The Velvet Underground
were captured on the ten track Velvet Underground album,
originally released by MGM (after Curb’s tragic blunders) and
reissued by Sundazed on CD and LP in 2013. Even though it’s only
ten tracks, the listener can get a solid grasp on just how gifted
this band truly was. Lou Reed’s early pop masterpiece “Sunday
Morning” (from early 1967) and the pre-glam rock beat of “White
Light White Heat” rubs shoulders with lesser known yet clearly
influential early Velvet Underground classics. Passing away in 2013,
Lou Reed may be gone from this world but his legacy lives on with
this Sundazed CD reissue classic. www.sundazed.com
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