Kelly McGrath - All That I Want (2017)

OFFICIAL: www.kellymcgrathmusic.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thekellymcgrath

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/kellymcgrathmusic

Written by William Elgin, posted by blog admin

Vocal sensation and powerful songwriter Kelly McGrath has emerged with her latest single “All That I Want”, a stellar follow up to her previous country smash “You and Me Today”. The commercial momentum engendered by the aforementioned track’s success is carried over with this new release – a brightly arranged musical piece striking up considerable tension thanks to its interesting juxtaposing intense lyrics about a fraught interpersonal relationship with exhubrant, powerful backing from some of the best musicians working in the genre today. The production highlights the song’s strengths by imbuing it with muscular flair, but there’s a fundamentally solid piece of songwriting working behind all the modern gloss. McGrath is never anything less than an absolutely convincing singer and the arrangement gives her a massive platform for getting over her story.

There’s little mistaking the arrangement for what it is – five star AOR rock surging with brash authority. Much of its propulsive success can be laid at the feet of powerhouse drumming that, despite its hard hitting contribution, never overplays. Everything is cut close to the bone on this musical performances – these are clearly musicians capable of stepping into the spotlight and showing off their chops, but material like McGrath’s demands a more artful response and their efforts serving the song enhance it. The track is tailored to an ideal length for the song’s subject and form – listeners will never feel like they’ve been cheated. It’s no mere placeholder for McGrath’s vocal.

Her vocal is exceptional enough to dominate the song, but McGrath is smarter than that. She modulates her vocal according to the lyrical demands and the result is an uptempo, but thoughtful singing performance that helps the performance stand out even further. Her lyrics aren’t high flown poetic musings, but she instead shows the clear vision of a storyteller and knows how to entertain her target audience. This isn’t a track, however, with narrow appeal. Kelly McGrath sings the track with such convincing authority it will only increase the chances potential new listeners will relate to her work. Her ascent through the firmament of popular music continues unabated thanks to the high quality driving releases like this. “All That I Want” is sure to entertain and speaks to experiences shared by nearly every adult who has ever felt yearning in their heart. It’s a memorable performance cutting across genre lines and further solidifies McGrath’s standing as one of the best vocalists working today.

Dru Cutler - Hometown (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.drucutler.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DruCutlerMusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/drucutler

Written by William Elgin, posted by blog admin

Dru Cutler’s brief two song release Hometown manages to encapsulate reams of emotion and feeling within a duo of songs many musical artists struggle to achieve and maintain over the course of a full length album. The Tampa, Florida born Brooklyn transplant crafted this release as a way to speak to both our roots and examine the miles traveled since we take our first hesitant steps away from the cradle of youth. It is both a remembrance of things past fond and slightly chagrined. As the great American novelist Thomas Wolfe famously titled one of his novels, Dru Cutler realizes you can’t go home again. The production highlights an approach equal parts expansive musical textures alongside visceral guitar lines and Cutler’s charismatic vocals put over the material with both grit and just the right amount of panache.

The title song comes first. Cutler’s lyric inventions have a direct, picturesque quality never lacking in concrete imagery. The clear, confident vocals he brings to bear aren’t without emotion, but he wisely never overplays his hand and opts instead to let the text work alongside the music and speak for itself. The arrangement hinges on the marriage of sparkling piano lines, hard hitting drums, and well recorded acoustic guitars percolating strongly through the mix. There’s an understated melodic quality coming through in this performance – Cutler dispatches the composition in a breezy manner without ever reducing it to pure pop and the substantive values it retains mark it as something different from your standard fare. The equally understated vocal harmonies, particularly on the chorus, are another highlight of the piece.

There’s a tangibly bluesy feel to “Infinite Moons”, but it also sounds vaguely reminiscent of something one might hear from David Gilmour on the pre-Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd albums. This track, surprisingly, bears a more elegiac quality than the release’s title track and there’s a definite Beatles-eque touch to the performance Cutler never over-exaggerates. Harmony vocals certainly play much more of a key role here, but it uses electric guitars in an equally compelling fashion. The electric work comes in a largely orchestral manner – there are no grand instrumental breaks where the instrument steps to the fore and takes over – but the playing definitely makes itself felt in a variety of melodic and dissonant ways. It is quite a contrast to the aforementioned title cut, but the contrast is never jarring. Instead, the pairing sounds like two sides of the same thematic coin Cutler never fails to deliver with immense style and full command of fundamentals.  Dru Cutler’s Hometown is a winning effort capable of getting under a listener’s skin without exerting undue effort thanks to the artistry of its guiding artistic force.

Grade: A+

Samantha Leon - s/t (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.samanthaleonmusic.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/samanthaleonmusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/samleon_music

Video Teaser: https://youtu.be/v5I3R_SURcg

Written by Lance Wright, posted by blog admin

Get ready for this because Samantha Leon will be around for a long time to come. Few new singer/songwriters in recent years have emerged with such an unguarded, powerhouse approach to their art while still retaining a pop accessibility that allows even casual listeners to enjoy the performances. It’s a neat balancing trick and, certainly, a rare skill. Her voice is suggestive of much and gives the lyrical content an added charm and sophistication that it already possesses. Her passion is revealed, if nothing else, by the fact she believed in herself and this project enough that it is funded through a Kickstarter campaign, but it goes beyond that – the fact that an artist without any official release yet has inspired those fans who have seen her to contribute their hard earned money in an effort to help her be noticed. She will certainly be noticed by many more after this effort.

She begins the EP with the track “Bright Yellow Shoes (No Turbulence Mix)” and the sparse stylishness of the song gives Leon ample room to move and exhibit her emotive talents. The soulfulness is apparent, but there’s apparent stylishness running through every line. Guitar plays an underrated role on this EP and its contributions get off to an equally fine start with this song. It takes a more compositional approach than you might expect and plays nicely against the drumming. Her lyrical aplomb comes through immediately as well. The same interplay between guitar and percussion comes through on the track “High (You Only Love Me When You’re Fu*ked Up)”, but it’s her ability as a vocalist that shines through and she conveys the rather blunt and bitter comedy of the song with an equal amount of heartbreak creeping through into her vocal. Two songs in on this EP and Leon shows herself to be a rare talent with awesome pop chops, accessibility shining through on every turn, and enough sensitivity to often lay her heart bear without ever making listeners feel like they are eavesdropping on something intensely personal and private.

“Run Away” is one of two songs on the release stretching over the five minute mark and this song specifically goes well over six minutes. It’s quite a ride nonetheless and the best song on this EP. The beauty of this performance benefits greatly from the instrumental presence, particularly the guitars, but the real center of this song is Leon’s lyric and her adroit balance between anger and pain. “Perfect” takes things in a different direction. It’s an acoustic song with a strong hip hop influence courtesy of guest vocalist Danny Matos. His voice strikes a great contrast with Leon’s and the juxtaposition helps makes this one of the EP’s more memorable numbers. “Hello, Goodbye” is another heartbroken tale that comes at a great spot on the release following the previous two numbers. The beauty of these songs comes, largely, from the fact that a world class singer/songwriter has no reservations about standing face to face with the personal revelations at the heart of each composition and fills their measure. Samantha Leon is a thrilling talent sure to be with us for many years to come.

Grade: A+

Natalie Estes - 20/20 Vision (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://natalieestes.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/natalieestesmusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/natalieestes94

Written by William Elgin, posted by blog admin

Ladies and gentlemen, Natalie Estes. This young vocal sensation originally from Nashville is set to turn countless heads with her release 20/20 Vision, a four song EP that shows off her talents as an already astonishingly complete stylist, but likewise her outstanding ability to inhabit each of the EP’s lyrics. This is all relatively standard fare, in certain respects – by 2017, we are long past the point in popular song where the subject matter will be something remarkably new and nearly all musical artists revisit long popular themes. What helps Estes stand out, however, is the unrestrained zest and freshness she exhibits in unlocking these songs and her attentiveness as a singer. This never sounds like the work of a vocalist who wants to be the center of attention at all times and sings over or against the arrangements. Instead, she is with these songs every step of the way and tailors her voice to their musical character.

“Until I Do” is often times swirling and lyrical within the same breath. The piano dancing beneath the mix gives the song an appealing melodic edge while her nimble phrasing does likewise while still invoking tons of emotion. It’s quite nice how adeptly Estes and her musical collaborators can invoke rich pop textures while still imbuing them with a substance that, frankly, isn’t quite the providence of pop music as it once was. “Where’s There’s Smoke There’s Fire” amps up the creative stakes with a rousing and nearly note perfect gem that makes great use of a well worn phrase and ties with intense personal meaning to Estes’ life. She only sketches us out the details, but leaves one with little doubt in the end that she’s experienced the very emotions and scenarios driving this memorable track.

“Reminds Me of You” has a much more relaxed pop rock feel with colorful guitar fills fleshing out the arrangement and Estes striking just the right note with her own approach. There’s hints of a ballad coming through here, but it isn’t the schlocky top 40 manner that we’re all too accustomed to at this point. One of 20/20 Visions most beautiful qualities is how, despite its accessibility, it always sings out with deep emotional truth and never seems like just a half hearted, glitzy dodge to bring in casual fans. The finale “Bad Game” is, likewise, a great example of the aforementioned observation. It has a light retro feel, like early nineties pop, but it also has one of Estes’ best vocal moments on the EP and a band that sounds like they are playing behind her with a thrilling good for broke attitude. Modern performers don’t come much more promising than Natalie Estes and 20/20 Vision is a formative work.

Grade: A

Nazareth - Hair of the Dog (1975)

There’s a time when it all comes together for an iconic band, It’s when they reach their peak. They hit their prime. The prime might last for a single album or, more rarely, sustain itself over a string of releases. It invariably comes with youth. It invariably comes in youth. It comes long before cynicism takes hold and the only things about being a rock band that seem real are the money and miles.

There is near universal consensus that moment came for Nazareth with the 1975 release of their seminal eight song collection (nine in some editions) Hair of the Dog. This review will not debate that point – it’s impossible to quantify artistic achievement. There is no question, however, that Hair of the Dog catapulted the band to a higher level of commercial success, primarily on the back of the smash single “Love Hurts”, than they previously experienced. What is it about this album that sets it apart from earlier fine efforts like Razamanaz or Loud & Proud?

The focus is stronger here. After navigating their most recent releases with Deep Purple’s Roger Glover serving as producer, lead guitarist and primary songwriter Manny Charlton opted to handle producing Hair of the Dog. The differences are noticeable. Charlton certainly gleaned a great deal of insight from the band’s time working with Glover, but he clearly favors a much more assertive presentation for the band whilst retaining an artful tastefulness not always found on the aforementioned releases. Few portions of the album better illustrate that than the opening one two punch of the title track and “Miss Misery”. The former, naturally, became a concert and classic rock radio staple. It’s taken at a little more of a relaxed paced on the studio recording than the band served up live; it accentuates drummer Darrell Sweet’s strengths even more and lends added clarity to Charlton’s guitar work.

“Miss Misery” succeeds, in no small part, thanks to Charlton’s grinding guitar riff. There’s more though. Vocalist Dan McCafferty summons up his biggest bucket of blood blues vocal yet and sets a standard that future progeny like AC/DC’s Brian Johnson never exceeded. “Love Hurts” set a different standard and, in essence, birthed a genre – the power ballad. Some might argue it later became an albatross around the band’s neck with numerous cash-in re-recordings and perfunctory  performances, but there’s a measure of genius in Charlton resurrecting a relatively minor hit from rock and roll’s birth and recasting it for a shaggy cadre of Scottish blues rockers. My guess is that Charlton knew what he had with McCafferty when, maybe, his fellow band mates, including Dan McCafferty himself, didn’t realize it. If there’s a fair historical accounting ever done for the singers of major 70’s rock bands, McCafferty deserves a reckoning as one of the best singers from his generation. “Love Hurts” remains a crowning achievement on his career for good reason.

The “Black Dog” feel of “Changin’ Times” memorably segues into some straight ahead riffing that you never find in a Led Zeppelin song. There’s an added element of humor in this performance that you’d never go looking for from Jimmy Page and company. Darrell Sweet’s drumming, once again, deserves mention as the exceptional timing he shows on “Changin’ Times” is no small part of its success. The band’s cover of the Niles Lofgren penned “Beggar’s Day” is reminiscent of McCafferty’s vocal on the earlier “Miss Misery”. He’s particularly effective with Charlton on the bridges leading into each chorus. It’s one of Manny’s best solos on the album and really fits quite nicely into the song. “Rose in the Heather” is a brief and keyboard laced interlude between the previous song and the next, but it isn’t filler. It is, instead, a welcome change of pace and recaptures an aspect of the band’s spirit we haven’t heard since the band’s first two albums.

“Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman” scarcely sounds like the same band. This is blues as American and English musicians of that generation alike seldom understood it. There’s a popular story of Muddy Waters hearing legendary folk singer Dave Von Ronk performing “Hoochie Coochie Man: as some scorched earth acoustic blues and breaking out into laughter. To paraphrase Muddy’s description, Von Ronk didn’t understand that certain songs are intended to be funny – that sometimes the best way to keep from crying is to just laugh. Nazareth, unlike many bands of the era, seemed to understand that about the blues and give us a true original with this song that embraces the past nonetheless. The closer “Please Don’t Judas Me” runs nearly ten minutes in length and encompasses everything the band learned over the process of living, writing, and recording their previous albums. The introduction of keyboard sounds and orchestration alone qualify this as something much different from what the band had attempted before. It ends a fine album in just the right way.

What has been learned? I have an opinion and take eight hundred plus words to explicate it. I believe, however, that if one ear turns to take another listen to this classic, well, beery syllable is worth the struggle.

Grade: A+

Sarah Donner - Black Hole Heart (2017)

Written by Ed Price, posted by blog admin

Website: https://www.sarahdonner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahdonner/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahdonner?lang=en

MUSIC VIDEO: (PHOENIX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13Jwyb-AnA

Black Hole Heart, the latest release from New Jersey based singer/songwriter Sarah Donner, carries on in the tradition she’s established since first emerging on the scene. Light-footed, immensely musical folk pop is married to exceptionally crafted and intelligent lyrical content that delves deep into the personal without ever risking obscurity. The album’s dozen songs make use of a relatively limited array of instruments, but this shouldn’t alarm potential listeners. There’s an immense amount of color and melody sparking these songs to life and they never fail to both engage listener’s intellects and move their emotions. Her first class writing talents come through on each of the album’s songs and it’s quickly apparent she’s chosen an excellent supporting cast to help these tunes come to life.

“Phoenix” opens the album quite nicely. Its ambling acoustic grace has a lot of audible confidence as well. There’s ample delicacy in the arrangement, particularly how the vocals and guitar work weave around each other, but the steady acoustic strum has some strength as well in its inexorable march towards song’s end. The delicacy is even more pronounced on the album’s title track, but it also gains much from the well-conceived lyric poetry that fills the track. Donner exploits the full potential of the black hole metaphor and dramatizes it well with an evocative singing performance. “Florida” is an equally poignant acoustic based track with a direct and lilting memory guaranteed to get under listener’s skin from the first. Donner has a genuine knack for emotional narratives – not linear, A-Z storytelling, but a skill for getting inside the emotional truth of each song with a surprisingly minimal amount of effort. The same fine writing defining much of the release continues to hold sway on the song “Athena” and her sprightly vocal phrasing imbues the lyric with a lot of dramatic life. The mandolin in the song is a particularly effective musical touch and unwinds with just the right amount of artfulness.

There’s some unexpectedly entertaining self-deprecating humor in the song “The Longest Road”, an otherwise heavily reflective track about life’s journey and the mistaken turns we can make moving through the years. She changes musical gears slightly with the song “All the Things”, but the same honest wisdom and keen eye for significant details distinguishes this performance. The musical qualities manifest themselves a little different with a clipped, straight ahead acoustic guitar figure that gives her vocal an added urgency. Melody is the dominant musical force on the song “Sinking Ship” and it helps frame another fine Donner vocal in the best possible way – the interplay between these two elements is on point and easily elicits an emotional response from the listener. There’s a echo-laden, elegiac tone to the album’s conclusion “Sol 549” that brings Black Hole Heart to a finish like a leaf slowly wafting towards the ground. The distance surrounding Donner’s voice is quite evocative, but never so far removed from the mix that the instrumental tracks gain sonic superiority. Black Hole Heart has a well honed sense for the musical and a wide emotional breadth that encompasses many facets of human experience. Sarah Donner has greater achievements ahead of her, but there’s little question that Black Hole Heart ranks high among her most significant musical projects.

Grade: A