Review Point

Mimi Jones, A New Day

2010-05-04T22:57:00.001-05:00

Not since my brief, yet prolific tenure (smirk!) at Dallas' Creative Arts Academy, home to Nora Jones, among others, have I heard a blend of style and talent such as this in Jazz for a young musician. This even rivals some of the famed "One O'clock Jazz Band" sessions I was privileged to hear (North Texas State University). I've had a few Cd's for review for sometime and have been remiss to listen, much less review for personal reasons...thank God those issues are resolving, this is truly a treat to start back with!

As always I start with some research while listening, and naturally I poked my head in on the home page. Hailing from New York City, with family roots in the Caribbean, Miriam Sullivan as she was formerly known, has some downright stats! beginning with her training in multi-instrumentation, to the truly strong list of associates she has played with, right down to her own personal spiritual take on life and the message she conveys, wow, what a sleeper. You know, I glanced at a couple of other reviews, ones that quoted who she trained with, listed who she played with, and nope, I ain't gonna waste time going there...its the music now that counts. Let's start with "Spiral", shall we? Shades of Steely Dan, overtones of Jeff Beck, give way to a sultry voice that I read one person call shallow? I don't think she got what was here. The keyboards of Miki Hayama and the strings of Marvin Sewell's guitar took me back to a better time in music.

"Watch Your Step" sets in motion a funk meets blue grass meets blues situation that totally explained my iPhone. When I loaded this CD into iTunes, the genre came up as "Unclassifiable", exactly, thank you. Ambrose Akinmisure and, trumpet, and whomever else it was in the brass (sorry I couldn't find credits in the bio, maybe it was all one?) broke down a chain of melody with Mimi's bass and Marvin, Miki, all join in to tell what "stepping from the train" must surely feel like in a Harlem rainstorm.

"Suite Mary" brought me back to that fantastic sound of the One O'clock Jazz Band, improvisational sound, trading turns showing talent and my head just couldn't stop bopping, yes I know, I said Bopping...

The shades of "Give Peace a Chance" were just one more example of this artist's diversity. Marcus Gilmore (drums), Lucianna Padmore (drums on tracks 1 and 11) provide a sound undercurrent through it all, very sound composition. "Fast Lane", may very well be my favorite track, a rolling instrumental showcasing talent all around, simple, traditional jazz, crisp and clean.

I could tell you about every single track, but then what fun would that be? I'll leave the other eight for you to discover on your own, all in all I give this two big toes up (my thumbs are busy typing!) Released on the label, Hot Tone Music, this is only a taste of yet to come I hope...enjoy!

What's in a Profile?

2010-05-04T20:29:00.002-05:00

So what exactly is in a profile anyway? Likes, dislikes, favorite coffee, brand of beer? Hmmm, a little of all and more I suppose, but it is very much more fluid than it suggests. Take mine for example, the one over there on the side there with the cute little dog, true as it was at the time, it is drastically different now. For starters, the little dog is now gone, no not dead, just lives with mom, who doesn't live with me anymore...see, there's another change! Yep, gone is the son, the little trailer in Florida, the "Palace". Things never seem to stay the same in life, but that's not necessarily a bad thing I suppose. A wise man once said "The only constant in this world is change".

So that brings me around to this post, and why I'm starting up again at all. Change, I seem to thrive on it much more than some. I'm in Galveston, Texas now, that's a change back to the seaside for me and that's a good thing. My son is in college, going to be a chef like his dad, that's a change that somehow seems eerily similar to my own path, and it is a good one as well, hell now can cook his own food and eat himself out of house and home, LOL! I can deal with that for sure. The wife? Well she got tired of staying home sick, so she got well and moved on, and well, that's not a bad thing for either one of us I suppose. I've been cooking up a storm professionally as of late, both in the kitchen and in the press, actually got a full page article printed a few months back that is kinda flattering if do say so myself. At the moment, I am gainfully unemployed again, and as much as I miss the check, I do not miss the stress of running one of the largest kitchens on the Gulf Coast!

My views? Well, they change all the time, I actually voted for Obama this time around, but mostly because of the lack of alternatives! I am, and always will remain an individual, neither left on all, nor right as well. The one thing that hasn't changed is my sense of responsibility to my own mind. (was that code for "I'm a self centered bastard?", hmmm...I digress..) Anyway, I've time on my hands again and a good read on life today, so here I am again to put my nose where it does and doesn't belong, hopefully with a wit you will enjoy. That's all for now I guess, other than to say, I really don't miss my wife, but Damn I miss that dog.

The Handcuffs, Electroluv

2008-12-30T22:38:00.010-05:00

"The Handcuffs embody the spirit of rock music's uninhibited, sexy and overbearing appeal. A perfect blend of style and energy. They do not sound like anyone else, but at the same time they seem very familiar."

Their online bio puts it just about right. I have been doing this on ReviewPoint since '06, and with a widely varied interest and result I might add, I actually got death threats and a lawsuit threatened after my take on Morning 40, great fan base guys, but I digress. Every once in a great while...I actually add the CD to my personal collection, this is one of those times.

I didn't even have these guys on the radar, and it is a very big radar!!! I went to the website to do some research, surfed over to the Facebook and MySpace sites, listened to some old stuff mixed with the new...3 hours later! She has a very hot voice, Chloe that is. Chloe F. Orwell, drummer Brad Elvis, with the addition of newcomers, bassist Emily Tagni and the multi-talented instrumentalist Ellis Clark, make up this sassy surprise.

This being their "sophomore record", leads me to believe my radar just might get dialed into them very, very soon! Right from the very start, Electroluv, the title track, showcases Chloe's use of a velvet hammer followed by crystal chandeliers, stunning style range to be subtle about it. Brad's pounding beat to begin the third track, I just Wanna Be Free, Man , highlight a hint of The B-52's or Blondie on steroids, very powerful beat, very nice bass line, as well as a little psychedelics...

Turn It Up, not even one of the disc's so-called "focus tracks", is an excellent break from the sometimes repetitive sounds of a few other songs, and really shows a different side of Chloe's range. Fake Friends begins with an almost Beatles sound on the side, Chloe slides in some very nice tones along with a great piano sound from Ellis, I presume, I really could see this song as one to reflect on, it gave me a feel of the late '70s with a refinement of the millennium...hey this would be a great James Bond movie theme song!! (remember me if you get the nod guys?)

God Is Sure One Funny Girl has to be my favorite on this disc, "pussy on a leash about, five foot long", wow!! I love that line, what an imagination, brilliant! A trashy but sexy tune, it is a very fun addition to this great collection of juxtapositions. Wonderful Life, no not the movie, track 9 is another wonderful innocent sound from Chloe, yet another turn of the corner from a voice that is very elusive to capture or define.

Hell, all this typing is keeping me from enjoying my latest addition to my somewhat over sized collection, move over Blondie, Chloe and the guys are moving in. Enjoy this CD from OOFL Records, check out the links to their MySpace and Facebook sites, buy the CD and see how good it really is, I would be glad to loan you mine, but...not so much. I'm outta here.

Danny Green's Debut CD, "With You In Mind"

2008-12-28T22:03:00.005-05:00

Award winning pianist, Danny Green, has definitely hit green with his new album With You In Mind from the very first song Doctor Pasta, Danny shows his signature multi-cultural flavorings. The Brazilian/Island flare dances well with a typical taste of mainstream jazz.

Panic Nap soon follows with a sexy, guttural bass beat backing the familiar sound of his Melodica. a native of SoCal, Danny's love of world music rhythms transcend the usual West Coast feel. As I sat there and listened, I could feel a rush of enjoyment at the diversity of sounds.

"Danny Green is an emerging young jazz artist who has a pulse on keeping the tradition of jazz piano alive while stepping boldly into the future through the use of cultural sounds and world music rhythms. His musical sound comes across to listeners as a pianistic mixture of Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, Danilo Perez, and Ravel with original compositions emerging from the sincerity of his soul."

Balao Pra Voce has an almost Scott Joplin gone South twist, one of my favorites on the disc, it really showcases his classical and traditional training as well as his interpretive skills of Brazilian style and substance he learned at the CA Brazil Camp in 2006.

Songs like Off The Streets, and the title track With You In Mind, are grounded in that very sensual, sultry, speakeasy jazz sound that has had me listening and loving this genre for years. I can almost picture a perfect piano duet and vocal cameo with Diana Krall, wow...what a thought!

Since beginning his studies at age five, Danny has obviously bloomed under the influences and training of such masters as Rick Helzer, Kamau Kenyatta, Otmara Ruiz, Marcos Silva and Jovino Santos-Neto. Classical studies with the likes of John Mark Harris and Luciane Cardassi are more than evident, and greatly appreciated in Lullaby For A Poet.

Gigi, The Last Minute, and Suite For The Americas are the wonderful toe tapping real thing that makes a sound like jazz transcend into so many different musical sounds across the board, overall...not a bad track in sight on this disc. Danny's sound is still in the making, yet this debut album from this brilliant young artist is yet a tease of what is sure to come in the future. A definite hit on the new 'Jazz Parade', enjoy this one folks, I am.

Brown Shoe, "Jackalope"

2008-12-28T05:59:00.012-05:00

Review of Brown Shoe's new album, Jackalope
by Dennis Brotz

When I first found out about Brown Shoe sounding like R.E.M., I prepared. And on Christmas night, 2008, I pulled a lead-singer of R.E.M., Michael Stipe, and stayed-up all night listening to Brown Shoe's new album, Jackalope, as Stipe did, listening to Patti Smith's Horses way back when. I didn't eat a bowl of cherries til I got sick, like Michael did, but I did have a few chocolate-covered cherries and was more than pleasantly shocked at the effect this Folsom, California foursome's new effort had on me.

CMJ Magazine ranked R.E.M. The Most Influential Band Of The Last 25 Years. So I was ready to be disappointed by Brown Shoe. Au contrare! Is it possible to be more subtle than R.E.M.? Well, Brown Shoe - to me - may have pulled it off. Each and every instrumental beginning from these multi-instrumentalists - with a plethora of sound makers listed in the credits - was simple, yet gorgeous, and really hooked me in. By the 5th track, Uh Oh, the goosebumps were beginning and by the 13th track, Rivals, they were constant. The ringing church bell guitars and swirling piano surprises were filled with - how to put it? - Santa's Magic Dust! There's big sweeping melodies, tight bass lines, and - yes! - Heavenly Atmospheres! This contrasting sublimely with the somber Ryan Baggaley's vocals.

No wonder this band is known as Cali's best-kept alt-rock secret. Each song is just a God-Breath away from a potential mainstream classic hit. Anthemic. Deadly yet disarmingly honest. The lyricist brings personal experience to romantic love's spiritually innocent devastation. I completely agree with the critics who say Brown Shoe's sound is an intriguing mix of the good components of bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Shins, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, Animal Collective, My Morning Jacket, and Death Cab for Cutie. I even heard hints of The Kinks. And others I can't yet put a finger on. Who said genius knows how to steal? This album exemplifies how high art does this with originality and strengthening the results.

Plenty of touches of Divine Revelation Genius throughout the album, including some fascinatingly deliberately off-grammar lyrics, which caused a shift in consciousness to a higher level for me. In a rare departure for me, I prefer not to get too specific in this review about this, and just let listeners be more than happily surprised in their own ways. I'll give just one example from "Aquarium", where Ryan is singing "We'll swim to the bottom." Without a lyric sheet, I may have had a problem making out what he was articulating. Not unlike R.E.M.'s Rorshach Inkblot Lyrics where, in "The One I Love," I would've swore that under Stipe's howling "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire!", Mike Mills was intoning: "God daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn it all!" or - completely to the contrary - "I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!" -God's Name. Actually, he's singing: "Coming down on the earth," about Stipe's "Fire!" My own marriage was horrifically breaking-up in 1987, when "The One I Love" began to make R.E.M world famous. I was obviously projecting pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy into the lyrics - not to mention a spiritual hunger my hardcore atheism at the time couldn't begin to admit. But it probably helped me not to commit suicide. In "Aquarium," and the other songs, I think something even deeper is going on.

Such is the miracle of Brown Shoe's entire album Jackalope, the word meaning an imaginary animal that's half jackrabbit, half antelope. And more than stimulate the imagination this album does. It sounds better every time I listen to it. And after just one listen - by bringing a strong light to the darkness of broken relationships in ambiguous, sincere, healing detail - it -among things I'm probably still not aware of - completely reversed for me any vestiges I still had of that spiritually bankrupt philosophy: "Hell is other people". An aging flower child's - or any human being's - dream come true!!!

Saltman Knowles, Return of the Composer, review by Dennis Brotz, guest author

2008-12-14T02:29:00.009-05:00

The legendary author of Slaughterhouse Five, and many other books, Kurt Vonnegut, used to be fond of saying

"The United States of America has come up with only two good new things: Alcoholics Anonymous and jazz."

The first, with it's 12-Step Program now adapted to over 200 different addictions and problems, spiritually awakens even atheists to taste Heaven - and sometimes Beyond - Now. Great art similarly can take even absolute misery and make us experience it as sublime. Or Better. Such is the jazz CD Return of the Composer by Saltman Knowles.

Jazz is quite sophisticated music. So much so that it's usually beyond me. But then I'm lucky if I like one or two new songs a year from any genre. And for me melody is the key. If the melody's not immediately compelling, forget it, I can't pay attention. Occasionally a song can grow on me beyond how it originally strikes me. For example, a first listen to Jewel's Pieces of You album bounced off me almost completely, as did Losing my Religion by R.E.M. and Imagine by John Lennon. Now I more than love them. Songs like Time of the Season by the Zombies and Let's Live for Today by the Grass Roots bowled me over immediately. Now you get my range...

Saltman Knowles members seem to be among some of the most highly credentialed in their genre. Reading their bios is the only way to fully appreciate this. Of relevance to me is the fact that one of Mark Saltman's most striking major influences was Dr. Yusef Lateef, the great American multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator whom Mark met while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Discussions, according to Mark, would involve

"all kinds of things, including music, religion, and politics. He is Muslim and I am Jewish, so we really went into the whole religious thing. It was totally respectful and totally enlightening."

And - more than coincidentally? - at the heart of the Middle East conflict and terrorism today. Lateef also encouraged Mark to find his "own sound within." Wherein the Divine resides. Or, as Christ put it to the Pharisees, who didn't believe in him, "The Kingdom of God comes not with observation. You can't say, 'Look! There it is!' Or, 'Behold! It is there!' For the Kingdom of God is within you." Or, as the old saying goes: "We don't see the world as it is, but as we are." The Greeks claimed the influence of the goddess Muses. Their art then helping us tap into our own Divine Spark within!

Mark is also an educator in the Washington, D.C. schools and likes exploring the relationship between sound and color in the study of Synaesthesia. Cutting-edge stuff at a time when it's being demonstrated that we humans actually have at least 53 senses, and not just the 5 Aristotle named a long long time ago. He also said that a fly had eight legs. And almost no one bothered to check otherwise - to discover they only had 6 - until centuries later... And then, natch, there's the possibility we have a 6th or 7th Sense or Senses. Further information about all this can be found at ecopsych.com, describing Project NatureConnect, whose founder Dr. Cohen, claims it's the Grand Unified Field Theory most science claims is as yet undiscovered. William Knowles and the soulful vocalist Lori Williams-Chisholm's qualifications also bear deeper investigation and are very relevant, but the main point I'm getting at here is that - whatever the credentials - very little impresses me musically.

Great melody being an absolute requirement to open my Inner Door. And - with the help of other very skilled musicians - that very requirement seems the central bond of the two core members of Saltman Knowles in their

"mutual hunger for melodic content woven within a tapestry of harmonic emotional patterns. It all starts with a singable melody, because without that there is no glue. Then we like to do something that sounds harmonically unique...to write things that evoke very strong feelings."

Residing in a lively, culturally rich area of Washington D.C., their last release, It's About the Melody received excellent reviews and won the Best International Jazz song from Toronto Exclusive Magazine in 2007.

Some of the melodies on this album were - how to put it? - Beyond Infinitely Sweet! Far more significant was that within days of just listening to the album once, I experienced a feeling of love or Love in a Divine - or Beyond? - Sense, stronger than any I've felt in my 55 years. Coincidence? The themes on this possible masterpiece very much cut to the very spiritual heart of not only the new millennium, but the timeless. Homeland, for example, is about a longing for a place to call your own where you feel like you belong and can feel comfortable. The concept is more of a spiritual home than a physical one.

The composition Shalom and Salaam, comes from the word "peace" in Hebrew and Arabic. It uses elements from both cultures and almost all of our wishes to find a peaceful settlement to the seemingly unsolvable and extremely dangerous Middle East Conflict. Seeds and Deeds is about the deeds we do today being the seeds for things tomorrow. The Nichiren Buddhist chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" means "Devotion to the mystic law of instantaneous simultaneous cause and effect through sound vibration" wherein Awakening and Enlightenment can occur as the Experience of The Heaven Beyond Heaven. Here. Now. In this lifetime. Instant karma gonna get you!

A Pillar of Saltman was written for Mark's dad, Kopi Saltman, who passed away, and while very quiet, always tried to hold firm to his ethics and beliefs. A State of Being wherein - as described by Bill Wilson, entails very special almost immediate Rewards: "When I follow the dictates of a Higher Power, I presently live in a new and wonderful world - that gets increasingly wonderful as time goes on - no matter what my present circumstances". Pain Management is a song for the broken hearted. She ran off with another man. Saltman Knowles renders this so the listener gets a sublime experience, though not necessarily immediately. The smiles of almost outrageous joy on the CD cover reflect a genuine condition of being that the music inside actually creates or elicits in the listener. Sometimes with a delayed-effect.

As our spiritual, emotional, psychological, artistic, and political landscapes unfold and develop - with always some initial growing pain - very painful in many circumstances - into a potential New Golden Age such as humanity has never seen before, perhaps even ushering in a New Heaven and a new Earth, God knows we can use all the Help we can get. Enlightening some of our suffering. And in that sort of suffering, the Buddha informs us, the sufferer leaves. Saltman Knowles' "Return of the Composer" gives Precisely That State of Being - and in this humble listener's opinion - beyond sublimely more, just opens New Eden's door. Nothing more is a chore.

CD Review: Strange Company by Thomas Vecera

2007-05-11T00:34:00.000-05:00

Indy unplugged? A flash of Bowie crossed with Young? A whole montage of old school memories mixed with today's real emotions...is this EMO? Wow, it's like a plethera of useless questions, the only one I can answer is that I really liked this stuff. Really. Man, I can't begin to make all the Duran, Duran references, the shades of sounds I heard at the Armadillo World Headquarters back in Austin, or even the icons I saw bloom out of Cardi's here in Dallas in the late 70's and the early 80's.

I remember sitting ther watching Bono with a child perched upon his shoulders as he and U2 wailed away the beginnings of a truly iconoclastic career there at Cardi's, and with maybe...just maybe, just a bit more energy or feeling I hear this guy turning the corner. I've never had the pleasure to see Thomas perform, but I have the distinct impression I wouldn't soon forget.

True enough though, it is seldom that a musician with roots in Austin, Texas, has little to say, add to that the foriegn mystique such as Bono did with his Irish roots, and Vecera's Australian background makes perfect sense. I could do the whole BIO thing on this guy,but I feel that you just might have enough fun on your own there, just do yourself a favor...get in on the groundfloor with this guy, you won't soon regret. It's a cool feeling to look back a few years and say to yourself or an audience, "I saw that guy when..."

Enjoy.

Back In The Saddle!!

2007-05-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

After a hiatus to deluge the world with my political rants at Life From The Trenches, I have returned and am ready to indulge you good people with some more fine reviews!!!

Stay Tuned....

CD Review: Halifax, The Inevitability Of A Strange World

2006-06-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

There are some amazing debut albums coming out this year, and this one leads the pack in a major way. Halifax's highly anticipated debut album The Inevitability Of A Strange World is out, and out with a bang! The band's website boasts a million visitors, and shows nearly a half a million plays of their first track from the album, "Nightmare" and almost 400,000 plays of their song "Anthem For Tonight", also from this new CD. They have a strong influence from the band Nine Inch Nails, as well as the Foo Fighters to reggae to Children of Bodom. “It’s almost like the music we listen to doesn’t necessarily shape our sound, as much as it helps to express what we are feeling,” says Hunau.

Front man Mike Hunau, guitarists Chris Brandt and Adam Charles, bassist Doug Peyton and drummer Tommy Guindon comprise this irreverent group of party animal rockers, and booze swilling as they may be, this group rocks with a flavor and a flair that earns them the right to be as boldly blazon in their offstage rituals as they choose! The energy and power in "Better Than Sex" showcases their mainstream capabilities, as well as highlights the reasons for such a loyal and strong following that they enjoy. The melding of Rock, Punk, a touch of Emo that is what songs like "Such A Terrible Trend" and "Murder I Wrote" bring to mind, in a way that few bands are able to portray in today's music scene.

From the moment this band stepped out on stage in Austin and the TV cameras brought them into America's music focus, these guys have been destined to make some powerful music. The website www.halifaxrock.com puts it in a way that makes perfect sense...

From the coke-binge-gone-wrong theatrics of “Snow In Hollywood” to the stunning snarl of “Promise Me A Tragedy,” Hunau says most of the tunes in the Halifax songbook first germinate when he and Brandt collaborate. “It’s usually us coming up with a skeleton of a song and the lyrics and then we’re bringing it to the table and showing everyone what our version of it is,” he says. “And then everyone works on it together.” As frustrating as a rock democracy can be – Hunau says the sequencing of the disc was laborious due to disagreements – it’s this teamwork that eventually found the group a home on the infamous Drive-Thru Records label.

CD Review: The Head Cat, Fool's Paradise

2006-06-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

CONTENT WARNING: The Author freely admits to despising this album, if you are looking for a nice candy coated review, please leave now.

The Head Cat? or should it be The Beheaded Cat? I am at a loss, is this album for real? Right from the opening, it sounds like karaoke from a biker's bar! Bad songs sung by bad voices, with echo and reverb in the recording, overall a stellar performance in exactly how not to make an album. And this was actually sent out for review? What were they thinking; I did not even receive a good supply of malt liquor with it to make it go down smoother! "Fool's Paradise", the title and opening track is absolutely the equivalent of finger nails on a chalk board; I have never seen perfectly good plastic so blatantly wasted.

This thing was billed as a "Rock-a-billy" side project from Motorhead's Lemmy, and The Stray Cats' Slim Jim Phantom. I was actually intrigued by the idea as I read about it, I loved both of those bands as a kid, and the very thought of attempting this seemed kind of cool. Holy Cat Claws Batman, was I wrong!!

Neil Young can get away with singing out of tune because, well hey, he's Neil Young! I have absolutely no idea what in the hell was going through Lemmy's mind when he published this CD, other than it would make one hell of a prank gift for those who have everything and appreciate nothing. If you have read my reviews here before, I can throw a soft jab or two at something I don't like, but this is the first on record where I can't seem to dig up a single nicety about this CD.

I kept looking over my shoulder as I listened to this thing, wondering where the hidden cameras were, this can't be real! Just when the worst song ends, up starts a new level of sounds that emulate from a Siamese cat in heat with only dogs surrounding her, un believable, I truly have heard it all! Lemmy Kilmister created Motorhead, unbelievable head banging Heavy Metal at its best, what in the name of Ozzy was he thinking when he decided to do this? Seriously, this attempt is the parallel experience of envisioning the entire Osbourne clan sing Barney songs at a gay bar in San Francisco, it just don't work.

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CD Review: Monty Are I, Wall Of People

2006-06-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

Burning up the road on the Warped Tour is a new band from Providence, Monty Are I. These guys herald in a sound reminiscent of Metal from the '80s, with a twist that the new "Emo" genre adds. Band members Steve Aiello - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar; Ryan Muir - Vocals, Guitar, Trumpet; Andrew Borstein - Synth Keys, Trombone, Vocals; Mike Matarese - Bass; Justin Muir - Drums, Sampling, show an enormous maturity to the sound of their profession, bursting out with an energy that is as rock solid, as it is infectious.

"In This Legacy" has a fist pounding beat that is backed with a torrent of vocals, much more complex than a variety of other bands out there today in this genre. Center tracks, "Island City" and "Metropolis" even have a symphonic refinement of sorts that elevates the sound to a new level of "Emo", with vocal harmonies that underscore the bands true talents. "Only The Weak" is an excellent anthem for an anxious youth movement, there are actually some very nice riffs and cadences that emulate such amazing bands as Queen and E.L.O, but with a definite modern machismo to it.

This CD is scheduled for a release date in August of 2006, coming on the heals of their Warped Tour performances and a run with the RX Bandits in July. As a Debut album coming out on Stolen Transmission Records, this is a pretty well anticipated event. With nearly 12,000 MySpace friends listed on their site, this band promises to make some strong waves with the advent of this CD. I seldom hear a debut album with such total regard for the complete experience of recording, right down to the mixing; an excellent beginning to what I predict is going to be a banner run for this band!

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EP Review: Jen Murdza's things untold

2006-06-08T08:32:00.001-05:00

Not since I first heard Diana Krall, nearly five years ago, have I been so excited about the advent of a fresh new female vocalist to the music scene, Jen Murdza is going to break a lot of molds and cross lines between genres, mark my words, she is the real deal.

Her voice has exactly what jazz requires, sultry, soft, gripping and passionate. Having said that, there is absolutely no way that the Jazz Genre can possibly hope to contain these vocals all to itself. Pop will call, Blues will beg, there will be plenty to go around, and go around it will. Alanis Morisette, Jewel, bluesy, sultry, these would all be keywords in a technorati tagline.

While slight nuances of others may come to the mind, there is in fact, no true comparison out there today for Jen's style, rhythm and soul. I'm not particularly a fan of the shorter EP's, but this one makes a very big and emphatic exception to that rule. I sound like I'm courting her, I know, but I really am impressed with this woman's approach to a very tired profession.

She brings a fresh and very seductive sound to the table, and with backing by artists such as Craig Najjar, Steve Fekete, and Jenn Oberle along with Marty Walsh, this is a sound that is going to grow rapidly into a crescendo of beautiful noise, as they say. Long anticipated, this EP has five very real representations of Ms. Murdza's embracing talents as a singer and songwriter as well.

"Lamb" is a wonderful start to this EP, hinting of bright melodies and complex harmonies to come. The final track,” This Is Real”, is a very soft and hopeful song that is representative of songs from happier times. Seldom do I take an initial release from an artist and praise it so well, but such is the mesmerizing voice of this 5'2" songstress. Performing live from Georgia to Rhode Island, Massachusetts to California, this is a sound that has flown below the radar for far too long. You heard it here first folks, mark my words.

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DVD Review: ALF, Season Three

2006-05-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…. “Nice planet, when do we eat?” ALF is back!!! Even though it is ALF, and ALF has a cult following, this is by far the worst season put out, or so says the website dedicated to the show's legacy. My research discovered that this season boasts 6 out of the top ten shows by ratings for the entire run of the sitcom. "Turkey And The Straw", "Running Scared", "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" and "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?" take up four of the top five all time rated spots for the show, and quite frankly, I enjoyed this Box Set quite a bit.

ALF, for those of you who never met Gordon Shumway, was a furry little creature found stranded on the sitcom family's garage. ALF stands for Alien Life Form and is the moniker given to him by his new family, who took him in and hid him from the rest of the world and from nosy neighbors, the Ochmoneks (Trevor and Raquel), who always seem to find something fishy going around in the Tanner household. The Tanners are the proud new family of ALF, having been graced by his crash landing; they are Willie (Max Wright), Kate (Anne Schedeen), Lynn (Andrea Elson), and Brian (Benji Gregory).

The show first aired in 1986 and ran for four great seasons until June 1990. The Third season set includes 27 episodes, including two memorable episodes where Alf hosts "The Tonight Show" with Ed McMahon! I remember growing up and the charged sarcasm of Alf emanating from the television, the humor was cutting edge dry and irreverent for the time, and the medium of a stuffed animal as a sitcom star was a natural breakaway from the period's fame of the Muppets.

The DVDs are 4:3 Full Screen Version, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround, and have Interactive Menus Hosted by ALF. The only technical thing I find to be a negative is that there are a lot of complaints on this and the first two seasons as well, being released in the cut syndicated versions. The website abounds with grumblings at Lion's Gate's choice not to release the full versions of each episode. Whether you hate cats (ALF's favorite snack), miss Melmac (ALF's home planet), or just have a thing for cosmic comedians, this set is sure to bring back memories to some, and guaranteed to bring laughs to all!

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ALF Season Three, DVD, Review, Gordon Shumwalt
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CD Review: Teenage Graffiti, The Pink Spiders

2006-05-23T14:15:00.000-05:00

Talk about a highly anticipated album! Teenage Graffiti by The Pink Spiders has fans all over the world pining for more. With a proposed final release date of June 27, these guys have teased fans for sometime now, and little wonder, this is righteous rock.

The new CD has garnered more than half a million plays on their MySpace.com site, from only two songs. "Little Razorblade" and "Modern Swingers" have been up lighting up the net as highly played songs, The bands MySpace boasts nearly 60,000 friends listed, which is more than "kinda good"!

This CD will be the band's first major label release, Suretone and Geffen Records have what looks to be quite a hit on their hands. Punk music with dance rhythm and pop words, what a dangerous mix this could be. Band members Matt Friction:Vocals/Guitar, Jon Decious:Bass, and Bob Ferrari: "World's Greatest Drummer" (according to the website!) have been named as one of Alternative Press' "100 Bands you need to know in 2006.”

After storming onto the Nashville scene, they quickly made on iconoclastic statement with their pink and jet-black apparel and dark shades. The punkish side to these guys embraces the anarchy of binge drinking, wild parties and loose women, and the pop side sings to all the teenage girls of the world with a dance beat. It is kind of like the Sex Pistols meet Iggy Pop and do Buddy Holly.

"Soft Smoke" is an anarchists anthem with words like "these New York City police are all fuckin' liars", where are the Ramones when you need them. Punching you in the face with the fist pounding sound of a band way beyond its years, this stuff could cause a revival in that crazy sound I embraced in the seventies, and it actually has a musical quality to it for a change!

"Saturday Night Riot" starts off with much of that Pop feel, even shades of David Bowie pulsate from this one, with harmonies that ring from bands of the late 60's, wow, such depth from guys who proclaim their own shallowness. Iggy himself would have had a toe tapping to "Hollywood Fix", even with its talk of chain smoking and binge drinking, you fall into the Pop and dance feel of the beat and shake your head in agreement as if to say "Hell yeah, let's get drunk!!" Come to think of it, this CD makes partying sound like the fun it was when i was a kid. (Oh shit, hide this from my son.)

All jokes aside, this is just plain good music with a great feel, maybe a little riot like on the message, but isn't that a part of growing up a rocker?

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Pink Spiders, Modern Swinger, Little Razorblade, Geffen Records, Truetone
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CD Review: Fireflies, Faith Hill

2006-05-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

A much anticipated and so far, well received addition to her already stellar career Fireflies lives up to its demands. A few songs have been picked out in advance, along with the title track Fireflies, The Lucky Ones from the video and political statement We've Got Nothing But Love To Prove have all seen a warm reception across the board, but there is so much more to this CD indeed.

Mississippi Girl, in a traditional Faith Hill style is an anthem to her roots of growing up in rural America, and an inner look at her grassroots value system, never pretentious, and always in touch with her fan base of common people. As I listened to the songs I remembered the small Texas towns I grew up in as a preacher's kid, very simple times listening to very good music. While i will listen to everything from Classical to Punk, and like them all in their own ways, I have a special place for Country and Western, especially the ladies! I love a great voice.

The sad ballad I Ain't Gonna Take It Anymore has that magical piano and guitar percussion/melody upfront that underlines a familiar cry from a woman scorned and tired. Paul Franklin's steel guitar sets the mood and the soft mandolin from Aubrey Haynie sells the misery so well, and still sets up hope for times to come, and so a story is told. I like to look inside the CD for quotes, and this quote from Faith is an amazingly well seen view for any artist today,

"It all begins with a song. A lesson I learned 18 years ago upon arrival in Nashville. The songwriters on this album have given me the most amazing gift of all and I feel honored to bring their work to you."

The sinuous tones of Dan Dugmore's dobro, frame the bluegrass feel of If You Ask. The lyrics "I want to be your lover, I don't want to be your policeman" lend credit to her quote above, "It all begins with a song". I will admit that her call to arms We've Got Nothing But Love To Prove is hands down my favorite. It is pointed, yet not a whining political statement that so many artists fall into. The upbeat yet wide eyed lyrics call for a look into everything we are today, "Is everything A-OK in the USA?", and ending with the question "How about You?. So, How about you. Me? I'm just tappin' my foot along in time.

The sheer beauty of guitarist Dann Huuf's gut-string and Stuart Duncan's fiddle are only shadowed by the beautiful voice that has become Faith Hill's signature. The musicians used in cutting this CD are by and afar some of the best that Nashville has to offer, and it shows. I learned in Culinary school that a dish is only as good as the quality of ingredients used, any Master Chef would be jealous of this wonderful offering to your musical palate.

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Faith Hill, Warner Bros., Nashville, Country & Western
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CD/Music Video Review: Morning 40 Federation - Ticonderoga and Intro

2006-05-19T01:07:00.000-05:00

No, no, no, no, no. To quote the "Barton administration": "this is wrong on so many levels."

To begin with, I watched Intro, the video first, and it was admittedly kinda cool and funky with a New Orleans feel. Make no mistake; these guys are good musicians to be sure. It all ends right there. I smiled and grooved to the video just a bit, so I went ahead and put in the CD Ticonderoga and wow! What a mistake that turned out to be.

I listened to the music and singer on the video, then the CD, and I am convinced that Alf must have invaded this guy's voice and gone into falsetto. What a load of crap. Adam Sandler himself, doing his best Tiny Tim, could not have begun to purposely emulate such sounds.

I am referring to Corkscrew and Washing Machine in particular; you really have to take this thing track by track. Aside from the fact that pretty much every song relies on alcohol abuse, hence the Morning 40 reference (A "40" is a good dose of malt liquor for those of a more gentile upbringing), there are some hints of good stuff here. Unfortunately these guys can't seem to decide what genre they embrace -- Blues, Rock, Indie, Punk, Tiny Tim, you decide. I gave up.

Toodle is actually a good example of New Orleans style blues, has a catchy tune and a good beat, so what the hell is it doing on this album, I ask? Oh well que sera, sera I suppose. Lancaster is another enigma with an early John Lennon-style sound.

On another note, I'm not at all impressed with their claims of being a "Ninth Ward" band. To quote a fellow writer, Todd A. Price:

That's kind of sleazy marketing. That 9th Ward that everyone has seen so much on TV is actually the Lower 9th Ward, which is where the levee break destroyed everything. It was an almost exclusively African-American neighborhood. This band hails from the Upper 9th Ward, which is on the other side of the levee. Not that there wasn't damage in that area as well, but it wasn't like a nuclear bomb went off. I guess the PR industry looks for any hook it can, but I'm pretty sure that few residents of the Lower 9th Ward have heard of the band.

This CD ends fittingly with a song called Conversation Whore which seems to describe life in the slow lane. While listening to the actual gut-wrenching recorded sounds of someone vomiting, I decided that I really must come off the fence and vote no on this one, surprise.

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Morning 40 Federation, Ticonderoga, Alf, Adam Sandler, Blues
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Network Neutrality; Moby And Others Stand With Rep. Markey

2006-05-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

Grammy-nominated musician Moby joined Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), ranking member on the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, and Free Press campaign Director Tim Carr for a press conference and rally on Thursday.

Just prior to that event, I was able to participate in and ask a few questions of these gentlemen on a teleconference phone call. Tim Carr opened the conference up with an outline of Free Press and SaveTheInternet.com Coalition. At issue are the lobbying efforts by AT&T, Verizon and other major telecom providers to sway lawmakers into virtually gutting Network Neutrality -- the Internet's First Amendment.

Mr. Carr referred to the groundswell of American internet users, bloggers, independent artists, and coalitions showing outrage at the impending legislation as a "National prairie fire raging out of control out there."

SaveTheInternet.com has garnered support from over 600 organizations, collected nearly 700,000 American's signatures on its petition to congress, and is linked now to over 5000 blog sites.

Today's press conference is to show congress a unified alliance of major artists and musicians signing the "Artists and Musicians for Internet Freedom" petition, joining the SavetheInternet.com Coalition along with net users, bloggers, and a diverse group of organizations including such strange bedfellows as the ACLU, AARP, Christian Coalition, along with the Gun Owners of America in a full spectrum of political support.

“If Congress guts Net Neutrality, independent music and news sites would be choked off, consumer choice would be limited, and the Internet will be become a private toll road auctioned off by companies like AT&T,” warned Moby. “We need to stand up for Internet freedom now. Congress must uphold Network Neutrality.”

Moby also made the statement to lawmakers today that "Your constituents are watching and you will be held accountable for your vote." He spoke of musicians including the Dixie Chicks, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails and R.E.M. signing the petition and getting involved. R.E.M blogged about this on their own website this week.

“This is yet another attempt by corporations and their congressional buddies to pull our society backward rather than moving us forward,” Michael Stipe of R.E.M said. “These corporations are trying to set up tollbooths on the information superhighway. We need to keep Net Neutrality so the Internet remains a free and level playing field.”

As it is in so many cases involving politics today, money is the motivating factor here; all three denied that a censorship of the net was at issue here, although monetary control of the web would certainly thin the herd simply by association. The bigger voices would be heard, and the lesser would remain, well, the lesser unfortunately

Moby did state that this action would probably have little impact on his or any other well established musician's career, but that it was rather simply something he felt he must do. Independents and smaller bloggers would likely suffer the most, but simple choices like telephony service, and search engines would be greatly compromised as well.

When Rep. Markey introduced HR 5273 in subcommittee, it was voted down 34-22 on a largely partisan vote with all Republicans and a few Democrats voting no. I asked Rep. Markey what he thought the "head count" would be like now, since it had received a better showing in the full committee. Unfortunately he was dropped from the teleconference unexpectedly right at that very moment, do you suppose AT&T did not want to hear that answer yet?

Markey did state in his opening that the pressure being delivered by these petitions and from thousands of Americans calling Washington had greatly impacted the original "no" voters and changed several minds. Tim Carr stated that the lobbyists were waging a campaign of misinformation, and that most lawmakers were duped into thinking that the issues were being tightened to constrain the Telco's business.

Actually what is at stake is a desire for no change at all in Net Neutrality, better off left alone so to speak. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), and Byron L. Dorgan (North Dakota), are expected to introduce legislation at the Senate level in support of Net Neutrality.

It is imperative that we act here folks, this is our fight. To sit back and let big money speak to lawmakers and go unanswered by us will only serve to silence us in a more permanent manner. When I asked if they thought we could actually turn Congress on this in light of the millions of dollars that the Telco's are providing, the answer was a qualified, yet emphatic yes. The qualifier is that we must all get involved in this one.

Visit the website, sign the petition, send letters to Washington, make phone calls, and then convince others to do so as well. There are no party lines here; this is a serious matter for everyone from the dancing queens in San Francisco to the gun-waving neocons in the NRA, from college students to Catholic Priests, from web masters to the very congressmen themselves. This is our Internet, what are you going to do to protect it?

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Network Neutrality, Moby, Markey, R.E.M., HR 5273, Save the Internet Act of 2006, AT&T, Verizon

Korner Stoned The Alexis Korner Anthology 1954-1983

2006-05-17T18:54:00.000-05:00

Man I wanted to grab a dobro and start wailing away with this guy! Without the influence of Alexis Korner, nothing in regards to British blues, much less Rock and Roll itself, would be anything like it is today. Often called "The Godfather of British Blues", Alexis was a major factor in the musical styles and careers of artists such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, Art Wood, Ronnie Wood, Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Chris Farlowe, Graham Bond, Duffy Power, and Robert Plant, the list goes on like a royal family tree of modern music.

This two disc set contains a wealth of musical diamonds seldom found in one place, from the first song Midnight Special to a duet with a twenty year old Robert Plant in Steal Away, the music is a fantastic ride through time and the making of a genre. Disc one's final song Mighty-Mighty Spade and Whitey is straight from the Equal Rights Movement, listening to this song conjures up thoughts from a time when hope was just burgeoning, led primarily by musicians. Wow, the memories poured over me as each and every song caressed the very earliest of my thoughts of growing up with all of the wonders that a modern era of music had to offer.

Disc two starts off with a collaboration of Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham, and Dixon by C.C.S., Korner's Big Band sound from this group belts out Whole Lotta Love like no others could. Tap Turns On The Water is the second track, another by C.C.S.- short for Collective Conscious Society, Korner's son reminisces,

"Dad loved big band music, he'd always wanted to have a big band of his own," remembers Damian Korner. "He'd paid his dues and at last he could do what he wanted. He could have his fill of sax sections, three guitars and double bass-drum kits. Dad had absolutely no trouble doing it."

Also included on this disc is an unforgettable rendition of Ooh Wee Baby from Live On Tour In Germany. The second disc focuses on the years 1970 through 1983, and while I love this stuff as well, I was most partial to disc one and the early years. This Anthology is a must add to any real collection of music that influenced Blues and Rock and Roll in general. Mostly it is just a must have to dip back into some really good times

Adrian Belew Side Three

2006-05-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

Wow! This guy has it all. Side Three is the latest in a long succession of albums from one of Rock and Roll's foremost authorities, and it is blessed by all that came before. To coin a phrase, Adrian 'belew' me away! The funk and soul of the first two tracks alone had me literally dancing in my chair as I cruised through his "Official Website".

Those two tracks, Troubles and Incompetence Indifference, really set the stage for the rest of this CD. For those of you who might have slept through the past few decades in music, Adrian Belew has done it all, played with everyone, and designed the T-shirt! His bio reads like a walk through Cleveland's famed Hall. Names like Frank Zappa, David Bowie, The Talking Heads, King Crimson, Paul Simon, Mike Oldfield, The Bears, this man has touched an enormous chunk of the Rock in Rock and Roll. When you listen to the song Crunk, you can almost see the smile on Zappa's face when he first heard Adrian play.

The funk jumps out again in Whatever, a song that really shows the David Bowie side of this complex artist. With most "journeymen" artists, you can see and hear the influence of the bands they've played with in their style and sound. With Adrian Belew you can see and hear the influence he had on those fortunate to have played with him. The Song Cinemusic has almost a Beatles fell to the start, and then plunges right into the signature funkadelic sounds of Belew. Third in a series of three, the first two, Side One and Side Two were released in 2005. Side Three rounds out the trilogy with an energy and innovation seldom seen in today's Rock, I for one am hooked again.

Just a footnote by the way, the "Official Website" is an amazing wealth of Rock history, and info. Links to videos, downloads, pics and related sites as well make this a very cool way to sit and listen to some very funky sounds.

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Adrian Belew, King Crimson, Zappa, Bowie, Rock and Roll, Funk
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Book Review: The Last Cato

2006-05-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

Enter the next book into an ever growing genre of Catholicism vs. Mysticism. The Last Cato, by Spanish author Matilde Asensi, is a wonderful read, inviting and flowing, it pulls the reader into a world that few will ever see, into the inner workings of the Vatican itself. Murder, mayhem, secret orders, the Vatican, an entire host of tricks and tools in which to snare the reader's attention. This book, originally written in Spanish, was translated by Pamela Carmell into English, and masterfully so I might add.

The story's hero, the brilliant paleographer Dr. Ottavia Salina, is in herself the first stone cast at the Vatican's precious image. Not only a woman, an educated woman at that, she is a nun whose order has stricken the wearing of habits from their code. A fiery start to a very stormy book! Ottavia is paired with an odd Swiss Guard officer in the early pages of the book, to decipher a series of codes that have been scarified onto the body of a strange and un-explained corpse the Vatican has produced. The mystery evolves into a series of revelations that bring up the seven deadly sins, Dante's inferno, and a secret society committing criminal acts against the church itself.

Asensi does an amazing job weaving this tale from a wealth of scholarly Christian knowledge and blending with a whirlwind of world travel and intrigue. The depictions of the inner works of the Catholic Church are in themselves captivating, and the ability to tie in an almost "Tomb Raider" like quality of espionage and adventure make this book a very apt contender with the likes of The Da Vinci Code. Although she has several international best sellers, this is her first book to be translated into English, and the first of many to come I can only hope!

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Vatican, Catholicism, Asensi, Dante, Religious Intrigue
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Eric Johnson Live From Austin Tx.

2006-05-15T15:39:00.000-05:00

God surely blessed Austin Texas. From such roots as The Armadillo World Headquarters, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and lest we forget, guitar genius Eric Johnson. This CD is long overdue, recorded in 1988 on the show Austin City Limits, this is the quintessential Eric Johnson, to be sure. This as close a look as you will get that compares to what Prince saw on this same program in 1984 when he recommended Eric to Warner Bros. Records, whose subsidiary, Reprise Records, signed Eric into the big time. Johnson's career has spanned three decades and crossed paths with countless artists along the way.

This particular CD heralds from a very key time in Johnson's journey. The live performance is absolutely flawless, and the energy is strictly Eric. His brand of music stylized and influenced by the "3J's:" Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Reed, and Jeff Beck, is also traced with Stevie Ray nuances, and a bold Jazz infusion at times. The track Righteous gets things off to a high energy start in an instrumental with very classic Johnson sounds, with just a touch of SRV. The album is fairly well balanced with instrumentals and vocals as well. The Jeff Beck influence is one of my favorite traits of Johnson's music. Love Or Confusion, the CD's 2nd track shows a portrait view of his Austin, Texas roots. One of my favorites is a little ditty called Steve's Boogie, less than two minutes of just darn good guitar pickin'.

With thirteen tracks in all, this CD displays a complete spectrum of Eric's varied styles. Cliffs Of Dover, probably one of the most famous of his early works, actually won a Grammy according to this excerpt from his Bio,

"Johnson's breakthrough into the mainstream occurred with 1990's Capitol release 'Ah Via Musicom.' The buoyant, cascading instrumental "Cliffs of Dover" enjoyed mountains of radio airplay across multiple formats. The platinum-selling album was nominated for a Grammy and "Cliffs of Dover" itself earned Johnson a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental, topping fellow nominees the Allman Brothers Band, Danny Gatton, Rush and Yes."

The CD also includes another Grammy nominee, Zap, another signature instrumental showcasing Eric's un-believable talents with 10 fingers. The final track is in homage to one of his greatest influences Jimi Hendrix. The song Are You Experienced is an amazing rendition by Eric in tribute to the master, yet still breathes with Eric's own stylistic and creative influence. A memorable topper to an un-forgettable CD, I can still remember sitting in Dallas, and watching this amazing PBS showing, I do believe that God blessed Austin, Texas.

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Eric Johnson, Austin City Limits, Rock and Roll, Guitarists, SRV
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Kansas CD/DVD Anthology Works In Progress

2006-05-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable works of art never fade. Kansas brought so much more to the table than simply a new sound of Rock and Roll in the '70's. The band's innate ability to rock the music world, with never before heard sounds of a rocker's violin along with shades of progressive rock, led to one of the most successful American Progressive Rock bands ever.

This combination CD, DVD set is a true tribute to the band's history. It covers 10 years of sound, from 1992 to 2002, a third of the band's history, but a thorough representation of the band's growth and changes. The CD focuses on the studio and live albums, Freaks Of Nature, Live At The Whiskey, and Always Never The Same. The DVD adds a look at Device Voice Drum, a very cool robotic music machine opens hat part up, as well as some of the best live footage of Kansas ever recorded at the legendary Whiskey A Go-Go in L.A.
Also included are two all time favorites, Hold On and Dust In The Wind, both remixed to 5.1 Surround Sound.

I truly enjoyed reminiscing while listening to the CD, songs such as Song For America, Black Fathom and Portrait, took me back in time to the places I was when listening to this band in my twenties, good times at that. I must admit that the DVD is by far the mainstay of this Duo, the live performance at The Whiskey will blow you away! Such energy and passion from a band that was already 20 years in the making, it showed a revival of spirit not many bands get to face. While drummer Phil Ehart, and vocalist Steve Walsh rock on in their standard full bore form, replacement violinist/guitarist, David Ragsdale, is absolutely amazing with his lightening speed and stunning licks, you have to see this to remember it!

Set to release on May 23rd through Compendia Music Group, this set is sure to storm back onto the scene. Drummer Phil Ehart explains that several factors were taken into account when selecting the songs featured on Works In Progress

"technical aspects were a main consideration in choosing songs from Live At The Whisky. The band on Live At The Whiskey rocked hard. We wanted tracks that reflected that aggressiveness," Ehart says. "Regarding the classic material, we've got some hits and some good obscure gems in this collection, too."

Along with the release set for May, the band plans on backing that up with a full tour schedule in 2006 to promote Works In Progress. For the latest Kansas news, log onto www.kansasband.com for updated tour dates etc.
And as always, Carry On My Wayward Sons!!!

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Classic Rock, Kansas, New Release, CD, DVD, Music

That Girl Season One DVD

2006-05-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Upon her debut in 1966 as the first TV Land Gal on a mission, Marlo Thomas in That Girl rapidly scored points and set the bar for those to come. Topping off her first season with a well deserved Golden Globe Award, Thomas went on to secure no less than four successive Emmy nominations in each of the show's remaining four years on the air! And what a girl was That Girl!

I remember growing up when TV was a world of its own, characters were real, and series held true to an ongoing story. It was like checking in on the latest scoop on the neighborhood, and That Girl was front and center. Marlo Thomas' character, Ann Marie, was America's first single girl out and about, an aspiring actress growing up in front of us, and maturing into a confident woman of her own terms. Long before Rhoda, Mary Tyler Moore and literally decades before those fabulous sexy gals in Manhattan ever even knew what a Cosmopolitan was! It was an innocent age for most of us, yet it was the 60's and that innocence was soon to be tested.

Watching this hilarious review from my childhood, I was very impressed with both the quality and clarity of the shows, having watched the bulk of them in black and white as a child, I was quite taken with it. Shout! Factory once again does an excellent job in bringing the very best of pop culture back to the forefront.

That Girl starred Marlo Thomas, who was also was the producer, Ted Bessell as her boyfriend Donald Hollinger, and Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp as her doting parent's. The show was an icon for little girls of the time, each wanting to grow up and be just like Ann Marie. The show's popularity far outlasted the five seasons it was on, and set precedence for strong women characters to follow in the years to come. With trend setting designs to adorn her by Oscar de la Renta, Cardinalli, Halston, and Courreges, Thomas influenced millions of young girls around the world.

"The That Girl: Season One DVD is loaded with rare and never-before-seen extra features, including the “That Girl” pilot, a brand-new interview with Marlo Thomas on the making of the show, and That Girl in New York, a collection of raw footage shot on location in New York and narrated by Thomas and co-creator Bill Persky."

This glorious walk in the past is coming out on a five DVD set May 16, 2006, in stereo. At a SRP of $39.98, this is a must have for your collection, or for just reminiscing of simpler times.

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Marlo Thomas, TV, Classics, Comedy, 60's

Cordovan Highway 10 Blues, Definately Does Not Have The Blues

2006-05-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Cordovan Highway 10 Blues, and it is far from Blues, it is way out there 'Left Wing Jazz'. I hate to roast these guys if it is just my taste, but I like everything from Country to Rock, should I decline to review and send this to someone else? I'm lost.

That being my first impression, I set about to try and understand this unique undertaking by Cordovan artists, Greg Reeves, Cindy Bradley, Charles Burns, James Hardaway, Victor Indrizzo, Michael Israel, Jim Peterson, Kurt Stevenson, and Eric Stock. The immediately stunning fact of this CD is that all of the artists recorded their own respective tracks independently, in cities across the nation and shared them via the Internet as MP3s, never sitting with the rest of the band! This kind of breakthrough Internet music publishing seems to have had both positive and negative effects on the end result.

The cohesion of the artists is definitely stunning, given that this album passed back and forth across the Net as MP3 files for quite some time, all the while being tweaked and adjusted. At the same time, I can't help but feel this also comes to play in the album having almost a robotic, or mechanical feel.

The title track, Highway 10 Blues, starts out with promises of a 1940's detective novel, but unfortunately slips quickly into an almost automatic play mode complete with echoes and ping like sound effects. There are even some of the classical Pink Floyd 'shifting left to right in the speakers type of machine sounds'. While I do not take away from the brilliance of mixing this track via the Internet, it just doesn't get there with the warmth and personal emotion I like in Jazz.

Charles Burn's sax on the second track Mesa, to me sounds lifeless at first, but it does come around midway through. That same repetitious mechanical feel still prevails though, and there is a bit of that old Gino Vanelli feel to the keyboards, and that was played out by him too much on his own albums.

Tracks three and five, Gwen and Jackpot, both start off with that magnificent 40's touch, yet quickly fall back to the machines again. The more I listened to this CD, the more I became convinced that, writer/ musician/ programmer Greg Reeves, must have intended to hit this sound of automation, with it's twists and turns of familiarity based in earlier times. While I thoroughly enjoyed certain passages like the sax on Trouble, the mixed in Acid Rock Effects just didn't do it for me, not on this CD.

Overall, as I said before, an impressive undertaking from a sound engineer's perspective, yet as I said in opening, the title belies what is in store for the listener.

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Sony, BMG Music, Cordovan, LunaticWorks Jazz
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Reintarnation, a k.d. lang Love Affair Rekindled

2006-04-26T16:15:00.000-05:00

In sync with the traditional seven-year itch scenario, k.d.lang's divorce from country was an expected if not welcomed event. From her roots in "the kitsch, punk aspect of country," she fell from the scene after a seven-year journey that she said "explored her influences in singer-songwriters and performers like Peggy Lee."

Enter Reintarnation, her new album (which uses a word the Washington Post describes as "coming back in life as a Hillbilly") is a wonderful re-visit to the 'Patsy Cline' vocal chords that captured us all, if for a moment, in the first place!

Her style of injected twang is just the right fix to move her away from her recent 'crooner' status, and back in to the ears and hearts of Grand 'Ol Opry listeners everywhere. Amazing how age and maturity can smooth out the best wines as well as a "Cowpunk with the Blues"

"[Doing this compilation] got me thinking about juxtaposing where I'm at right now, which is kind of a crooner, which is quite opposite, in an external way, from where I started."

k.d. lang teams with longtime collaborator Ben Mink, who helped to write and produce most of the records in that first seven year span. " Like having a beer with an old friend, and picking up where you left off." An old friend in deed, together the two of them present such songs as Trail of Broken Hearts, It's Me, and Luck In My Eyes, all three from her breakout album Absolute Torch And Twang, in a new yet unretouched manner that lets her showcase the best of the old with a flare of the new.

By far my favorite is oddly enough, one of the very songs that led to her eventual break away from Country and Western, Pullin' Back The Reigns is a sulty slow display of the Blues in her own unique style.

"We Really tried to let the songs be, and you eventually settle into the beauty of what existed. It's a process, ut once you respect what existed, it becomes its own beautiful thing."

k.d.lang (lower case on purpose, by her preference), was maybe a little too stark and forward during the first romance, but I have a feeling that the second time will be the charm, no third time needed. Comprised of twenty great songs from her first foray into the scene, she is masterful in keeping the faith, while turning a new sound on old ears again. This is an album to fill a hole in country music's heart, for sure.

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k.d.lang, Country Music, Reintarnation, Grand 'Ol Opry, Patsy Cline
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