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Showing posts from June, 2017

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 Kevin Webber, posted by blog admin The debut EP from Samantha Leon comes with “Bright Yellow Shoes” and there are two versions of this and five other epic tracks to wrap your ears around. It’s a pop sensation with inflections of R&B and rap, intertwined together for some appealing melodic and occasionally beat-driven songs. She is from the NY area and keeps her influences in her back pocket, some of them you can clearly make out and others not so much. But this is one big way to start, because she weaves magic all about each of the songs. There isn’t much holding back either, some of it sounds like she’s been around for thirty years or more, and some of it lesser, but it hits right between the old and the new school. “Bright Yellow Shoes” opens and closes the disc wit

Natalie Estes - 20/20 Vision (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://natalieestes.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/natalieestesmusic/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/natalieestes94 Written by Robert Elgin, posted by blog admin The EP 20/20 vision from Nashville born Natalie Estes is a four song collection marking the emergence of a musical and vocal talent nearly unparalleled in recent history. This young lady has emerged from near obscurity to create a work that touches on a variety of bases while still maintaining the necessary consistent to ensure that listeners keep coming back for more. It’s all the more remarkable of a release considering that Estes, initially, seemed on a different path. Her time as a dancer likely influences her intuitive sense of what her performances require for maximum success, but she pushes the bar further than that with her evocative and often dramatic phrasing that never robs the spotlight from the instrumentalists. There is no predominant musical force on 20/20 Vision. Instead, eve

Jim Hagen - Jazzical (2017)

OFFICIAL :  http://www.jimhagenmusic.com FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/HagenJazz/ ITUNES : http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1229838302?ls=1&app=itunes Artwork by John Lind Whitby Written by Shannon Cowden, posted by blog admin As tributes go, they seldom come finer than Jim Hagen’s nine song collection Jazzical. Hagen aims to honor the memory of his friend and former band mate vibes virtuoso Rod Bennett. Bennett, featured on a number of cuts, died unexpectedly when he was the victim of a hit and run incident and it ended a long standing musical relationship that dates practically to the time when Hagen first relocated to Southern California from his native Kansas City. Jazzical, however, is more than a record cut in memoriam. Hagen and his crack band mates navigate their way through a collection of originals and covers with the sort of confidence that one would naturally expect from musicians well versed in modern and traditional jazz. Their chops and pedig

The Real Hooks - Damn You (2017)

Artwork by Odandiee OFFICIAL : http://www.therealhooksband.com/ FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/therealhooks/ INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/therealhooks/ ITUNES : http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1227977371?ls=1&app=itunes Written by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin The latest single from The Real Hooks, “Damn You”, is a delectably crafted bit of pop song magic with just enough rock and roll exuberance to draw in those sort of listeners as well. This family-bonded operation has been working since 2009 and debuted with their first release in 2012 – much of their rise, however, has been complicated by minor controversies and unexpected setbacks that have arrested their march towards music superstardom, but “Damn You” conclusively proves the band has never allowed any of those things to divert them from their musical development. Instead, they are presenting a better, richer product with this single than they have managed so far. Led by lead si

Cranford Hollow - Color/Sound/Renew/Revive (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cranfordhollow/ INSTAGRAM: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/#tour VIDEOS: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/#tour Written by Scott Wigley, posted by blog admin Cranford Hollow’s story isn’t one you often hear anymore. The days of relying on traditional models of sustaining a music career have long since ended and many acts face the unenviable task of make or break efforts their first time out and often compromise their art accordingly. If you can’t cut the proverbial mustard live in concert and build a following that way, you are unlikely to survive. South Carolina’s Cranford Hollow understands the lay of the modern landscape and have endured through countless albums despite the diminishing financial returns enjoyed by musicians of every stripe. Their ability to sustain themselves as a touring and recording unit thanks to an increasing and loyal following has enabled them, in part, to chart their ow

Chris Bartels - Myths and Mold (2017)

Myths and Mold / Album Video Teaser #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8y-LCoVbAE Written by Shannon Cowden, posted by blog admin Minnesota singer/musician/songwriter Chris Bartels’ second release under his own name, Myths and Mold, is a five song EP testifying to his considerable skills as both a fundamentally sound songwriter but, likewise, as an experienced sound auteur who often approaches his performances like a painter filling a canvas with color. The sure hand guiding these compositions has talents ranging far beyond the common place – Bartels’ sense for incorporating melody and guitar into his work has a thoroughly modern feel while still recalling recognizable motifs and musical touches that have guided popular music since its birth. His lyrical inventions are, in their own way, every bit as rewarding and he takes a similar artistic approach to incorporating them in his work. Myths and Mold is decidedly indie in both presentation and origin, but don’t let tha