Frank Viele rocks with force and grace on Fall Your Way album
Frank Viele’s latest CD Fall Your Way is loaded with hard charging, rootsie rock and roll. Few can belt a rocker like Viele can and few can match his pure emotional honesty heard in his mellower tunes. This Connecticut icon will surely go far with this Vic Steffens produced album. Opening track “Broken Love Song” […]
Anna Madsen makes artistic shout with Whisper album
Have you ever gotten the feeling that something big was about to happen in the music scene? Well, you should get that feeling now. Anna Madsen is about to drop a full length CD, and it’s certain to make splash throughout New England. Her Whisper album is loaded with many fine touches in each savory rock-electronica match […]
Chris Fitz demonstrates fine musical instincts on Basement Musings disc
Chris Fitz recently released his Basement Musings CD to pay homage to all of the personal home recordings made by many of the great recording artists. Like the great men who have gone before him, Fitz has come up with a collection of some of his best reworked songs that many of us were not already familiar with. There’s a cool, breezy atmosphere to some of these tunes while others have a bucking blues driven beat with plenty of flare. Regardless of whether these tracks are culled from previous studio outtakes or that Fitz plays all of the instruments himself, his Basement Musings is one fine bundle of good songs.
Jane Ross Fallon comes up with another fine folk album, Songs On Purpose
Jane Ross Fallon’s latest CD Songs On Purpose are a gathering of fine folk tunes imbued with as much emotion as message. Fallon lets it be known where her sympathies lie. Her 11 track album is accompanied by a book titled Beyond Reason: Songwriting On Purpose that explains a lot about the songwriting process that Fallon employed to get these songs written and recorded.
Sarah And The Wild Versatile strike out boldly on Fall Into Grace album
It’s hard to pigeonhole what kind of rock music Sarah & Wild Versatile are playing on their new disc Fall Into Grace. It’s tones are unusual from what rock bands play and their song structures are also unique. Vocalist Sarah Seminski approaches the vocal melody line with her personal quirks and techniques, further insuring that is nothing usual about this band’s signature sound. Guitarist Eric Reardon also leaves his own musical fingerprints of ingenuity all over this album, taking this whole affair to a higher level.
Lower Falls offer fine approach to pared down rock and roll on Maybe Tomorrow
Milton, Massachusetts band Lower Falls have released this new 8 track album of airy, tasteful rock music. Titled Maybe Tomorrow, this CD floats by like a dream, a cloud of intricately strung music that never overwhelms as it offers music that appeals to the soul as well as to the ears. This band’s influences seem to be drawn from the kinds of groups who always kept their rock and roll pared down but with a strong feeling and voice. The band is: Geoff Shaw on vocals, acoustic guitar; Kevin Dambruch on electric guitars, keyboards; Adam Winkler on bass, backing vocals; and Gary Gardiner on drums.
Retro CD Review: Jane Fallon’s 2006 masterwork City Girl deserves a second look
Some things only get even better with time. Ten years have passed since Brookline, New Hampshire singer-songwriter Jane Fallon released her country flavored singer-songwriter album City Girl. While her blend of country and folk idioms may have seemed a no-no in the eyes of promoters and radio station personnel, Fallon came up with a startlingly beautiful album. Her voice is tender sweet and her lyrics witty sharp while the instrumentation beneath her vocal is ever so right, especially some fine pedal steel melodies, all produced by the incomparable studio wiz Seth Connelly.
Retro CD Review: Cheryl Arena’s Blues Got Me disc still shines after 14 years
It’s been about 14 years since Cheryl Arena released her debut CD Blues Got Me. After all of this time, the disc still serves as a fine document of her abilities and she can still use it as a calling card to get into all kinds of venues. Her songs range from inventive originals clever of arrangements of timeless classics, from basic, assertive guitar driven blues songs to more elaborate horn laden material for big bands. Produced by the legendary Duke Robillard, Arena’s talents on vocals and harmonica manage to standout among her impressive song craft and imaginative arrangements.
Bella’s Bartok impresses doing things their way on Change Yer Life album
Bella’s Bartok’s first full length album Change Yer Life is loaded with this Northampton, Massachusetts band’s trademark party vibe quirk. Incorporating Hungarian folk music, gypsy influences, and other old world elements, Bella’s Bartok makes you feel like you’re at a swinging party at a German dance hall.
Dan and Faith Senie offers charming, winsome folk album Seeking
The Bolton, Massachusetts folk duo Dan Senie and Faith Senie, known professionally as Dan And Faith, have released this winsome folksy album Seeking. Seeking builds each of its 13 songs upon the strong chemistry of this husband and wife duo. When they trade off on lead vocal, they create a sweet, building mystery, something that keeps the listener intrigued with where they are taking their song. When they come together in harmony, they weave the warmest tapestry of voice.
