The rich, lush, plush sound of French progressive rock act Madlen Keys melds a light, poppy flavor with long, meandering progressive rock musical runs to deliver a sound uniquely its own. You can hear a variety of influences in Madlen Keys’ music – obviously progressive rock, but also some timeless sixties/seventies psychedelic folk and more recent alt-rock influences.
image courtesy of Rock Rose Music
It has been quite cool having this album follow Catbells’ dream-pop album Partly Cloudy, which I reviewed yesterday, in my to-be-reviewed playlist for the last few months. There’s a dreaminess to Madlen Keys’ music that places the two much closer together sonically than you might guess from their nominal musical genres, resulting in a really pleasant back-to-back musical experience.
Madlen Keys’ album-opener, “The Maze,” sports a vocals-only beginning, with instruments following soon thereafter. The music is soft and dreamy, while the verses feature a musical accompaniment different from the rest of the song, as if they’re vocal vignettes. In true progressive rock style, the music meanders and wanders a bit but remains tethered to a consistent, recurring verse and chorus.
photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music
“Breathe” follows, with spacy sounds akin to those found on Bob Lord’s recently-reviewed album The Six Observables melding with a dreamy nature reminiscent of the Catbells album I just mentioned. “Breathe” repeatedly builds from mellowness to nearly a wall-of-music power like a more typical, straightforward rock song, but the sounds and the musical journey are soft and airy. The song ends with a reverberating, vibratingly twangy, distorted rock guitar riff. Because of the breadth of styles this song calls upon, it is the song on Event Horizon with perhaps the greatest potential crossover appeal, with the best opportunity to reach the broadest audience.
Madlen Keys mellows out a little on “Flaming Trees,” its lyrics delivered with a soft tone at first, as if a secret revealed, then more confidently firm as the song builds toward the middle. “Flaming Trees” is the longest track on the record, clocking in at more than six minutes, so it stands to reason there is a significant prog-rock instrumental section – the whole back half of the song, in fact – including a long, soaring guitar run that’ll turn this tune into a favorite among guitarists.
photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music
“Keep a Secret” is another song with a vox-only opening, this time echoing vocals with only a buzz backing them for more than a minute before the instruments slowly creep in, notably exotically-picked strings for a while, then drums, before the song finally becomes a theme-driven, not-unexpected, progressive rock jam.
“The Stream” has a nifty mid-speed tempo; its music is well-matched to the prominently-recurring lyrics, words you’ll quickly learn and sing along with: “We don’t know for certain anymore, anyhow. ‘Cause we have known and failed now for so long.” Of course, the song isn’t entirely uncertain; it builds from a softer start to a stronger finish.
“Memories of My Friends” is a soaring number that builds in power as it, like “Flaming Trees,” leans into some pretty cool prog rock guitar in the song’s back half.
photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music
“Ubik” utilizes a more haunting, uncertain tone, which continues through most of the song. Even the very late shift toward a more musically dense, voluminous sound during the last minute of the song is more disquieting than usual, setting it apart from the more cathartic musical jams in this record’s other tracks. It’s the one song on this disc that, while musically beautiful like all the rest, will leave you a little unsettled at the end.
Event Horizon ends with “Pensando en Ti.” It’s a bit more flowing and is quite clearly a storytelling song. Beginning as a lightly instrumented folky track, partway through, this song transforms into a more theatrical number, putting an oddly eclectic end to this enjoyable, creatively progressive record.
If you want to listen to individual tracks, my picks from this disc would “The Maze,” “Breathe,” and “The Stream,” but I’d recommend listening to Event Horizon in its entirety. As with many progressive rock albums, the songs fit together nicely and all contribute to the overall listening experience.
Looking Ahead
Madlen Keys has a few gigs already scheduled for 2024. You can find the concert schedule on the band’s website. (Yes, I’ve linked to the English-language version of the website.) You can also keep up with Madlen Keys via the band’s social media pages, which are listed on Madlen Keys’ linktree.
Partly Cloudy is the debut full-length album release from folky dream-pop artist Catbells. The album skews toward the pop-rock end of the dream-pop genre, increasing the likelihood that individual songs on Partly Cloudy might readily connect with a broader audience. Catbells’ songwriting suggests a breadth of influences coloring her musical palette, driving noticeable song-to-song nuance.
Catbells’ songs are mellow but structured, with a sense of purpose and destination. The key to Partly Cloudy‘s substantiveness is that it’s a song-driven album. I was intrigued by this album quickly upon my first listen, but I spun the disc several times before committing to a review, waiting to see if its appeal would fade. I’ve been fooled before by soft, dreamy music. No such surprise here; instead, this disc gets better with each listen.
Album-opener “Fade (Rainy Day Demo)” has a Stevie Nicks-ish vibe. In other words, Stevie might perform a song like this if she were to perform in this genre. Catbells’ voice can be a bit soft and wispy, but it’s also firm and full, hinting at plenty of power in reserve. “Fade” is a terrific introduction to Catbells’ musical style. If I had to compare Catbells’ style to anyone else I’ve reviewed, it compares closest to Bridget Davis & the Viking Kings (reviewed here, here, and here), who I’ve always categorized as folk-rock or pop-folk, not dream-pop.
photo by Marisa Cherie; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media
As noted, Catbells’ songwriting is a key to her music’s strength. Indeed, song two, “Wilderness,” has moments that are a little reminiscent of the Beatles. The song has a very late sixties-early seventies flavor, akin to some of the Beatles folkier songs during that time frame; also, slightly reminiscent of the successful folk crossover sound from that era. “Wilderness,” like the song before, is engaging because the song has something to say, its songwriting moves it along with purpose, and, of course, Catbells’ voice and instrumentation are pleasant and original.
You’ll find mildly crunchy pop-rock guitars on song three, “Gone Too Far,” which would be as at home as one of the dreamier songs on a radio-friendly alt-rock band’s album as it is on this disc. Also, there’s a sound effect that sometimes makes me get up and look outside to see if there’s a dog barking whenever I hear it, so thanks for that, Catbells. All is forgiven, though, because this is a really cool song, barky sound notwithstanding.
“I Wish” is sonically very familiar, again more alt-rockish. There’s a hint of an eerie, haunting sound, particularly – but not just – in the guitar, that recalls for me Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” (Yes, I overuse that reference in my reviews; clearly, I need another.)
I’ll not go song-by-song through the rest of disc. Each song is uniquely original, and you’ll certainly have your own personal favorites.
It is worth noting that , a couple songs later, “Same As You” has a lyrical delivery that’ll get stuck in your head. Specifically, the line “I… I will remember you.” But also the jangly bonging of the music, which is comparatively uptempo for this album.
For its variety, which is something Catbells does adeptly on this album, despite the similarity of the songs’ sound, I specifically enjoy the music spaciness – as in, outer space-iness – of “Ground Force,” in addition to the earnestness of the song’s vocal delivery.
“Trying Not to Feel” is one of the album’s more melancholy songs, with its cool, introspective lyrics that are exceptionally well-suited to the music, driven initially primarily by a purposeful strum that continues throughout, with Catbells’ musical cadence and vocal tone befitting the chorus’ main message of “Trying not to feel, makes me want to cry.”
Finally, the album ends with song thirteen, “Riding Tides,” a very clearly spoken-sung song with an echoing vocal effect that’s not necessarily unique to this track, but it’s much more apparent due to the light instrumentation, which is mostly a… is that a ukelele?
In all, it’s a great album, an enjoyable listen. I sometimes think I should listen to Partly Cloudy in a dark room with only the spinning reflections of a disco ball lighting the room. I haven’t, in part because I don’t own a disco ball, but if you are able to try this, let me know how it goes. I bet it’ll be a cool experience.
Even if you don’t have many artists like Catbells it in music your collection, she is a best-of-genre artist with crossover appeal, so as a music fan, you should probably at least be aware of her and sample a bit of her music. You’ll probably be glad you did.
More Recently
Even though Partly Cloudy was just released a couple months ago, on October 27th, Catbells does have a more recent single release. Her cover of “Walking in the Air” dropped on December 15th. You can find the song here on bandcamp and here on Spotify; the video is here on YouTube. Catbells’ Instagram followers heard a preview on December 7th, so if you dig Catbells’ music, it’s probably worth following her on Instagram.
photo by Muriel Delepont; image courtesy of Leighton Media
I wasn’t planning to write a Christmas review this year – in part because I’m so backlogged that by the time Christmas songs began to appear in my inbox, I was already booked until February. But I’m feeling a bit of Christmas spirit at the last minute this year – it happens some years, but not every year – and there’s a song that hit my inbox this December that you really should hear and will certainly enjoy. So, without further ado…
Critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy checks into this year’s holiday sweepstakes with “This Christmas I Want Less,” a Christmas song about not wanting more stuff in this crazy world. Then again, Murphy recants a bit during the song’s bridge with the pivot “‘Cause I’m clearly at an age where I can really say I’ve had enough. Give it a rest on Christmas Day. Well maybe there’s a few things you could do for me…” and asks Santa if he might have the gift of optimism in his overstuffed bag of presents. (Psst, Elliott, if Santa delivers on nixing the apocalyptic visions, I’d appreciate it if you could direct the jolly old elf my way next.)
Murphy’s voice is deep and convincing, almost Burl Ives-ish, if you need a Christmas reference, but deeper and more coolly rock ‘n roll. I guarantee you took the time to check out this song, with its worthy message and cool strum-and-spoken/sung delivery. I bet it’ll become an annual Christmas favorite.
More Elliott Murphy Info
Murphy’s most recent full-length release, Wonder, dropped in 2022. He also has several shows booked in Europe in 2024. Check out the “Tour” page of his website for dates and locations, plus more performances as they’re added.
I first got into King Kobra‘s music back in mid-eighties, when the band was touring in support of its 1985 debut album Ready to Strike. The band’s latest recording, We Are Warriors, features original members Carmine Appice (drums) and Johnny Rod (bass). Vocalist Paul Shortino has been with King Kobra since 2010, though many classic rockers may remember Shortino best as the widely-lauded lead singer of Rough Cutt in the mid-eighties. Guitarists Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot) and Rowan Robertson (Dio) round out the line-up for this release.
With so many of classic hard rock’s best players on this album, you can expect songs that showcase the guitarists’ shredworthiness and Appice’s legendary skinswork. And, of course, Shortino’s trademark powerful rock ‘n roll wail. The album lacks that obvious, in-your-face, hook-filled hit single that grabs the listener’s attention right off. The songs are well-crafted, showcasing the band’s musicianship in the way album-oriented rock discs from the seventies and eighties typically did. Throughout, We Are Warriors is a strong collection of songs with staying power. And the hooks are there, they’re just a little subtler; after a few listens, favorites emerge.
image courtesy of Glass Onyon PR
Album-opener “Music is a Piece of Art” is a representative introduction to the band’s 2023 sound; it’s a solid rock number that features Appice’s drumming coming to a peak, stopping, then continuing. Shortino convincingly sings his ode to music, with lyrics like “you are my passion, you’re heaven-sent, you’re my companion without end.” And the song features a classic mid-song guitar solo, more soaring than shredding, taking the listener on a brief journey before returning to the melody.
It’s not the only ode to music on the album, though. It’s immediately followed by the funkier-rockin’ “Turn Up the Music,” another song extolling the band’s love affair with music.
“Secrets and Lies,” next, ratchets up the energy; it’s a more intense rocker with a catchy sidewinding rhythm; it’s drum-heavy and the first song on the album to showcase some serious shredding in the guitar parts.
Several more songs stand out on the disc. For example, “One More Night” coolly cycles through three tempos from verse to bridge to chorus, with the frequent changes giving the song a more progressive rock feel.
King Kobra’s cover of “Love Hurts” is well-done, featuring the power and anguish of the original, though I’ll never understand why so many online lyric sheets – and this song – use the lyric “love wounds and marks” instead of Nazareth’s – and the Everly Brothers’ original – “love wounds and mars,” which has the added benefit of rhyming with the previous line. But that’s a personal pet peeve. Ignoring that, the song is well-done and, stylistically, it fits neatly and cleanly into this collection.
Following “Love Hurts,” the rest of the disc tends more toward album tracks that showcase the band’s skills, not quite as hooky as the first half but enjoyable songs to kick back and enjoy. In fact, with the exception of the title track, the rest of the songs I’d release as singles – those with the catchiest hooks – are found on “Side A.” As any AOR fan knows, that doesn’t mean I’m slagging on “Side B”; it’s called album-oriented rock for a reason.
“Darkness” connects with the listener quickly with its funky rock rhythm, crunchy axework, and soaring vocals. The song somehow feels densely-packed with instruments (perhaps due to Appice’s hard-hitting drumming) yet airy enough for the guitars and vocals to dance around a bit. Pretty cool stuff.
Title track “We Are Warriors” is a heavily playful ode to the L.A. rock ‘n roll lifestyle (opening lyrics: “I like hitting the Strip, there’s action everywhere…”) with a beat that seems to keep constantly pushing forward, with the drums imploring the song to speed along faster. Alternately, the guitars and vocals could be seen to be running behind, sitting at the back of the rhythmic envelope, as it were. However you choose to describe it, it sounds cool and maintains an engaging tension. Old-school ’80s rockers are gonna enjoy this song.
Disc-ender “Side By Side” is one of the softer songs on the album, still with a steady, driving rhythm but with a softer edge and guitarwork that soars, like the vocals, more than it shreds.
In its entirety, We Are Warriors is an exceptional classic hard rock album that showcases the talents of several of the genre’s icons. The instrumentation is exceptional and varied, and Shortino is one of hard rock’s iconic voices. Although each listener will have different favorites, every song is well-conceived and performed. Indeed, if you’re an eighties hard rock fan, assuming you give this disc a few spins and take the time get to know the songs, you’ll dig it. More with each listen.
“Just a Story From America” was the classic title track from Elliott Murphy’s 1977 album. Abigail Rose Clark is a talented vocalist and the daughter of longtime John Mellencamp drummer Dane Clark. When Clark’s vocal talents are applied to Murphy’s classic song, the result is an engaging, updated version of the original, containing the same emotion but delivered with a more modern, timely sound. It’s a well-composed revival that could serve to introduce this thoughtfully-crafted song to a brand new audience.
photo courtesy of Leighton Media
The pace and tempo of this recording is actually reminiscent of a John Cougar Mellencamp song – something I noted upon initial listen before reading the press material and learning of Clark’s Mellencamp connection. Abigail’s vocals are brash, forthright, and engagingly enunciated, with a delivery that’s sometimes direct, other times playful, as the instrumentation requires. It’ll have you rocking along, likely so much that you frequently forget to listen to the words, thus necessitating repeat plays. This is, indeed, an engaging rendition of a ’70s classic. If you’ve not yet heard it, you really should to give it a listen!
More Detail
Clark’s cover of “Just a Story From America” was released by Murphyland Records back on March 16th, 2023, on Elliott Murphy’s 74th birthday. You can read about the release here on Murphy’s website, and you can click through to this short “preview” video showing Murphy enjoying Clark’s version of the song.
Bandleader Adam Trice started Red Sammy back in 2007. In Red Sammy, Trice performs with a rotating cast of bandmates, ranging from four-piece string ensemble to full rock band. On “Some Days I Feel Crazy,” you’ll find Trice (acoustic guitar and vocals) supported by Bruce Elliott (electric guitar), Greg Humphreys (bass), and Kenneth Noble (drums and percussion).
image courtesy of Red Sammy
“Some Days I Feel Crazy” is quirky, folky-yet-rockin’ Americana, a song that falls so squarely into the Americana style that I don’t feel compelled to attempt to identify a sub-genre; I suppose I already have by dubbing it “folky,” but it also has a distinctly rock ‘n roll vibe, as both the vocals and guitars have some rockin’ rattle to them. Trice’s voice is a little grizzled, with a laid-back smirk sneaking through his delivery, but his voice mostly, on “Some Days I Feel Crazy,” conveys a relaxed disposition befitting the song.
The accompanying instruments and rhythm evoke a laid-back, island vacation vibe, like this is the sort of song you’d hear at a festival on the beach or blaring at an all-inclusive resort’s poolside bar. The lyrics supports this notion, as the chorus – and the song itself – ends with the phrase “baby, I’m feelin’ fine.”
photo courtesy of Red Sammy
Looking Ahead
The “Upcoming Shows” page of the band’s website lists several opportunities to catch a Red Sammy performance in the coming weeks and months. This soonest currently-booked gig is for December 30th at The Filling Station at El Rey in Arlington, VA. Other upcoming shows include a January 12th gig in Pennsylvania, a February 12th performance in Washington, DC, and several shows in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland in June and July 2024. Obviously, be sure to check the schedule periodically – or follow Red Sammy on Facebook or Instagram – to remain abreast of new shows as they’re added.
Experimental progressive rock music is some of the hardest to decide to write about. It’s rarely apparent from a first listen how the listening experience will evolve over multiple trips through the album, whether the music will reveal nuances upon repeated listens, whether it will embed itself into the brain as a familiar friend over time, or if the music will devolve into gimmicky quirkiness after several runthroughs. In the case of Bob Lord‘s The Six Observables, I had more than just his accolades to go by; past personal experience was also on my side. I’ve previously reviewed two of Bob’s band Dreadnaught’s albums and one of his solo releases, so I expected to grow increasingly fond of The Six Observables over the course of repeated spins. I suppose you can never be certain, but in this case, my presumption was correct.
Among the short cuts, you get some Schroeder-esque light piano on “USS Nimitz Tic-Tac Encounter – 2004.” “Miracle of the Sun at Fatima – 1917” sounds a bit like a music box. “Black Traingle From the Atlantic – 2019” is really just a long buzz with beeps. “Betty & Barney Hill Through Franconia Notch – 1961” sounds like the occasional jangle of piano keys you’d expect to hear from a jazz pianist between songs. And the album-closing short track, “The Incident At Exeter – 1965” – the longest of the short entries at 1:21 – sets the musical ship down nicely, quietly, subtly landing the ship, setting us all down for our next adventure.
As I noted, in between the short cuts are longer songs. Among the more substantial numbers, you find aggressive guitar noodling and distorted thumping, tied together with an incessant rhythm on “Instantaneous Acceleration,” a title that’s exceptionally fitting; at 1:19 it’s actually shorter than the longest short number, but both stylistically and in the scheme of the album, it clearly qualifies as a longer cut. “Low Observability,” meanwhile, is more than three minutes of a humming buzz with spacey, atmospheric beats and twoinks bubbling up throughout. (Yes, I said “twoinks.”) “Hypersonic Velocities,” probably my favorite track on the album, particularly if you’re searching for a track to be enjoyed as a standalone song, has a peppy tempo, a thumping rhythm, a playful recurring hook, and a mostly-empty-space bridge that provides a mini-reset, helping extend the listener’s interest, allowing the faster tempo to resume, carrying the song’s energy to its abrupt end. And “Biological Effects” features the sort of spacey sounds you hear throughout the disc but through a lens of psychedelic rock distortion, replete with whining guitar and thick, chunky drums. The longer numbers cover a lot of ground, all within the album’s cohesive, experimentally spacey sonic lane.
The songs are carefully ordered on this disc, as there are some cool connections between the short and long tracks. Most notably, I can’t imagine “Transmedium Travel” without the “Black Triangle From the Atlantic – 2019” lead-in, but all of the transitions are well-considered.
When all is said and one, how The Six Observables makes for an enjoyable listen is something I can’t entirely explain. It’s the curse of trying to review experimental rock music. If it’s done well, an active listener will discover an enigma wrapped in a riddle. But I can tell you that the album is very well assembled, with the space/UFO encounter theme tying everything together, while the music is sonically expressive of such a theme. And yes, The Six Observables will grow into an old friend, albeit a weird old friend, after several listens.
Previous Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog Coverage
You can find my review of Bob Lord’s April 2021 release, Playland Arcade, via this link. You can also find my reviews of two albums from Bob’s band Dreadnaught – Hard Chargin’ and Northern Burner – at the Blog.
I first reviewed a Chain Reaction album 25 years ago. And, as the new album’s title suggests, these straight-up classic rockers are Still in the Game, writing fun, catchy songs and delivering them with gusto, definitely appealing to a classic rock audience. Of course, a nice byproduct of discovering Chain Reaction was getting to know vocalist-guitarist Eric Harabadian. We connected 25 years ago after I wrote a review about how kickass his band was, and Eric has written for my various publications ever since. So yeah, this is Blog contributor Eric’s band. Well, the guys in Chain Reaction – Bobby D (guitars, vocals), Eric Harabadian (lead vocals, guitars), Larry Fritzley (bass), and Jeff Phillips (drums) – still kick it, which is several steps up from simply being “still in the game.”
image courtesy of Chain Reaction
To prove their mettle – metal? no, classic rock – Chain Reaction kicks off the first song, “Playmaker,” with a very AC/DC-like guitar riff. The song sports a rhythmic pace, a chorus that’ll have you anticipating the song title as you listen, and fun lyrics like “save the drama for your mama” that invite you listen closely for clever turns of phrase.
“Still in the Game,” the title track, is a classic-styled, rattling, jangly, mid-tempo classic rocker. The rhythm of the verses is likely to lull the listener into a steady-tempoed complacency before being jolted by the more insistent chorus; it’s an attention-maintaining trick used deftly by Chain Reaction in this never-too-old-to-rock anthem.
“In Our Own Image” has a peppier yet more sidewinding rhythm than the previous tracks. The vocal change of pace delivered early on during the lyrics “keep on, keep on lookin’ back” is one of the song’s many clever whiplashy tempo adjustments, which distract you from its thoughtful lyrics, requiring intentional listening to pay attention to the song’s thoughtful message. (Worry not, you’ll remember to pay closer attention next time.)
photo by Lisa Hagopian; photo courtesy of Chain Reaction
“American Son,” the penultimate track, is the most progressive rock-influenced song on this EP. The instrumentation is less dense than the previous cuts, while harmony vocals combine with the lyrics to craft an almost middle earth quest-like prog rock vibe.
Final track “Rumors of War” shows that Chain Reaction doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. The second-most proggy song on the EP, this would be a terrific rock ‘n roll entry for an issue-based anti-war compilation album with lyrics like “History has shown that when the tension’s overblown, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees.” Though not quite as memorable as Wyld Stallyns’ primary mantra, Chain Reaction, on this song seems to be imploring the world to “Chill out! And live in peace, dudes!”
As a whole, Still in the Game is raw and lightly produced, replicating the energy of a live Chain Reaction performance. It marks the first release in a quarter-century from one of metro Detroit’s finest classic rock acts, and it’s well worth the wait!
“Ride or Die” is an explosive, catchy, melodic, guitar and drum-driven hard rock song from Reach NYC that’ll grab you by the throat from note one and have you rocking and singing along soon after (initially to the “ah-ah, ah-ah” in the chorus until you learn more of the lyrics). The song kicks off with a drum and guitar frenzy before unveiling its song-long sidewinding hook, supporting lead singer Rene Mata’s smoothly powerful, broad-appeal vocals.
You’ll be forgiven if you mistakenly think “Stand by You” is the song title, as I initially did, since the phrase plays a prominent role in the chorus, as in “Everything we’ve been through, I’ll stand by you. I won’t let them hurt you, desert you…” Using that lyric as an example, beyond the catchy music, it’s wordplay like the almost sequential syllable repeats in back-to-back “hurt you, desert you” that magnify the yo-yoing recurring guitar hook and help embed this song into the listener’s brain.
Simply put, “Ride or Die” is outstanding, catchy hard rock song. If you like this kind of music, as I do, you’ll love this song!
More about Reach NYC
Reach NYC has a long background in the New York alt-metal scene dating back to the late ’90s/early ’00s, then as Reach 454. You can read about the band’s past and its 2019 return from a decade-and-a-half hiatus here, at Reach NYC’s AFM Records band bio web page.
Hey there! You may have noticed a slowdown in the pace of my reviews the last few weeks. As longtime readers know, I write in fits and spurts, dictated by changes in work assignments and personal responsibilities that sometimes squeeze writing time out of my daily/weekly schedule. When things get busy, personal life outranks writing in importance. However, one of the things we do on a weekly basis at our house is music-related. Some Saturdays and/or Sundays, my wife and I enjoy a relaxing morning of coffee while playing music videos on our TV. Now, the playlist isn’t completely indicative of my personal preferences – we only play music we both like, and she doesn’t enjoy the heavier end of my musical taste (for example, I skipped over Europe’s “Hold Your Head Up” and Metalite’s “New Generation,” both of which I would have gladly played if listening alone, when YouTube suggested them this morning) – but the music we listen to during our weekend mornings covers a broad range of styles, albeit primarily pop-leaning.
Now, those of you who follow me on X know that I sometimes share my #PhoneOnShuffle playlist, listing the first several songs my phone shuffles up (out of more than 1,000 of my personal favorites) via X and then, if I’m out alone enjoying lunch or a long coffee break; when I run out of characters on X, I sometimes continue the playlist on Threads. Well, I thought you might enjoy a glimpse into my Saturday mornings by sharing the first dozen or so songs from this morning’s YouTube viewing/listening session. Sometimes we just let YouTube select the next song (since its algorithm has a long listening history as its guide). Other times, we intervene to skip a song or because there’s a specific song we want to hear. This morning’s YouTube listening session began with…
You know I’m a big iLO fan. Her voice is amazing, and “Safety Net” is one of the catchiest songs in her arsenal, a great co-write with Ålkemi that adds a hint of something different to iLO’s vibe. iLO has plenty of cowrites now and seems to only rarely release new singles of her own, which is a shame because her voice is amazingly engaging with a unique tone that sets her apart. Regardless, this is one of our favorite iLO songs, always a pleasant addition to a Saturday morning playlist. (My review of the EP that contains “Safety Net,” iLO’s Fragile Heart EP, can be found here at this link.)
This song from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack does a great job of showcasing Lady Gaga‘s powerful voice in a song package with broad appeal. I don’t usually go out of my way to listen to Lady Gaga, but when you hear her incredible voice, it’s almost impossible to leave mid-song. I also love the kickass scene in the video with the flyover.
“Drops of Jupiter” is just one of many Train songs I enjoy. I may get some pushback on this, but given my tendency to favor music with hooks and the potential for broad appeal, I place Train at or near the top of the list of mainstream rock bands whose hits primarily reside in the 21st century. The band is always willing to experiment, sometimes to the extent that I don’t initially recognize a new song as one of theirs, at least not until I recognize Pat Monahan’s voice, after which it’s unmistakable. Some of you know my advice about always experimenting with different styles or collaborations on at least two songs during a full-length album to avoid stagnating as a band. Well, Train does that in spades, which is why they’re one of my favorite pop-rock bands of this century.
This second iLO song on this morning’s playlist, selected by the algorithm (probably because I hadn’t strayed yet from the playlist that began with “Safety Net”), also appeared on iLO’s Fragile Heart EP.
I love this new Beatles song. I mean, how could you not? Is it a top ten Beatles song for me? Probably not. But it’s catchy and fun, and it becomes moreso with each subsequent listen. It’s also cool how the old and new footage is blended in the video. And, if you’ve not already, I’d recommend reading about how this song was recorded. Here’s a link to an Entertainment Weekly article about it.
Our Saturday morning coffee-and-music sessions have solidified my appreciation for Ed Sheeran‘s songwriting skills. His skill in blending different musical elements is noteworthy. His songs cross over with several pop-adjacent subgenres. I enjoy almost all of Ed’s hits and several of his “album cuts,” though his genius doesn’t necessarily exempt him from the old ratio, even among the best artists, of 3-4 our of 10 songs being hits while the rest are deservedly album tracks. I love what he’s trying, even when I think it’s a miss rather than a hit. But man, when Ed hits – as he does so often – they’re grand slams, not just bloop singles. Anyway, I always enjoy this song, and it’s one of the big production story-videos that probably only the biggest artists can afford to create. I studied video production as part of my undergrad degree, and, from a music-video perspective, many of Ed Sheeran’s videos are among my favorites, so it’s not just his music that I dig.
This is one of my favorite post-’80s Bon Jovi songs, and this is from more than 20 years ago. Even today, though, while Bon Jovi’s songs don’t connect with me as often as they did in the early years, new music from Jon and the guys is always worth a listen. And there are still great songs from the aughts like “It’s My Life” and “Have a Nice Day” from what would now, I guess, be considered mid-career for Bon Jovi.
We’ve sampled a lot of Passenger‘s music, and Mike Rosenberg (Passenger) consistently delivers heartfelt, enjoyable songs, but he’ll have a hard time replacing “Let Her Go” as his biggest hit. The song draws you in and, in the realm of YouTube playlists, is almost impossible to skip.
No, this isn’t a remake of the Sheriff hit from the ’80s. Instead, it’s the cool, jazzy pop song from Jason LaPierre and Kelsey Blackstone that I reviewed here at the Blog a couple months ago. The song is light and cheerful, and the video is playful (and is primarily shot inside a classic diner; fans of my Instagram #OmeletTour are probably aware of my predilection toward diners). It’s worth noting that this video was a New England Music Awards “Video of the Year” nominee this year. In fact, because this video is often part of the playlist I watch with my wife many Saturdays, I was able to recognize Kelsey at the New England Music Awards event, while I was unable to identify and chat with many of the artists I know because, as a music reviewer, I’ve met so few of them face-to-face, though I exchanged “Oh, you were there? I wish we had connected” messages with some people I’ve known online in the days following the event.
Another artist I’ve reviewed (twice, in fact), country ingenue Leah Belle Faser has several oughta-be-hits in her arsenal. This one is one of my favorites because, in addition to being hooky and memorable, the lyrics are clever and stinging. “Better Than Mine” appeared on Leah’s Crossing Hermi’s Bridge EP, which I reviewed here. (More recently, I reviewed Leah Belle Faser’s single “Trash Talk,” which also sometimes makes an appearance during our YouTube mornings.)
I defy you not to love this powerful old ballad, though I’ll grant you that it might be a little cheesy in spots because I’m in a forgiving mood when I listen to this song. (I forgive the video for its 50-second lead-in before the music starts. Though the pre-music scenes can be artistically clever, a long lead-in becomes a valid reason to skip over most videos after you’ve seen them a half-dozen times.) This Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting collaboration for The Three Musketeers soundtrack features a trio of legendary rock ‘n roll voices that will help it hold up for a few more decades, particularly as the output of the individual artists inevitably begins to slow down at some point. (Not yet, though; Bryan Adams’ 2022 release So Happy It Hurts is a must-own album for mid-range, pop-friendly rock ‘n roll fans. His video for “Kick Ass” is an example of the too-long-lead-in rule I mentioned earlier; the song is one of my favorites, but the clever lead-in becomes increasingly harder to sit through after multiple viewings.)
This NSFW song is called “Pretty Liar,” I assume, because “pretty” would likely replace the f-word if the song were released to radio. (Does such a radio-friendly version already exist?) Instead, though, this particular song, from Shania Twain‘s 2023 Queen of Me album, became perhaps our favorite Shania Twain song by the end of our first listen, and it has continued to hold up well. It’s short – a quick shot in passing, I suppose – energetic, and fun to sing along to… but not if there are impressionable children or judgy adults around.
The music continued this morning, including songs from Andy Grammer, Rachel Platten, Dolly Parton, The Outfield, Rita Ora, Sara Bareilles, Cami Bradley, Lindsey Stirling, and more. But I only promised you 12 write-ups, so I’ll stick to that and get this posted.
Closing Notes
I hope you enjoyed this today. I thought a “Publisher’s Corner” column might be a nice way to convey quick-hit news and reviews from time to time. I’m not sure how often I’ll share weekend morning playlists this way. Perhaps, future “Publisher’s Corner” columns might include additional information of interest. What brought today’s write-up about is that I’ve been unable to work reviewing into my schedule lately. Sometimes, I’m not in a place where I can find time to play audio while I write, and that’s a requirement for me to write good album reviews. But I can write a column in silence.
Anyway, let me know if you like the idea of the occasional series of quick-hit reviews (or news) in this “Publisher’s Corner” format. And also if you enjoyed this peek into my listening habits, what I listen to while not preparing for the next review, and particularly the format of sharing links to a dozen or so music videos in a column like this. (Blog comments require my approval, but as long as you stay on-topic about the music or the bands or, really, anything related to the article/review, I always approve them. So please comment, either here or on one of our social media pages.)
Have a great weekend, everyone! And sorry for the slow flow of content lately; I expect to have more openings in my schedule to review albums and singles again in the coming weeks. (The first draft of yesterday’s review was written before Thanksgiving; yes, it took me that long to find time to proofread it!)
Also, I hope there aren’t too my typos here; I’m forgoing the proofread to get this out more quickly.
Geoff Wilbur's Music Blog 