Category Archives: Album Reviews

Album Review: Håkon Høye – Nights at the Surf Motel

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Håkon Høye

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Album Review of Håkon Høye: Nights at the Surf Motel (Big H Records)

Håkon Høye is a rockin’ Norwegian bluesman whose Nights at the Surf Motel, his full-length second release, is an engaging collection of blues rock songs.

Håkon kicks off the album with the kind of blues riff that would lure any passerby into a blues/rock club upon hearing it. The album-opening song, “Junkyard of Dreams,” is a fun, inviting number, providing the perfect entry point to this record. It has the feel of an enjoyingly bluesy, classic garage rock number.

Håkon Høye – Nights at the Surf Motel

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

In fact, opening riffs are a specialty on this disc. Every song starts with a guitar chord or drum beat that, within a split-second, is likely to elicit a “crank this up” response.

Song two, “Stay Awhile,” couples a hypnotic rhythm with the cool lyric, “She said, ‘Come on in, don’t be shy, leave your shoes at the door. Don’t be afraid to stay awhile, ’cause I will keep you warm.'”

Next up, Håkon changes the pace with a funky blues number, the cool, catchy “One Floor Down.” There’s even a hint of a bluesy Gospel influence on “Good Thing.” Next up, “You Must Believe Me” has a lighter feel, mixing Motown-ish harmonies, prominent hornwork, and kind of a dancing, light-touch blues guitar line.

“Sweet Sugar You” returns the record to down ‘n dirty blues, with a nastier, thumping blues rhythm, but Håkon keeps mixing things up, as the next song, “My Darkest Hour,” is much more softly instrumented with a somewhat lo-fi sound.

Håkon Høye – Nights at the Surf Motel

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

“Time Will Tell” follows, with a slow, swampy blues flavor, which flows neatly into the beginning of “Wastin’ Time With You” before that song picks up tempo a bit more, showcasing a somewhat disjointed, herky-jerky rhythm.

Håkon closes the collection with the title track, “Nights at the Surf Motel,” a slow-paced, soulful blues number that features modest guitar runs and heartfelt blues vocals.

For me, Nights at the Surf Motel began as a pleasant listen – clearly a quality blues record featuring top-shelf musicians – and then revealed the quality of its blues magic over repeated listens, eventually becoming an anticipated visit on my daily audio journey through my review queue. I’m sure you’ll recognize the quality of this album during your first listen, too; be sure to keep on listening, though, because this collection of songs gets continually better over the course of frequent visits.

Looking Ahead

If one thing’s apparent, it’s that a Håkon Høye live gig must be a must-see. I don’t see any dates listed on the “Events” tab of Håkon’s Facebook page, but it’s not clear if that’s regularly updated. Be sure to follow his Facebook page, though, because gigs are sometimes mentioned there. Also worth noting, Håkon shares some great photos via his Instagram account.

Album Review: Marvin Brooks – I’ll Be Fine

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Album Review of Marvin Brooks: I’ll Be Fine (Position Music)

Marvin Brooks is one of the most widely-listenable, broadly-appealing artists in the musical lane that mixes R&B and hip-hop, with this Ghanaian-German artist showcasing several other influences, as well, and displaying a sharp ear for pop sensibilities. There’s plenty of seriousness in the lyrics, jumping back and forth across the line that separates life’s difficulty with hopefulness, providing a depth that sustains multiple beginning-to-end journeys through the album. At the same time, the variety of song tempos, rhythms, and musical influences provide variety across the well-crafted songs, most of which would be enjoyable listens with or without the well-crafted lyrics.

Marvin opens the album with a song that starts the listener off with an uplifted mood and cleanses the musical palate. “Feel It” is a fun, uptempo tune with lots of musical open space upon which a rhythmic, tunefully-spoken-word singing style blends with celebratory, soaring vocals.

Marvin Brooks

photo courtesy of DRPR

The change in tone in “Seven Forty Five” conveys the shift to seriousness, as it’s an introspective number with a pleasantly rhythmic, nearly hypnotic vocal delivery. Though sonically quite different, the next song, “Around Me,” could be described similarly.

“Ghost” is slower and rather ethereal, with a darker rhythm offset with recurring, playful notes and slight tempo shifts, providing the requisite variety throughout the song.

You’ll hear other broader influences on the record, too. Notably, reggae rhythms make a significant appearance, driving one of my several favorites in this collection, the memorably rhythmic “On the Low,” featuring Kataem. It’s a tune you’ll catch yourself singing along with by the second or third listen.

Full-0n Gospel opens and drives “As I Went Down,” with some well-fitting rapped lyrics that recall painful racial history while looking hopefully forward.

“I’ll Be Fine” is another standout track that deserves mention. It’s a well-crafted open letter to family, sincere enough to suggest it’s personally deeply felt, with lyrics like, “Oh mama, I promise everything will be just fine; oh mama, don’t worry ’bout your son, I’ll be alright.” The song moves along very slowly and heavily with depth and gravitas, with musical sensibilities that make it an easy, pleasant listen.

Other favorites on the album are the faster-paced “Shake What Your Mama,” the thoughtfully lyrical love poem “By My Side,” and the hypnotically soaring “Too Close.” In addition, there’s “Unstoppable,” which taps into raw emotion and musically ratchets up in tension over the course of the song, making it a mesmerizing track.

By the time you get to album-closing “If I Fall,” it’s been an emotional ride, so the song’s mellow tone provides a soft landing, but don’t go sleeping on this sweetly sung song, as its lyrics provide the same comfortable calm exit as its music bed.

In summary, I’ll Be Fine is simultaneously a serious album and a fun listen. If you like your music to be satisfying and, at times, soul-searching, you’ll want to hear this disc. And if you just want cool music to enjoy, this is an album for you, too. Marvin Brooks is exceptionally talented, someone whose music needs to be on your radar.

Since This Release

Since I’ll Be Fine, Marvin has released several additional singles, his most recent being “Fire” featuring Worlasi, a song whose YouTube views have soared, suggesting it may be well on its way to being a hit. So once you’ve absorbed I’ll Be Fine, be sure to check out “Fire” and Marvin’s other single releases from the last couple of years. I’d also suggest checking out the review I wrote a couple years ago about the single “You Want It,” by 2WEI, featuing Marvin Brooks and Ohana Bam.

Looking Ahead

Too keep up with Marvin’s latest recordings and artist news, be sure to follow him on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Spotify, and sign up for his YouTube channel.

Album Review: Kyle Culkin – Pork Chops & Blues

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Kyle Culkin – Pork Chops & Blues

image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

Album Review of Kyle Culkin: Pork Chops & Blues

“Break me off a piece of that pork chop, baby, break me off a piece of that meat…” I guarantee you’ll be singing along by the end of the first listen to disc-opener “The Pork Chop Song.” Kyle Culkin delivers an energetic disc full o’ rollickin’ blues with Pork Chops & Blues.

I rarely quote from artist bios in my reviews, but when Culkin opened for the B.B. King on his 80th birthday tour, B.B. King proclaimed, “This kid can play!” I can’t argue with B.B.

Song two is a Culkin-penned number, an energetically bluesy “So Damn Old,” with guest axework from Carl Verheyen, whose rock ‘n roll album I reviewed at the blog a couple years ago. The guitars roll throughout this track, a song as blues as blues, and Kyle’s moderately gruff voice concludes, convincingly tired and drained, “You’re as young as you feel, or so I’m told. So I’m sittin’ here wonderin’ why I feel so damn old.”

Kyle slows things down a little with the crooner “By the Blues” before amping up the energy on one “Burn It All Down.” But that additional juice was apparently just a stepping-stone to the next track, as Kyle hits the accelerator even harder during catchy singalong-worthy country-blues rocker “Why Me.” For someone who likes to listen to album in their intended order, this is a terrific three-song sequence.

Next up is “Nothing From Nobody,” a nice addition to this song collection, a change of pace number that treads that fine line between “blues” and “complaining.”

Penultimate song “Can’t Come Down” really slows things down, a sweet soft rock song with just a hint of blues, by far the most appropriate number in this collection for those looking for a slow dance.

Kyle closes the record with “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” more a big stage soul-pop-rock song than a blues number. It’s an engaging song with a big sound, well-placed at the end of the album, particularly after the previous, palate-cleansing entry.

Pork Chops & Blues is a short, 8-song album, short enough that it leaves you wanting more, which might very well be the point.

Since the Release

Pork Chops & Blues, released in May 2021, isn’t Kyle’s current album. Just a few weeks ago he released a new record, Shotgun Ridge. I haven’t heard that yet – I’m looking forward to giving it a listen – but Pork Chops & Blues is a special album I simply had to share with you. It’s been a favorite of mine for the last couple of years, and if you dig the blues, I’d highly recommend it.

EP Review: Oumua – Glass Splinters

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Oumua – Glass Splinters

image courtesy of Oumua

EP Review of Oumua: Glass Splinters

This four-song collection from Oumua is an engaging dose of heavy rock. This five-piece band from Kraków incorporates a variety of vocal styles, from straightforward rock vocals to hard rock growls, from thoughtfully introspective musing to heavy metal screams. The underlying music is a blending of a classic heavy rock with more hardcore, aggressive metal influences. The result is a collection of songs that will appeal to a broad range of hard rockers, performed in Oumua’s very own identifiable, engaging, original heavy rock manner.

Quickly examining the songs on the EP: “Pulling Inward” sports a rolling rhythm line. “Surface Reality” is more in-your-face. “Salvation” is drum-driven, with thumping verses and, increasingly, distorted screaming metal vocals as the song progresses. And “Minor Claws” adeptly mixes a more airy musical composition and contemplativeness with aggressively heavy sections.

I absolutely dig Oumua’s metal energy. The stylistic variances found within each of the band’s songs make them interesting listens, driven by the energy and power that defines a great hard rock or metal band. If this sounds like it falls within your preferred musical palate, you’d be remiss not to check out Oumua.

More Recently

You’ll find a pair of newer songs, “Filters” and “Griefcase,” on Oumua’s YouTube page and at the band’s Bandcamp page.

Be sure to check out Oumua’s link tree page for various ways to listen to the band’s music.

Album Review: Vanessa Peters – Modern Age

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Vanessa Peters

photo by Rip Rowan; photo courtesy of Skye Media

Album Review of Vanessa Peters: Modern Age

Vanessa Peters’ Modern Age clocks in at the electrically-charged, guitar-driven, rocky edge of singer-songwriter fare. Modern Age will perhaps remind you of some of Liz Phair’s hits from the early aughts, but, as was the case with Liz, the songs are a bit more nuanced and adventurous than they initially let on. The songs are fully-produced but with a lighter touch, with plenty of crunch and grit, but a bit of open space among the instruments, too – it’s not necessarily noticeable unless you listen closely, but it does nudge the emphasis more toward the vocals, the lyrics, and the core songwriting, very appropriately for such a thoughtfully-assembled collection of songs.

Modern Age kicks off with its title track, my very favorite of the disc’s many outstanding cuts. “Modern Age” catchily laments modernization’s elimination of simpler pleasures: “That’s the way it goes in today’s modern age. As soon as it’s made, it gets through away. I’m running on a drained battery, and I really miss the way that it used to be.” For a song of regret and nostalgia, it’s quite peppy and fun.

Vanessa Peters – Modern Age

image courtesy of Skye Media

Next up, with an emotionally heavier tone, though still driven by some nicely distorted guitar strumming, there’s something nihilistic about lines like “I can’t rearrange these deck chairs one more time,” as “Make Up My Mind” tackles modern dysfunctions, seemingly both large and small, in the context of pondering self-examination.

“Crazymaker” is a lot more uptempo, with a heavy strum-driven rhythm putting the song through its paces but still sporting the same sort of not-quite-sarcastic but oh-so-clever lyrics.

“Valley of Ashes” slows things down to a more plodding tempo but features the sort of neat little, playful, old-school guitarslinger riffs and rambling noodling you might expect from guitar rockers when they slow the music down to a bare-bones near-crawl. Guitar noir, maybe?

“Hood Ornament” picks up the tempo again, detailing life as a woman slingin’ axe in the rock ‘n roll boys’ club, featuring lyrics like “Took my place up on the stage at the big event, all alone in a crowd of men. One of them looked me up and down and said, ‘I thought you were the hood ornament.'” Seriously, dude?! Yeah, this is more than just another catchy mid-tempo tune.

Vanessa Peters

photo by Rip Rowan; photo courtesy of Skye Media

“The Band Played On” is another hooky, lightly instrumented rocker, though I mostly just find myself singing along to the lyric “we can’t give up just ’cause the bastards won.”

“Never Really Gone” suggests you may not really be able to leave your hometown behind, even if you’re sure you’ve escaped. (Does that scare you as much as it scares me?) “The Weight of This,” a song of lament, follows.

“Yes” thumps along knowingly, a song about being passed over for deserved opportunities, while “The Try” is a deceptively cheerful song driven by a recurring, reverberating guitar riff that almost – but not quite – rivals the vocals for in-song dominance.

The recurring sense of optimism that seems to be an undercurrent beneath many of the other songs’ cynicism bursts forth (a bit) in the final track, “Still Got Time.” I mean, you won’t find the opening lyrics “Well, get a hold of yourself, ’cause the world isn’t ending yet” on a Hallmark card anytime soon, but after that beginning, the song takes a decidedly hopeful turn. As a result, after some of the emotionally heavy song subjects, this disc – an exceptionally fun listen throughout – will end up putting a smile on your face, leaving you excited to face the world. You know, excited within reason, anyway.

Beginning to end, Modern Age is a cool journey, a thoughtful, well-written album. I knew from nearly the beginning of “Modern Age” that I needed to share this album with anyone who would listen, and I’ll listen to that song alone on repeat a few times in a row, but the disc contains several other gems. Give it a few spins and you’ll find your own favorites.

Vanessa Peters

photo by Brent Baxter; photo courtesy of Skye Media

What’s Next?

There are no upcoming shows listed on the “Shows” page of Vanessa’s website, but check back to see if/when some are added. You may also want to follow her Facebook and her Instagram accounts for upcoming news and events.

 

Album Review: Nobody’s Girl – Nobody’s Girl

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Nobody's Girl album cover

image courtesy of Hello Wendy PR

Album Review of Nobody’s Girl: Nobody’s Girl

Nobody’s Girl is a bit of an Americana supergroup, a collaboration among BettySoo, Rebecca Loebe, and Grace Pettis. With that pedigree, you’d expect songwriting and vocals to be among this trio’s strengths, and judging by this eponymous full-length album, indeed, they are.

Nobody’s Girl knows how to structure a song to build to power, to complement the vocals, and to connect emotionally.

The trio kicks things off emphatically with “Kansas,” a song whose music bed is as rich and lush as the group’s harmonies, a song sure to become an anthem of strength and support for those who left behind Kansas – whether the state itself or the state as a metaphor.

Throughout the rest of the disc, other favorites step forward, though the songwriting and delivery is so solid those breakthrough songs are destined to be different for each listener.

Nobody’s Girl tackles social issues in many of its songs. Songs like “Kansas” are subtle. Others, like “Promised Land,” are a lot more direct – though dependably tuneful, engaging, and catchy – lamenting the state of the U.S., but opining hopefully toward the end that “from where I stand, this could still be the promised land.”

“Rescued” stands out as an energetic song about personal independence with a cool rhythm line and, you just might notice, a small but effective guitar riff at just the right spot in the second half of the song to propel it home.

Difficulties of a career in music are fodder for the melancholically uptempo “Beauty Way.” Similarly uptempo “What’ll I Do” is a fun take on perhaps not the wisest romance.

Other notable songs include “Birthright,” singing forthrightly about a range of traumas, large and small, recent and generational; the floatingly, soft “The Morning After,” with its almost haunting musical backdrop and phrasing, particularly in the verses; and a relatively true to the original (but still oh-so-worth-the-listen) cover of  the Carole King classic “So Far Away.”

The disc closes with the sweet, folksy “Lark,” which repeatedly poses the question, “Where you runnin’ to?”

Individually, the members of Nobody’s Girl are obviously talented. Collectively, wow! And Nobody’s Fool is an exceptionally strong collection of songs that should be of interest to a group of fans with musical tastes ranging from singer-songwriter to pop-to-mid-tempo rock to some country-leaning Americana.

Looking Ahead

There are currently no tour dates listed on the “Tour” page of Nobody’s Girl’s website. However, there are current opportunities to see the trio perform separately. Rebecca Loebe’s “Tour” page shows that she has a September European tour planned. BettySoo’s “Shows” page shows that she’s in the middle of a continent-spanning summer tour. Grace Pettis’s website, meanwhile, lists a single September 21st date at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston, TX.

Album Review: Jeff Kollman – East of Heaven

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Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

Album Review of Jeff Kollman: East of Heaven (Marmaduke Records)

A few days ago, I reviewed an instrumental album from Lanterna. That was one of the two instrumental releases that have been gracing the top of my review-queue playlist during much of the last couple of years. This, Jeff Kollman‘s East of Heaven, is the other.

Jeff Kollman – East of Heaven

image courtesy of A.R.M.

East of Heaven is a classic rock-styled album, driven by Kollman’s axework. I don’t have many all-instrumental albums in my collection, but this one will sit proudly alongside my Steve Vai and Marc Bonilla discs. It’s one of those guitar-driven instrumental collections that can reach a broader market, with structured, catchy songs that’ll quickly become like old friends even for those of us who might typically like to sing along.

You may know Kollman from his hard-rockin’ stint with Edwin Dare in the ’90s or perhaps more recently from his prog-metal fusion group Cosmosquad. This disc falls clearly within the purview of someone with Kollman’s resume, showing off what he can do on a “solo” rock album. Of course, though Kollman’s guitarwork drives the record, his top-shelf bandmates make this truly a bandwide effort. Jeff is joined by Shane Gaalaas and Jono Brown on drums, Paul Shihadeh on bass, and Guy Allison on keyboards.

Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

East of Heaven opens with “Loss,” a 2-minute table-setting piece, sporting guitarwork with just a hint of distortion on what seems like a slowly-building music bed. It’s the sort of 2-minute album intro you might expect to kick off a classic rock album, particularly in the days when AOR ruled the world, and not necessarily just on concept-driven discs.

In the heart of the album, “Superstring Theory” is probably my favorite of the harder-rocking numbers, thanks to its driving rhythm. Other favorites include the more often – though not always – softer “Ghostly” and “East of Heaven” and the mellow guitar-picker “So Long Ago.” The songs on East of Heaven range from energetic to introspective to moody, though perhaps most often introspective, covering a broad spectrum of sounds and emotions.

Kollman closes the disc aptly with “See You On the Other Side,” a meandering piece with a recurring theme, traveling a musical journey that draws sonically upon many of the prior songs in the collection, combined in such a way that it seems to be saying “So long for now. We’ll meet again on the next album.”

If you’re a classic guitar rock fan, a guitar instrumental fan, or both, East of Heaven will be a welcome addition to your collection.

Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

More About Jeff Kollman

Since this album’s, there’s a newer single, “Green For Miles” (featuring Guy Allison), available from Jeff at his Marmaduke Records bandcamp page.

You can follow Jeff on Instagram for new announcements, including upcoming shows. Also, though there are no dates listed, you can watch the “Events” tab of Jeff’s Facebook page and the “Events” tab of Cosmosquad’s Facebook page for upcoming listings.

Album Review: Liz Bills and the Change – Liz Bills and the Change

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Liz Bills and the Change

photo by Andy Twyman Photography; photo courtesy of Liz Bills

Album Review of Liz Bills and the Change: Liz Bills and the Change

This is the eponymous debut album of Liz Bills and the Change. Blog readers may be familiar with Liz, who has been featured in these pages as Analog Heart’s vocalist and as a solo performer. Her latest act, Liz Bills and the Change, is toned down from her hard-rockin’ Analog Heart gig, but it’s still very much Liz Bills-styled music. And with this release, Liz is back in a band format, bouncing off of other talented artists who share the studio and the stage with her, so it has a cool energy. Always one to move forward and expand upon what she’s built before, this band and new release are a great next musical step for Liz; in fact, Liz Bills and the Change snagged the Pop Act of the Year award at the 2021 New England Music Awards.

This album is engaging from the very first listen, but it has so many layers and so much depth it gets better each time through, though with Liz Bills’ songwriting skills, that’s no surprise.

While Liz Bills’ music is frequently deep and introspective, it’s also, without a doubt, a lot of fun. Liz exudes a warm, enthusiastic, authentic energy during her live performances; it features prominently in her songwriting and in her recordings, too.

On brand, this album kicks things off with high energy. An energetic rhythm drives “The Train Song” in such a way you’ll not only bounce along to it, but you’ll find yourself screaming along with Liz’s vocal train whistle, “Whoo Ooh!” And yet, it’s not just a fun song. The train serves as a metaphor for life’s journey or, more specifically, life’s best – or at least more interesting – journey, and Liz sings tuneful encouragement.

Life’s journey continues with “Somebody Else,” as the verses chug along (because now you’ve caught the train, if I were to continue to train metaphor) interrupted by serious tempo and mood changes in the chorus and bridges (because your life may not always be on the track you expected).

Liz’s songwriting drifts home during the disc, notably in the next song, “Home,” and a couple songs later, on “Mama’s Song.” There’s a little melancholy in the slow-tempoed but flowing “Home,” but shrouded more in remembrance than sadness. “Mama’s Song,” meanwhile, is an ode – a very personal lyrical love letter – to a mother from a child who knows the mother did her best and appreciates all she’s done, even as the child is just slowly coming to this realization gradually with each passing year. This introspection seemingly culminates with the revelation that is this song, which acknowledges just what the mother has accomplished and, perhaps, sacrificed.

Nestled in-between those two tracks sits “When I’m With You,” a tuneful, folksy, strumming love song. Even a slow song like this moves along with a bit of a motor when performed by Liz Bills and the Change. Liz’s music never gets too mellow, even when her songs are chill.

“Wi-Hi” is a fun, funky, dynamic song about the psychological ill effects of being constantly connected. “Gasoline” is a playful song about playing with fire, mixing imagery with metaphor – mostly metaphor, but it makes for a clever, fun ditty. And “Come Back to Me” closes the album with a funky rock ‘n roll flair, a style we’ve come to know well from Liz through the years.

Once again, Liz Bills has assembled an album that’s a fun listen – I’d dare you to try not to smile while listening, but you might hurt yourself – while being thoughtful and introspective, causing listeners to examine their own preconceived notions. It’s a stellar debut for Liz’s newest band, Liz Bills and the Change.

Looking Ahead

There are a few upcoming shows listed on the “Tour Dates” page of Liz’s website. She’ll be at the Summer Soiree 2023 in West Sidney, ME on July 27th, at TroutStock 2023 in Rutland, MA on August 4th, at the Boston Harbor Distillery in Boston, MA on August 25th, and at Wormtown 2023 in Greenfield, MA on September 14th. Of course, keep checking back to see new dates at they’re added. Also, be sure to follow Liz’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for show and career announcements.

Album Review: Lanterna – Hidden Drives

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Lanterna

photo by Theo Merritt; image courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Album Review of Lanterna: Hidden Drives (Badman Recording Co.)

You know how sometimes the way an album hits you is more about a sound than it is about the individual songs? Well, Lanterna‘s Hidden Drives is one such record. Over the last year or two, this collection of instrumental tracks has resided near the top of my to-be-reviewed queue, providing a warm, rich music bed conducive to the thoughtful analysis required by my work. Though Hidden Drives is soft and unstartling – important to those who listen to music while they work – it also features musical hooks and flourishes that embed themselves into the listener’s brain, capable of reappearing unprompted in the mind days or even weeks after the most recent listen.

Lanterna – Hidden Drives

image courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Musically, Lanterna’s songs float and flutter – the fluttering a result of adeptly-picked guitar strings – while similar rhythmic themes seem to reappear from song to song. The reappearance is, of course, more complete in the handful of songs that are reprised at the back-end of the disc. Hidden Drives contains 15 tracks. It kicks of with ten songs, then ends with reimagined versions of five of those ten. For example, the smooth strummed, warm motor of the second song on the album, title track “Hidden Drives,” reoccurs on track 11, “Hidden Drives (Thomaston).” You know, to be honest, the differences in the remixes are generally too subtle for me to realize when the songs cycle back around. However, it’s the repetition – both the similarities of different songs and the repeating of several songs at the end – that causes this album to quickly feel like an old friend.

Much of the album is quiet and mellow, but you’ll find bursts of energy. “Chagrin Boulevard,” “Aqueduct,” and “Nice” are a few songs that provide that modest tempo variance. But the mellower songs are the backbone of Hidden Drives. Favorites include “Cupola” and “Cupola (University Avenue),” “Redwood” and “Redwood (Sans),” and “Flag.”

In all, I have really enjoyed listening to the disc regularly for months and months and months. If you dig light but interesting instrumental soft rock, whether as a soundtrack to your workday or in any other locale, you owe it to yourself to give Lanterna’s Hidden Drives a test drive.

Looking Ahead

Though there are no upcoming shows listed, you can find performance dates, as they’re added, at the bottom of the main page of Lanterna’s website and on the “Events” tab of the band’s Facebook page.

Album Review: Shawna Caspi – Hurricane Coming

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Shawna Caspi

photo by Roni Hoffman; photo courtesy of Shawna Caspi

Album Review of Shawna Caspi: Hurricane Coming

This isn’t the first time I’ve reviewed Shawna Caspi. She’s one of my favorite folk-based artists, with a pure and precise – yet emotional – folk voice that makes every song seem like it’s telling a story. It takes a special artist to stand apart in this crowded genre, and Shawna does, indeed. (If you read my live review of Shawna’s WICN performance a few years ago, you already knew this.) Today, I’m writing a long-overdue review of Shawna’s most recent album, Hurricane Coming.

One of my favorite things about Hurricane Coming is that Shawna flexes her musical muscles a bit on this disc, with compelling and varied songwriting and, perhaps more importantly, a stretch of Shawna’s vocal range and style, with occasional growling grit and some emotional reaching-for-notes thrown in to complement Shawna’s sweet, smooth vocal power.

Shawna Caspi – Hurricane Coming

image courtesy of Shawna Caspi

That variance doesn’t start with song one, though. Shawna kicks things off with a strong steady strum and her comfortably smooth voice, engagingly dancing through a fast favorite in her inimitable, classic style – folky, uptempo songwriter rock with a rich music bed, “Wait Love.” That’s followed by the plaintive, pleading “Leaving Ain’t Easy,” a memorable track that features a sad guitar wail and is sure to be a favorite of some, particularly those wallowing in heartbreak.

Next song, “Ghost Town,” is the one in which Shawna seems the most like a stripped-down rocker. Yes, one of my favorites. It’s uptempo, driven by an energetic rhythm line, intermixed with some distorted country-style strumming and, well, those lyrics. The lyric that hits closest to home for me comes when Shawna croons, “I feel like the worst kind of person most of the time, a big city bully when I’m stuck in line with the postal clerk who types too slow, and I make a sign like I’ve gotta go.” And yet it’s a song about being welcomed and accepted, especially when we travel with open hearts, even when we’re outside our comfort zones.

Shawna Caspi

photo by Roni Hoffman; photo courtesy of Shawna Caspi

“Echo” exudes the full emotions of a melancholy remembrance. “One More Chance,” too, showcases Shawna’s ability to turn a phrase well, with a steady rhythm keeping the song moving even as its guitar parts and vocal line seem to want to meander. And “Hope Lives” is softly powerful, painting vivid pictures of an abstract emotion.

Shawna picks up the tempo a little on “Lay Low Shadow,” with a hint of country twang, though it’s really more the instrumentation than her vocal that waxes country, even if it sometimes feels otherwise. But it’s a brief uptempo interlude, as the mellow, sweet, emotional “Running Start” provides a slower but commanding follow-up.

Penultimate track “Celebrate” is playful and uplifting, with guitar picking dancing playfully, emphasizing the light-hearted hopefulness of celebrating small victories.

Final track “Hold the Light” is more densely instrumented, delivering a satisfying ending to Hurricane Coming. Throughout, though it pulls no punches about life’s difficulties, this album is hopeful. And, of course, pleasant to listen to, well-suited to Shawna’s vocal talents.

Since the Release

Hurricane Coming was nominated for a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Contemporary Album of the Year category.

Shawna Caspi

photo by Eric Thom; photo courtesy of Shawna Caspi

On the Road

Shawna has several upcoming gigs already scheduled in the U.S. and Canada this year. On July 21, you can catch her at the Two Way Street Coffee House in Downers Grove, IL, and on July 23, she’ll be performing a Knight Road House Concerts show in Ann Arbor, MI. August features several shows in Ontario plus a mid-month gig in Manitoba. Beyond that, there are New Jersey and Ontario shows booked later in the year, and a Fort Myers, FL performance already scheduled for April 2024. Be sure to check the “Gigs” page of Shawna’s website for dates, times, and venues.