Category Archives: Album Reviews

Album Review: Simon Scardanelli – Make Us Happy

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Simon Scardanelli – Make Us Happy

The Backstory

My review of Simon Scardanelli’s previous full-length album, Dark Dog Days from his band Dr Scardo, was entry #3 in the “Road Back to Music Journalism” series with which I launched Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog last fall. In that article, I also touched on Simon’s background in 1980s pop band Big Bam Boo and the fact that I first reviewed one of Simon’s albums when I wrote about his band The Eye Camera’s album entitled Death Row Tales in the mid 1990s. Simon’s new album, Make Us Happy, hit the streets today, March 4, 2016.

Album Review of Simon Scardanelli: Make Us Happy

Simon Scardanelli - Make Us Happy

image courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

In some ways, this sounds almost like a follow-up to Dark Dog Days, if perhaps a bit less dark for the most part. It’s more energetic, and the music itself seems a bit more cheerful on a greater percentage of the tracks, though the lyrics belie the deeper-seated frustration behind the music. I’ve come to expect dark, social issue-driven pop music from Simon, but Make Us Happy has a bit of a roots-rock/country-folk edge to it. Make no mistake, though; Simon’s recognizable voice and inimitable vocal delivery style, as well as the cynically-energetic, carefully-crafted lyrics he delivers, still drive this album. But it has a bit of a unique edge to it. Perhaps the best words I’ve found to describe this collection are that it’s rootsy, issue-driven pop that’s passed through the dark side of a carnival fun-house mirror.

From the first strains of “Whirlwind,” this album begins as you’d expect an Americana disc to open. As the record progresses, the music leans a bit old-school folk-country, suggesting perhaps even a little Johnny Cash toward the beginning of the fourth track, “Hopes in My Pocket.” OK, maybe just a hint.

The title track, “Make Us Happy,” is really an uptempo dark pop track, but the tempo and delivery hint at the rant of a carnival barker sounding the alarm while calling out an energetic, twisted country square dance. This song is a masterpiece!

It’s followed by “Sweet Loretta,” which sounds a bit more like pure Americana music; I’d’ve suggested the mountains of West Virginia, but the song itself mentions Kentucky. And it’s followed by a song that’s oddly accessible, “Truth Seems Stranger,” a song that’s tough to describe more precisely than as folk-pop that’s not as pop as it seems to be.

“Days That Lie” returns to an Old West, country/folk/Americana vibe before the album closes with the ominously haunting “Dagger.”

As a whole, Make Us Happy is a nice, deep, thoughtful collection of songs that lean a bit darker than would ordinarily accompany their pop packaging. If you don’t own any of Simon Scardanelli’s albums, check this one out; it’s not like anything else in your collection. And if you’re already a fan…? Well, though I’m sure you’re planning to buy the disc anyway, I can assure you it’s equal to his best.

Looking Ahead

Check Simon’s website for performance information. On March 13th, you can catch him on Genevieve Tudor’s Sunday Folk @ BBC Radio Shropshire. And on June 9th, he’s scheduled to perform at The Acoustic Club @ Half Moon in Bishop’s Stortford.

Album Review: Valerie Orth – Fires and Overturned Cars

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Valerie Orth – Fires and Overturned Cars

Valerie Orth - Fires and Overturned Cars

photo courtesy of Valerie Orth

The Backstory

Valerie Orth started wowing music fans about a decade ago, receiving great acclaim in the Bay Area before moving from San Francisco to Brooklyn along with her longtime bassist Veronika Adams in 2013.

I’m not sure how I first discovered Valerie’s music, but for the last several months I’ve been enjoying her most recent album, Fires and Overturned Cars. Released two years ago (with individual, handmade covers, no less!), the album is a compilation of old favorites, new singles, and B-sides. Of course, I am just rediscovering the top independent musicians whose careers developed during my long hiatus from music journalism, so the songs are all new to me.

Album Review of Valerie Orth: Fires and Overturned Cars

Valerie Orth

photo courtesy of Valerie Orth

Valerie Orth is a singer-songwriter/rock guitarist. Fires and Overturned Cars showcases her broad range, often featuring elements of mid-tempo, sometimes psychedelic, indie rock with emotional, at-times soulful vocals, wrapped up in songs that, while they seem based on semi-catchy pop-rock songwriting instincts, emphatically refuse to sound formulaic.

Album-opener “Uh Oh” is the song that first attracted me. It’s memorable with a pulsing, not-quite-reggae rock rhythm. It’s a fitting introduction to the way Valerie’s vocals wander purposefully within the melody. If I were a coach on The Voice (or a color commentator on Monday Night Football), I’d say she moves around well in the pocket. Meanwhile, the rap breakdown in “Uh Oh” reminds me of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” You know, just for kicks. As becomes evident throughout Fires and Overturned Cars, Valerie deftly incorporates various styles into her trademark sound.

“Life on the Moon” compares sonically to David Cook’s song of the same name, though it’s otherwise quite different. Valerie’s version has a bit more wall-of-sound psychedelic flavor and sweet, crisp vocals compared to David’s more straight-ahead rock riffs and gruffer vocals. Still interesting that two songs with the same title have similar enough powerful rises and falls to elicit a comparable emotional reaction, at least from me.

Valerie Orth

photo courtesy of Valerie Orth

“Still Something on the Line” has the insistent wail, let-up, and catchy melody that immediately reminds the listener of one of Liz Phair’s pop-rock radio-ready tunes. The result is an exceptionally memorable tune; in fact, this may be my favorite song in this collection.

Elsewhere on the album, Valerie blends and bends other styles – and the artists they remind me of – to her will. “Relinquish” mixes in some Stevie Nicks vocal flourishes with reggae-influenced choruses. “Devotion” utilizes Deuce Eclipse’s sway-worthy, well-placed, rhythmic rap segments well among reggae-influenced rhythms, while the line “you give to me/I give to you” reminds me, solely in the rhythm of the lyrics’ delivery, a bit of Jason Mraz’s line “you got the poison/I got the remedy.” “Keeps Coming Back,” meanwhile, kicks off with a dark heavy metal rhythm and maintains a heavy rock ballad darkness throughout, fitting to its thoughtful, self-assessing lyrics. And “Beyond This Song” is more of a straight-up, blues rock ballad in which Valerie’s vocals exhibit full blues-singer gravel.

Finally, some of the softer tracks have breakout potential, as ballads often do. “Blinding” is a bit of a psychedelic, sound-filled ballad, while “Maribel” is a sensitive guitar-picker that is reminiscent of how Dido’s vocal rhythm might sound in a Stevie Nicks ballad. And album-ender “I Forgive You” delivers sweet vocals in perhaps the most standard pop-rock ballad of the bunch, though Valerie’s vocal rhythm, moving around within the melody, brands it as a song that can uniquely only be hers.

Throughout Fires and Overturned Cars, the music, rhythm, vocals, and songwriting incorporate a variety of styles, all the while sounding clearly and cohesively like a Valerie Orth album. How cool is that?

Valerie Orth

photo courtesy of Valerie Orth

Looking Ahead

Valerie has taken the last couple of years retooling her sound a bit, and I look forward to hearing what she has in store for listeners in 2016.

At the moment, the only gig on her itinerary is June 15, 2016 – a tribute to Fiona Apple at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC.  Keep an eye on the tour page of her website for additional dates as they’re added.

Album Review: The Luxury – Bones & Beaten Heart

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The Luxury – Bones & Beaten Heart

The Luxury

photo by Derek Kouyoumjian; photo courtesy of The Luxury

The Backstory

I first discovered The Luxury‘s music about a year and a half ago when a music industry friend of mine was promoting a show for a different band on Facebook; The Luxury was one of the other acts on the bill, but it’s the band whose music I liked best.  I was able to see The Luxury perform a few songs live when they performed at Church in Boston last summer.

The Luxury

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Album Review of The Luxury: Bones & Beaten Heart

The Luxury - Bones & Beaten Heart

image courtesy of The Luxury

The Luxury has a unique, identifiable sound; that’s usually a prerequisite for becoming one of my favorite bands/artists, one that I’ll go out of my way to share with friends, acquaintances, and anyone who will listen.

A confounding mix of almost-out-of-tune, memorable melodies, the occasional oddly distorted wall-of-sound overlay, and catchy songwriting underpin The Luxury’s trademark style. The result is a gloriously demented modern twist on Oasis-meets-The Killers-inspired pop-rock.

The Luxury

photo by Matt Hajdys; photo courtesy of The Luxury

I saw The Luxury in a small club, but its sound is large enough to fill a big theater and would lend itself to U2-esque arena presentation, if the band’s following was large enough and its budget was so inclined. Bones & Beaten Heart, which is meant to be listened to in its entirely, as the songs flow from one to the next, is a journey through this style; it’s as if a mid-tempo melodic rock band’s music has been filtered through a sonic funhouse mirror. And it’s so cool!

Some songs do stand out. The first Luxury song I ever heard, which falls late in the album, was “All I Ever Do Is Win.” It’s filled with lyrical gems like “I never meant to be so misunderstood/You just, you need an enemy to feel this good.” The big distorted guitar sound and “la la” vocals in the chorus are also inspired touches. Here’s a link to “All I Ever Do Is Win” – listen for yourself.

The Luxury

photo by justbill.net; photo courtesy of The Luxury

“In Lieu of Goodbye” is another memorable track. It combines melody, a little techno-inspired keyboard, big harmonies, and thumping rhythm so effectively that it’ll have you singing to yourself “I’m so sorry that I’m not sorry enough” for hours afterwards.

It’s followed by “Ring Around the Ghost,” which has the sort of haunting aura you’d expect from its title, while its verses open with a tunefulness almost catchier than the choruses… OK, catchy in a different way.

“Losing My Time On You” starts with a heavy Beatles influence and overruns it with the occasional vocal wall-of-sound and sixties guitar riff.

The Luxury

photo by Matt Hajdys; photo courtesy of The Luxury

Soaring psychedelic rocker “Sleep Through Summer” is another track with breakout potential. The same is true of sweet, rhythmic pop-rocker “Why Don’t You Cry Anymore (Like You Used To),” which may be what Barenaked Ladies would sound like if they were moderately miffed.

The disc closes with “Nobody With You,” a Beatles-on-psychedelics ditty that’ll leave listeners swaying side-to-side uneasily, though it’s not quite mellow enough to warrant raising lighters in the air.

Overall, Bones & Beaten Heart is a crank-it-up, melodic, distorted, catchy, off-kilter mainstream rock journey. It possesses a unique, identifiable sound that positions The Luxury as top dogs in an otherwise largely unfilled niche in today’s musical landscape. So hop in the car, hit the road, roll down the windows, and blast Bones & Beaten Heart on 11.

Album Review: Gary Lucas & Jann Klose – Stereopticon

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Jann Klose and Gary Lucas

photo by Julia Crowe; photo courtesy of Anne Leighton Media

Gary Lucas & Jann Klose – Stereopticon

The Backstory

The culmination of three years of collaboration between Gary Lucas and Jann Klose, Stereopticon hit the streets on January 8, 2016.

You’ll be forgiven if you’re not as aware of these fine musicians as you wish you were.

Guitarist Lucas is well known for his work with Captain Beefheart and Jeff Buckley. Throughout his career, though, he has released 25-plus solo albums; Stereopticon was the first of three discs scheduled for early 2016 release. Lucas currently plies his rock guitar hero trade across several active musical products crossing various genres.

Singer-songwriter Klose is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning musician, as well. Recently, he was featured as the singing voice of Tim Buckley in the 2012 film Greetings From Tim Buckley. And his most recent solo album, Mosaic, which I reviewed here a few weeks ago, won three 2014 Independent Music Awards.

Album Review of Gary Lucas & Jann Klose: Stereopticon

Gary Lucas & Jann Klose - Stereopticon

image courtesy of Anne Leighton Media

If you’re a fan of mid-range, strumming guitar pop/rock, you’ve found the gem you’ve been looking for. Acoustic guitar rock with no more than a hint of folk, perhaps only because of the acoustic guitar, which occasionally mellows out the overriding soft-to-medium rock singer-songwriter vibe. I’m familiar with Jann’s work through the years, and he lives and thrives in this sweet spot, adding other influences for spice. Stereopticon delivers on the promise of this musical style, producing several strumming-guitar-rock potential-hits.

The album opens like an old friend, snapping its fingers and sidling in with a warm strum and crystal clear vocals on “Fair Weather.” “Secret Wings” follows, similar in style but with a hint more energy and an engaging, uneasy musical tension in its intro that’s repeated in a couple others spots within the song.

One of the more energetic songs on the disc is “Well of Loneliness,” offsetting some abrupt acoustic guitar riffs with smooth crooning and a sax bridge to create a catchy package.

“Take Your Medicine” follows with a catchy opening guitar riff that flows into a gritty strained vocals, showing again why Gary and Jann are such an exceptional pairing.

A couple songs later, “Jewel Julia” is an engaging, powerful number that feels like perhaps a slightly louder companion to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” employing the same energy arc and emphatic drinking-song style.

Toward the end of the disc is “Mary Magdalene,” a tune that climaxes with some of the roughest energy on the disc. This track has garnered some interest within the music industry; it’s clear why, as it has a unique, striking energy.

In the end, Stereopticon is a collection of catchy soft-to-mid-tempo acoustic guitar rock songs that will be a long-valued member of any rock fan’s album collection, offering a well-constructed progression of music that will spawn a different few favorites for each listener; it’s a disc without weak spots, allowing for a satisfying listen from beginning to end.

What’s Next?

You can find upcoming gigs for Gary Lucas on his website, and for Jann Klose on his. Per their posted concert schedules, during the coming month, Gary has events in Silver Springs, MD on March 5th and in Brooklyn on March 18th. The only gig Jann currently has booked in March is in Vernon, NJ on March 18th.

Album Review: Forever Still – Tied Down

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Forever Still – Tied Down

Forever Still

photo courtesy of Forever Still

The Backstory

I almost included Forever Still as part of the nine-part “Road Back to Music Journalism” series with which I launched this blog. This was the first band I discovered via Twitter. Forever Still followed me in January 2015, so I followed them back. When a band follows me, I usually follow them back, hoping I’ll find time to check out the music during my otherwise-busy schedule. (Occasionally I do find time; more often I don’t.) Forever Still followed up via a direct message with a link to the band’s music. I gave it a listen and was blown away. As I’ve followed the band since then, my appreciation for the band’s immense talent as singers, songwriters, and musicians has grown; with the release of Tied Down, I’m pleased to finally have an opportunity to write about Forever Still.

Danish heavy metal band Forever Still (Maja Shining, Mikkel Haastrup, and Dennis Post) burst upon the scene with its 2013 3-song EP Breaking Free. Tied Down is the band’s first full-length album. The 10 tracks on Tied Down consist of two previously-released 3-song EPs (Scars and Save Me), an additional previously-released song (“Your Light”), and three new tracks. 14 months after Scars dropped, the band’s hard work culminated in the January 15, 2016 release of Tied Down.

Forever Still

photo by Lars Winther Schmidt; photo courtesy of Forever Still

Album Review of Forever Still: Tied Down

Forever Still’s Tied Down is a tuneful full-on metal assault. I can hear the comparison to Evanescence and other progressive gothic metal bands whose loud, aggressive musicianship combines with soaring vocals, but Forever Still has even more heavy metal street cred. For example, Maja’s screams and growls, used sparingly but extremely effectively, confirm her metal pedigree.

The album opens with one of its angriest-sounding songs, “Scars,” featuring pulsing heavy guitar rhythms, dissonance, and metal screams mixed with soaring vocals. The initial trio of songs also includes the catchy, soaring metal number that first captured my attention, “Miss Madness,” a song with obvious cross-genre potential. But sandwiched between them is “Once Upon a Nightmare,” a dark lyrical masterpiece that slowly became a favorite. The music is relentlessly powerful, and the vocals convey a painful story that’s easily understood even before you give the lyrics a good listen – the “whispering worms” line is particularly inspired.

Forever Still - Tied Down

image courtesy of Forever Still

“Awake the Fire” follows “Miss Madness” with a fast, rhythmic, headbanging pace – the first half of Tied Down doesn’t let the listener catch his breath for long. “Breathe In” follows with a similar pace (and some of Maja’s well-placed growls).

“Save Me” is a Forever Still ballad. In other words, it’s a slow, soaring metal number, but the well-crafted lyrics aren’t exactly sweet. Like the band’s faster songs, there’s a blend of strength and pain that resonates as lyrical honesty. And power. “Your Light” is a little more mid-paced but still with the same symphonic power-metal feel.

This brings us to the three songs I hadn’t heard before receiving the full-length album in January. The first of those is “Alone,” stylistically similar to “Save Me” but with a slightly faster tempo and perhaps a bit more defiance. “Break the Glass” and “Tied Down” are good companions to “Alone,” with “Tied Down” perhaps featuring a heavier rhythm and more frequently utilizing stretched-out, soaring vocals.

In all, Tied Down is a heavy rock masterpiece, a truth that won’t surprise Forever Still’s growing legion of fans. With its latest collection of songs, this cadre of Danish headbangers has shown the talent to stand side-by-side with the best metal bands across several sub-genres. If you haven’t already, check out Forever Still’s raw, crisp power. Just wow.

Album Review: Blurred Vision – Organized Insanity

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Blurred Vision – Organized Insanity

Blurred Vision

photo courtesy of Judy Totton Publicity

The Backstory

I first heard Blurred Vision at a London showcase in October, which I wrote about here as part of my “Five Nights in London” series of live reviews. Since then, I’ve been enjoying the band’s CD, Organized Insanity, so much that I feel compelled to write a review of the album, too…

CD Review of Blurred Vision: Organized Insanity

Blurred Vision - Organized Insanity

album cover designed by Hugh Syme; JPG image courtesy of Judy Totton Publicity

Organized Insanity is an album of brand new, shiny, ’70s-and-early-’80s-style classic rock. You’ll most often hear the comparisons to Pink Floyd, and rightfully so. The band first achieved public recognition with its version of a Pink Floyd classic, with Blurred Vision’s variation entitled “Another Brick in the Wall (Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!).” So the Pink Floyd influence runs deep. But if you listen closely, you hear an entire generation of rock influence in the band’s music to varying degrees. There’s some Electric Light Orchestra, Moody Blues, The Who, a hint of Boston, a little Beatles, perhaps a hint of The Police, and maybe even some Rush in there.

If you’re searching for deep Pink Floyd influence, look no farther than songs number two and four, “Rollin’ On” and “Long May You Run,” which both share a sonic kinship with “Comfortably Numb.”

Blurred Vision's Sepp Osley

photo © Judy Totton; photo courtesy of Judy Totton Publicity

By contrast, the meandering tunefulness of “Dear John” reminded me of a subtly catchy Beatles-esque tune. This was before I realized the “John” in the song was John Lennon. How appropriate.

“All I Wanted” seems to weave elements of ELO and Moody Blues into a straightforward rock tune.

From beginning to end, in fact, the album is a tremendous, brand new, shiny classic rock album. The two songs that stand out to me most, however, bookend the disc.

Album-opener “No More War,” in addition to its stylish, rhythmic opening, employs a particularly attention-grabbing bridge and artful use of Martin Luther King speech clips. In the end, you’ll catch yourself walking down the street later singing to yourself “no more war no more war no-more war no more war no more war…” (Stylistically, this reminds me a bit of Living Colour’s use of quotes from Malcolm X, JFK, and FDR in “Cult of Personality” – not bad company at all.)

Closing track “Organized Insanity,” meanwhile, combines a catchy, laid-back, pleasant chorus with sonically dissonant, Pink Floyd-reminiscent, protest-style verses. The song is well-placed, as fitting way to end the disc.

Blurred Vision

photo by Geoff Wilbur

About the Band

Canadian power trio Blurred Vision features Iranian-born brothers Sepp and Sohl Osley on guitar and bass and Ben Riley on drums. The brothers gained attention with a viral YouTube hit and a video produced by Babak Payami for “Another Brick in the Wall (Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!).” Later, as a band, Blurred Vision recorded Organized Insanity with producer Terry Brown (who you may know best for his work with Rush, but his discography is a bit of a who’s who of great bands), who introduced the brothers to their drummer in order to fill out the trio.

The band is currently assembling its 2016 tour schedule, with the only date confirmed on the website so far its appearance at the Ramblin’ Man Fair in Kent, UK, on July 23rd. Check the band’s website for updates.

Album Review: Dan Israel – Dan

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Dan Israel – Dan

The Backstory

Dan is Dan Israel‘s 13th album of originals. He has won awards, written and recorded songs, shared the stage with big name acts, and crafted a musical career that has spanned a couple decades. I first connected with Dan when I was publishing Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter in the ’90s/early ’00s. Of course, I took a dozen-year hiatus from writing about music. When I returned, who was one of the first people to reach out to me? Dan Israel, of course, who had taken no such hiatus; he had been continuing to churn out top-shelf new music while I was away.

Album Review of Dan Israel: Dan

Dan Israel - Dan

image courtesy of Dan Israel

My first instinct when describing a folk singer with a raspy voice is to invoke Bob Dylan, though this album leans toward the Americana end of folk, and if I had to offer you a vocal comparison to Dan Israel, I’d say Tom Petty’s raspy voice is actually more apt. And while some tracks lean significantly folk or a bit more Americana, there are also some serious electric rock guitar riffs on Dan. Dan explores several different elements of his musical repertoire, in fact, producing a cohesive disc with enough variety to sustain frequent listens.

Album-opener “Winter is Coming” feeds my initial instinct, though, as Dan’s vocals fall between Dylan and Croce on this particular track. With judicious use of female accompaniment on this track, it provides Dan with an upbeat, toe-tapping start.

“Be With Me” cranks the energy up a notch, with a melody and vocal growl especially reminiscent of Petty. If I had to single out a track with the greatest mainstream hit potential, “Be With Me” would be it.

Another notable track is “Can’t Believe It,” which draws the listener in with light distorted guitar and an initial emphatic “I…” before blending Israel’s vocal style with an almost “Lyin’ Eyes”/Eagles-ish melody. To engaging effect, I might add.

Dan will have you singing “ahh-ahhh” along with “Lonely Too,” a toe-tapper of a mid-tempo crooner that deftly mixes mildly energetic verses and traveling instrumental bridges with that lower-key-but-hooky chorus.

“Try and Let You Know,” meanwhile, provides a melancholy interlude; here Dan’s vocal expressiveness convincingly depicts the pain in the lyrics, as the song plods slowly, though at exactly the ideal pace for the subject matter.

Also, for a nice change of pace, Dan tosses in the occasional rockin’ country guitar lick (and slightly more frequent slide guitar) on mid-paced “Winning at Solitaire,” giving it a soft rockabilly/country dance hall flavor unique among this collection.

If you’re a folk aficionado, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this album. Dan Israel’s an experienced, talented individual with an inspired new release; the man always delivers. And from the energy of his recordings, you get a sense his shows are probably fun events, as well.

Dan’s Upcoming Gigs

Since I suspect Dan’s shows are well worth seeing, let’s take a look at his upcoming calendar. Listed on the “shows” page of Dan’s website, it looks like he has a few gigs already scheduled in the next couple months in and around the Twin Cities: Tonight, Friday, Jan. 22nd at Public Kitchen and Bar in St. Paul, MN; Friday, Jan. 29 at LTD Brewing in Hopkins, MN; a to-be-announced “mystery gig” on Saturday, Feb. 6th; Friday, Feb. 12th at the Tavern Lounge in Northfield, MN; Friday, Feb. 26 at Harriet Brewing in Minneapolis; and Saturday, March 19 at the Chankaska Winery in Kasota, MN. Of course, check his website for times, links, and additional dates.

EP Review: Cali Rodi – Cali Rodi EP

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Cali Rodi – Cali Rodi EP

The Backstory

Cali Rodi grew up in Arizona and performed professionally as early as age 12. She moved to Nashville to study the entertainment industry at Belmont University, and that’s where she’s currently based. I first discovered her music this past spring, and it has been a solid part of my playlist ever since.

EP Review of Cali Rodi: Cali Rodi EP

Cali is a young pop singer with an amazing, powerful voice. Identifiable by her tone and the way her voice has a hint of a break in her voice on certain notes for emphasis, Cali has released a powerful collection of high-energy pop-rock songs. The songs themselves are well-written, with catchy hooks and cohesive song structures that engage the listener; indeed, though the music is rockin’ pop, the songs are penned in the sort of tight, structured style you’d associate with Nashville and ideally suited to Cali’s voice.

blank CD

Songs on the EP that typify Cali’s punchy, energetic, rockin’, pop radio-ready sound include EP-opener “If I Close My Eyes,” which holds the attention with its building, soaring melody, plus the power-pop anthem “Loser Ex-Boyfriend” and “Hitchhiker,” whose unique hook involves and almost-dissonant volume variance.

“Pulse Check” is a bit slower and shows some of Cali’s range – it may just be me, but I think there’s a hint of a rock ‘n roll version of Taylor Swift in her lyrics, song structure, and delivery, too.  “First Kiss Consequence,” meanwhile, slows things down quite a bit more (though it’s still quite an energy-filled ballad), proving Cali can deliver the goods on the softer stuff, as well.

You’ll find no better pop-rock music than the songs found here – catchy and memorable. While “If I Close My Eyes” was my initial favorite, it’s now more often “Hitchhiker” with its unique rhythmic hooks, though some days it’s “Pulse Check.” Give this EP a few listens and you’ll undoubtedly have a favorite or two of your own.

This particular EP was a free download I received when I signed up for Cali’s mailing list via her website; it’s an exceptional introduction to Cali’s talent.

With the right guidance and a bit of luck, Cali has an almost unlimited ceiling on her career. Worst case scenario for us, as listeners, though, is that she’s producing some outstanding songs we all get to enjoy right now.

Also…

Be sure to check out Cali’s new song “Fan Girl.” The new tune shows off the insistent edge to Cali’s vocals, this time in the form of a ballad.

Album Review: Bob Malone – Mojo Deluxe

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Bob Malone – Mojo Deluxe

Bob Malone

photo courtesy of Bob Malone

The Backstory

I’ve known Bob Malone since the late 1990s.  In fact, my interview with Bob landed him on the cover of the May 1998 Industry Edition of Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter. When Bob was preparing to release his latest CD, Mojo Deluxe, in May 2015 while I was still a “civilian” during my decade-plus hiatus from writing, I pre-ordered it. (The album dropped on August 21st.) More recently, I caught Bob’s London gig in October– the first time I’d seen him perform live – as part of my “Five Nights in London” series for Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog.

As for Bob’s backstory, he is classically trained, studied at Berklee, earning a degree in jazz, is based out of Los Angeles, and has crafted a two decade-long solo career, including the release of several critically-acclaimed albums. Since 2011, he has also served as John Fogerty’s keyboard player.

CD Review of Bob Malone: Mojo Deluxe

Bob Malone - Mojo Deluxe

image courtesy of Bob Malone

If you’re looking for rollicking, energetic blues, you’ve come to the right place. But there’s also something unique about Mojo Deluxe, Bob’s first full-length release since Ain’t What You Know about seven years ago. There’s something that suggests this is one of those “must-own” albums. With cross-genre appeal to blues fans, blues-rockers, blues-based hard rockers, and beyond, this disc recalls and expands upon many of Bob’s stylistic variances. Vocally, you may notice a bit of Randy Newman in Bob’s vocals but with a bit more blues growl; to be honest, after years of listening to his music, I can hear the stylistic similarity, but he mostly just sounds like Bob Malone to me. I’m sure a strong comparison is noticeably there, however, as first-time listeners still point it out.

Mojo Deluxe is twelve songs long, featuring a variety of blues styles. You can rock, stomp, and wail at the top of your lungs to album-opening, high-energy, get-on-your-feet, stomp-box blues tune “Certain Distance,” uptempo, soulful “Looking for the Blues,” or mid-tempo, energetic, sassy “Don’t Threaten Me (With a Good Time).”

Bob Malone

photo courtesy of Bob Malone

You’ll catch some more attitude in the lyrical storytelling of songs like “Toxic Love” and “Rage & Cigarettes.” These tracks play louder and faster in the memory than they do on disc, as many great blues songs do — oh, they’re full of energy, but in a nod-your-head, close-your-eyes, fill the room with sound and the sing blues kind of way (not in the loud, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, ear-bleeding rock ‘n roll way). Same emotion; different musical style. Hence, the term “rollicking.”

Mojo Deluxe shows off Bob’s softer side, too, most notably on the amazing, incredibly sentimental “Paris.” Many of us who love that city will nod knowingly when we hear these lyrics in particular: “All these crowds make me lonely, all these lovers make me blue/‘Cause Paris is just another city without you.”

“Hard Times” and “Someone Watching Over Me” are catchy, relatively typical, slow-tempoed blues laments that weave interesting stories. Also relatively typically-themed, “Looking For the Blues” (“I wasn’t looking for the blues/but the blues found me”) packs energy in its crescendos, background vocals, soulful horns, and a guitar solo that ties the song together nicely as a bridge. Indeed, “Looking For the Blues” is a fun, full-production number that’d get a crowd to its feet and deserves special mention. Finally, album-closer “Can’t Get There From Here” (which cleverly begins “Once I was beautiful/Now I just look good for my age”) is perhaps a more unique blues lament about looking back (and ahead) at life’s journey.

If you like the blues (or any adjacent style of music) even a little, if you appreciate a clever lyrical turn of a phrase, or if you simply enjoy hearing one of the best musicians at his craft, this disc is mandatory. With all of the great albums Bob Malone has released throughout his career, Mojo Deluxe is quite possibly his best yet.

Bob Malone

photo by Geoff Wilbur

What’s Next?

Bob is playing several Las Vegas dates in John Fogerty’s band in January, then he hits the road solo in February. His website currently lists tour dates in Alpharetta, GA (Feb. 4), Charlotte, NC (Feb. 5), Charleston, WV (Feb. 6), Houston, TX (Feb. 10), La Grange, TX (Feb. 12), and two dates as the opening act in The Woodlands, TX (Feb. 13 & 14, opening for Los Lobos and Gary Puckett, respectively).

Album Review: Roger Silverberg – The Old Dog

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Roger Silverberg

photo courtesy of Roger Silverberg

by Stefanie Seskin, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Roger Silverberg: The Old Dog

As on his prior albums, Silverberg’s never been shy about letting his sixties and seventies sensibilities show, and on The Old Dog, they really shine, thanks to veteran engineer and producer, Philadelphia’s Jim Salamone. Vintage Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, Hammond organs are heard, mainly behind acoustic guitars. If you’re familiar with Daryl Hall & John Oates’s earlier albums and Warren Zevon’s mid-70s work, there’s plenty on The Old Dog to savor, both lyrically and melodically.

Roger Silverberg - The Old Dog

image courtesy of Roger Silverberg

On The Old Dog, Roger Silverberg weaves stories; about childhood memories, desire, courtship, marriage, and aging, with just enough specifics to make his stories relatable. The music itself has a classic feel – Silverberg is well past the point of caring whether his songs are hip enough to be pop hits even as he hopes that some of his music will outlive him – but that doesn’t mean he sounds trapped in the past. This is a very “listener-friendly” album that has an obvious Side 1 and Side 2.

Roger’s Upcoming Gigs

Per Roger’s website, he has a few upcoming shows scheduled: a Jan. 23rd gig, where he’ll be one of 13 artists slated to perform at an acoustic showcase in Ronkonkoma, NY; a Feb. 24th show at Lighthouse Waterfront Cafe in Glen Cove, NY; and his Feb. 25th NYC CD release show at Desmond’s Tavern in New York, NY. For additional details, check out the show listing page on Roger’s website.

About the Writer

Best known for her many years as lead singer/songwriter/flutist for blue number nine, Contributing Blogger Stefanie Seskin currently performs with Bad Ass Beauty. In addition to her music career, Stefanie has spent many years on the business side of the entertainment industry.