Category Archives: Album Reviews

EP Review: Robotic Hawks – All Business

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photo by Kelly Davidson Studio; photo courtesy of Knyvet

EP Review of Robotic Hawks: All Business

Robotic Hawks are a catchy, old-school, pop-friendly, jangly guitar rock outfit from New Hampshire. They were winners of the “Rising Star: New Hampshire” award at the 2023 New England Music Awards. I checked my notes from my personal ballot – you know, the one I shared my snarky notes from in this Facebook post – and it turns out I really dug these guys’ music when I first heard it, while researching my votes for the 2023 ballot. In any case, swamped as I was (and always am) and knowing I had a huge review backlog, I didn’t reach out to Robotic Hawks at the time to ask for a review. Fortunately, their EP landed in my inbox anyway.

This 4-song EP, All Business, is, indeed, all business. Assuming, of course, you’re talking about the business of energetically fun alt/pop rock. Ahh, you know what I mean.

image courtesy of Knyvet

High-energy opener “High Maintenance” is my favorite on the EP. It has an alt-rock energy but still kind of a classic rock vibe. There’s a guitar sound in the song that reminds me a little of Green Day, but the track has more of a garage rock – catchy, hooky, in-tune garage rock, mind you – overall feel.

“Cab Ride” is just as energetic except for a couple bridges where the music slows before re-engaging, plus the buzzy guitar has more of an R.E.M.-ish, ’80s/’90s mainstream college rock vibe.

“Further” is a raucous rocker, as if the Robotic Hawks crossed the B-52s with the The Clash, added more tuneful but still edgy vocals, slowed the song down just a little, and gave it a funky rhythm.

The booming, echoing guitar strum found frequently on this EP also plays a prominent role in the final song of the collection, a hard-rockin’ version of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Wishing Well.” This track shows a versatility the earlier tunes hint at and some playfulness in the instrumentation, but at no time is the band’s kickassingness compromised. Rather, this reimagining of such a well-known song just solidifies Robotic Hawks’ street cred.

I’d like to thank Robotic Hawks for delivering a wicked rockin’ EP that’s hard to describe, but hopefully I’ve done the songs justice in the above text. The tl;dr for this EP would be: Robotic Hawks’ All Business EP is energetic, fun, and catchy. Hear for yourself!

Album Review: Namedroppers – Starshine

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Namedroppers band photo

photo courtesy of the Namedroppers

Album Review of Namedroppers: Starshine

The Namedroppers – Bobby T Torello (drums), Scott Spray (bass), Ron Rifkin (piano/organ), and Rafe Klein (guitar) – were named Blues Act of the Year by the 2023 New England Music Awards. They followed that in 2024 by releasing this disc, Starshine, containing ten songs ranging from rockin’ blues and bluesy rock to soaring soulful blues.

They kick things off with kind of a combination of those styles on the title track, a mid-tempo number featuring spoken-sung lead vocals from Rafe Klein with a chorus of background vocals from Ron and Bobby and, most notably, the soulful, standout supporting vox of guest vocalist Simone Brown.

Namedroppers – Starshine album cover

image courtesy of the Namedroppers

That’s followed by “Sweet Little Angel,” one of the two covers on the album, an exceptional rendition of the B.B. King classic that’s carried by engaging guitarwork but really driven home by its fun, tuneful, slightly growling lead vocal.

“Whiskey” is one of two songs on the disc featuring Bobby T on lead vocals, his grizzled voice providing a rough, in-character delivery.  Bobby T also lends his voice to the song “Rotten Person,” a hilarious, um… could it be considered a curse? On it, you’ll particularly dig the lyric “You’re a rotten person, you deserve desertion, and I really hope you end up alone.” I think we all know someone deserving of that particular curse.

The only other song featuring someone other than Rafe Klein on lead vocals is the band’s cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” with Ron Rifkin handling the mic duties. The song has been so bluesified in this arrangement, with keyboard flourishes and a tunefully anguished, pleading vocal, that you almost don’t readily identify the original. And that, my friends, is how you perform a cover song.

Namedroppers band photo

photo courtesy of the Namedroppers

Probably the song with the biggest crossover, multi-audience hit potential on this disc is “Shades of Blue,” a song with a gentle, sneakily hooky guitar line that supports Rafe’s heartfelt vocals, with guest vocalist support from Carole Sylvan, who you’ll remember from a review of her album Love here at the Blog a little more than a year ago.

There’s a little two-song run in the middle of the album that I refer to as the disc’s “death section.” It’s comprised of a couple of lighthearted songs about passing away (or, rather, having passed away), “I Died You Cried” and “Can’t Take It With You.”

The only songs I haven’t yet mentioned are Starshine‘s final two tracks. “Red Sea Blues” is a heavy blues protestation/proclamation, while “Joy, Pain, Sky,” helped along by prominent guest vocals from Simone Brown, ends the album with a bit of joyfulness, which in the blues can’t come without some pain.

Starshine is a fun listen beginning to end (and on repeat), covering a lot of blues real estate, featuring a talented group of musicians with rather impressive bios. But hey, you can read about their pasts for yourself on the band’s website, because at the end of the day, it’s all about how those backgrounds come together to create the exceptional music on this disc; if you’re a blues fan, you’ll enjoy this record.

EP Review: MORRR – Marrow Weavers

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MORRR – Marrow Weavers cover art

image courtesy of Unsung Hunger PR

EP Review of MORRR: Marrow Weavers (MFZ Records)

Italian artist MORRR, a musical identity of Dario Gatto, delivers a cool collection of dark, haunting music on Marrow Weavers. This album, originally released in 2022, was re-released in 2023 by MFZ Records, with the addition of a remixed version of its final track, “Tantalo,” by NTS Radio DJ Francesco Fusaro (aka Froz), one of MFZ Records’ co-founders.

Marrow Weavers is a collection of slow, haunting, dark music. It’s frequently depressively, hauntingly flowing but also mixes in some white noise-ish distortion to alter the power dynamic within the songs, creating MORRR’s uniquely original sound. This EP provides an encompassing experience that’s hard to convey in words, though I’ll try. Rest assured, it’s a powerful – but oddly coolly relaxing, given its darkness – listen.

“Riptide” is an edgy, yet slow-tempoed, opening track. It flows into the softer “Waking Up,” which begins mellow and, by slowly adding new instrumentation… well, wakes up, I suppose.

“These Wide Eyes” is a bit of a placeholder song, not so much as part of the EP but, rather, the em0otional mood it conveys is akin to the version of the smiley face emoji with a straight-line for a mouth. In the beginning and throughout most of the song, the mood and tempo are a slow, eerie creep with simple instrumentation before ending with a lot of buzz and activity; even then, the track never losing a feeling of emotional ambivalence.

Finally, the EP closes with two versions of “Tantalo.” Both versions feature the distorted, plodding twang that, for me, is the memorably signature sound of this EP. The original “Tantalo” would have been a fine enough sendoff into the ether, providing a cohesive ending to Marrow Weavers. However, on “Tantalo (Froz Chopped & Hopped Remix),” Froz adds in some more complex, layered sounds and a vibe that causes me to prefer the remix just slightly over the original. (Sometimes, collaboration makes things better!)

In any case, as a whole, complete listen, this is a cool five-song EP that allows the listener to pleasantly experience some dark moods. A couple of the “tags” at the end of this EP’s Bandcamp page that sum up the sound perhaps better than any new label I could come up with are “dreamwave” and “indietronica.” But really, it’s just a stylistically different example of the kind of cool, well-conceived, very original music I enjoy. Maybe you will, too.

Album Review: Mike Ward: Psychosongs – Love Never Rests

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photo by Angie Ward; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

Album Review of Mike Ward: Psychosongs – Love Never Rests

Detroit-based, award-winning folk artist Mike Ward has delivered an everyman, heart-touching masterpiece with Love Never Rests. I’ve written before about how my inbox is overflooded with folk music, so I only write about those whose songwriting and delivery are impeccable, and even then only those few whose music really connects with me. And yeah, I get so much folk music, not even all of those. (But thanks to all for sending your music for review consideration. Even though I can’t review a majority of what I receive, I appreciate it.) But that’s not why you’re reading, so I’ll get back to the review…

image courtesy of Mike Ward

Mike has a roughness in his vocals that combine well with his matter-of-fact delivery, lending authenticity to his relatable, observational, slice-of-life lyrics. As for the Mike Ward: Psychosongs monitor, the “psycho” part is supposedly a reference to a nickname Mike earned playing hockey. (For me, being a hockey player makes him all that much more relatable. But it doesn’t really play a role in his music on this record, other than in a single line of “Compact Life.”)

Mike has a few different female backing vocalists on several songs throughout the album. On those songs, the intermingling of the vocals is often emotionally engaging and take those tunes to the next level. I noticed this particularly on “The Currency of Forgiveness” and “There I Was,” which are both very powerful songs that would be significantly less effective with just Mike’s single, though very compelling, vocal.

photo by Scott Kraus; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

Mike’s songs are relatable, as in “I Follow,” which features several lines you’ll smile and chuckle to in recognition of your own life or, at least, something you might have thought or felt while growing up. “Lost Love Letters” strikes up a bit of nostalgia, though in this song it’s an ode to memories sung from a third-person perspective. And the disc’s closing song, “Sunday Morning,” credited as a poem by Marjorie Ward (as opposed to the rest of the songs, that are entirely Mike Ward-penned), paints a richly-painted, detailed picture of everyday, familial Sunday mornings that might be familiar to many listeners. Meanwhile, “This Old Life Goes” is a song about aging, thinking about mortality and the meaning of life, seemingly spurred by running into a friend whose mind is beginning to fail, sung pleasantly and matter-of-factly – you know, like you’d expect from a top-shelf folk song. “Smile,” too, is another pleasant little ditty about aging, though it’s actually more about loss and remembering times from the past, family, and the relentless progression of time.

photo by Danny Ward; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

The entire album is exceptionally well-conceived and executed. Personally, some of my favorite songs – not noticeably better than the other tracks, just favorites because they connect with me – are “The Currency of Foregivness,” an upbeat song about love and commitment, “There I Was,” a song I enjoy in part because of the movement in the tempo and the fun lyric “Seems like I’ve living on the wrong side of nowhere,” even if I don’t relate to the vagabond life, “Compact Life,” a clever ode devoted primarily to embracing a life less complicated, and the heavier-feeling – both in lyric and in the power of the orchestration – “Something Anything,” which opens with the line “I’m looking for something positive today.”

As a whole, Love Never Rests is an exceptionally well-produced, written, and performed folk album. If you’re a fan of that genre or of singer-songwriters or well-written songs, then you ought to give it a listen.

More Recently

Love Never Rests is no longer Mike Ward’s most recent release. If you like what you hear here – or even if you don’t, I suppose – you can check out Mike’s August 2024 release Still Troubled, too.

Looking Ahead

Check the “Live” page of Mike’s website for performance dates. He currently lists a few performance that stretch from southeastern Michigan to southwestern Michigan. Despite his “psycho” nickname, though, I’m pretty sure Mike’s allowed to leave the state, so be sure to check periodically to see if and when he’ll be near you, even if you don’t live in the Great Lakes State.

Album Review: JK Collective – Ring Road

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photo by Ariane Kok; photo courtesy of Jan Knetsch

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of JK Collective: Ring Road

JK Collective is a group of studio musicians and composers from the Netherlands that specializes in ‘60s-inspired rock and pop. Although they sound more than capable of handling any musical situation, the original songs performed on Ring Road strongly reflect their fascination with British, European and American-based classic rock.

album cover designed by Jasper Davidson; image courtesy of Jan Knetsch

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jan Knetsch is at the helm here and leads his merry men of musicality down a road that is letter perfect in tone and texture. The dozen tracks here were sparked by Knetsch and his wife’s journey to the USA down Route 66 in 2022. Upon hearing The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” wafting from a roadhouse sound system, it stirred something in him to begin writing new music and tapping into that ‘60s-era style and feel. When Knetsch returned home to the Netherlands, he assembled this collective of musicians and got to work.

What you have here is a cadre of great original songs. “Ring Road Theme” is a mid- tempo rocker that blossoms on a bed of orchestral beauty. Woodwinds, strings and things blended with a wonderful and spirited melody really set the scene. “Together to Get Her” has a heavy British feel. It recalls the harmonic craftsmanship of The Hollies and The Beatles, with a touch of modern flair. The overall mood is upbeat, with a cool minor-ish guitar break. “I Don’t Wanna Give You Up” features great harmonies (hmm, I think I see a trend here… LOL!), with some tasty guitar action and a funky grooving bass line. “To Be Loved” features that Mersey Beat factor. There is also a predominant Beatle-esque sensibility, with a George Harrison-like slide guitar.

photo by Ariane Kok; photo courtesy of Jan Knetsch

“One Man Show” is very cinematic and taps into the bands’ penchant for storytelling. “The Mother Road” could almost be considered auto-biographical where it talks about traveling along Route 66. A ripping guitar solo and strong hooks bring it all back to the origin of JK Collective. “Work in Progress” spotlights the bands’ American influences, with a vocal nod to The Beach Boys. They’ve done their homework well and embody that freewheeling California sound. “Sweet Melody” sounds like Abbey Road-era Beatles. Superb harmonies, coupled with strings and brilliant hooks, make this a highlight. Continuing with The Beatles influence, there is no mistaking the “Eleanor Rigby” cadence and chamber string flourishes of “Roses in the Vale.” This track also vaguely recalls some of the early Moody Blues orchestral work. “Dreamers Drive” throws the whole works into the mix, blending woodwinds, strings, and straight up rock. And “My Song of the Day” rounds things out with a tasteful and well-placed acoustic ballad.

Ring Road is an album that shines a light on diversity and is very fluid in its songwriting approach. But there is a cinematic quality to their songs as well which taps into the JK Collective goals of licensing and marketing their music for films and video projects.

Album Review: Jason Kao Hwang – Soliloquies

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Jason Kao Hwang – Soliloquies album cover

image courtesy of Jason Kao Hwang

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Jason Kao Hwang: Soliloquies

Originally from the Midwest and currently based in New Jersey, Jason Kao Hwang is a classically-trained violinist and composer who specializes in a free jazz and improvisational approach to his instrument. He cut his musical teeth in the late ’70s and early ’80s playing with some of the heavyweights of avant garde jazz music such as saxophonist Anthony Braxton, saxophonist/flautist Henry Threadgill, and bassist Reggie Workman. Hwang, who is of Chinese descent, has also been heavily involved in world music that reflects his Asian-American heritage.

That wealth of musical and cultural knowledge is uniquely compressed into a dozen tight and expressive original solo violin etudes and improvisations. In particular, the strings master employs a specific technique throughout the recording called “pizzicato.” It is an alternate manner of playing where, instead of using a bow and swiping the violin strings, the instrument is “picked” or plucked similar to an approach on guitar. It’s a technique that gives the violin and each composition an entirely different and more percussive feel when compared with the way the instrument is primarily played.

In the dramatic arts soliloquies are intimate monologues where a character stands alone on stage to confide their innermost thoughts to the audience. Similarly, Hwang found a way to express himself in an improvisational and solitary context. Each original composition here tells part of a story. It’s a story that is a love letter to his parents and family’s first and second generation immigrant experiences.

The appropriately titled “At the Beginning” ushers in a demure and delicate melody on which the use of subtle pull-offs, trills and fleet-fingered picking is employed. The follow up “Hungry Shadows” develops those initial ideas and spotlights nuanced octaves and space. “Vagabond” navigates the melody in an unorthodox manner, with wit and strategic grace. Angular themes and well thought-out string bends and glissando define tracks such as “Spinning Coins,” “Remembering Our Conversation,” and “Encirclement.” Solo pizzicato in the hands of a sonic craftsman such as Hwang is magical because he refuses to be bound by the chains of conformity. Throughout his musical explorations on this album he makes his acoustic violin sound like a talking drum, flamenco guitar, and an Asian lute-like instrument called a Koto.

Every artist should grant themselves the opportunity to truly express who they are and where they come from. For all the sideman and collaborative work Hwang has done over the years, it’s nice to hear the soloist captured in his natural and familial element. And that’s what you essentially find here. “For the children of war survivors there are conversations with our parents we wished we had and could not,” explains Hwang in the liner notes. “I often wonder about my parents’ vague allusions to atrocities they survived in China during World War II because their trauma was far greater than I can imagine, even now, over 20 years since their passing. In Soliloquies I honor their courage by embracing their voices within mine, to sing into our unknowable silence encircling dreams. I am especially playing for my father, who endured multiple strokes, the last of which took his voice.”

Soliloquies is a dedicated listen and one that, in light of the stories behind each track, will draw you in with its earnestness, subtle delivery and powerful resolve.

EP Review: Evan Nicole Bell – Runaway Girl

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image courtesy of Big D Radio Promotions

EP Review of Evan Nicole Bell: Runaway Girl

The title track of this EP, “Runaway Girl,” will be one of your favorite songs. Ever. It’s a funky, groovy, rock ‘n roll earworm. The good kind. I mean, how was this song not ubiquitous in 2024? Well, in my world, it was, but as you know, I didn’t get to write very many reviews last year and, therefore, didn’t share this with you all. Well, I’m gonna make up for that. If you haven’t heard “Runaway Girl” yet, it can be one of your “songs of 2025.”

Evan Nicole Bell has a helluva voice! And she shows it off on this four-song EP. Technically, I suppose, it’s a 3-song EP, since two of the four songs are versions of the title track.

The disc opens with an inviting, distorted bluesy-rock guitar riff that leads to some absolutely filthy, rough, soulful vocals on Evan’s howlin’ blues-rock cover of “Catfish Blues.”

Next up is “Runaway Girl (Radio Edit),” which you’ll also find listed sometimes as “Runaway Girl (No Guitar).” Honestly, it’s such a powerful  number I hadn’t noticed the lack of guitar on the radio edit. Evan’s vocals wail, the rhythm is steady and, with a bit of variance, hooky. The whole song is memorable, and that includes the soaring “I did it for love” vocals in a mid-song bridge. As for “Runaway Girl (Extended Mix),” I do really dig the guitar lead-in at the beginning and some of the additional musicianship throughout. Clearly, though, its 6:16 runtime is less appropriate for radio play than the radio edit’s 3:58, so it makes sense to have the two versions. And it’s such a catchy song that’s so impeccably-delivered that a radio-ready version was a must.

Track three, nestled between the two versions of “Runaway Girl,” is “Burn,” a smoothly blue slow burner that showcases the softer edge of Evan’s range… well, mostly. She still hits some big notes, many of which I’d describe as wails, in all the appropriate spots throughout the course of “Burn.”

This EP is an excellent showcase for Evan’s obvious talent. I’m looking forward to what’s next, as should you. And the wait won’t be long. Actually, I’ve taken so long to write this review that there isn’t really a wait anymore. Evan has already released “River.” It’s the first single from her debut full-length LP, Shades of Blue, which is set for a January 16, 2025 release date. But hey, start here. Start with Runaway Girl. And especially with “Runaway Girl.” The EP and the song are must-hears.

Album Review: Simon Stanley Ward & the Shadows of Doubt – Rocket in the Desert

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photo courtesy of Simon Stanley Ward

Album Review of Simon Stanley Ward & the Shadows of Doubt: Rocket in the Desert

This is such a cool album from Simon Stanley Ward & the Shadows of Doubt! The story behind the recording of Rocket in the Desert is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and it’s told in a bit of detail here on the band’s website.

image courtesy of Simon Stanley Ward

The band consists of Simon Stanley Ward (vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle), Paul Lush (lead guitar, producer), Neil Marsh (drums) and Geoff Easeman (bass guitar). Of course, as you’ll discover when you read the heartwarming-slash-heartbreaking tale I referenced above, you’ll discover the band moved heaven and earth to ensure that Geoff was able to record with them. Geoff completed the bass tracks for eight of the ten tracks on this record while in hospice; as Geoff had suggested before he passed, his son Richard Easeman filled that role on the ninth and tenth tracks. Again, you can read more on the band’s website, so let’s talk about the damn fine music itself.

photo courtesy of Simon Stanley Ward

Stylistically, Simon Stanley Ward & the Shadows of Doubt sport a sound that covers a broad swath of the Americana genre and perhaps a bit more. You can hear the country, folk, and rockabilly influences, plus a bit of straight-on rock ‘n roll. The music is very song-driven and lyrically often quite clever.

Some of the songs – particularly album-opener “I’m a Worrier” – have a bit of a Red Sammy vibe, to tie them to a band I reviewed recently, but Simon & the Shadows are more of the quirky folk-country singer-songwriter (though they’re a band) type of band.

The catchiest song – the most likely hitworthy, at least – is a ’50s-style rocker with a little bit of a folk-rockabilly tint, “This Ain’t It.” Ironically, it’s a song, lyrically, about how the band is going to write a hit record one day, but this ain’t it… or maybe it is. Did I mention lyrically clever? Oh, yeah, these guys are just getting started.

photo courtesy of Simon Stanley Ward

The title track, “Rocket in the Desert” is one of the more rockin’est on the disc, thumping along energetically with a nifty little guitar flourish for seasoning.

If you’re looking for silliness, you’ll enjoy “Big Foot Baby,” possibly “Terpsichorean Footwear,” and definitely “Deadheading” – my favorite among this trio – which is possibly the grooviest acid-folk-rock song about gardening you’ll ever hear.

“Designated Driver” is another tune that’s lyrically clever, describing the role of a designated driver at a surprising level of detail, all while creating a psychedelically, western-flavored soundbed and crooning smoothly at the climax, “I’m the designated driver… on the highway of love.” It’s just frickin’ cool.

photo courtesy of Simon Stanley Ward

The two closing songs on the disc, “When September Comes” and “Loving You,” are the ones featuring Richard Easeman on bass, and they’re energetic, fun closing numbers, both with a bit of a country dancehall flavor. The fiddling and the rhythm on “Loving You,” in particular, I’m sure make it a crowd favorite when performed live. In any case, it’s a great way to close a strong disc.

If you’ve not yet heard this album and your tastes include any flavor of Americana or you appreciate clever lyrics and catchy tunes, you should give Rocket in the Desert a spin.

Album Review: Mareike Wiening – Reveal

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photo by Luke Marantz; photo courtesy of hubtone PR

Album Review of Mareike Wiening – Reveal

Drummer/bandleader/composer Mareike Wiening teams with Rich Perry (saxophone), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Alex Goodman (guitar), and Johannes Felscher (bass) on Reveal. They’re joined by Dave Douglas (trumpet) on three of the album’s eight tracks.

image courtesy of hubtone PR

The music on this disc is smooth – great music to listen to while working, as I’m fond of saying about my favorite instrumental discs. That means, of course, that it’s unobtrusive enough that it doesn’t interrupt my thought process but memorable enough that I find myself humming them later in the day (or bobbing and swaying to them while working).

Album opener “Time for Priorities” is one of my favorite songs on Reveal. I love the journey the saxophone takes throughout the song, bolstered by some percussion and keys that help to bridge the gaps and some thumpy plucking on the bass in the style that those of us who aren’t jazz experts expect from a jazz bassist.

photo by Luke Marantz; photo courtesy of hubtone PR

My other favorite song on this album is “Reveal,” and rock fans who enjoy drum solos might appreciate the featured drum part early on, which leads into the lively horn part that serves as a recurring thread to stitch this song together.

There are elements that stand out on all the tracks. I mean, I really enjoy the pianowork early in “The Girl By the Window.” And “Encore” and “Balada” are probably the most melancholy tracks, at least predominantly. Whether you’re a big jazz fan or, like me, a more casual enjoyer of some occasional jazz, you’ll discover something you like on Reveal.

Looking Ahead

Per the “Shows” page of Mareike’s website, she’ll be performing in Germany (plus one date each in Vienna and Zurich) in January, February, and March. If that’s near you, be sure to check her website for dates and venues.

Album Review: Bees Deluxe – Hallucinate

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photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

Album Review of Bees Deluxe: Hallucinate

Bees Deluxe‘s music is a unique, progressive combination of blues, jazz, and funky rock. On the band’s newest album Hallucinate, Conrad Warre (guitar, bass, vocals, trumpet, kaossilator, strings, keyboards), Carol Band (keyboards, vocals, harmonica), Paul Giovine (drums, percussion), and Adam Sankowski (bass guitar) are joined by a half-dozen additional musicians to round out the sound on various tracks. You can read the liner notes via this link for a glimpse at the other exceptional instrumentalists involved in this project.

The album has a cohesive sound, with an experimental bent permeating throughout, giving a jazz feeling and even an alternative progressive rock flavor to what is, if you dig deeply, primarily a blues album. The band refers to itself as Boston’s British/American acid blues, the “British” referring to guitarist Warre’s British origin, and who am I to argue with the description? I certainly can’t concoct a better description to this high-brow mélange of musical influences.

Bees Deluxe opens Hallucinate coolly with the rhythmically catchy “Sharkskin Suit,” then follows it immediately with the funky grooves of “When Is Yesterday.”

There’s a familiarity I feel for Bees Deluxe’s sound, and it comes from an entirely different – or seemingly entirely different – musical style. At least, there’s a similarity to an artist I’ve always thought of as a different genre. Notably, “Houdini” and “What’s Wrong with Me” both remind me of the Les Paul’s (The Paul’s) albums I’ve previously reviewed, and Warre’s vocals throughout hint just a bit (or quite a bit, as the case may be) at the vocal stylings found on Les Paul’s (The Paul’s)’s releases.

photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

Back to Bees Deluxe, though, and there’s an originality in the band’s sound that makes its music difficult to categorize (blues and jazz with a bit of an old-school alt-pop-rock energy) but easy to enjoy. “Queen Midas” stands out as a song that might have stood a chance as a crossover song, with a soft-edged but still clearly punk attitude and aggression intertwined with the smoother overall music bed.

I’m especially drawn to a song that stands out by being so different, the smooth, keyboard-driven instrumental piece, “How to Play 96 Tears,” that lacks the edginess of the surrounding tracks. It’s just a really good, short piano number. The other instrumental piece on the record, “Gary Burton’s ex-Guitar Player Stole My Highschool Girlfriend and Now I Can’t Stop Dreaming About Her,” features some cool, contemplative guitar noodling, something you’ll need to replay the song to notice, since you spent the whole three minutes the first time through just reading the song title.

photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

And finally, if you ever hear me call a song “hep,” as in “cool-but-old school,” it’d have to sound a lot like Bees Deluxe’s “Call Me Frank.”

I’ve already mentioned the two final songs on the album, “Houdini” and “What’s Wrong with Me,” the latter a catchy pop-jazz-blues groove that’ll leave you wanting more. Or, at least, to start over and play the album again.

Hallucinate is a solid entry from this I-suppose-they-must-be-blues-maybe outfit, one of the more unique – and uniquely talented – groups on the Boston music scene. I’m guessing it’ll be a groovy live performance; hopefully, I’ll find my way to one of their gigs one of these days.