Live Review: Jay Taylor at Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro

Posted on by
Jay Taylor at Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Jay Taylor

Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro, Holliston, MA

September 7, 2016

The Backstory

Earlier this year, when perusing live music schedules in the area, I stumbled across a Jay Taylor listing at the Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro. I couldn’t get out to that gig, but I was impressed enough with his music that I added one of his tunes to a personal SoundCloud playlist – yes, I’ve been remiss in posting a new public playlist, but when I do, Jay’s “Hold On” will be on it. In any case, when he was back in the area this time, I made sure to get out to hear him. Coincidentally, he was at the same venue through whose concert listings I initially discovered his music.

The Concert

There ain’t no two ways about it. This dude has a special voice. It’s mid-range, but it’s rich and smooth, with the ability to go deeper if necessary and to add emotion without adding too much gravel to his voice. That’s – here’s that word again – special. Not that this was a surprise, of course. I’ve heard his recordings. It took a unique talent to get me to drive so far for live music on a Wednesday night.

Jay Taylor at Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Jay is currently touring with a full band. A very talented band, at that. Guitarist Steve Hensley periodically stole the show with his guitar histrionics, at home across genres. And Alex Pierson (bass) and Russ Sternglass (drums) comprised a tight rhythm section that could keep up with Jay – or toy with him a little when they wanted to. Jay added acoustic guitar to the mix while, of course, manning the lead vocals (except on a couple songs, on which the guys did a fine job, but they ain’t no Jay Taylor).

Jay opened the night with “Wagon Wheel,” showcasing his crisp, powerful vocals and sporting his harmonica. The Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling” also made an early appearance. Songs moved from mellow to rollicking throughout the night, and genre lines were crossed and blurred.

I noticed three songs from Jay’s EP Hold On during the evening. The title track (and still my favorite) was the earliest entry, following the Eagles and, dare I say, kicking the Eagles’ butts, in part due to its increased tempo, of course. All the sharpness, power, kick, and hook of the recorded version made their way over to the live rendition and, if anything, were amplified. A little later, Jay growled his way through “How I Wanted To,” accompanied by a tale that exhibited both his stage presence and his comfort in front of an audience.

Jay Taylor at Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro

photo by Geoff Wilbur

A bit later in the set, the other song Jay performed from Hold On, “The Green Dress Song,” was delivered with a hint of twang and a pretty strong, hooky rhythm that was stepped up a bit from the recording. It was followed a few songs later by Jay’s fourth and final (that I noticed, at least) original of the night, a solo acoustic performance of “Back Road”; this tune starts out its verses in a vocal tone that initially seems ominous before becoming more apparently sentimental as each verse unfolds. I’m not sure I’m describing it properly, but it’s another sign of Jay’s deft vocal skills and worth noticing if you listen closely enough.

The rest of the set, which stretched almost three hours, ranged from Alabama to Bruce Springsteen, from Randy Travis to Elvis, and from Merle Haggard to Eagle Eye Cherry. As the hours passed, the tone of the evening grew more and more country, particularly old-fashionedly so.

The Elvis song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” was loungy (in a good, Vegasy Elvis way), boppin’, and smooth. I also quite enjoyed Jay’s vocally oh-so-smooth version of John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind.” And he shook the room with a rousing rendition of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”

As impressed as I was with Jay Taylor’s recorded music, I left the live performance that much more convinced he is one tiny break away from being a big-stage concert favorite; you know, the one “tiny” thing a talented, hard-working musician can’t control. (I’m almost never this impressed by a male country singer; this dude’s really good.) Of course, now that you know, there’s no reason to wait to hear Jay on the radio; check out his music for yourself… now.

Jay Taylor at Jasper Hill Cafe & Bistro

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Looking Ahead

Jay has several upcoming gigs listed on his website. You can catch him tonight, Friday, September 9th at Loretta’s Last Call in Cambridge, MA. Tomorrow, Saturday, September 10th he’ll be taking the stage at 3:15 at the 19th Annual Wachusett Mountain MusicFest, on the main stage right before local favorite and former The Voice top-five finisher Kristen Merlin. The other September gigs are Tuesday, September 20th at the Opry Backstage Grill (Nashville, TN); Wednesday and Thursday, September 21st and 22nd at Tin Roof (Louisville, KY); again Wednesday, September 28th at Tin Roof (Louisville, KY); and Friday, September 30th back at the Opry Backstage Grill (Nashville, TN). The remaining gigs listed are all at Tin Roof bars – Fridays, October 21st and December 2nd in Charlotte, NC and Saturdays, October 22nd and December 3rd in Columbia, SC. Obviously, there are a bunch of open dates in there, so keep an eye on Jay’s website to see if those dates are filled in at clubs near you.

Album Review: TOS – Killer

Posted on by
TOS

photo courtesy of TOS

TOS – Killer

The Backstory

For those of you who read my review of TOS’s CD release show, you know the backstory. I stumbled across this incredibly talented young band solely because I was looking for some live music here in the outer Boston suburbs one weekend. I’ve been listening to the Killer CD ever since, including most days during my commute. (I have also more recently reviewed another of the band’s concerts, and I may continue reviewing their shows regularly if they keep scheduling gigs a whole lot closer to my house than any of my other favorite local bands.)

Album Review of TOS: Killer

TOS - Killer

image courtesy of TOS

TOS is a rock band with timeless songwriting, talented musicianship, and a unique, identifiable, modern sound.

The band is led by singer/songwriter Sophia Ward, whose sensitive-but-powerful, often haunting vocals provide an appealing delivery of her well-crafted lyrics; both the delivery and songwriting lend artistic credibility to TOS, a band that can be easily considered both rockers and artists.

Her comrades are talented enough to be up for the task. Many of the songs seem to be driven by the rhythm guitar, generally acoustic, delivered ably in varied stylistic formats by Jonathan Sommer. This frees up lead guitarist Jackson Parker to add texture to the songs with his electric axework, his solos proving difference-makers on a few tracks. Then there’s the rhythm section. For the most part I’d label bassist Jae Mannion and drummer Mitch Rolla as steady and dependable. Occasionally one or the other will add a hook or featured run to a song while the other holds down the rhythm fort; the two work together well as a team.

TOS

photo courtesy of TOS

The album-opener “Death of Me” is the standout on the disc, though it’s one of a half-dozen I’d consider exceptional. But this song is appealing on multiple fronts. It introduces the listener to both Sophia’s quintessential somewhat haunting vocal and her occasionally called-upon insistent wail, the strumming rhythm guitar that propels most of the song, the subtlety of the rhythm section (there’s an occasionally recurring bass hook that unassumingly raises the song’s memorability level), and a lead guitar line adds texture in fortuitous spots. As a result, it’s a potential fan favorite with staying power.

Throughout Killer, it’s the variety on the disc that helps it stand up over multiple listens. That begins with the songwriting. There are a couple of my favorite lines that exhibit the lyrical cleverness I look for.

First, during the band’s anti-love song, “Need This Love” – one of my favorites – in a tone that reaches sadly into the soul, supported by a blues-infused rhythm, you’ll hear “I need this love/To go away/’Cause all it’s brought/Is tears and hate.” Great blues lyrics from this alt-rock outfit.

TOS

photo courtesy of TOS

Also, in “Mouthful.” Musically, this song crept up on me but is now on heavy rotation on my stereo. Sophia’s voice dances around the melody deftly in fits and spurts in this one. It’s moody, at times either sultry or sadly angry, and delivers another of my favorite lines on this disc, “Your biggest mistake starts with my name.”

Oh, but the songs get deeper. “Ghost,” anyone? Another haunting song with powerful musical builds and tempo variance. It’s a catchy song you’ll find yourself singing along with, one of the standout tracks on the disc… about being abducted in the woods and held captive. It’s jolting every time you realize what you’re singing along to, but it’s oh-so-well-written.

Lest you think the album’s serious and/or angry, don’t. Even the aforementioned songs are fun listens in all their seriousness. Also, at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum, beginning with an electric guitar riff that’d make a ’70s metal band proud before flowing into a rather pop-rocking, energetic song, is “Reckless.” A partying song that features an excellent, well-placed electric guitar solo.

TOS

photo courtesy of TOS

Another amusing tune that’s a personal favorite is “Cry Baby,” an energetic, rock-strumming-driven ditty with the electric axe line almost a modern twist on ’60s surf rock-style guitar.

And while “Soul Keeper” is yet another relationship song that’s not exactly cheerful, it’s not all romantic doom and gloom in TOS’s repertoire. “Waterfall” is reminiscent and wistful, while “The One” is rather romantic and hopeful, even if its opening reveals that it’s a bit neurotically so.

The disc closes, though, with its title track, “Killer.” Another anti-romantic song. The guitar line is like something Metallica would come up with if it were to write a heavy alt-rock song. And “Killer” does, indeed, close the album emphatically with power-howled vocals, aggressive stop-start drumming, mile-a-minute acoustic guitar picking… every tool in TOS’s kit but the kitchen sink. The ideal album-ender to leave the listener content and out of breath.

So yeah, I’ve been enjoying having this CD in my car the last several weeks. It’s a rockin’ disc from a tight, talented group, containing enough depth and musical variety to remain interesting across dozens of listens.

TOS at The Pleasant Cafe

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Looking Ahead

Get out to hear TOS if you can. This is absolutely one of the best live bands in Boston. TOS’s next performance is Saturday, September 10th at the Remember September Music Festival in Brockton, MA. The band also has an upcoming Saturday, September 24th gig (11:00 AM-1:00 PM for you morning people) at the 22nd Annual Weston Car Show in Weston, MA, a Saturday, October 1 early afternoon (2:00 PM) set at MaynardFest in Maynard, MA, and a Friday, October 10th gig at Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery in Cambridge, MA with Company One and Pillbook. Check the band’s website for more information on those gigs and others as they’re added. You can also sign up for their mailing list like I did.

Album Review: Angie and the Deserters – Blood Like Wine

Posted on by
Angie and the Deserters

photo courtesy of Miles High Productions

Angie and the Deserters – Blood Like Wine

EP Review of Angie and the Deserters: Blood Like Wine

Angie and the Deserters - Blood Like Wine

image courtesy of Miles High Productions

Your jugular. That’s what Angie Bruyere grabs you by with the opening strains of “Country Radio,” the first track on this energetic, engaging six-song collection. Americana-billy, if I had to give it a name. Angie and the Deserters pair a country twang with a rockin’ attitude and rhythm, with an engaging fiddle mixed in for good measure. If I had to compare Angie’s voice to anyone’s on this first track, I’d say it reminds me of Sarah Borges.

But it’s followed by the crooning twanger “Smile,” a Patsy Cline-ish, school-dance-in-a-gymnasium ballad that’s soaked in slide guitar and fiddle in all the right places. Two songs in, and it’s obvious Angie and the Deserters have range.

Angie Bruyere

photo courtesy of Miles High Productions

“The Gift” is a rather spooky, deserted old-west flavored, haunting tango.

“Ain’t Goin’ Down” comes across like an Angie and the Deserters spin on Tom Petty… if Tom Petty had a hoarsely sexy voice that cracked with emotion like a young Demi Moore and combined it with a country bad-girl attitude.

“Don’t Cry” is a more sensitive number, Americana-meets-Fleetwood Mac at times. It’s smooth enough to cross over to fans of soft rock, top 40, country, classic rock… I can see nearly endless avenues of appeal for this well-written, melodic track.

Angie Bruyere

photo courtesy of Miles High Productions

The package is wrapped up by “On My Way,” another rockabilly-Americana blend, though this is a mellower, more wide-open-spaces take on the genre. Still, as throughout the disc, Angie’s voice cracks in all the most alluring spots, providing an edge to an otherwise smooth, crisp sound.

From beginning to end, Blood Like Wine just jumps out of the speakers and grabs the listeners by the throat… or maybe the ears. But with just six songs, it ends too soon; but not for long. Impatient new fans can reach back and seek out the band’s 2015 debut, the full-length album West of The Night. And Angie and the Deserters also plan to release another EP in October, sharing the second half of the band’s recent Nashville recordings. Not such a long wait to hear more of what this group has to offer.

Album Review: Body English – Stories of Earth

Posted on by
Body English

photo courtesy of Body English

Body English – Stories of Earth

Album Review of Body English: Stories of Earth

Body English -Stories of Earth

image courtesy of Body English

Supertramp meets Phantom of the Opera. Gordon Lightfoot covers Looking Glass’ “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” Don McLean co-writes with Harry Chapin and Squeeze. High-vocalled soft-progressive ’70s-style pop-rock with a modern twist. Body English is a unique group that combines disparate elements of that certain style of classic rock with a modern progressive flair. It’s a style from that era whose sound is not as often updated by modern rockers and, as such, Stories of Earth is an especially interesting bit of ear candy.

Body English

photo courtesy of Body English

This collection kicks off with perhaps its most commercial, catchiest track, “Kiss Them.” Blending ’70s pop-rock guitar and dynamic, emotional vocals before a wall-of-sound backdrop at times, this track is an energetic, cheerful welcome.

Another standout on this disc, “Prose and Poetry” adds a nicely sensitive, folk-reminiscent vocal crackle to a building, eventually relatively psychedelic (perhaps a bit Who-inspired) musical backdrop by mid-song.

Body English

photo courtesy of Body English

You’ll certainly have your own favorites. Perhaps “I Don’t Wanna Be a Housewife (For Someone Else’s Family)” with its horn-driven opening and clever lyrics. Maybe the energetic “Rock and Roll Will Save You,” a song that somehow incorporates the occasional rockabilly note into its otherwise very progressive DNA. Or possibly the 10 1/2 minute magnum opus that closes the disc in true ’70s progressive rock form, “The Humour in the Heart of the Old Grey Mountain.”

Give this album a few listens. Its spin on the genre is a bit unexpected, but it really grows on you.

To check it out, you can find a stream of Stories of Earth on SoundCloud.

Album Review: Idlewilde – 90 Proof

Posted on by

Idlewilde – 90 Proof

Album Review of Idlewilde: 90 Proof

Idlewilde - 90 ProofTogether since 1981, Southern New England’s Idlewilde knows its way around the blues. Though I’m aware they’re a group of top-shelf musicians with good day jobs, if I hadn’t known otherwise before being handed this CD, I’d’ve pegged these guys as full-time blues cats. 90 Proof is a fun, diverse collection of rock and blues songs that, after just a few listens, quickly became an old friend (as a blues album should).

Featuring Dale Binsberger (bass, vocals), Jon Gould (lead guitar, vocals), Ryan Snyder (drums, vocals), Phil Spillane (guitar, harmonica, vocals), and Denny Hartzell (“all things keys”), Idlewilde delivers grit and growl that lets you know these guys are blues veterans.

I’m a big fan of the bit-by-bit album opening, and Idlewilde leads with instrumental “Bodeca,” whose sparse intro gives way to blistering guitars, a pulsing, catchy rhythm, and playful blues organ.

“Red Clay” is strung-out, soulful, growling-vocalled, classic blues. It’s followed by mid-tempo yet raucous “When I’m Gone.”

“Trouble,” which features a truly gravelly growl and harmonica opening, settles into a groove that recalls a bit of “Cheap Sunglasses”-era ZZ Top.

And in that vein, the album continues, a club-rocking mix of blues and blues rock that I’m sure translates well to live performance and produces a rousingly fun night for local clubgoers and is well-represented throughout this disc.

There are a few other songs well worth mentioning in this collection. Musicians, for example, are likely to most appreciate the energetic “Telecaster,” an ode to a bluesman’s beloved axe.

Perhaps the most soulful blues song on the disc is “A Darker Shade of Blue.” You may find yourself listening to that one with your eyes closed and your head swaying.

My favorite song on the album is probably “Damn That Rock & Roll” because it’s just so blue. Great organ opening combined with soulful harmonica, a blue beat, and anguished, all building to climax ever-so-slowly. It’s a smoky barroom-flavored, cascading, classic soulful blues number.

And the second of the two “bonus tracks” that close the disc, “The Whiskey Song,” is an old Irish drinking tune that sounds like it was a lot of fun to record.

Idlewilde is, indeed, a longtime favorite “’round these parts,” and with 90 Proof delivers a solid album showcasing plenty of blues-based variety for broad appeal. I’d also consider it proof these guys must put on an energetic, fun live show, one I look forward to catching when the opportunity arises.

Live Review: TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

Posted on by
TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

photo by Geoff Wilbur

TOS

Solomon Pond Mall, Marlborough, MA

August 26, 2016

The Backstory

If you read my review of TOS’s CD release gig in July, you’ll understand why I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see these guys so close to my home, at the mall I drive past 2-3 days a week on my way to my favorite breakfast joint for an omelet and my personal playlist. Yesterday morning, in fact, my phone shuffled up TOS as part of my playlist, which I shared on Twitter, as I often do. Yesterday evening, I stopped at the mall to see one of my now-favorite local bands.

TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The Concert

I’ve never seen a concert in a mall before. This is a band with the talent to make this concert an excellent first.

Because I’ve provided in-depth coverage of TOS before and (spoiler alert) will soon complete my review of the band’s album Killer, I’ll focus mostly on the songs performed and the flow of the concert; and though I won’t mention every song, I’m able to mention each song by name and offer a much more detailed review because I had access to a set list while scribbling my notes. Always a helpful bonus.

The gang opened with “Reckless,” filling the corridors with boundless energy. They followed it with “Not My Love,” combining a funky beat with a unique, varied tempo; the song closed with a nice guitar solo and flowed well into “Soul Keeper.”

TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

photo by Geoff Wilbur

“Primadonna” is a live favorite of mine; it’s a good boppin’, catchy pop rocker but with a bit of vocalist Sophia Ward’s haunting howl. TOS then slowed things down a bit on “Mouthful,” a personal favorite from the band’s recent release, Killer, before bringing the energy back with “(Dyin’) Without You,” another boppin’ alt-rock song with a good tempo and another well-suited guitar solo from lead guitarist Jackson Parker.

On haunting album standout “Ghost,” bass player Jae Mannion stepped forward to provide prominent support vocals, adding texture to the song’s sound. Next on “Cry Baby,” another of my personal favorites – a song my wife and I were singing as we arrived home after the show, in fact – I really enjoyed Mitch Rolla’s punched-up ’50 soda shop-reminiscent drumming that provided the song with a fresh feel.

Some other songs stood out, as well. “Side Effects,” for example, kicked off with almost a ’70s jet-setting start, a little psychedelic.

“Death of Me” is as much a treat live as it is on the recording, in part because it’s a song that very obviously and prominently features contributions from all five band members. Sophia’s trademark haunting vocals are supported by a great strumming opening, an important electric guitar line, drumming that defines the stops and starts that propel the song, and a bass part that contributes the key hook.

TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

photo by Geoff Wilbur

“Crush” is a subtly interesting song; it’s solid and steady but made unique by a bit of a funhouse mirror edge to the vocals, electric guitar, and bass lines.

“A Better You” is a mellower acoustic guitar-strummer with sweet vocals and a hint of ’70s lounge-style jazz in both the vocals style and the wandering electric guitar line. “Need This Love” next amped things up with electric power; it has ’70s rock anthem-level power when it peaks. It was followed by “Waterfall,” the sensitive, flowing, raise-your-lighter song in the band’s repertoire.

“Sleep” is interesting, powered by its Wonders-esque (as in the That Thing You Do! Wonders) drumming. It also features the clever lyric “Don’t need love/I just need sleep.”

Finally, toward the end of the set, TOS presented its mellowest number “The One,” a primarily singer and acoustic guitar-driven song with a sensitive sound and sweet vocals showcasing singer Sophia Ward and acoustic guitarist Jonathan Sommer. The 21-song set closed with “Never Wanna See You Again,” utilizing a surf rock undercurrent to add texture to this otherwise growling rocker.

For an encore, the band performed “Killer,” the powerful rock song motored by exceptional acoustic guitar, powerful vocal wails, and an almost wall-of-sound feel. An ideal way to end a concert… and this most unusual evening at the mall.

TOS at Solomon Pond Mall

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Looking Ahead

TOS has three upcoming shows listed on its website: Friday, September 2nd at Sally O’Brien’s in Somerville, MA; Saturday, September 10th at the Remember September Music Festival in Brockton, MA; and Friday, October 7th at the Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery in Cambridge, MA. Keep an eye on the band’s website for additional upcoming dates. Also watch this blog in a couple weeks for a review of TOS’s recently released CD, Killer.

EP Review: Mark Webb – Home

Posted on by

EP Review of Mark Webb: Home

The 5-song collection from Greenville, South Carolina’s Mark Webb kicks off in impressive fashion, presenting a pure, Opry-ready country music sound with Mark’s medium-deep, soulful country voice in such a way that it grabs the listener from the very first note, then again from the very first vocal. Immediately, it’s clear this guy is a big-time talent.

Mark’s talent also manifests itself in the varied song styles he can perform within his musical sweet spot, ranging from old-fashioned country to a folkier Americana-infused brand of softly rocking country. None of the tracks on this EP are particularly loud or brash, perhaps because Mark lets his smooth-yet-textured voice tug at the listeners emotions via carefully crafted lyrics, which touch upon everyday people’s experiences and emotions.

Mark Webb - Home

image courtesy of Gold Ship Records

EP-opener “Queen” is a mid-tempo twanger with enough thump supporting soaring musical and vocal moments to satisfy fans of multiple country music sub-genres.

It’s followed by “Can We Make It Right,” a soft-touch, mid-tempo number that’ll get the listener swaying side-to-side with its rhythm, seasoned by Mark’s Southern-sweet vocals and guitar-strumming with a more Eagles-like soft country-rock flavor.

I’d consider “Come Back Home” as a more traditional country song in the vein of “Can We Make It Right.” In tempo and vibe, though, this also recalls for me the Eagles; in this case, “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”

Sandwiched between the two is “Weak Enough,” a relatively pure country ballad-style track. It opens with sparse strumming that emphasizes the raw, heartfelt tenor in Mark’s voice. A little slide guitar twang joins in, as the music builds with the song’s emotion. Altogether, the song is well put-together, tugging at enough heartstrings with its odd refrain “I’m not weak enough to leave you now.”

Mark closes the EP with “Friend of Mine (Just Like You),” another emotional tune, this one a slow, soft-touch ballad on which his rich, full voice particularly shines. It’s deep, heartfelt country music with perhaps a hint of folk and just the scarcest country twang. Mark sings as if he’s pouring his heart out on this one, and it feels like the sort of song that would quiet a room as the audience connects emotionally and soaks it all in. Terrific end to a solid disc.

From beginning to end, Home is an enjoyable listen. It’s an EP that shows off Mark’s considerable talent. And hopefully it marks the beginning of big things for this talented country singer/songwriter.

Looking Ahead

Mark has a few upcoming live dates listed on his website, including a Saturday, September 17 show in Bristol, TN at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and a Thursday, October 13th Fall For Greenville gig with Turnpike Troubadours at Peace Center Amphitheater in Greenville, SC. There are also some dates listed with information TBA. Keep an eye on the “tour” page of Mark’s website for further information about catching him live.

Live Review: Ashley Jordan at Loft 266

Posted on by
Ashley Jordan

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ashley Jordan

Loft 266, Worcester, MA

August 24, 2016

As I’ve mentioned before, I often strike up conversations with people about local music. And during several of those conversations, with both fans and people within the music scene here in Massachusetts, I have been asked “Have (I) seen Ashley Jordan?” So, with a nod to the “where there’s smoke there must be fire” school of music journalism, I finally made a point to catch Ashley last night during her Wednesdays-in-August residency at Loft 266. And though I was only able to stay for her first set, I can confirm that there is, indeed, fire.

At just 23, Ashley has been performing for 10 years and is a recording studio veteran, as well, with four albums in the past six years. A quick glance at her bio shows a long list of awards dating back six years; she particularly seems to have swept most of the local country music award categories the last four years. If one of the next batch of young country stars comes from Massachusetts, it’s a good bet Ashley’s your gal.

Ashley Jordan

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Performing an acoustic set of mostly originals last night, Ashley showcased her broad range. When she sings quietly, I hear a bit of Clare Bowen in her voice – that’s “Scarlett” to fans of the TV show Nashville. Some of her mid-tempo, high-but-spunky/powerful bits recall Dolly Parton; when you hear it, you’ll know what I mean. And I’m not sure which blend of young pop-rockin’ country stars she reminds me of when she sings with strength, but her mellow-to-power vocal runs suggest she could be one of the special ones.

A couple of the originals that made an impact – there were more than two, but these were the only ones whose titles I jotted down – were “Angels,” which shows shows vocal range, and “He’s Crazy,” which features a range of vocal dynamics. (Both songs are featured on Ashley’s new album, He’s Crazy.)

A notable cover was Ashley’s rendition of “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree,” as it shows off a richer, soulful low end and some energetic howls that hint at the full extent of her vocal talents.

The one thing I was left wanting at the end of set was a chance to hear Ashley perform with a full band. An acoustic set is fine, but I can just imagine the songs with their full arrangements…

Looking Ahead

Tonight, Thursday, August 25th you can catch Ashley at the Hard Rock Cafe at Foxwoods (Mashantucket, CT). I’m sure that’ll be a heck of a show. And next Wednesday, August 31st, she finishes her August residency at Loft 266 in Worcester, MA. She also currently has two September gigs scheduled, both at Perfect Game in Worcester, MA – Friday, September 2nd and Friday, September 16th. You can keep abreast of Ashley’s live performance schedule via the “Tour” page on her website.

 

Album Review: Simon Scardanelli – What In The World?

Posted on by

by James Morris, Contributing Blogger

Review of Simon Scardanelli’s newly re-released 1981 debut album: What In The World?

Time and its passing are no one’s friend. It’s a fleeting mistress whose seduction of your youth soon leaves you withering on the branch and you stare back behind you and wonder how the futures you planned became the memories of the past. Why, I hear you say, should I speak so coldly about this passing of the years? Well, to my mind time has moved too swiftly for the undeniable musical talents of Simon Scardanelli. Too long ignored, it seems inconceivable that 35 years have passed since What In The World?, his 1981 debut album release. It is a great injustice in the musical firmament that greater notice has not been taken of the brilliance of Simon Scardanelli. In 2016, he released the wonderful Make Us Happy, perhaps his best album to date. Now he is sticking his head above the parapet again, in his own belligerent and self-determined fashion, by re-releasing this long forgotten album.

Simon Scardanelli

photo courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

I know he had second thoughts about re-visiting this so many years later. As is Simon’s way, he never felt the original album back in 1981 was good enough but maybe hoped it could be a springboard to the next chapter. Falling out with the studio over the mixes and not co-operating with its promotion didn’t help sales, and so the album came and went. After the ice had thawed he managed to regain control of the recordings, and presented here for the first time is his take on the record with his preferred mixes and track listing which both differ from the original vinyl release. Mind you, I think you may be hard pressed to remember the original LP unless you are the die hardest of die hard fans.

For those that don’t know, after this album Simon went on to play keyboards in mid-’80s band the Boomerang Gang, and then in 1988 he formed, with his Canadian compatriot Shark, the duo Big Bam Boo who signed to Polygram and released the album Fun, Faith, & Fairplay.

Anyway, this is all 30-odd years ago, and much musical water has flown under the bridge. Simon has made many great albums, and his current style is far removed from what he was doing back in ’81, so I think it is very brave to go back and release a debut album that may confuse some listeners. Actually though, if you are a fan of Simon’s work, then you will find something tantalising in this time capsule.

Remember this was the time of Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Bowie’s German period. A transition from ’70s prog rock to new wave synth pop. If you take this album with those thoughts in mind, you can see how it would stack up.

It opens with the track “Astral Suicide,” a slice of lunacy and pomp that immediately sets the bar. It is quickly followed by a crazily catchy song “A Pocketful of Spies,” something that could easily have been charted by someone like “The Thompson Twins.” Both these songs have all the hallmarks of embryonic Scardanelli. If you are familiar with his later releases you can hear that unique voice starting to warm up to what it will later become. You can hear the non-conformist lyrical style developing and the ear for a good tune. You can sense he is on to something and time will set it free.

The track “Day After Day” is proto synth city. I know that Paul McCartney was credited as being ahead of his time with his use of the then-new synth technology on his 1980 album McCartney II. Here on this track, Simon shows similar pioneering spirit, and some of the sounds did put me in mind of the outakes on that McCartney album.

There are many contemporaries that you can hear in the music, maybe Bowie in particular. But I know that Simon did not listen to much other music for fear of being influenced. This is why, most likely, he has never conformed to a genre or style throughout his career. The album was recorded in Germany, and a lot of free reign was given to the creative process. I think that a lot of fun was had in the studio pushing the technology and creating the layers that so identify this music with that time. Simon and studio engineer Nigel Jopson hired Kraftwork’s sequencer only to find it so complicated they didn’t use it in the end. You can picture the size of the equipment then, the wires, patch bays, knobs and generally unwieldy nature of the technology.

There is a bridge developed through this album between the last gasp of prog rock and the emergence of New Wave. As you get nearer to the end of the album you hear that prog rock influence in tracks “Those In Peril” and “You and I.” There are momentous crescendos of dynamic pomposity, sweeping you up and taking you back to those memorable musical times.

The album is an exhausting but pleasurable listen. It is relentless in its voracity with a brief moment of calm on the piano ballad “Lately,” which seems to juxtapose the rest of the album.

The final title track of the album “What In The World?” is maybe the closest you get to more familiar Scardanelli. Driving guitars and layers of synth lines make the audio connection to Big Bam Boo and then possibly even to his band venture Dr. Scardo in 2013. It is a fitting end to the album and both fascinating as a time piece and enjoyable as an album of music.

Any filmmaker or TV ad man that is looking for good genuine ’80s music that hasn’t become hackneyed by overuse should take note. This is a real gem of undiscovered ’80s music. Fresh, authentic, and at times exceedingly catchy. For fans of ’80s music it is a definite must, and for fans of Simon Scardanelli it is a revealing and rewarding listen.

 

Album Review: “Les Paul’s” (The Paul’s) – Night Worker

Posted on by

Album Review of “Les Paul’s” (The Paul’s): Night Worker

"Les Paul's" (The Paul's) - Night Worker

image courtesy of Paul Robert Thomas

“Les Paul’s” (The Paul’s) are Paul Odiase and Paul Robert Thomas. Hence, the clever name. And while I may take issue with their punctuation, their music grew on me steadily over the course of multiple listens.

On The Pauls’ new disc, you can clearly hear the David Bowie influence. Some songs are upfront and overt about it, but you can hear the essence throughout. In the album’s promo material, the songs “This Song,” “On Charles De Gaulle Street,” and “Night Worker” are specifically called out as Bowie tributes. But stylistically, almost the entire disc clearly bears a Bowie-esque flavor.

Night Worker opens with “Say I,” a soft-touch but medium-fast-tempo number whose horns give it a festive nature and whose music video drives home its anti-war/pro-peace lyrics.  It’s one of a few tracks that particularly stand out on this album

“Night Worker” is a good, somewhat progressive, old-style soft rocker, mixing a Bowie-styled soft gravel vocal with a guitar line that softly drifts in and out of the song’s steady rhythm.

Possibly the sneakiest catchy track in the collection is mid-tempo “Peat Bog Soldiers.” Supported by an ’80s-reminiscent heavy synth backdrop, an infectious beat, and an earnestly important vocal delivery, the song’s irregular rhythm belies its earworm quotient.

It’s immediately followed by well-matched, faster-tempo, synth-driven “Six Feet Under,” whose lyrical phrasing and vocal fast-slow tempo are nearly hypnotic.

The album winds down with mellow, late ’70s/early ’80s Bowie-esque “Till My Day is Done,” pop-rock-slightly blues “Those Schizophrenic Blues,” and, finally, faster-tempo “Down, Down, Down,” a tune whose serious delivery is probably the main reason it’s not a full-on dance number.

In all, “Les Paul’s” (The Paul’s) deliver an album that makes some interesting artistic choices, paying tribute to David Bowie and using his ’70s or ’80s sound as an inspiration, jumping off from that starting point to explore surrounding artistic directions. If that sounds interesting to you, you’ll likely find a few tracks on here you’ll quite enjoy and, eventually, sing along with.