Tag Archives: Album Review

Album Review: Sean Harrison – Ghastly Love (and Other Dubious Tales)

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photo by Denis Sayer; photo courtesy of CDA Publicity & Marketing

Album Review of Sean Harrison: Ghastly Love (and Other Dubious Tales)

Sean Harrison has one of those voices. It’s the rich, expressive voice of a modern folk troubadour. Most of all, he’s a storyteller. His lyrics are deep and thoughtfully-constructed, occasionally (OK, frequently) clever and humorous. He delivers his stories in the form of singing, mostly, but also as spoken word, when appropriate. There’s a hint of country, but at the folk storytelling end of that genre’s stylistic spectrum. And the arrangements are varied to fit the song subjects.

Sean kicks things off with an especially clever song, “Good Cover Story,” that’s a bit of a blues-folk blend with an old-school art-pop-rock beat and a noir vibe befitting its slick lyrics and crime-based subject matter. It’s a moderately energetic song that’s one of the album’s more likely tracks to reach broad appeal well beyond the record’s core audience. In other words, especially if this album doesn’t sound like it’s in your wheelhouse, maybe at least give “Good Cover Story” a listen.

“Home Where I’m Loved,” next up, is a mellow anthem for those whose home lives are a source of strength and blessing, particularly those like the songwriter whose pasts may have been a bit more scandalous.

image courtesy of CDA Publicity & Marketing

Speaking of scandalous, the next song, the title track, “Ghastly Love.” It’s the sort of song you might imagine Gomez singing to and with Morticia, flamboyantly, full-throated, imaginative, and fun.

“3 Part Strategy,” next, has a rock ‘n roll edge to it, full of energy, accompanied by bluesy distorted guitarwork, all leading to the periodical reveal of Sean’s 3-part strategy: “Get shit done!”

“Ghost of the Old Wire Road” slowly things down, going mostly spoken-word in this storytelling number, telling the story of the Old Wire Road. The song is an enthralling listen, and the topic is an interesting Wikipedia read. If you listen to the song first, you’ll recognize much of the road’s story.

Sean brings back the energy with the raucous “Black Beer,” a twangy country-rocker that’s given a memorable edge thanks to Sean’s matter-of-fact vocal delivery style, as storytelling on rockers like this as it is on the folkier-rhythmed numbers.

The uptempo, truly silly “Doggy Dog World” follows, delivering a musical ray of sunshine and catchy vocals; it’ll get stuck in your head and have you seeing the world through the wonder of a child’s eyes for days after just a few listens.

As much fun as this album is, mostly at least, it really does end on a downer, a 7-minute lightly musical examination of the awareness that the brain lives slightly longer than the body, examining a human’s “Final Thoughts.” It’s delivered a little whimsically and thoughtfully – an interesting listen – but man, the topic is serious and heavy.

As a whole, Sean Harrison’s Ghastly Love (and Other Dubious Tales) is a cool, often fun collection of songs that you really do need to hear. The guy’s a very talented true original, and you’ll find some new favorites when you give this record a listen.

Album Review: The Grand Undoing – Songs For the Sleeping

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photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of The Grand Undoing: Songs for the Sleeping (Secret Candy Rock Records)

image courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Boston-based outfit The Grand Undoing is actually the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Seth Goodman. Over the years, Goodman has assembled a revolving door of musical characters that he enjoys making music with. And when he’s ready to craft a new album, he brings on several guests under the moniker The Grand Undoing, and the mystery and cryptic fun ensues from there.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Songs for the Sleeping is the fifth album in a series that covers various musical terrain such as power pop, psychedelia, and punk. On this current endeavor, some of those musical elements are present, but it’s more intimate and eclectic a la Peter Hammill, Nick Cave, John Cale, Lou Reed, and those similar artists of a individualist nature. It is sort of difficult to define but emotionally and spiritually effective in the way the songs grab you with their own tenor and logic.

There is a darkness and weight in the way in which Goodman delivers the songs. And the accomplished cast of sidemen gives each piece exactly what it needs. “Sing a New Morning” and “I’m Being Called” possess melodic depth, light-handed groove and an ambient feel. “Creature,” “The Knowing,” “The Sun is Stranger,” and “Now I’m Going Home” are particularly captivating in their somewhat subdued pastiche of jazzy interplay, beatnik-like lyrical patter, and cerebral complexity.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Songs for the Sleeping is a fairly accurate title as the nine songs that appear here have a somewhat hypnotic and meditative quality. Whether thinly veiled or in bold relief, Goodman freely bares his soul within these tunes, prompting the listener to join him in a dream-like state.

Looking Ahead

Although there are no upcoming performances currently scheduled, you can check the “gigs” page of The Grand Undoing’s website periodically to see when new dates are added.

To keep current with the latest news about The Grand Undoing, be sure to follow the band/Seth Goodman on social media, on Facebook or Instagram.

Album Review: Euphoria Station – Smoking Gun

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image courtesy of Rock Rose Music

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Euphoria Station: Smoking Gun (Reverie Suite Records)

Saskia Kraft van Ermel and Hoyt Binder are vocalist and guitarist, respectively, for the critically acclaimed project and band known as Euphoria Station. Their musical roots are firmly planted in Southern rock and outfits like The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman Brothers Band , The Outlaws, and, even, Kansas. In fact, they pay homage to Marshall Tucker by covering the band’s signature “Take the Highway.”

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Kraft van Ermal and Binder are joined on this album by such guest heavy hitters as drummer Toss Panos (Robben Ford) and bassist Jorgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule), along with the usual suspects Ronald van Deurzen on keyboards, Rebecca Kleinmann on flute and Tollak Ollestad on harmonica. The result is an album that is ultra intense. It’s a confluence of melodic vocals, screaming guitars, progressive rhythms and a unique mix of Americana flavors and epic soundscapes and themes.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Kraft van Ermel has a very distinctive vocal presence that blends poetry, melody, and a spiritual centeredness. As a counterpart, Binder is a whirlwind of a guitarist who reaches for the almost impossible note or phrase to either stun your senses or transport you to another stratosphere.

Songs like “Smoking Gun,” “Off the Beaten Path,” and “Here with You” bristle with an energy that is at once infectious and soothing. The lyrics are whimsical, mystical, and engaging while the music is impeccably arranged, yet grounded and organic.

“My Mistake” and “Sweep Me Away” are powerful in the way they shift moods and motifs from ebullient and declarative to radio-friendly power pop. Perhaps “Living for Today” sort of typifies the genius of the Euphoria Station sound in that they are able to synthesize odd time signatures, dense orchestration, beautiful stacked vocals and sophisticated chord sequences into a single bound.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Kraft van Ermel and Binder’s production is ambitious and all-encompassing. It will set the listener squarely in the driver’s seat. And that’s a good place to be. It’s a wild ride that should be familiar to many classic rock and blues-rock fans, while standing alone in its own space and time.

Album Review: Randy Armstrong – Echoes of Tomorrow

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photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Randy Armstrong: Echoes of Tomorrow (UMP Records)

“Songs of Hope, Love, Peace and Unity”; that’s the subtext of the notes that grace this album by uber-accomplished guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Randy Armstrong. Echoes of Tomorrow is the latest release in a series of instrumental projects and albums the world music-oriented artist has shared with the universe.

image courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Armstrong is the co-founder of Do’a World Music Ensemble, Unu Mondo and the Beyond Borders Octet. His collection of instruments from around the world includes over 300 odds and ends from the United States, Canada, India, West and South Africa, Croatia, Belize, Cuba, Scotland, and Puerto Rico. He has performed at Carnegie Recital Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City and has been an international music ambassador for several arts commissions and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

As with many of his previous releases, Echoes of Tomorrow defies description in its vast display of musical terrain. Call it “contemporary jazz,” “world fusion,” “folk,” “Americana,” “new age,” or whatever you like, Armstrong does it all and seamlessly crosses all boundaries from one track to the next.  All of the dozen tracks here feature Armstrong overdubbing the majority of the instruments, with drummer Jose Duque on most of the cuts and tabla player Marty Quinn and bassist Volker Nahrmann only on track two, called “Courage.”

Songs like “Choosing Love,” “Compassion” and “Forgiveness” stir inner emotions and pull at your heartstrings while transporting you to a better place existentially and spiritually.  Tunes like “Finlandia—Song of Peace” and “Ode to Sibelius” have a classical arrangement and cadence to them. And the album closer “Born in Appalachia” harkens back to Armstrong’s childhood roots.

This is a really strong record that will touch all your senses in a profound and meditative manner. Hence, it features music that is tailor-made for these troubled times.

Album Review: The Dogmatics – Nowheresville

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photo by Nicole Tammaro Photography; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Album Review of The Dogmatics: Nowheresville (Rum Bar Records)

The Dogmatics are masters of a style of garage rock that’s absolutely swimming in monster hooks. Catchy songs. Low-fi. It’s a crunchy, raucously satisfying meat ‘n potatoes musical combo meal. And Nowheresville, the band’s recent full-length release – its first in nearly 40 years! – is a massive helping of raw, rockin’ comfort food. The fivesome behind this gamey but tasty collection of rock tuneage are Jerry Lehane (vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Peter O’Halloran (vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Jimmy O’Halloran (bass), Tom Long (drums), and James Young (vocals, backing vocals, mandolin).

The album kicks off with “Key of B,” a fun, energetic, lyrically silly yet earnest ode to one of a rocker’s most important, life-altering decisions. And with that, The Dogmatics set the tone for this entire raw, rockin’ collection.

Some of the songs are garage rockers that share some punk rock DNA. “You’ve Got What I Want,” for example, has such a raw, energetic feel. “With a Scarlet Letter,” meanwhile, adds a more nuanced rhythm while remaining just as gritty and rough.

cover photo by Mary Lou O’Halloran; cover design by James Young; image courtesy of Knyvet

Other songs – “Rainy Nights,” for instance – have a more country aura filtered through an Americana-rock lens, kind of Eagles-ish. “Con Job,” too, leans that way, though it’s more of a hillbilly-ish rocker – rockabilly? – while if you listen to the lyrics, you’ll be sure to never be caught alone in a dark alley with the songwriters. It is a wicked cool song… with a little extra wicked.

One of my favorite songs on the record, “Nothing to Be Learned,” is a pure melody-driven, roughly-produced, guitar-based pop-rocker. Its catchy rhythm and persistent rhythm guitar line helps it feel as if it’s more energetic than its actual pace dictates. Cool stuff, dudes! And if this is your favorite Dogmatics’ sub-style, “I Can’t Get Over You” is another song you’ll love, with a similar hooky-rockin’ delivery.

My very favorite song on the disc is an instant classic as much because of its lyrics as its tunefulness. “No Likes No Comments” is one of the rawest songs on the album, from a production standpoint – though that nifty guitar solo is in a production sweet spot – but the social media-referencing lyrics are so damn clever. The main line of the chorus, “No likes, no comments, no one cares,” is inspired by itself, but the cherries on top are the more inventive lyrics like “I snapped and I chatted, I tikked and then I tokked. My grams had lotsa instas, but everybody balked.” Poor Threads didn’t even warrant a mention. The song is the silliest on the record, which isn’t an easy task on a disc that opens with “Key of B,” and it’s a lot of fun.

The record ends with a couple balls-to-the-wall rockers, at least in context of the record as a whole. Fast energy. Raw feel. Faster tempos. Indeed, “Library Girl” and “Ball Me Out” are a great offramp from this cool disc. Also, they’re strong indicators that a live Dogmatics is like to be an all-out rock ‘n roll party. I mean, the whole album suggests that, but in case you weren’t paying attention, these last two tracks make sure you notice how cool it would be to catch these guys live!

And if you want to catch a live Dogmatics gig, there are a couple in the Boston area in the next week or two. Just check out the “Shows” tab of the band’s website for more info and to see new performances as they’re added.

Album Review: Dave & Kristi – The Chickadees

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photo by Misty Lyn Photography; photo courtesy of Dave & Kristi

Album Review of Dave & Kristi: The Chickadees

Dave Boutette and Kristi Lynn Davis, who perform as Dave & Kristi, have assembled an exceptionally varied, engaging collection of songs on their most recent album, The Chickadees. The duo draws from a variety of influences – swing, folk, rock, country – to create a signature song. At its core, Dave & Kristi are a singer-songwriter duo. For the most, Dave sings the lead with Kristi serving up the sweet harmonies; their voices are well-paired, with Dave’s slightly rough-edged yet well-enunciated and Kristi’s higher, sweeter, smoothing the rough edges when joining the melody and at other times offering a rich harmony.

The album kicks off with the cheerful, swinging “All Are Welcome Here,” as if from an old-timey traveling musical revue, and follows with the title track, “The Chickadees,” an alt rock-influenced folkabilly number with clever lyrics and phrasing that suggest an affinity for the Barenaked Ladies. The pair slows things down with “Soapbox Soliloquy,” an old-school country influenced folk number.

image courtesy of Dave & Kristi

“King’s Highway” features the two vocalists trading off a bit more and is driven by pickin’ guitar and fiddle, a good old-fashioned mid-tempo bluegrass-influenced banger.

“Truth or Consequences” is a song that’ll sneak up on you. It has a bit of a haunting musical backdrop with a semi-energetic vocal delivery and a whole lotta pickin’. Yeah, it’s a song about Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. That’s just plain cool. And that nifty little guitar line will worm its way into your brain toward the end. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

The influences don’t stop there. “We Swam in Rivers” is a richly-produced, full-throated ’70s folk-rock number.

The mid-point of the album is “Roll,” a favorite largely because of the intricate lyrics and energetic vocals.

Then, after the sweet “Who You Are,” Dave & Kristi launch into an energetic, clever dark Americana number, “Outlaw Polka,” a song so clever both musically and lyrically that it’ll be a fast favorite; even if you don’t usually like lyrically amusing numbers, the music is a fun, hook-filled romp that’ll reel you in. It’s a very Wally Pleasant-ish song, both in topic and catchiness, and even right down to Dave’s delivery of a few lyrics, notably in a mid-song bridge.

photo by Misty Lyn Photography; photo courtesy of Dave & Kristi

“Winter Embers,” next, is an uptempo ditty, a rich Americana number that blends energetic music with a slower, neatly blended mix of the duo’s vocals. “Pledging My Love” could be described similarly, though its vocals lean toward old-school crooning, and there’s some nifty ’50s-recalling guitarwork nestled into a mini-solo.

Penultimate track “You Chase Too Many Things” is a fiddle-driven, tunefully folky number with perhaps a hint of country, though mostly that’s due to the fiddlin’. It’s a song that’ll put a smile on your face, just in time for the melancholy of the album’s closing number, “Pulling from the Shore.” It’s a song that feels like goodbye. So long. A farewell that reminds you of how coolly Dave and Kristi’s voices blend.

The Chickadees is a great end-to-end listen. Even when it’s introspective and deep, there’s a cheerfulness inherent in the Dave & Kristi delivery style. So if you like well-written songs, cool duet harmonies, folk singer-songwriter based musical variety, or simply a collection of songs from which you’ll likely pull at least one or two favorites, it’ll be time well spent giving Dave & Kristi’s The Chickadees a listen.

So, what are my favorite tracks? Well, obviously “Outlaw Polka,” most likely followed by “Roll.” “The Chickadees” is clever. “Truth or Consequences” has a cool aura. But there’s really not a song on this disc that wouldn’t be one of my top four or five on any given day, depending on my mood. Give this album a listen and let me know what your faves are, maybe in the comments.

EP Review: Skyway – Time to Be Alive

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photo courtesy of Skyway

EP Review of Skyway: Time to Be Alive

On Time to Be Alive, Skyway delivers fun, energetic, throwback ’90s/’00s pop-punk, offering up a collection of songs that would fit comfortably among Green Day, New Found Glory, and Good Charlotte on your enthusiastically energetic playlist. The band’s promo material touts its “nostalgic pop punk sound, featuring tight harmonies, catchy earworms, and plenty of singalong moments.” I don’t disagree with any of that.

image courtesy of Skyway

Now, I’m a little picky when it comes to punk rock – a little less so when it comes to the more pop-friendly punk that emerged in the ’90s, but I’m still a relatively harsh in my assessment. Of course, that might not be readily apparent at the blog, since I only share music I love, but I require tunefulness, hookiness, decent musicianship, and engaging vocals before I’ll even listen twice to a punk act. The vocals part, in particular, seems to be hard to find in a male-led punk act. The comparable famous bands in the previous paragraph, though, ticked all of my boxes. And so does Buffalo-based Skyway. This is an exceptional EP, sure to be a welcome addition to any pop-friendly-leaning punk rock fan’s collection. Indeed, I’ve been really digging getting familiar with these energetic, catchy tunes!

photo courtesy of Skyway

EP-opener “Marie” kicks off with a hooky guitar line, energetically diving into its first verse, quickly leading to its first singalong chorus: “Marie, Marie. Marie, Marie.” OK, so the lyrical content resides in the verses and bridges. In any case, this fun romp will get you pumped up. And if you’re looking for a slightly lesser-known comp, there are elements of this song that specifically remind me (a little) of Floor Space’s “Glass Dreams.” Regardless, “Marie” is a cool opening track, a great intro to this energetically fun five-song EP.

“Uncrumpled,” next, adds a little more power and velocity to the mix. It’s a thumping, high-tempo rocker, a fun romp that features very Weird Al-ish vocals. (Do you hear it, too?) I’m also pretty fond of the rawly tuneful guitar solo, something even more impressive when you realize Skyway found time for a guitar solo in a song whose entire runtime is less than 2 1/2 minutes.

photo courtesy of Skyway

“Wishing Well” is, to me, probably the most Green Day-ish number on the disc, at least in energy. The overall sound is very uniquely Skyway, but the smash-and-crash music in the intro, verses, and bridge are very Green Day-reminiscent. The chorus, meanwhile, is more like you’d find in an alt-pop-rock number, kind of raw and gritty but also tuneful.

From the opening “woo-hoo-hoo,” “Scars” marks its own territory, uniquely different from the rest of the EP. You want nostalgia? Well, I hear hints of Bowling for Soup. Do you? Regardless of influences – and Skyway’s sound is chock full of ’em – it’s a damn fun rock song.

The EP closes – much too soon, I might add – with the raucously rocking “What a Time to Be Alive.” A power-pop-rocker to the very end, this song will leave you happily out-of-breath by its conclusion.

photo courtesy of Skyway

From beginning to end, Time to Be Alive is a fun record, packed with nostalgia-inducing, energetic, original pop-punk that calls upon the genre’s giants for influence but is packaged into a wholly-identifiable Skyway sound. If this is your genre of choice – or even if it’s a musical style of tangential interest to you – Time to Be Alive is an EP you need to hear, and Skyway is a band you should follow.

Album Review: Dan Cloutier – The Iceberg

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image courtesy of Dan Cloutier

Album Review of Dan Cloutier: The Iceberg

Dan Cloutier‘s The Iceberg, released last spring, followed a year of traveling that took him to Greenland and Newfoundland “to find icebergs and record music.” Indeed, two of the album’s eleven tracks were recorded in Ilulissat, Greenland, and one was recorded in St John’s, Newfoundland, thanks at least in part to the help of Dan’s Kickstarter campaign.

Dan’s songs are accessible and fall into a variety of buckets. Some are stripped-down, primarily guitar-and-vocal (or banjo-and-vocal) numbers that connect on a personal level. Others add a bit more instrumentation, with richer arrangements that draw upon varied styles and influences, but they, too, connect on a personal level. So I guess that’s a common theme. Dan also notes that “the music is all about finding hope during dark seasons of life. Like an iceberg, you cannot see what is underneath.” Indeed, hopefulness is another common theme.

The record is bookended by “The Iceberg” and “Iceberg II,” the two songs recorded in Greenland. On them, Dan’s banjo-work produces a memorable melody, while his lyrics and the background vocals provide a warmth perhaps not often found in such a barebones production.

The Newfoundland-produced song is near the end of the album. That song, “Chainmail,” is a pleasant, ’round-the-campfire encourager that may appeal particularly to the dungeons and dragons set (including those of us who dabbled with it lightly in high school). Or fans of medieval books and movies. Or those of us who simply enjoy a good metaphor. The song is built around the line “make me some chainmail for my soul,” with I guarantee is infinitely cooler than any chainmail reference we made as teenagers. The song is pleasantly-sung and likely to be a broadly-appreciated favorite. (Yes, it’s my personal favorite song, among many I really enjoy, on the record.)

The music and lyrics on this disc are thoughtfully-penned and successfully convey emotions, living up to Dan’s mission of identifying hope. Songs like “I Want to Feel Your Broken Heart Beating” and “Every Breath We Take is Holy” are such songs. Other songs like “Good Kind of Failure” and “Take Your Next Step” are more mid-tempo and directly encouraging.

At times, providing additional variety – a feature that makes this album an easy beginning-to-end listen – Dan amps things up even more with fun acoustic-rockers like “Windshield Wipers,” which implores his windshield wipers to move faster (though the lyrics are metaphorical, too, so it’s not just a song about car parts) and the edgy, acoustic alt-rocker “Synapses Fire.”

Finally – though not “finally,” since it’s song three – it’s worth noting “Rocky Shore,” a song whose melody and style are that of a sea shanty, a bit of a drinking song, regaling the rocky shore. Just a fun, additional song-style thrown in for good measure. And performed impeccably.

As a whole, The Iceberg is a fun record. Its songs vary enough to make its eleven tracks an easy listen. If you’re wearing black while listening to this record, your wardrobe will clash hopelessly with the incessant hopefulness of The Iceberg, but dressing in bright colors (or imagining you did, if putting on a new shirt is too much work for you) is a small price to pay to enjoy Dan Cloutier’s exceptional collection of songs. If you’re looking for a soft-to-mid-tempo, thoughtful, hopeful, not-quite-mellow but definitely mellow-adjacent record, check out The Iceberg.

EP Review: Nate Perry & Ragged Company – Till the Well Runs Dry

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photo by Collin Heroux; photo courtesy of Knyvet

EP Review of Nate Perry & Ragged Company: Till the Well Runs Dry

Whether you’d call Nate Perry & Ragged Company a country band or an Americana band – I go back and forth, though I lean toward country – there’s no denying they’re an engaging, broad-appeal musical tour de force. The band’s most recent EP, Till the Well Runs Dry, fully supports that notion.

I enthusiastically reviewed the band’s The Otherside of Everything EP last spring. Till the Well Runs Dry is a worthy follow-up. The record was preceded by single releases of its first two tracks, “Count on You” and “Tonight.” Excellent choices, as they’re perhaps the most accessible of the EP’s five songs. Though I agree with the single selections, I would have to say album-opener “Tonight,” the second single released, is the biggest potential hit on this record. “Tonight” opens with aggressive drums before launching into a twangy number with a big sound, a wide-open feel, and a nifty little guitar hook. Harmony vocals and Perry’s edgy, insistent lead vocal add to the song’s immediate appeal. As I noted in my The Otherside of Everything review, there’s almost a bit of R.E.M.-as-a-country band vibe to Nate Perry & Ragged Company, and its especially evident on this track. “Count on You,” by contrast, has softer edges but still wields comparable vocal insistence, engaging guitarwork, and subtle hooks.

cover photo by Collin Heroux; design by Mike Chandler and Lance Fullin; graphic by Wes Allen; image courtesy of Knyvet

“Between the Lines,” next, is janglier and requires a bit more time to grow on you, ideal for a later single release or album track that engages the listener more with each listen, ultimately earning favorite status. It has a soulful country vibe that bridges the gap between soft rock and mainstream country. If I were to create a music video for “Between the Lines,” it would absolutely be required to conclude with an old pickup truck driving away down a dirt road.

“Disappear” is a bit more energetic again, with its own unique musical shuffle to distinguish itself from the rest of the disc. And the nearly-spoken “disappear” at the end of each chorus is exactly the appropriate, inspired vocal choice.

The EP closes with “How Much It Matters,” a song that features alt rock-meets-country musical and lyrical delivery choices, somehow intermingling into an Americana vibe. Guitar, keys, and vocal patterns trade off as the featured players on this song’s musical landscape. It’s a fun listen while it’s happening, but less memorable after the fact than the rest of the disc. In part, that’s because it feels a bit like a musicians’ jam, which makes it a fun EP-ender and almost certainly an enjoyable live cut.

Nate Perry & Ragged Company introduced themselves with the impressive The Otherside of Everything in 2024. They followed it up with another top-shelf record, Till the Well Runs Dry, in 2025, a year that saw the band earn multiple nominations from both the Boston Music Awards and the New England Music Awards. I can’t wait to see and hear what 2026 holds for this talented collection of musicians.

Album Review: Jean-Pierre Llabador – 3’33 Treasure Hunt

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image courtesy of Rock Rose Music PR

Album Review of Jean-Pierre Llabador: 3’33 Treasure Hunt (Castle Records)

Jean-Pierre Llabador is a legendary 1970s French jazz guitarist. His newest release, 3’33 Treasure Hunt, is a collection of eight 3 minute 33 second tracks. (With that being said, though the album lists the songs as 3’33”, the tracks seem to clock in up to 20 seconds longer or shorter for me, but I ain’t complainin’.) Unable to play guitar himself of the album, Llabador is joined on this record by an esteemed collection of musical colleagues, with Llabador composing the music and producing the contributing musicians.

Jean-Pierre Llabador; photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music PR

3’33 Treasure Hunt is a cool amalgam of styles, incorporating a jazz style with bluesy or rockin’ riffs, as appropriate. It’s an enjoyable beginning-to-end listen, a collection of stylistically-varying compositions that clock in at just under 30 minutes in their entirety.

One of my favorites is the very first song, “Roses in Rhodes,” one of just two songs on the 8-track disc that contains vocals. It kicks the record off coolly, with a bit of a funky rhythm, and incorporates the smoky-smooth vocals of Tania Margarit. It’s followed by the twangily alien-sounding “Bowlywood,” led by guitarwork from Pascal Corriu. Gerard Pansanel’s guitarwork on “The Link,” meanwhile, provides that song’s signature recurring hook, while the guitar noodling throughout much of the rest of the track gives the song a pleasantly meandering vibe.

“Long Beach” is probably my second-favorite entry on the record, behind “Roses in Rhodes.” On it, the flowing pianowork of Tania Margarit is accompanied by steady, supportive musicianship from the rhythm section of Jean-Pierre Barrera (bass) and Philippe Arnaud (drums), delivering a laid-back coffeehouse jazz vibe.

top row, left to right: Elea Schuhmann, Pascal Corriu, Jean-Pierre Barreda; bottom row, left to right: Philippe Arnaud, Tania Margarit, Bernard Margarit; photos courtesy of Rock Rose Music PR

Kicking off the second half of the record, Elea Schuhmann’s vocals are key to the soaring blues-jazz style on the record’s other vocal-driven number, “Betty on Franklin Avenue. “Big Deal,” next, a guitar number from guitarist Bernard Margarit, could easily be the soundbed of a soft pop-rock hit.

It’s followed by a completely different sound on “Ghazaouet City,” the one song on the record that could most easily fall into the “world music” category, with a unique eastern music-inspired rhythm throughout, though it periodically gives way to the sort of groovy sixties-esque jazz that you might expect from an early James Bond movie soundtrack, as well. It’s quite an ear-surprising amalgam that’s sure to hold your interest for the entire 3’33”.

The record closes with “Blast,” which blends a soft background with intrusive foreground riffs, with guitarists Corriu and Pansanel lending their skills to the effort, resulting in the sort of jazz number that leaves you not relaxed but, rather, edgy.

In all, 3’33 Treasure Hunt is an interesting, varied disc that showcases Llabador’s composing talent with the help of a collection of top-shelf jazz musicians. If that’s your vibe, you may very well find this to be a groovy assemblage of songs that fits niftily into your music collection.