Tag Archives: Album Review

Album Review: Patsy Thompson – Fabulous Day

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by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Patsy Thompson: Fabulous Day

Released in 2020, this album from singer-songwriter Patsy Thompson was 12 years in the making. Essentially, that’s because family obligations came calling as the Canadian-born artist took care of her ailing mother. With not much support from family, she felt broken and burned out. But in the nick of time her long-time friend and co-writer/producer/guitarist Chris Rolin stepped in to offer her a chance to complete this album and get her back on a career track.

Fabulous Day is a record that is very personal for Thompson. She co-wrote 9 of the 10 songs here, and they all are taken from various aspects of her life and experience.

Patsy Thompson - Fabulous Day album cover

image courtesy of Glass Onyon PR

The title track opens the album with a tale of hope and new beginnings. The mood is ebullient as she sings with incredible range and conviction. It features a strong chorus and lyrical hook. That sets the stage for an enticing musical ride.

“Neon Lights” is a classic song of love and longing. It spotlights Thompson’s stellar vocals and her knack for storytelling. “Picking You Up” is an obvious single that should register mighty strong at country radio. It’s an uptempo honky-tonkin’ party tune. This focuses on throwing all your cares to the wind and stepping out with that significant other for a night on the town. Thompson sings with an aggressive growl that grabs your attention.

“Dreamin’” sounds like a cross between k.d. lang and Patsy Cline. It has a very ethereal vibe and a timeless country feel. Again, this shows another side to this stellar female crooner. “I Can’t Be in Love With You Tonight” contains a sentiment many folks can relate to. It’s a song for anyone that’s ever had any conflict over giving their heart to someone. Thompson talks about love feeling so wrong, yet feeling so right. Yeah, you’ve probably heard that used as a narrative many times before, but this is genuine and from her soul.

Patsy Thompson

photo courtesy of Glass Onyon PR

“Misery and Gin” is the sole cover here, and it’s a good choice. Again, this contains familiar ground that really mines the human condition. She sings “Looking at my life through the bottom of a glass, all I see is a gal who’s fading fast.” There is a strong sense of melancholy here performed in the style of Tanya Tucker or Tammy Wynette. There’s a nice guitar break that supports a subtle jazzy/blues tavern-like atmosphere.

“Passion” is another Thompson original that is a bit different from some of the other fare here. This would be an appropriate song to dance the tango by. She sings a sweet romantic lyric atop accordion, acoustic bass and a pervasive gypsy feel.

“Someone to Blame” addresses the chaos an old flame can create when the former lover can’t leave well enough alone. Select fiddle work from Mike Sanyshyn and a rocking blues feel push Thompson as she sings “Bad news is coming down like rain as you’re looking for someone to blame.”

“Joy Ride” is a straight forward and simply stated country barn burner. It’s got a spry up tempo kick similar to “Picking You Up.”

Thompson closes the album with a Grand Ole Opry-influenced Christmas tune called “I Think About You.” It’s the kind of song that makes you feel good all over. Here she sings about all the things that remind her of the one she loves, like standing under the Mistletoe, the smell of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen, and all that sort of thing. This has all the makings of a modern perennial classic. There’s some nice guitar and fiddle work too.

Patsy Thompson is a terrific songwriter, as well as vocalist, that has opened for some of the biggest names in country music like Willie Nelson, Clint Black and Rusty Weir. She’s also appeared at SXSW and has recorded at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studios. This is a momentous release that’s sure to please, and filled with a treasure trove of memorable hits.

Album Review: Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer – Ain’t Gonna Worry About Tomorrow

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by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer: Ain’t Gonna Worry About Tomorrow (Electro-Fi Records)

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee; these are just some of the famous duos, past and present, that have graced the American blues landscape. Although, perhaps not on that level of notoriety, Detroit heavyweights Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer are certainly deserving of such stature. As a duo they’ve played their fair share of festivals and club dates throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Canada. They’ve also had successful solo careers and partnered with other legendary blues figures like Emanuel Young, Honeyboy Edwards, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Mel Brown. They’ve also recorded together in the past, but it’s been far too long. However, that all changed when Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records signed them to a deal and got them back in a Detroit studio in early 2020.

Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer - Ain't Gonna Worry About Tomorrow album cover

photo by Gary Collver; image courtesy of Electro-Fi Records

Harmonica Shah is a one-of-a-kind character whose stock in trade is spinning off the cuff improvisational lyrics and hot harmonica fills to match. Howard Glazer is a master craftsman when it comes to the guitar. Whether it’s electric, acoustic, slide, Dobro, jazz, folk, rock, or whatever, he deftly works it all into his signature sound. Joining them are Detroit area vets Mike Blaszkiewicz on guitars, Steve Glazer and Ben Moore on bass and Skeeto Valdez on drums.

“Reality Blues (I’m Too Old to Be Your Man)” opens the disc in fine form, with a mid-tempo blues shuffle. Shah humbly sets the record straight with a woman in question that he’s simply too old to be carrying on with a relationship. Perhaps the generation gap is represented here in full effect.

They keep that mid-level groove happening with the next number, “My Bottle is My Bank Account.” This is an all too familiar tale of money changing everything. And fair weather “friends” will only be around as long as that money holds out. Shah has a folksy way of cutting to the chase with these kinds of human nature mini-dramas.

Sans drums, “Pretty Girl, Pretty Girl” almost puts the listener in a trance via Glazer’s oscillating and floating chords. Subtle harmonica shadings and Blaszkiewicz’s acoustic interplay give this a haunting swampy feel. “When My Wife Comes Home” is kind of a lighthearted tale. It’s a straight-up shuffle, with a humorous bent. In it, Shah entices his woman to stay the weekend and watch cable TV. But, ultimately, she’ll have to go Sunday night when his wife returns home. Uh, oh… there’s the rub! This features some tasty call and response soloing from the harmonica man and Glazer.

Harmonica Shah

photo by Gary Collver; photo courtesy of Electro-Fi Records

“Dirty Bastard Blues” has a really loose and live feel. It’s one of those self-effacing tracks where the band hits “record” and lets it fly. Everyone hits their musical marks, but Shah cracks up laughing in between lines of the song. It’s just got that nightclub vibe where you could picture him reacting to crowd response. Glazer really digs in here, with some great single note lines and incendiary leads. Fenton Robinson’s “Somebody Loan Me a Dime” is a classic that gets respectful coverage here. It’s a slow blues that features one of Shah’s better vocals and searing chicken pickin’ by Glazer.

“(I Just Wanna Be) Your Floormat” has a swing and shuffle to it. The rhythm section keeps a nice open pocket that gives room for some exceptional solos between the co-leaders. “Please Respect Me” finds Glazer really working various tonal registers on his axe. From a trebly single-coil attack to a grittier approach, he covers a stunning sonic spectrum. This is also Shah at his most vulnerable, where he pleads with his woman not to cheat on him. “She Penetrates My Mind” is another slice of life narrative where sometimes a certain kind of loving can be too strong. Shah sings “She’s got the kind of lovin’ that’s terrifying. Every time she loves me she penetrates my mind.” It’s a backwoods juke joint kind of song that will stick in your psyche for some time.

Chester Burnett’s classic “Who’s Been Talking?” is a spirited cover that gets a nice New Orleans swing feel. The mean, low down lyrics are offset by an uplifting and vibrant groove. Paul Marshall’s “So Many Roads” features a great Shah vocal along with some very agile harp runs. It’s a slow blues burner where Glazer employs great control and a skilled use of dynamics. “First Train South” is the sole instrumental on the album. It essentially spotlights the duo and really shows the strength of this co-led blues machine.

The title track “Ain’t Gonna Worry About Tomorrow” saves the best for last. It’s a hopeful sentiment that features a jazzy groove from Valdez and stellar interplay from Shah and Glazer. Anyone that follows the Detroit and Southeast Michigan blues scene should be very familiar with Shah and Glazer’s festival and nightclub work. But it has been many years since they laid any tracks down in a formal studio. Kudos to Electro-Fi Records. It was well worth the wait!

Album Review: Chris Pellnat – Rain

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Chris Pellnat

photo courtesy of Chris Pellnat

Album Review of Chris Pellnat: Rain (Houdini Mansions Records)

Artistry and songwriting skills. These are at the core of Chris Pellnat‘s Rain. His delivery is very singer-songwritery. Softspoken and matter-of-fact. The instrumentation is light and airy most of the time – its quirky cheerfulness often belying the seriousness of the lyrics – with occasional well-placed additional instrumentation.

Chris Pellnat - Rain

image courtesy of Chris Pellnat

Speaking of well-placed additional instrumentation, “Hold Me Now” opens the disc in carnival-esque fashion, with crashing waves of music providing emphasis. “Vie Vie Vie Vie Vie” follows with a tempo that suggests the song is walking along at an uneven gait, perhaps followed by all of the town’s children, as if a pied piper. Next up, “Black-Eyed Susans and Queen Anne’s Lace” continues that tempo, but with intriguing bridges tying the choruses to the subsequent verses.

Chris Pellnat

photo courtesy of Chris Pellnat

The harmonica lead-in to “It’s a Cruel, Cruel World” hints at a musical change of pace, though it’s just a modest one. I dig the lyrics, too; no sugar-coating.

“Turning of the Zodiac” is a quirky number – you’ll find yourself singing along with the “boop” sound, for goodness’ sake! – and sports brief sixties psychedelic instrument cameos, as if drawn by the word “zodiac” to this musical summer of love.

Chris Pellnat

photo courtesy of Chris Pellnat

On the back half of the album, I’m probably most drawn to a couple of the tunes. “Anything At All,” for its dark melancholy. And “Honor Bound,” though perhaps mostly because I dig the harmonica bits.

I also enjoy the final song, “Rain,” a memorable song with a bit of a hook that includes a hint of the musical crashing found to open the disc, this time in the form of storm clouds, providing a bit of a stylistic bookend.

Throughout, Chris’ original delivery provides a cohesive, memorable canvas for this collection of songs. The songs themselves are so tight and carefully written, they’d be equally compelling with different delivery styles and lusher production. As I mentioned at the beginning, the dude’s a songwriter. A talented one.

 

Album Review: The Doughboys – Running For Covers

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Album Review of The Doughboys: Running For Covers

Released late last year by New Jersey ’60s-flavored garage rock flagbearers The Doughboys, Running For Covers is an album of 13 cover songs, including covers of a couple of the band’s own old originals, all given an updated treatment in The Doughboys’ modern-yet-classic signature style.

The Doughboys - Running for Covers album cover

image courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

The album begins energetically with the classic-style guitar-buzz-driven “96 Tears,” a raucously enthusiastic – surprisingly upbeat, given the song’s lyrics – update of the ? and the Mysterians’ number one hit from 1966.

The rest of the disc includes The Doughboys’ renditions of the Kinks’ “The Hard Way,” The Band’s “The Shape I’m In,” the Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire,” Herman’s Hermits’ “My Reservation’s Been Confirmed,” the Beatles’ “It’s All Too Much,” Lambert Hendricks & Ross’s “Moanin’,” Mose Allison’s “Your Mind Is On Vacation,” Neil Diamond’ “Solitary Man,” and more, plus reimaginations of The Doughboys’ own 1967 singles  “Rhoda Mendelbaum” and “Everybody Knows My Name.”

It’s a couple of the latter cover songs on that list that are really interesting, since they include particularly significant style changes. The Doughboys take blue jazz number “Moanin’,” for example, and infuse it with a timeless ’50s-meets-garage rock energy to completely change the song’s energy without disrupting its mood. And on “Solitary Man,” the band marches forth confidently, delivering this standard with a buzzy, almost Johnny Cash-meets-Hawaii Five-O flavor.

Other favorites include “Your Mind Is On Vacation,” with its bluesy style and harmonica bursts; the fast-paced adrenaline-filled, sped-up, wailing version of David Essex’s “Rock On,” a song also covered by Michael Damian, though still not at The Doughboys’ tempo; and the tunefully mid-tempo “Everybody Knows My Name.” The whole disc is solid, of course, and as a result, my personal favorites tend to change with my mood, so pay attention during your test drive because your mileage may vary.

You know, I always struggle with reviewing cover albums because, well, what do you say about them? About the good ones, you can say something like this: The Doughboys have delivered a disc full of great rock ‘n roll music, putting their distinct sound on classic songs, both famous and obscure. So, even though cover collections are difficult reviews, I really enjoy listening to this record, and I couldn’t resist sharing it with y’all. If you’re a fan of timeless, kinda raw but really tight rock ‘n roll, you owe it to yourself to take The Doughboys’ Running For Covers for a spin.

More Recently

Of course, Doughboys drummer Richard X. Heyman has assembled a renowned career as an independent singer-songwriter. I reviewed his 12th album, Incognito, in 2017. This past fall, he released the single “Choices We Make,” which you can check out via this YouTube video, from an unnamed upcoming 14th RXH solo album. I can’t wait.

Looking Ahead

When live gigs return, you’ll find The Doughboys’ on the “Events” page of the band’s website.

Also, here’s an interesting little nugget from the band’s bio, for those of us not old enough to have first-hand knowledge. The Doughboys were the house band of the legendary Cafe Wha? back in their heyday. I know this sounds like “looking back” rather than “looking ahead,” but this bar in the Village is one of the few remaining (surviving) iconic live music venues on my personal NYC “must see” list. Assuming it survives the pandemic, it’ll be a stop on one of my future trips to the City, visits I sorely miss right now and am looking forward (i.e., looking ahead) to resuming when some semblance of normalcy returns. So, in this paragraph, I’m looking ahead to my future, not the band’s.

EP Review: Sam Sherwin – Left In

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Sam Sherwin - Left In EP cover

image courtesy of Media Stew Public Relations

EP Review of Sam Sherwin: Left In

Left In is the follow-up to Sam Sherwin‘s full-length album, Iodine Cocktails, which I reviewed here three years ago. It’s a great continuation of the vibe in that prior release, perhaps skewing a bit more toward the live blues-rock joint vibe than the big stage rock show flavor of the prior release. Still, one can’t help imagining “The Wells Run Dry” rocking a stadium crowd, too, so my comparison is a bit of an oversimplification.

Sam Sherwin

photo by CE Katz; photo courtesy of Media Stew Public Relations

The songs are tuneful and catchy. Sam’s vocals have the ability to cast a rough edginess that suggests real-life experience and emotion while still powerfully hitting all the notes. Very New Jersey rocker-ish, appropriately.

The keys and background vocals add a richness and playfulness to EP-opener “Can’t Depend On You,” balancing the earnest growling blues-rocker song style. A great introduction to the depth and breadth of Sam’s music, this song is a well-chosen first impression.

“Johnny Got Soul” follows, with a bit of a bemused feel to the vocals in the first verse, providing a matter-of-fact descriptiveness that serves the song well. The bridges divide the song into sections, providing a breath of fresh air and break in tempo that helps the listener focus on and enjoy the vibe – the soulful, bluesy vibe, natch – of the verses and chorus.

Sam slows things down with the mellow, wistful “Losing My Faith.” Driven instrumentally by piano with well-placed organ, the music bed well-supports the aching vocal delivery in the verses and chorus and is supplemented by backing vocal bridges, soaring both high and low, in the second half of the track. I know it’s a dorky music-reviewer type of thing to say that one of my favorite things about a song is its arrangement, but I’m playing that card here.

Sam Sherwin

photo by Dwyt Dayan; photo courtesy of Media Stew Public Relations

The fourth and final song on this all-too-short disc, “The Wells Run Dry,” brings back the energy. A gruffy, seedy juke joint kind of energy. Fun, with instrumental runs and a wry delivery. Picture a big auditorium, a well-choreographed lighting sequence, and a rollicking jam band feel, all in a well-structured bluesy rock song package. A great closing number to a well-bookended four-song collection.

I always dig a Sam Sherwin release. Granted, it’s generally a little hard to describe, but at its heart, it’s good, old-fashioned rock and roll with a pop-friendly flair, rooted in multiple decades of the classic rock era, with influences from a broad range of other musical genres. In this case, lots of blues, but not just. I know it’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it.

Looking Ahead

When live music returns in earnest, one place to look for upcoming gigs would be the “Shows” tab on Sam Sherwin’s ReverbNation page.

Album Review: Burnt Out Wreck – This Is Hell

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Album Review of Burnt Out Wreck: This Is Hell (Cherry Red Records)

This is crunchy, soaring, hard-driving ’80s style melodic rock ‘n roll of the very best kind. I reviewed Burnt Out Wreck’s previous album, Swallow, back in 2017. Now, I’m finally getting a chance to review the band’s 2019 release, This Is Hell. As I mentioned in the previous review, Burnt Out Wreck has an ’80s pedigree, with lead singer Gary Moat having served a the drummer in ’80s rock band Heavy Pettin, and with Burnt Out Wreck Gary’s every bit the energetic, raucous rocker now that he was “back in the day.”

Burnt Out Wreck - This Is Hell album cover

image courtesy of BJF Media

This new disc starts out with high energy right from the start, as “Dead or Alive” romps from the get-go. I hear the AC/DC comparison I mentioned in my last review, but there’s a high-screaming, tuneful, frenetic energy that also recalls Kix’s Steve Whiteman. Much headbanging and air-drumming on this fun, rockin’ album-opener.

The album contains a fair bit of good ol’ rock ‘n roll-style raunchy good humor, with tracks like “Paddywack” turning clever phrases and featuring singalong-ready verses. And, of course, later on the disc, “Rock Hard Sticky Sweet,” which is driven by a gritty, bluesy rock guitar line with some Cinderella-like chord progressions (from their really good bluesy hard rock songs), as well as tasty soaring guitar solos during one particular mid-song bridge.

Burnt Out Wreck's Gary Moat

Gary Moat; photo courtesy of BJF Media

One of the more direct anti-love songs you’ll find on this disc is the catchy “Headfuck,” with vocal screams and crashing drums and vocals reminiscent of Headhunter-era Krokus.

Surprisingly, if know how much I dig lyrics, probably my favorite song on this disc is lyrically simple. “Guitars Electrified” is all about the energy, rhythm, and guitar hooks. It grabs your attention from the first note and pulls you in as the instruments join one by one and the power builds. It’s a song all about rockin’ – and it does rock – with vocals, at times, a bit of a blend of Steve Whiteman and Jack Russell, though really just 100% Gary Moat. Much like Autograph’s “Turn Up the Radio,” this is a good, old fashioned, energetic rock and roll party song.

Really, though, every song on the disc has a reason it might be your favorite. “Just a Dog,” for example, has a bluesy rock flavor, and for some reason it reminds me just a bit of ZZ Top’s “Dirty Dog,” though this Burnt Out Wreck tune is much slower-tempoed and grittier. Perhaps it’s because the tunes have a similar attitude… and the word “dog” in them.

Burnt Out Wreck's Gary Moat

Gary Moat; photo courtesy of BJF Media

And the final song on the album, “Snow Falls Down,” closes things out with all of the vocal, drum, and guitar elements that make This Is Hell so much fun.

Another top-shelf, fun, melodic hard rock disc from Burnt Out Wreck, This Is Hell is a great follow-up to Swallow. Though the style is familiar, the songs are fresh and new, and the enthusiasm and energy are genuine. This is a disc that harkens back to the days when rock ‘n roll was all about screaming vocals, guitar and drum runs, and fun, headbanging live shows. This may be greedy on my part, but I’m already hoping there’s an album number three in the works.

Looking Ahead

Burnt Out Wreck has several gigs booked next year through July of 2021. You can find the gig calendar on the “tour” page of the band’s website.

Album Review: Susan Gibson – The Hard Stuff

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Susan Gibson

photo by Bill Ingram; photo courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media

Album Review of Susan Gibson: The Hard Stuff

The Hard Stuff is a collection of familiar-sounding, easy-to-get-into, memorable songs. Not surprising, given Susan Gibson‘s songwriting pedigree. “The Hard Stuff” and “Lookin’ for a Fight,” for example, feel like songs you might hear from the (Dixie) Chicks. That what my first impression, made before reading Susan’s bio, which tells me that Susan’s song “Wide Open Spaces,” was a hit on the Chicks’ 1998 major label debut.

Susan Gibson - The Hard Stuff album cover

image courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media

Released in 2019, The Hard Stuff was Susan’s first full-length album since 2011’s Tight Rope, with EP Remember Who You Are filling the void in 2016.

There are so many potential hits – or, at least, potential personal favorites – on The Hard Stuff it’s hard to know where to start, so I’ll start with the first track, “Imaginary Lines,” with thoughtful verses that ebb, flow, and surge interestingly, leading to a heartfelt, memorable, catchy, emotionally energetic chorus.

Next, there’s a nice, forward-moving energy – kind of an almost Barenaked Ladies tempo – to “Antiques,” whose chorus reveals the song’s topic: “Gettin’ older ain’t for the weak. It only happens to the strongest ones. They aren’t useless, they are precious antiques. Better treat ’em like one.” As is so often the case on The Hard Stuff, the song is a lyrical goldmine atop an engaging melody that’s easy to enjoy even if you’re not paying attention to the lyrics.

Susan Gibson

photo by Dave Hensley; photo courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media

“The Hard Stuff” is a rhythmic tune with attitude. As I mentioned earlier, it reminds me of a Chicks song in style, tempo, and (of course) attitude.

“Lookin’ for a Fight” has a more ominous tone and western flavor to it, sporting the singalong-able chorus: “Hey, Jack, you’ve got something to prove. You think your dirty looks will make the mountains move. ‘Out of my way!’; that’s your attitude. There you go lookin’ for a fight.”

“The Big Game” showcases a precision of vocal delivery and lyrical wordplay, and not just the obviously clever “Why ya gotta make it so hard for me to be easy?”

As I mentioned, the disc itself is full of songs that will be personal favorites, varying wildly by person, and the next two are likely to fit that description for a decent subset of of listening audiences. “Diagnostic Heart,” I know, will appeal to some with its introspective noodling. Others will be drawn to the nostalgically delivered tale of troublemaking pasts, “2 Fake IDs.”

The disc’s energetic mid-speed musical motor returns on “Hurricane,” a song that’ll have you bobbing and weaving in your seat a little while listening thanks to its engaging tempo.

Susan Gibson

photo by Dave Hensley; photo courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media

“Wildflowers in the Weeds” is next; it’s yet another song I expect to be a frequent fan favorite, a pleasantly melodic tune that may particularly hit home for those who identify parts of themselves in the lyrics.

And the album concludes with “8 x 10,” a banjo and fiddle-powered, down-home reflection on home, history, and memories of loved ones no longer with us.

The entire collection, The Hard Stuff, is a truly exceptional disc, with the songwriting, the emotion, and the performance composing an enjoyable, heartfelt whole package. If any of what I’ve written appeals to your musical tastes, check this music out; you’ll be glad you’ve given Susan’s album a spin.

Looking Ahead

There are no upcoming live shows listed on the “tour” page of Susan’s website; that’ll be where you can find her gigs when there are some. You can also keep an eye on the “events” tab on Susan’s Facebook page.

Album Review: ZagreuS – ZagreuS

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ZagreuS

photo by JZ Zurawski; photo courtesy of ZagreuS

Album Review of ZagreuS: ZagreuS

Adam Sloan and Laurel Marsh are highly-regarded industrial/electronic music duo ZagreuS. ZagreuS’ self-titled album is a follow-up to their 2016 debut EP.

ZagreuS album cover

logo by Michael Hanson; image courtesy of ZagreuS

Beginning to end on this album, ZagreuS combines a raw energy reminiscent of ’90s/’00s Detroit industrial metal luminaries Forge with the tunefulness and pop-friendly vocals of Blog favorite The Sweetest Condition to forge a sound that can only be ZagreuS.

The disc opens with “Times of Change.” On it, vocally, Adam delivers a raw industrial croaking growl, which trades on and off with Laurel’s soaring, Annie Lennox-reminiscent vocals with a steady beat and an ’80s new wave keyboard style wrapped in a wall-of-sound, musical blanket as its musical backdrop. This song opens the disc “big,” an advance sample of this album’s powerful musical character.

ZagreuS

photo by JZ Zurawski; photo courtesy of ZagreuS

But there are other flavors and techniques deployed on the album, as well. Not surprising, as any top-shelf industrial/electronic group worth its salt experiments.

On “Possessor,” a catchy, driving beat and a sneaky rhythmic hook make this a very likely dance club favorite, with dueling vocal styles proving particularly complementary.

“Illuminate” is much more Eurythmics-meets-Thompson Twins than anything else on the album, with accessible beats, soaring vocals, some attention-grabbing spoken-word interjections, a very radio-friendly “we can have it all” transitioning vocal bridge… and, most of all, again, that rhythmic, danceable beat.

ZagreuS

photo by JZ Zurawski; photo courtesy of ZagreuS

And while “Illuminate” particularly interests me from a song-structure, intellectual perspective, it’s the following track, “Punishment,” that I’m much more likely to remember a few hours later. Specifically, phrases like the tunefully-sung “you get what you give” offset against the gruffer “get what you give” (sans preceding “you”) and the less frequently used but more croakily growled “you wanted it” are delivered memorably – and perhaps repeated frequently enough to drive the point home – amid a mostly beat-driven rhythm with relatively sparse instrumentation. Even the song’s title “Punishment,” when sung, has its own barking style. Indeed, the contrasting, battling vocal deliveries are the driving factor that makes this is one of the more memorable tracks on ZagreuS’s self-titled album.

“A Whisper” is mostly rhythmically standard. Enjoyable but not a standout, except for the piercingly beautiful “Na na na na…” vocal overlay. Very cool. And am I the only one who hears it, or does Laurel have just a hint of a George Michael tone during some of her vocals in this song?

ZagreuS

photo by Leanne Williams Photography; photo courtesy of ZagreuS

My remaining favorite track in this collection is its penultimate entry, “Prisoner of Missing Persons.” It blends the soaring-haunting vocal overlay with a stoically aggressive (if that’s possible) vocal croak, atop a catchy, just-slower-than-really-danceable beat, well-placed synth accents, and musical sound effects. Just a really cool mix of elements that create a memorable song.

And the disc closes darkly with “Withdrawn,” a somewhat foreboding track that signals the end… of the album, at least.

In its entirety, ZagreuS is an enthralling album from its namesake performers, a duo comprised of a couple of the top industrial, experimentally adventurous artists in Massachusetts, whose talent helps them stand out in what’s often a less visible genre in most local music scenes, beyond its core audience. Occasionally, an outfit like ZagreuS transcends genre to garner more widespread attention, usually deservedly so. Definitely deserved, in this case, for the talented duo of Adam Sloan and Lauren Marsh.

Keep Up With ZagreuS

Keep up with ZagreuS’s goings-on at the band’s Facebook page or its Instagram page.

 

Album Review: Trysette – TRX+J

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Trysette

photo by Jeanette Elaine Dubois; photo courtesy of Trysette

Album Review of Trysette: TRX+J

This is a fun compilation of music from Trysette and a talented team of collaborators. A songwriting and performance collaboration, this disc features four co-writers (Trysette, Rob Bonfiglio, Xander Hale, and Jon Ciorciari) and three different lead vocalists (Trysette, Rob, and Xander).

The song order differs, by the way, on Bandcamp (where the song titles are sorted alphabetically) and Spotify. I chose to listen to the album in the Spotify order. How did I write the review? In a third order, by featured vocalist, of course. Each lead vocalist’s songs suit them quite well, and it’s an extraordinary testament to this team’s songwriting skills that they cover such a broad swath of pop musical styles. I suppose that may have been one of Trysette’s goals for this project, to show off the breadth of her songwriting skills above and beyond her primary singing style.

Trysette – TRX+J album cover

image courtesy of Trysette

The four songs featuring Trysette as lead vocalist are light pop, with one more of a dance number. All take advantage of the light, airy pop atmosphere perfectly suited to her uniquely identifiable high range.

At both Bandcamp and Spotify, the album begins with Trysette’s “Fall For You.” You may hand-clap a bit or sing along with the background harmonies, or you might just dance or bob in your chair to this cheerful tune.

“Feels Like Magic” lies somewhere between a Disney movie background song and a girl group pop track, though it leans more toward something that would be a great featured background cut in a teen love story, especially one that throws in a little light witchcraft or, even better, yet another retelling of a Cinderella story.

“The Mirror Song” is a cheerful, woman-power pop song that’ll have girls and young women dancing around their bedrooms singing while psyching themselves up with a little “I Am Woman” attitude… for any purpose that would benefit from a song where the singalong lyric is “hot, hot, hot, hot.” This is a fun, catchy song, though the target market for those encouraging themselves with this song is definitely female.

The final song featuring Trysette in the lead is “Feels So Good,” a disco-flavored number that’ll have you dancing in your seat, though I’d be curious whose voice is co-lead through much of this with her – they’ve found a complementary harmonic vocal blend.

Xander Hale shows quite a bit of vocal range in the three songs on which he’s featured.

“Leave a Light On” is a heartfelt, powerful ballad full of the sort of soaring instrumental musical support that’s common on big, emotional soft pop/rock hits… or songs during emotional scenes in motion pictures.

“Put Your Hands Up,” meanwhile, is a catchy, bouncy dance song with great synth hooks. Something I’d definitely dance to, with a broad enough appeal to have a shot at some pop radio airplay.

Finally, “Movin’ Up,” which closes the album, instantly stylistically brings to mind Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” particularly with its recurring, song-driving hook. “Movin’ Up” has a bit more obvious energy than Thicke’s hit, and it’d be a great nightclub – or radio – track.

The first song featuring Rob Bonfiglio‘s voice in the lead is “True Believer,” a rambling soft rock song that takes advantage of Rob’s emotive voice and sports a timeless sound, in that it could have been recorded with roughly the same arrangement in the ’60s, the ’00s, or today.

The other song featuring Rob in the lead, “The Magic in You,” sports a ’60s/’70s pop-song vibe. A bit of the Beatles, particularly in the song structure, kind of the way Cheap Trick and Enuff Z’Nuff infused this sort of songwriting into some of their ’80s hits, though with a more soft rock arrangement than the aforementioned bands. This song, in particular, is the one on the disc that seems like it’s one you’ve heard before… on steady rotation for a while somewhere.

In all, this is a great album containing a variety of songs written by TRX+J, and between the two options I’d recommend listening to it in the Spotify order, as it offers the variety of a half-hour of pop radio listening. Very glad to have this album in my collection; check it out.

Trysette

photo by Jeanette Elaine Dubois; photo courtesy of Trysette

Looking Ahead

In addition to her solo career, Trysette has performed as a backup singer on John Fogerty’s tour the last couple of years. During the pandemic, she has also performed some virtual concerts, most recently on August 22nd. Though she has nothing currently scheduled, you can find future performance dates (solo and otherwise), when available, on the “Tour Dates” page of her website.

Album Review: Glenn Shorrock Sings Little River Band

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Glenn Shorrock Sings Little River Band album cover

image courtesy of BJF Media

Album Review of Glenn Shorrock: Glenn Shorrock Sings Little River Band

I won’t delve into the Little River Band saga, but this record is a stellar collection of re-recordings by original LRB singer Glenn Shorrock. This album is a great opportunity to support a longtime favorite artist. And, perhaps because so many of the songs are already longtime favorites, this disc will quickly become a personal playlist staple.

Shorrock’s smooth, powerful, crisp vocals were ideal for Little River Band, and his voice only seems to have become richer since the original recordings seventies and eighties stints fronting LRB.

Glenn Shorrock

photo by Darren Burns Photography; photo courtesy of BJF Media

This is probably a good time to admit that I was never a knowledgeable Little River Band fan. I don’t own any of the original recordings, though a quick look at the band’s hit list will confirm that the band has recorded a plethora of songs that surely would include a few of everyone’s favorites. As will the collection of songs on this recording, which contains most of Little River Band’s top hits. At least a couple were originally sung by Wayne Nelson (“The Night Owls” and “Take It Easy On Me”), though most were originally voiced by Shorrock.

There’s not a lot of daylight between the recordings on Glenn Shorrock Sings Little River Band and the originals, but there are subtle differences, and I’m sure more avid LRB fans than I will be able to spot more. Side-by-side, you might prefer one version to the other, but I doubt it’ll be a clean sweep either way. This disc is of at least equal caliber to the original, and the variances are subtle.

The album opens with “It’s a Long Way There” and closes with “Reminiscing,” but it’s chock full of hits in-between. It’s a reminder of how really good these songs are now that they’re not particularly common radio staples anymore, so a little time has past before you’ve heard them frequently on the radio. I’ve particularly been enjoying “Help is On the Way,” “Lonesome Loser,” the hipster-cool “Reminiscing,” and the softly powerful “Take It Easy On Me,” though my favorite has to be Shorrock’s smooth, rockin’ performance of “The Night Owls” with his big vocals thriving off the song’s mid-voltage electric energy.

Probably the coolest discovery for me was “Curiosity Killed the Cat.” Since it was a hit in Australia but didn’t chart in the U.S., I wasn’t previously familiar with this song, with its kind of hip, jazzy, occasionally Motowny edge, a song that’s a little psychedelic in spots but mostly just groovin’.

In the end, whether it’s nostalgia or a desire to listen to some really cool mid-range rock (from the now-referred-to-as “yacht rock” genre), whether you’re duplicating the songs in your collection or adding them for the first time, as I’ve done, this is one sweet disc.

Looking Ahead

If you want to catch Glenn Shorrock live, his website lists several upcoming dates in Australia, the soonest a Saturday, October 10th show in Marrickville. Be sure to check out the “Shows” tab of his website for details about currently planned shows and additional concerts as they’re added.