Tag Archives: Geoff Wilbur

Album Review: Marvin Brooks – I’ll Be Fine

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Album Review of Marvin Brooks: I’ll Be Fine (Position Music)

Marvin Brooks is one of the most widely-listenable, broadly-appealing artists in the musical lane that mixes R&B and hip-hop, with this Ghanaian-German artist showcasing several other influences, as well, and displaying a sharp ear for pop sensibilities. There’s plenty of seriousness in the lyrics, jumping back and forth across the line that separates life’s difficulty with hopefulness, providing a depth that sustains multiple beginning-to-end journeys through the album. At the same time, the variety of song tempos, rhythms, and musical influences provide variety across the well-crafted songs, most of which would be enjoyable listens with or without the well-crafted lyrics.

Marvin opens the album with a song that starts the listener off with an uplifted mood and cleanses the musical palate. “Feel It” is a fun, uptempo tune with lots of musical open space upon which a rhythmic, tunefully-spoken-word singing style blends with celebratory, soaring vocals.

Marvin Brooks

photo courtesy of DRPR

The change in tone in “Seven Forty Five” conveys the shift to seriousness, as it’s an introspective number with a pleasantly rhythmic, nearly hypnotic vocal delivery. Though sonically quite different, the next song, “Around Me,” could be described similarly.

“Ghost” is slower and rather ethereal, with a darker rhythm offset with recurring, playful notes and slight tempo shifts, providing the requisite variety throughout the song.

You’ll hear other broader influences on the record, too. Notably, reggae rhythms make a significant appearance, driving one of my several favorites in this collection, the memorably rhythmic “On the Low,” featuring Kataem. It’s a tune you’ll catch yourself singing along with by the second or third listen.

Full-0n Gospel opens and drives “As I Went Down,” with some well-fitting rapped lyrics that recall painful racial history while looking hopefully forward.

“I’ll Be Fine” is another standout track that deserves mention. It’s a well-crafted open letter to family, sincere enough to suggest it’s personally deeply felt, with lyrics like, “Oh mama, I promise everything will be just fine; oh mama, don’t worry ’bout your son, I’ll be alright.” The song moves along very slowly and heavily with depth and gravitas, with musical sensibilities that make it an easy, pleasant listen.

Other favorites on the album are the faster-paced “Shake What Your Mama,” the thoughtfully lyrical love poem “By My Side,” and the hypnotically soaring “Too Close.” In addition, there’s “Unstoppable,” which taps into raw emotion and musically ratchets up in tension over the course of the song, making it a mesmerizing track.

By the time you get to album-closing “If I Fall,” it’s been an emotional ride, so the song’s mellow tone provides a soft landing, but don’t go sleeping on this sweetly sung song, as its lyrics provide the same comfortable calm exit as its music bed.

In summary, I’ll Be Fine is simultaneously a serious album and a fun listen. If you like your music to be satisfying and, at times, soul-searching, you’ll want to hear this disc. And if you just want cool music to enjoy, this is an album for you, too. Marvin Brooks is exceptionally talented, someone whose music needs to be on your radar.

Since This Release

Since I’ll Be Fine, Marvin has released several additional singles, his most recent being “Fire” featuring Worlasi, a song whose YouTube views have soared, suggesting it may be well on its way to being a hit. So once you’ve absorbed I’ll Be Fine, be sure to check out “Fire” and Marvin’s other single releases from the last couple of years. I’d also suggest checking out the review I wrote a couple years ago about the single “You Want It,” by 2WEI, featuing Marvin Brooks and Ohana Bam.

Looking Ahead

Too keep up with Marvin’s latest recordings and artist news, be sure to follow him on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Spotify, and sign up for his YouTube channel.

Album Review: Kyle Culkin – Pork Chops & Blues

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Kyle Culkin – Pork Chops & Blues

image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

Album Review of Kyle Culkin: Pork Chops & Blues

“Break me off a piece of that pork chop, baby, break me off a piece of that meat…” I guarantee you’ll be singing along by the end of the first listen to disc-opener “The Pork Chop Song.” Kyle Culkin delivers an energetic disc full o’ rollickin’ blues with Pork Chops & Blues.

I rarely quote from artist bios in my reviews, but when Culkin opened for the B.B. King on his 80th birthday tour, B.B. King proclaimed, “This kid can play!” I can’t argue with B.B.

Song two is a Culkin-penned number, an energetically bluesy “So Damn Old,” with guest axework from Carl Verheyen, whose rock ‘n roll album I reviewed at the blog a couple years ago. The guitars roll throughout this track, a song as blues as blues, and Kyle’s moderately gruff voice concludes, convincingly tired and drained, “You’re as young as you feel, or so I’m told. So I’m sittin’ here wonderin’ why I feel so damn old.”

Kyle slows things down a little with the crooner “By the Blues” before amping up the energy on one “Burn It All Down.” But that additional juice was apparently just a stepping-stone to the next track, as Kyle hits the accelerator even harder during catchy singalong-worthy country-blues rocker “Why Me.” For someone who likes to listen to album in their intended order, this is a terrific three-song sequence.

Next up is “Nothing From Nobody,” a nice addition to this song collection, a change of pace number that treads that fine line between “blues” and “complaining.”

Penultimate song “Can’t Come Down” really slows things down, a sweet soft rock song with just a hint of blues, by far the most appropriate number in this collection for those looking for a slow dance.

Kyle closes the record with “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” more a big stage soul-pop-rock song than a blues number. It’s an engaging song with a big sound, well-placed at the end of the album, particularly after the previous, palate-cleansing entry.

Pork Chops & Blues is a short, 8-song album, short enough that it leaves you wanting more, which might very well be the point.

Since the Release

Pork Chops & Blues, released in May 2021, isn’t Kyle’s current album. Just a few weeks ago he released a new record, Shotgun Ridge. I haven’t heard that yet – I’m looking forward to giving it a listen – but Pork Chops & Blues is a special album I simply had to share with you. It’s been a favorite of mine for the last couple of years, and if you dig the blues, I’d highly recommend it.

Single Review: Panda Forces – “Tiffany Blue”

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Panda Forces

photo courtesy of Nebula Music Nexus

Single Review of Panda Forces: “Tiffany Blue”

Panda Forces‘ “Tiffany Blue” begins with a shoegaze pop vibe but with a bit more energy, and then the song slowly builds, almost imperceptibly until it becomes apparent, around mid-song, that first impressions were deceiving. “Tiffany Blue” is lyrically interesting, deftly crafted, with a very emotionally healthy message. By the end of the song, some of the vocals could be deemed outbursts, as if for lyrically well-placed emphasis.

Tiffany Blue – "Panda Forces"

image courtesy of Nebula Music Nexus

If you have the opportunity, give this song a listen. Better yet, multiple listens. It’s stylistically both familiar and original, and its coolness reveals itself slowly over the course of repeated exposure; before long this will be one of the favorite songs on your playlist. You might also recognize some Breakfast at Tiffany’s references in the song, so listen closely.

More About Panda Forces

Panda Forces

photo courtesy of Nebula Music Nexus

Vocalist Lucy Claire and guitarist Nathan Hoffner comprise Nashville-based Panda Forces. The band self-describes on its website as an alternative band. Vague, I know, but a little perusal of the band’s Spotify and YouTube pages reveals several other songs significantly more energetic than the one I just reviewed (in particular, I’d suggest sampling “Sex Is Ice Cream”), which only makes “Tiffany Blue” that much more interesting, intriguing, and cool.

I don’t see any upcoming shows listed at the “Events” page of the band’s website, but I do see one upcoming show mentioned on Panda Forces’ Facebook and Instagram accounts – the band will be performing tomorrow night, August 5th, at Drkmttr Collective in Nashville. Also, be sure to check back periodically to see if/when additional live dates are added.

Single Review: Dan Israel – “The Hang of It”

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Dan Israel – "The Hang of It"

image courtesy of Dan Israel

Single Review of Dan Israel: “The Hang of It”

We’ve reviewed Dan Israel‘s music several times at Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog. Dan is one of Minnesota’s top performing singer-songwriters. He can lean folk, rock, and country, depending on the song and venue. Mostly, though, Dan Israel is a talented singer-songwriter whose song-driven music is fun and catchy, with some of his hookier numbers capable of reaching fans across multiple genre boundaries. On this single, Dan showcases the more rockin’ edge of his musical personality in one of the catchiest songs from his 17-album discography.

“The Hang of It” harkens back to the ’60s and ’70s, but its production value places it in a crossover pop-rock/roots rock lane. I hear a little Tom Petty, some Marshall Tucker Band, a little Creedence Clearwater Revival, perhaps a hint of the Allman Brothers. It’s an energetic pop-rock song with some country guitar twang. This song would absolutely get a country music bar buzzing. It would have appealed to the crowd at Woodstock. And it would get cranked up by beachgoers whenever it came on the radio. This should have been the summer single of 2021. There’s still time to make it one of your summer songs of 2023.

More Recently

Just this past fall, Dan released a new album, Seriously. “The Hang of It” is one of the ten songs on Seriously.

Looking Ahead

Looking at the “Shows” page of Dan’s website, he appears to have 2-3 shows booked in Minnesota each week for the rest of the summer. If you live in the North Star State, you should try to catch a show.

Single Review: The Static Dive – “1986”

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The Static Dive – 1986

image courtesy of Dog Ranch Music PR

Single Review of The Static Dive: “1986”

The Static Dive is the name of music blogger/recording artist Bob Smith’s blog and his nom de plume when he records. The single includes two tracks, first a version of “1986” with vocals, then the vocal-less “1986 (Instrumental Mix).”

The song, “1986,” is a quirky, funky journey, with an electronic beat, a variety of musical outbursts and rhythms, an occasional dancing guitar riff, one-off hints at a groove that are gone as quickly as they arrive, and lo-fi vocals.

The song is playful, fun, and something you’ll not really be able to imagine, though hopefully I’ve given you a head start with what I’ve written, so I’d recommend giving it a quick listen here at any of the websites listed on the song’s Songwhip page. Enjoy!

 

EP Review: Oumua – Glass Splinters

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Oumua – Glass Splinters

image courtesy of Oumua

EP Review of Oumua: Glass Splinters

This four-song collection from Oumua is an engaging dose of heavy rock. This five-piece band from Kraków incorporates a variety of vocal styles, from straightforward rock vocals to hard rock growls, from thoughtfully introspective musing to heavy metal screams. The underlying music is a blending of a classic heavy rock with more hardcore, aggressive metal influences. The result is a collection of songs that will appeal to a broad range of hard rockers, performed in Oumua’s very own identifiable, engaging, original heavy rock manner.

Quickly examining the songs on the EP: “Pulling Inward” sports a rolling rhythm line. “Surface Reality” is more in-your-face. “Salvation” is drum-driven, with thumping verses and, increasingly, distorted screaming metal vocals as the song progresses. And “Minor Claws” adeptly mixes a more airy musical composition and contemplativeness with aggressively heavy sections.

I absolutely dig Oumua’s metal energy. The stylistic variances found within each of the band’s songs make them interesting listens, driven by the energy and power that defines a great hard rock or metal band. If this sounds like it falls within your preferred musical palate, you’d be remiss not to check out Oumua.

More Recently

You’ll find a pair of newer songs, “Filters” and “Griefcase,” on Oumua’s YouTube page and at the band’s Bandcamp page.

Be sure to check out Oumua’s link tree page for various ways to listen to the band’s music.

Album Review: Vanessa Peters – Modern Age

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Vanessa Peters

photo by Rip Rowan; photo courtesy of Skye Media

Album Review of Vanessa Peters: Modern Age

Vanessa Peters’ Modern Age clocks in at the electrically-charged, guitar-driven, rocky edge of singer-songwriter fare. Modern Age will perhaps remind you of some of Liz Phair’s hits from the early aughts, but, as was the case with Liz, the songs are a bit more nuanced and adventurous than they initially let on. The songs are fully-produced but with a lighter touch, with plenty of crunch and grit, but a bit of open space among the instruments, too – it’s not necessarily noticeable unless you listen closely, but it does nudge the emphasis more toward the vocals, the lyrics, and the core songwriting, very appropriately for such a thoughtfully-assembled collection of songs.

Modern Age kicks off with its title track, my very favorite of the disc’s many outstanding cuts. “Modern Age” catchily laments modernization’s elimination of simpler pleasures: “That’s the way it goes in today’s modern age. As soon as it’s made, it gets through away. I’m running on a drained battery, and I really miss the way that it used to be.” For a song of regret and nostalgia, it’s quite peppy and fun.

Vanessa Peters – Modern Age

image courtesy of Skye Media

Next up, with an emotionally heavier tone, though still driven by some nicely distorted guitar strumming, there’s something nihilistic about lines like “I can’t rearrange these deck chairs one more time,” as “Make Up My Mind” tackles modern dysfunctions, seemingly both large and small, in the context of pondering self-examination.

“Crazymaker” is a lot more uptempo, with a heavy strum-driven rhythm putting the song through its paces but still sporting the same sort of not-quite-sarcastic but oh-so-clever lyrics.

“Valley of Ashes” slows things down to a more plodding tempo but features the sort of neat little, playful, old-school guitarslinger riffs and rambling noodling you might expect from guitar rockers when they slow the music down to a bare-bones near-crawl. Guitar noir, maybe?

“Hood Ornament” picks up the tempo again, detailing life as a woman slingin’ axe in the rock ‘n roll boys’ club, featuring lyrics like “Took my place up on the stage at the big event, all alone in a crowd of men. One of them looked me up and down and said, ‘I thought you were the hood ornament.'” Seriously, dude?! Yeah, this is more than just another catchy mid-tempo tune.

Vanessa Peters

photo by Rip Rowan; photo courtesy of Skye Media

“The Band Played On” is another hooky, lightly instrumented rocker, though I mostly just find myself singing along to the lyric “we can’t give up just ’cause the bastards won.”

“Never Really Gone” suggests you may not really be able to leave your hometown behind, even if you’re sure you’ve escaped. (Does that scare you as much as it scares me?) “The Weight of This,” a song of lament, follows.

“Yes” thumps along knowingly, a song about being passed over for deserved opportunities, while “The Try” is a deceptively cheerful song driven by a recurring, reverberating guitar riff that almost – but not quite – rivals the vocals for in-song dominance.

The recurring sense of optimism that seems to be an undercurrent beneath many of the other songs’ cynicism bursts forth (a bit) in the final track, “Still Got Time.” I mean, you won’t find the opening lyrics “Well, get a hold of yourself, ’cause the world isn’t ending yet” on a Hallmark card anytime soon, but after that beginning, the song takes a decidedly hopeful turn. As a result, after some of the emotionally heavy song subjects, this disc – an exceptionally fun listen throughout – will end up putting a smile on your face, leaving you excited to face the world. You know, excited within reason, anyway.

Beginning to end, Modern Age is a cool journey, a thoughtful, well-written album. I knew from nearly the beginning of “Modern Age” that I needed to share this album with anyone who would listen, and I’ll listen to that song alone on repeat a few times in a row, but the disc contains several other gems. Give it a few spins and you’ll find your own favorites.

Vanessa Peters

photo by Brent Baxter; photo courtesy of Skye Media

What’s Next?

There are no upcoming shows listed on the “Shows” page of Vanessa’s website, but check back to see if/when some are added. You may also want to follow her Facebook and her Instagram accounts for upcoming news and events.

 

Album Review: Nobody’s Girl – Nobody’s Girl

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Nobody's Girl album cover

image courtesy of Hello Wendy PR

Album Review of Nobody’s Girl: Nobody’s Girl

Nobody’s Girl is a bit of an Americana supergroup, a collaboration among BettySoo, Rebecca Loebe, and Grace Pettis. With that pedigree, you’d expect songwriting and vocals to be among this trio’s strengths, and judging by this eponymous full-length album, indeed, they are.

Nobody’s Girl knows how to structure a song to build to power, to complement the vocals, and to connect emotionally.

The trio kicks things off emphatically with “Kansas,” a song whose music bed is as rich and lush as the group’s harmonies, a song sure to become an anthem of strength and support for those who left behind Kansas – whether the state itself or the state as a metaphor.

Throughout the rest of the disc, other favorites step forward, though the songwriting and delivery is so solid those breakthrough songs are destined to be different for each listener.

Nobody’s Girl tackles social issues in many of its songs. Songs like “Kansas” are subtle. Others, like “Promised Land,” are a lot more direct – though dependably tuneful, engaging, and catchy – lamenting the state of the U.S., but opining hopefully toward the end that “from where I stand, this could still be the promised land.”

“Rescued” stands out as an energetic song about personal independence with a cool rhythm line and, you just might notice, a small but effective guitar riff at just the right spot in the second half of the song to propel it home.

Difficulties of a career in music are fodder for the melancholically uptempo “Beauty Way.” Similarly uptempo “What’ll I Do” is a fun take on perhaps not the wisest romance.

Other notable songs include “Birthright,” singing forthrightly about a range of traumas, large and small, recent and generational; the floatingly, soft “The Morning After,” with its almost haunting musical backdrop and phrasing, particularly in the verses; and a relatively true to the original (but still oh-so-worth-the-listen) cover of  the Carole King classic “So Far Away.”

The disc closes with the sweet, folksy “Lark,” which repeatedly poses the question, “Where you runnin’ to?”

Individually, the members of Nobody’s Girl are obviously talented. Collectively, wow! And Nobody’s Fool is an exceptionally strong collection of songs that should be of interest to a group of fans with musical tastes ranging from singer-songwriter to pop-to-mid-tempo rock to some country-leaning Americana.

Looking Ahead

There are currently no tour dates listed on the “Tour” page of Nobody’s Girl’s website. However, there are current opportunities to see the trio perform separately. Rebecca Loebe’s “Tour” page shows that she has a September European tour planned. BettySoo’s “Shows” page shows that she’s in the middle of a continent-spanning summer tour. Grace Pettis’s website, meanwhile, lists a single September 21st date at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston, TX.

Album Review: Jeff Kollman – East of Heaven

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Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

Album Review of Jeff Kollman: East of Heaven (Marmaduke Records)

A few days ago, I reviewed an instrumental album from Lanterna. That was one of the two instrumental releases that have been gracing the top of my review-queue playlist during much of the last couple of years. This, Jeff Kollman‘s East of Heaven, is the other.

Jeff Kollman – East of Heaven

image courtesy of A.R.M.

East of Heaven is a classic rock-styled album, driven by Kollman’s axework. I don’t have many all-instrumental albums in my collection, but this one will sit proudly alongside my Steve Vai and Marc Bonilla discs. It’s one of those guitar-driven instrumental collections that can reach a broader market, with structured, catchy songs that’ll quickly become like old friends even for those of us who might typically like to sing along.

You may know Kollman from his hard-rockin’ stint with Edwin Dare in the ’90s or perhaps more recently from his prog-metal fusion group Cosmosquad. This disc falls clearly within the purview of someone with Kollman’s resume, showing off what he can do on a “solo” rock album. Of course, though Kollman’s guitarwork drives the record, his top-shelf bandmates make this truly a bandwide effort. Jeff is joined by Shane Gaalaas and Jono Brown on drums, Paul Shihadeh on bass, and Guy Allison on keyboards.

Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

East of Heaven opens with “Loss,” a 2-minute table-setting piece, sporting guitarwork with just a hint of distortion on what seems like a slowly-building music bed. It’s the sort of 2-minute album intro you might expect to kick off a classic rock album, particularly in the days when AOR ruled the world, and not necessarily just on concept-driven discs.

In the heart of the album, “Superstring Theory” is probably my favorite of the harder-rocking numbers, thanks to its driving rhythm. Other favorites include the more often – though not always – softer “Ghostly” and “East of Heaven” and the mellow guitar-picker “So Long Ago.” The songs on East of Heaven range from energetic to introspective to moody, though perhaps most often introspective, covering a broad spectrum of sounds and emotions.

Kollman closes the disc aptly with “See You On the Other Side,” a meandering piece with a recurring theme, traveling a musical journey that draws sonically upon many of the prior songs in the collection, combined in such a way that it seems to be saying “So long for now. We’ll meet again on the next album.”

If you’re a classic guitar rock fan, a guitar instrumental fan, or both, East of Heaven will be a welcome addition to your collection.

Jeff Kollman

photo courtesy of A.R.M.

More About Jeff Kollman

Since this album’s, there’s a newer single, “Green For Miles” (featuring Guy Allison), available from Jeff at his Marmaduke Records bandcamp page.

You can follow Jeff on Instagram for new announcements, including upcoming shows. Also, though there are no dates listed, you can watch the “Events” tab of Jeff’s Facebook page and the “Events” tab of Cosmosquad’s Facebook page for upcoming listings.

Single Review: Madysin Hatter – “Wild & Strange”

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Madysin Hatter

photo courtesy of Madysin Hatter; photo by Brandon Ripley of Sleepless Pictures

Single Review of Madysin Hatter: “Wild & Strange”

Madysin Hatter is a classic hard rock vocalist, a singer whose powerful voice is fully fluent in hard rockin’ howls and screams. She uses her vocal tool to great effect on “Wild & Strange.” The musicianship is tight and interesting throughout, not surprising given the pedigree of the musicians joining Madysin on this recording: Tyler Bryant (Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Rob Bailey (David Johansen), and Brett Bass (Gregg Allman).

Madysin Hatter – "Wild & Strange"

image courtesy of Madysin Hatter; photo by Brandon Ripley of Sleepless Pictures

“Wild & Strange” begins with an instrumental build. Not a slow build, per se, but first crunchy drum, then guitars, and then a relatively unadorned vocal line through the opening chorus before the vocals get a little meatier and the music bed gets a bit fuller. By the second verse, the occasional guitar flourish changes things up some more, and by the end of the second chorus, it’s time for a sassy vocal bridge (“I’d need a lobotomy just to give you a shot at me…”) that leads into some brief guitar shredding. From there, the song ends in power – vocals, guitars, drums.

Madysin Hatter

photo courtesy of Madysin Hatter; photo by Kamera Shoots NYC

In summary, “Wild & Strange” is a true, crunchy rock song with a bit of an updated ’80s swagger. Well-structured, catchy, memorable, with excellent musicianship. Of course, that’s how I would describe the song as a reviewer. As a music fan, I’d just say “Dude, this song rocks!”

More About Madysin Hatter

To find your way to any and all things Madysin Hatter – interviews, recordings, music videos, press releases, and more – you can start with her “link tree.” As for live shows, there aren’t any currently scheduled, but if any are added you’ll likely find them on the “live” page of Madysin’s website.

You’ll find the video for “Wild & Strange”  here on YouTube. If that’s not enough, there’s also a lyric video available.