Samantha Leon - s/t (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.samanthaleonmusic.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/samanthaleonmusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/samleon_music

Video Teaser: https://youtu.be/v5I3R_SURcg

Written by Randy Jones, posted by blog admin

Samantha Leon’s debut EP is a good collection of songs that doesn’t take much getting used to. They all have something to keep your ear fine-tuned to what they’re about, or leave that and just let them move you, or not. This isn’t a veteran artist but she sounds like one. She has obviously been around the New York east coast scene or she wouldn’t come up with something so strong that pulsates like it’s been her longtime formula. For a debut record, this isn’t always the result without some years of hard work behind it. You can sense that before the first song is even over. Her influences run way back to the 70s and 80s stylings, with some of that singer/songwriter touch, and her voice has massive pop resonance, but it’s mostly classifiable as soul. This is easily defined in the first verse of the opening piece of a two-part song, “Bright Yellow Shoes.” This “No Turbulence Mix” differs more than slightly on a later “Full Band” version and it’s one of the highlight moments when you put them both together. This is done very cleverly and without it, the EP wouldn’t be as together as it seems. It’s like the release is centered on them and that’s the featuring concept, if you will.

On “High” you will be lyrically swept into another direction, and if it is your cup of tea you will be satisfied, because everything checks out if so, including the language it calls for if it’s your thing. Don’t get too loaded before she calls and you’ll be alright on this one. The message is clear and mindful, even if explicit. I liked how she worked this out and did it her way. It’s still a good groove. The same goes for “Run Away” which exceeds expectation at this point. This is a really-good track and a recommended single. But it’s not the same type of song as most of them on the EP. It’s probably the most radio-accessible one. She manages to break through on both commercial and harder levels on her first release and that’s not done every day like it used to be. It reminds you that such feats might not be a thing of the past if they keep up. For evidence of it all just check “Perfect (Featuring Danny Matos)” and see how she works with other singers and switches it up with the combo factor. This works undeniably well, for another solid track which shows she and her backing players have what it takes. There really are no clunkers, with even the slowest track “Hello, Goodbye” bringing on something fresh and vibrant. Get some today; it’s been out since May.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Natalie Estes - 20/20 Vision (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://natalieestes.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/natalieestesmusic/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/natalieestes94

Written by Shannon Cowden, posted by blog admin

20/20 Vision is a four song EP release recorded in Los Angeles by Nashville native Natalie Estes. Her journey from Music City obscurity to recording in the nation’s second largest city is inspiring without ever lapsing into cliché. Estes initially chose another path for her passions and performed ballet for many years before the possibilities of a music career revealed themselves to her courtesy of hearing Adele’s “To Make You Feel My Love” for the first time. This moment prompted her to shift her focus and the results are impressive Her work on 20/20 Vision has been facilitated by contributions from a fine supporting cast who frame her voice and talents in such a manner that she emerges from this collection as one of the most promising newcomers in many moons. Four songs might seem rather brief, but she makes the most of it with a nicely diverse approach that makes each of these individual tracks vividly stand out.

You know this is going to be a great release from the first song. “Until I Do” has a lot of pop magic, but there’s an equal amount of understated subtlety. Listen to how there’s a brief flair of piano bringing listeners into the track and how Estes’ singing fits the arrangement and the two elements strengthen each other. There’s a similar element driving the great number “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” and it announces itself from the first. This song sounds like it needs and deserves a big brass section to carry it even higher but, as it plays, stands as arguably the most impressive song on 20/20 Vision. Estes definitely throws herself into with considerable effort and balances emotiveness with unbridled zest. Even the use of the title can’t drag this number down and it never sounds overly familiar.

“Reminds Me of You” comes across as an ideal single for Estes thanks to its likability and charisma, but it also has a sound familiar to the listener while still remaining close to Estes’ own distinctive take. The guitar work is especially delectable, but there’s just a nice overall feel to the song that will appeal to many. The EP’s final song “Bad Game” revisits the same themes we heard on the second track but takes on a more uptempo pace. The shift makes it an equally punchy number, but the same pop strengths distinguishing the EP as a whole are in evidence here. 20/20 Vision might seem small in stature, based solely on the inclusion of four songs, but there’s little question that Estes could have scarcely hoped for a better result. It’s pop with substance and some other understated influences that make it stand out even more.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jim Hagen - Jazzical (2017)

OFFICIAL:  http://www.jimhagenmusic.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HagenJazz/

ITUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1229838302?ls=1&app=itunes

Artwork by John Lind Whitby

Written by Robert Elgin, posted by blog admin

The story of Jim Hagen’s album Jazzical isn’t one of mere virtuosity alone. Make no mistake – Hagen and his collaborators have a lot of musical talent to burn and could put on a jazz clinic at will. The story of Jazzical, instead, is much more about love and fidelity. There’s obviously been great care taken by the musicians to nail these performers precisely without ever draining them of their life and robbing them of their ability to breathe. Hagen and his creative partners are obvious students of the form – some might call this music smooth jazz and they certainly would have it at least partially right, but the label is a bit of a misnomer. Jazzical, at its heart, is a purist’s exercise further enlivened by an unexpected and artful pop sense that never cheapens the material. The nine song collection is utterly steeped in traditional jazz, but it is never inaccessible to casual fans.

There’s a wonderfully understated luxuriousness surrounding the opening track and first single “Pismo Beach”. Hagen’s compositions have an abundance of melody, but another key component of their success is the ear-catching outside the box changes that popular music devotees will find quite entertaining. “Manna de Carnaval” has a loose Latin feel, but the main attraction here is listening to Hagen’s guitar exchange inventive lines with the keyboardist. Everything is tempered in just the right way – they create a definite mood without ever lapsing into showy pyrotechnics. Hagen takes on a bit of a departure with the next song “D-Tuna”. This has a little more of a nebulous approach at first before definite melodic lines emerge from the mix. The jangling guitars take it very close to rock/pop music territory in a way that few other songs do on Jazzical.

The mood darkens some with the meditative “Alexandra”, but Hagen and his musical partners never lose sight of their obligation to lay down a good melody for their listeners. The title “All Blues” might create an impression that Hagen’s track abandons his established style in favor of an outright foray into the blues genre. There are some strong bluesy influences running through this, particularly in its changes, but Hagen retains the same sound here that defines much of the material on Jazzical. The album’s title cut shows his willingness to take chances and mix other sounds into his personal stew – the introduction of classical elements into his jazz aesthetic gives this performance qualities the others lack and seems quite appropriate for the album’s centerpiece number. The penultimate number on Jazzical has a distinctly more upbeat, jovial mood with the song “Piece of Cake” but, as always, tastefulness rules the day and Hagen is carefully to orchestrate this number with just the right amount of force. This is as fine of an effort as you’ll hear in contemporary jazz and shows both fidelity to the form while still being unafraid to redefine it for the artist’s own personal use.

Grade: A

Cranford Hollow - Color/Sound/Renew/Revive (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cranfordhollow/

INSTAGRAM: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/#tour

VIDEOS: http://www.cranfordhollowmusic.com/#tour

Written by Ed Price, posted by Jason Hillenburg

South Carolina outfit Cranford Hollow, led by vocalist/songwriter John Cranford, has impressed countless listeners and live audiences since their 2011 debut and their evolution from a relatively traditional minded outfit into what they are today is one of the most satisfying artistic paths any band has taken in recent memory. Their latest album Color/Sound/Renew/Revive is an aptly titled effort because it is a collection full of vivid sonic moments refurbishing long-standing traditions and breathing new life into forms and artistic characteristics many erroneously believe to be moribund. John Cranford and his band mates prove there is plenty of creative life left yet in the whiskey and blood, kick out the footlights tradition initially bringing them together and, moreso, the possibilities of the form are far from exhausted. This is essential listening for any lover of Americana music and, moreover, anyone excited by the potential it still holds to touch the human heart.

“Songfield” is an excellent opener. Cranford Hollow is a band who isn’t afraid to tweak your preconceptions about what traditional instruments can do in a modern context and, moreover, use atmospherics to memorable effect. The opener starts with a hint of the epic, even progressive, bleeding in along the edges, but soon settles into a comfortable stop-start groove. “Long Shadows” kicks off with a fiddle and vocal fanfare before settling into another compelling groove. Lead guitarist Yannie Reynecke makes a first class six string partner for John Cranford’s second guitar and their exchanges show a patience of development few guitar tandems exhibit in this genre. The rhythm section is another strong point of this performance, but it’s Eric Reid’s violin work that makes the strongest foil for Reynecke and Cranford’s guitar playing. “Bury It Down” is a much more straight-ahead Americana number than the album’s first two songs and the acoustic guitars ably support Reynecke’s twangy lead guitar touches. Cranford’s vocals are notable here, as elsewhere, thanks to the lyrical content but, predominantly, the blood and gravel delivery that retains immense musicality despite the rough hewn texture.

Cranford Hollow returns listeners to their modern approach with the song “And Your, Brutis”. This has a distinctive, signature touch and has a sturdy radio-ready sound that will win over casual fans and devotees alike. Despite its sleek construction, the song reeks of authenticity and it’s one of the strongest cuts on the album. Drummer Randy Rockolata’s patterns on “North” gives the song a lightly propulsive touch different from many of the album’s other tracks, but it bears the mark of the same current approach fused with the band’s traditional strengths. “Dark Turns”, the album’s sole instrumental, is a bit of a surprise for a couple of reasons. Newcomers may not expect a band with such obvious vocal and lyrical strengths to indulge in such fare and it comes late in the proceedings. It sets up the album’s final track, “Swing”, quite well. The last cut is a surprisingly exultant number, not free of Cranford’s typical lyric concerns, but nonetheless muscular and reaching skyward. Rockolata’s drumming is a key for this song’s success and the guitars play off quite well against his the pace he sets. Color/Sound/Renew/Revive solidifies Cranford Hollow’s standing as one of the best bands working in their field today and shows, five albums in, their creativity and chemistry is far from exhausted.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Humprhey/McKeown - Tapestry of Shadows (2017)

Written by Bradley Johnson, posted by Jason

OFFICIAL: www.hm-music.com

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/HumphreyMcKeown

Lightning doesn’t always strike. The world is full of songwriters who, despite discernible talents, never find the right collaborators or creative circumstance to fully express their artistic desires. More often than not, generations of original musicians and otherwise come and go without any leaving a lasting mark beyond audience memories. When two songwriters find each other and strike up a productive creative partnership, the effect is noticeable. The sum becomes greater than the value of its parts and things reach a place unavailable to them individually. Heather Humphrey and Tom McKeown met in the early years of the century and quickly struck up a songwriting team who pitched material to a variety of performers in a wide array of styles. They soon chafed having to subvert their own musical ambitions to the demands of the marketplace in such a way and opted, instead, for recording their songs together as a duo. The latest release from the tandem, Tapestry of Shadows, is a full length studio effort ranking among their finest and proof of the abiding chemistry they established long ago.

They definitely write and record in an Americana vein, but there’s the compactness of pop songwriting imposed over their vision and it makes for an excellent match. It is a fortunate twist of fate that Humphrey and McKeown’s voice strike up such obvious chemistry – they confidently ride the numerous peaks and valleys of the song’s trajectory without ever betraying an obvious misstep. Some of the album’s other material is just as mine, but a little more retro minded. “Better Day” has some of the same pop leanings as we heard on the opener, but they are more muted here in favor of a bluesier approach. The duo’s words are on point throughout and “Better Day” is one of the more effective examples of how they refine longstanding themes with their own style. The light lilt of “Someday” sets up another lyrical instrumental turn but the vocal arrangement is equally melodic. Understatement, once again, is key.

The singers’ duet over some scattered flashes of violin and delicately wrought acoustic guitar work throughout the entirety of “Sasha on the Carousel”. The vocal melody is among the album’s finest and difficult to soon forget. “Passing Shadows” has a surprisingly hard charging snap thanks to its percussion and quickly builds a tremendous amount of barely restrained energy. The duo structures “You and I” around some more string instruments and, primarily, some beautifully evocative piano work. The gut wrenching exchange between Humphrey and McKeown on this track comes at an excellent place in the album’s running order and leaves a mark. There’s a number of songs included on Tapestry of Shadows that certainly lives up to the melancholy implied in its title, but the clouds musically break on the finale “Sunshine Today”. The effect is never crass however. There’s a genuine sense of hope emerging from this final song. It ends the album on a much appreciated note and rounds out listeners’ possible experiences in hearing this.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars