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The Imaginaries slay with their streaming CD release concert

Oklahoma-based power couple Shane Henry and Maggie McClure aka The Imaginaries kicked off the release of their long-awaited debut album with a live streaming acoustic performance sponsored by American Songwriter Magazine.  The concert included the back stories for each song on the album, and lasted for more than 90 minutes, all of it pure joy.

One of my favorite moments was when McClure and Henry were explaining their individual career progression and McClure noted that she had begun with performances at Borders Books and Music.  You see, I was the booker for those stores back in the late 90’s/early 00’s, and it finally answered the question of where I had first heard her music.

Since the concert was essentially a listening party for their CD, we are including our Get it or Forget it review format.

Artist Name:   The Imaginaries

Album Name:  The Imaginaries

Label:   Self-released

Genre:  Americana/Folk

Track Listing:   1.  Revival; 2.  Walking on a Wire; 3.  Thinking ‘Bout You 4.  Trust Falling With You; 5.  There Will Come a Day 6.  Geronimo 7.  One Life; 8.  Enough of You; 9.  Blue Sky; 10.  You Remind Me

Publicist:   37 Media (Julie Lichtenstein)

Review:   The CD kicks off with two of their strongest songs, and never stops delivering powerful messages with memorable musical accompaniment.  In addition to their incredible creativeness in writing these masterpieces, The Imaginaries are also adept at conceptualizing the visualization of those songs, as evidenced by the numerous film festival nominations and wins that their videos have garnered.  We will be featuring their latest video for “Blue Sky” in our Monday Mashup column next week.

The album is produced by the duo and was recorded in the same studio in Muscle Shoals where the pair began their musical journey.  The album features bassist David Hood (Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Paul Simon), Little Richard guitarist Kelvin Holly (Jason Isbell, Gregg Allman, Neil Young), bassist Shonna Tucker (John Paul White, The Secret Sisters), and keyboardist NC Thurman (Hank Williams Jr, Gregg Allman, Little Richard), drummer Rob Humphreys (Leonard Cohen, Jason Mraz), keyboardists Chad Copelin (Sufjan Stevens, Christina Perri, Ben Rector) and Dan Walker (Heart).

Recommendation:   Drop whatever you’re doing today and get this album.  It will be the crowning jewel in your musical collection.

Thank you to The Imaginaries for an amazing showcase of your talent.  It was so refreshing to hear a band that sounds as good acoustically as they do when they have their entire band playing live.  They are further proof that indie music is the best music.  Can’t wait to see them live in person in the not too distant future.

 

 

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Jason Adamo’s new CD will make friends of us all

Several years ago, this reviewer took his then-girlfriend (and now wife) Chelle to see Alan Jackson at the Pacific Amphitheatre.  The opening act that night was a new band called the Zac Brown Band.  The excitement he felt that night is akin to what he’s feeling after his first listen to the new CD …And Friends by the Jason Adamo Band.

Adamo has crafted a masterpiece that should launch him and his band into the stratosphere of mainstream music.  He wrote or co-wrote all but one of the seven tracks and has put together a team of musicians that are highly skilled in their craft, including Mark McKee, who mixed, mastered, produced and engineered this masterpiece.

From start to finish, this is a CD you can put on repeat and listen to over and over.  Although every song is amazing, this reviewer’s favorite track is “Let Go,” with its incredible musicianship and a Keith Urban influenced sound.  This song could launch the band and belongs on country radio now.

“Game of Love” has a Lumineers feel to it, and is probably the second best song on the CD, followed closely by the first track, “Beautiful Believer.”  “Believer” was a co-write with Brett Young, and Adamo’s performance brings out all the beauty of the tune.

Another worthy cut is “Oliver,” which Adamo wrote about his sister’s adopted son.  The truth is that there are no bad cuts on this CD, and it should appeal to all true music lovers.

We are proud to highly recommend this CD and encourage all music lovers to call their local stations and demand they play the Jason Adamo Band.

For more info, check out their website and Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube channel.