Tag: John McLaughlin

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews Women in Entertainment

Get it or forget it – Linda Em, Subways on the Sun, John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring, GABI, Rude Audio

My Brewers had a rough time in Los Angeles, and face a must win game in Milwaukee on Friday to force a Game 7.  Good thing we’ve got some great music to help ease the pain.  Let’s get going.

Artist Name:  Linda Em

Album Name:  London Irish

Label:  Talking Elephant Records

Genre:  Pop

Track Listing:  1.  Wild Fire; 2.  Two Hands; 3.  Little Lightmaker; 4.  White Horse

Publicist:  Shameless Promotion PR

Review:  Linda Em was born in Ireland and currently lives in London.  Her voice is incredible, mixing the etherealness of Enya with the more upbeat sound of the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan.  The duet with her brilliant producer Gavin Glass on “Wild Fire,” which is the first single, will definitely stimulate your senses and make you want more of this truly amazing artist.  The video for the song is very sensuous and provocative, and will likewise visually stimulate you.  All four of the tracks on this EP are memorable, and will definitely have you listening again and again.

Recommendation:   Don’t wait for the train to leave the station.  Get this one now.

Artist Name:  Subways on the Sun

Album Name:  Capsize

Label:  Spartan Records

Genre:  Indie Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Just to be With You; 2.  Works; 3.  Hope you Like Getting Old; 4.  Capsize; 5.  Tongues; 6.  I’m an Island; 7.  Side you Play; 8.  Know it All; 9.  Time’s not Long; 10.  On Repeat

Publicist:  Shameless Promotion PR

Review:  Seattle has long been a hotbed of indie music, and they have launched another great one in the form of Subways on the Sun.  Their sophomore album, Capsize, is everything you want in an indie rock band, and hits the ground running from the first note of the anthemic opener, “Just to be With You.”  The band has been compared to everyone from Muse and Jimmy Eat World to The Cure and Death Cab for Cutie, and they have earned those comparisons.  Their music is a prism for their individual beliefs, and each member contributes to the sound, creating a lush cascade of sound for the listener.  Best tracks include “Just to be With You,” the first single “Hope you Like Getting Old” (which is already getting radio airplay in Seattle), the title track, the rockers “Tongues” and “Know it All,” and the introspective “I’m an Island” and “On Repeat.”

Recommendation:  Run out and Get this one.

Artist Name:  John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring

Album Name:  Live in San Francisco

Label:  Abstract Logix

Genre:  Jazz

Track Listing:  1.  Meeting of the Spirits; 2.  Birds of Fire; 3.  A Lotus on Irish Streams; 4.  The Dance of Maya; 5.  Trilogy; 6.  Earth Ship; 7.  Eternity’s Breath Part 1 & 2; 8.  Be Happy

Publicist:  MAD Ink PR

Review:  “This recording of the final set at the Warfield Theatre brings to full circle the amazing advent of The Mahavishnu Orchestra In 1971, and its renaissance this night in San Francisco.” mused the boundary-shattering guitarist John McLaughlin.  This album is a jazz lover’s dream, with the combination of McLaughlin and his band The 4th Dimension and one of his favorite musicians, Jimmy Herring and his band The Invisible Whip, recreating the music written nearly 40 years ago.  The members of both bands have an almost psychic connection as they bring these songs to life, creating a masterpiece of jazz fusion that should be listened to over and over again.  Sit back and enjoy this one, because it doesn’t get any better than this.

Recommendation:  If you love great music, then this is the album for you.  Rush out and Get this one for your collection.

Artist Name:  GABI

Album Name:  Empty Me

Label:  Double Double Whammy

Genre:  Pop

Track Listing:  1.  Ahhh; 2.  Sleep; 3.  Until the End; 4.  Wild Sunflowers; 5.  Whole With  You; 6.  Let’s not Exist; 7.  Boom Boom Kid; 8.  Breath; 9.  Naked; 10.  :::: (flute); 11.  Stranded in Heathrow; 12.  Falling for a Stranger; 13.  Holy

Publicist:  Worldwide Friendly Society

Review:  Although this is a 13-track album, the publicist only provided three of the tracks for review.  The first of those, “Sleep,” reveals a dreamy ethereal sound reminiscent of Enya, making this album the perfect soundtrack for introspection and relaxation.  We wish we could have reviewed the entire album, but the three tracks provided give us a pretty good idea of the quality of the rest of the album.

Recommendation:  Definitely give this one a spin.

Artist Name:  Rude Audio

Album Name:  Rude Redux

Label:  Zirkus Records

Genre:  Electronic

Track Listing:  1.  To the Sun; 2.  To the Half Moon; 3.  Rumble on Arab St; 4.  Pipeline Screaming; 5.  To the Half Moon (Rich Lane remix)

Publicist:  Shameless Promotion PR

Review:  Rude Audio is a London-based electronic collective creating a scene in the dance clubs of south and east London.  Their music mixes dub and house into a living sound that permeates the room, enticing the listener to get up and dance.  They also include a remix of “To the Half Moon” by Rich Lane, one of the best of the underground producers in the UK electronic music scene.

Recommendation:  If you love to dance, then this one belongs in your collection.

 

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Awards LA Music Critic Awards Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2018 – vol. 4

Hope you all got to watch the Grammy Awards last night.  That was an impressive show, especially the performance by Kesha, Cindy Lauper, et al. of her song “Praying.”  It really brought tears to my eyes with its sheer beauty and power.  Let’s all try to honor the message that came through loud and clear – no more harassment and discrimination – just work together in unity.  Here’s our column today.

INDIE ARTISTS WIN GRAMMY AWARDS

While most of these indie artists didn’t get credit, several of them were instrumental in helping someone else get a Grammy win.  Kyler England co-wrote five of the songs on Lisa Loeb’s winning Best Children’s Album, while Ross Hogarth was part of the production team that worked on Taj Mahal and Keb Mo’s winning Best Contemporary Blues album.  Great work indies!

In addition, LA Music Critic Award nominee The Jerry Douglas Band lost their Grammy bid for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album to Jeff Lorber, while fellow LA Music Critic Award nominee John McLaughlin won his Grammy bid for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Miles Beyond” from the album Live at Ronnie Scott’s, which we previously reviewed in December.

The winners for the LA Music Critic Awards will be announced at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2018.

LYNN CAREY SAYLOR WINS SONGWRITING COMPETITION

Congratulations to indie songwriter Lynn Carey Saylor, who recently won the Song Door International Songwriting Competition in the Hard Rock/Alt Rock category for her song, “Tidal Wave.”  Saylor has been a hit songwriter for many years,

NEW SINGLES

It’s been a busy week for indie artists, including several past and present nominees for the LA Music Critic Awards.  Here are a few of the latest singles to be released.

The first one is from former nominee Crimson Calamity, which released their latest single, “Fool’s Gold.”  We love their sound and think you will too.

Next up is past LA Music Critic Award and Grammy nominee and Blue Élan Records artist Janiva Magness with her new single, “Down Below.”  We expect this one will qualify her for additional nominations.

Next is the latest from Austin band Signy, featuring Delaney Gibson, with their single, “Human.”  We love how different this is from her solo material, and think you will too.

Multiple LA Music Critic Award winner and nominee Katie Costello has lent her voice to the new single “Bon Air” by Hardsoul.  This one is an amazing dance track that will have you on the floor in no time.

Last but not least this week is the latest single from another multiple winner of the LA Music Critic Awards, Keaton Simons.  His new EP 1-2-3 Go will be released on March 9, and he is whetting our appetite with “Crane City.”

MUSIC VIDEOS

Our first video this week comes from Italian rock goddesses Black Mamba, who we reviewed last week.  This video is for their single, “Loop.”  Get ready to rock out.

Next up is the latest from the songwriting guru, Kari Kimmel of her song, “Voices.”  Check out the amazing cinematography of this one.

Our third video this week is from former San Diego Music Award winner Gayle Skidmore for her song “Pale Ghosts.”  Once again, the cinematography is first-rate.

Our next video comes from first-time LA Music Critic Award nominee Ryan Sims, who we also reviewed earlier this month.  Here is his vision of his song, “Black and Blue.”

Last but not least is the new video from Lucy Levinsohn, former lead singer for Lily’s Siren and Waiting 4 Wyatt.  She has returned to a solo career and brings us “Dear God.”

Thanks for joining us today.  We’ll be back tomorrow with five more Get it or Forget it reviews.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews

Get it or forget it – The Paranoid Style, Ben Lorentzen, Hang Tight, ClueBagger, John McLaughlin

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  We relaxed all day and watched the snow fall.  Now it’s time to get back into the review process.  Here are another five reviews for your perusal.

Artist Name:   The Paranoid Style

Album Name:   Underworld U.S.A.

Label:   Bar/None

Genre:   Garage Punk/Indie Rock

Track Listing:   1.  Underworld USA; 2.  Dominoes in Drag; 3.  Hawk Vs. Prez; 4.  I Believe you Believe you can Fly; 5.  Dedicated Glare; 6.  Revision of Love

Publicist:   The Syndicate

Review:  This is not your typical punk, more like indie rock with a rockabilly edge.  We love the lead vocals, and the rocking accompaniment fits the lyrical content and the vibe of the music.  The songs are short and sweet and lots of fun.  This is definitely a band we can get behind and fully support – we can only imagine how much fun they must be in concert.  The punk edge does come out on “I Believe You Believe You Can Fly” and “Revision of Love,” but the former still has that rockabilly vibe.  We love every song.  We just wish there were more songs on this amazing EP.  Hopefully they will grace us with a longer album next time.

Recommendation:  Definitely Get this one.

Artist Name:  Ben Lorentzen

Album Name:  Pains & Pleasures of Intimacy

Label:  Nordic Records

Genre:  Alternative Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Crows on the Wire; 2.  I Miss You; 3.  I Know how to Protest War (but now to Make Peace); 4.  Victor Hugo Daza; 5.  Tie This Alone Away; 6.  Dead man in the Closet; 7.  Alabaster Jar; 8.  Lay Down in the Dark

Publicist:  Nordic Records/Painted Black

Review:  Wow – Ben Lorentzen knows how to ROCK.  With vocals akin to Bob Dylan, and a musical style that screams PROG ROCK, his well crafted lyrics and melody rise and swell like a rock opera.  His words are timely, like they were snatched from the headlines.  This is the kind of rock music you turn up loud in your headphones and just escape into the pictures and sound that Lorentzen creates.  This is what you want to hear on album rock stations.  We love this one from start to finish, and can’t wait for more.  Really love the strings on the final two tracks – so classy!

Recommendation:  Definitely Get this one – it truly rocks!

Artist Name:  Hang Tight

Album Name:  Grind

Label:  Standby Records

Genre:  Punk/Indie Rock

Track Listing:  1.  The Rents; 2.  Forget About It; 3.  Pretty in True Blue; 4.  Digital Age; 5.  Be Mine

Publicist:  Earshot Media

Review:  Wow – two awesome punk bands today.  Hang Tight has a harder edge than The Paranoid Style, but they are both amazing.  This is just plain fun, but with only five songs, it’s much too short for our taste!  Seriously, we can’t wait to hear more, as this EP was a nice appetizer of the great things we are sure are to come.  We love every song, especially “Digital Age.”

Recommendation:  You can’t go wrong with this one – Get it now.

Artist Name:    ClueBagger

Album Name:  RetroMod

Label:  GuardBird Records

Genre:  AAA/Singer-songwriter

Track Listing:  1.  The Power of a Dream; 2.  Always; 3.  No Hoper; 4.  Key West (The Last Resort); 5.  Say Goodbye to London; 6.  Temptation of Eve; 7.  Longing; 8.  Head Over Heels; 9.  Love not War; 10.  Prisoner of the American Dream; 11.  Too Hot to Handle; 12.  Girl in Trouble

Publicist:  Powderfinger Promotions

Review:  Scott Key aka ClueBagger has a very unique sound, reminiscent of a nasally Jimmy Buffett, with an island vibe.  It is a soundtrack for a good time, and would make a good background for a summer outdoor party, or to take your mind off the cold winter months.  He incorporates some interesting musical sounds into songs that just plain make you smile.  It is the kind of sound that is perfect for college radio more than AAA, but stranger things have happened on AAA.  “No Hoper” does have a 60’s kind of groove, which might be perfect if you’re in an Austin Powers mood.  Our favorite tracks are “Key West (The Last Resort),” “Say Goodbye to London,” “Temptation of Eve,” “Head Over Heels,” Too Hot to Handle” and “Girl in Trouble.”

Recommendation:  This one is worth a chance.

Artist Name:  John McLaughlin

Album Name:  Live @ Ronnie Scott’s

Label:  Abstract Logix/Mediastarz

Genre:  Jazz

Track Listing:  1.  Meeting of the Spirits; 2.  Miles Beyond; 3.  Gaza City; 4.  Here Comes the Jiis; 5.  New Blues Old Bruise; 6.  El Hombre que Sabia; 7.  Sanctuary; 8.  Vital Transformation; 9.  Echoes of Then

Publicist:  MAD Ink PR

Review:  This amazing live set combines the wizardry of John McLaughlin with his band, the 4th Dimension, and totally reminds us of why we love live music.  CDs are great, but nothing beats those same songs in a concert atmosphere.  Back in the day when we were active in the San Diego jazz scene, this is the type of music we loved.  It is the perfect opportunity for audiophiles to discover the joy of live music, and to see why jazz continues to be one of the most popular genres of music.  This album also shows off the growth and longevity of McLaughlin and his music.  We would seriously have loved to be a part of the audience at the taping.  This album is the gold standard for live albums.  This one truly is a “Meeting of the Spirits.”

Recommendation:  This one is a must-have.  Get it today!