Tag: Kevin Fisher

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

Get it or forget it (Christmas edition) – Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, Paul Cardall, Redhead Express, The Humming Bards

Happy Thanksgiving.  As promised, here are four Christmas albums we received this year, and they are all amazing.  We hope this gets you in the proper mood for the holiday season.

Artist Name:   Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers

Album Name:   All I Got for Christmas is the Blues

Label:   Pretty Good for a Girl Records

Genre:   Christmas (Blues/Funk)

Track Listing:   1.  All I Got for Christmas is the Blues; 2.  I Can’t Wait for Christmas; 3.  Merry Christmas Baby; 4.  Christmas (Baby Please Come Home); 5.  The Best Part of Christmas; 6.  Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree; 7.  The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire); 8.  Run Run Rudolph; 9.  Christmas Fool

Publicist:   Blind Raccoon

Review:  Mindi Abair is a two-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist and vocalist who is a master of jazz, blues and funk.  On her first holiday album, she brings four originals and five re-imagined classics to get your holidays off to a bluesy and funky start.  She kicks things off with the original title track before reinventing her own 2004 tune, “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.”  The band then tackles the Charles Brown R&B standard “Merry Christmas Baby” before tackling and improving on the Phil Spector/Darlene Lee classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”  Our favorite song is next with “The Best Part of Christmas,” a song she co-wrote with her old college friend and long-time collaborator, Matthew Hager from Halo Circus.  On “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” she gets to be both Brenda Lee and Boots Randolph as she gives the pop classic a modern bluesy sound.  You will not believe the amazing new arrangement the band gives to “The Christmas Song,” but we think it will easily become your favorite version.  She closes out this special Christmas gift with Chuck Berry‘s “Run Run Rudolph” before ending with a “back porch break down” on “Christmas Fool.”  This one is sure to become a holiday favorite.

Recommendation:   Don’t think twice.  Get this one for your holiday listening enjoyment.

Artist Name:   Paul Cardall

Album Name:   Christmas

Label:   Stone Angel Music

Genre:   Christmas (Classical)

Track Listing:   1,  Hard the Herald Angels Sing; 2.  In the Bleak Midwinter (ft Audrey Assad); 3.  O Come O Come Emmanuel; 4.  Jesus Once of Humble Birth; 5.  It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; 6.  Christmas Past; 7.  Joy to the World; 8.  O Holy Night (ft CeCe Winans); 9.  Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella; 10.  Once in Royal David’s City; 11.  Son of God (ft Patrice Tipoki); 12.  Away in a Manger; 13.  Silent Night

Publicist:   Morris Public Relations

Review:  Composer Paul Cardall brings us a traditional and classical approach to Christmas music, with his majestic and sweeping orchestral sound.  He also has three special guest vocalists in Grammy-winner CeCe Winans (“O Holy NIght”), Australian Broadway star Patrice Tipoki (“Son of God”) and award-winning singer-songwriter Audrey Assad (“In the Bleak Midwinter”).  With these group of songs, you can’t help getting into the Christmas spirit with a soundtrack that will be perfect for all your holiday parties and get-togethers.  Stand-out performances on “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “O Holy Night,” which are sure to become some of your favorite holiday songs.

Recommendation:  This is one of the best we’ve ever heard, and belongs in your holiday collection. Get it right away!

Before we review our final two albums, we wanted to share a couple of Christmas songs that we received this year.  First up is Cherrill Rae, who updates the classic pop song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” into a modern-day sweeping standard.

Our second single is from Charlie Milliken, who takes it from soulful to country with his beautifully written and performed “Season.”

Artist Name:  Redhead Express/PaperDolls Band

Album Name:  Christmastime

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Christmas (Country)

Track Listing:  1.  Away in a Manger; 2.  Carol Medley; 3.  God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen; 4.  Holidaze; 5.  Love is Christmas; 6.  Mary did you Know; 7.  O Holy Night

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  The four sisters that encompass Redhead Express have made a name for themselves with their spectacular harmonies and brilliant musicianship, including guitar, violin, banjo and stand up bass.  On their first holiday album, they turn these well-known and loved Christmas songs into bluegrass/country classics.  They also bring a couple of new songs to the table to give us an even better holiday treat.  On “Carol Medley,” they add in the equally wonderful voices of their family to round out the sound before introducing the more pop/rock sound of their new project, the PaperDolls Band, on “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen.”  They follow this up with the amazing original “Holidaze” and an uplifting bluegrass cover of Sara Bareilles‘ “Love is Christmas.”  They close out this brilliant collection with their holiday gift from last year, “Mary Did You Know,” and the classic “O Holy Night.”

Recommendation:  If you love harmonies and great music, then this is the holiday album for you.  Drop what you’re doing and Get it now!

Artist Name:  The Humming Bards

Album Name:  Holy Common Ground

Label:  JamCat Records

Genre:  Christmas (Pop/Rock)

Track Listing:  1.  Christmas in the Ordinary; 2.  December Song; 3.  Prayer for Everyone; 4.  Christmas Is; 5.  For Auld Lang Syne

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  Multiple LA Music Critic Award winning and Blue Élan Records artist Cindy Alexander joins with country superstar songwriter Kevin Fisher to form this amazing new group.  What started out as a friendship and writing collaboration has blossomed into a special holiday EP featuring three new songs by the duo, as well as one by Fisher (“Christmas Is”) and the other by Alexander and her long time musical partner Dave Darling (“For Auld Lang Syne”).  The combination of their voices is nothing short of spectacular, and the chemistry is palpable.  This one will quickly become a treasured favorite, and deserves to be put on repeat.

Recommendation:  This one is a no-brainer – you simply must Get it and play it again and again.

 

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Get it or Forget it Reviews Women in Entertainment

Get it or forget it – Kevin Fisher, Johnny Tucker, Barren Womb, Viv and the Revival, Thrillchaser

Happy Hump Day!  It’s beautiful here in Montana, although a little cold, but that is not keeping the crowds away from the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.  We are having a blast presenting these documentaries, and can hardly believe that the Festival is almost over.  At least we have some more indie artists to review, so here we go with five more.

Artist Name:  Kevin Fisher

Album Name:  Beer Me

Label:  37 Records

Genre:  Country

Track Listing:  1.  Beer; 2.  Beer Me; 3.  Dog Beers; 4.  I Wish you  Were Beer; 5.  Better Beer; 6.  To Beer or not to Beer; 7.  I Like Beer; 8.  Beer in the Fridge; 9.  Beerly Beloved; 10.  Beer Thirty; 11.  Beer Blue Sky; 12.  Last Call

Publicist:  McJames Music

Review:  Beer Me was released last October.  Since then, Kevin Fisher has released a couple of singles.  His current single, “Beer Thirty,” is currently sitting at #1 on the Hot Disk UK charts for the third week in a row.  The album contains a 12-pack of songs about beer with titles that are tongue in cheek, and feature co-writes on seven of the tunes.   Fisher has that perfect voice for country music, and the songs are truly radio ready gems for die-hard country fans that love their beer.  Our favorite cuts are the title track, “Dog Beers,” “Better Beer,” “Beer in the Fridge,” “Beer Thirty,” and “Last Call.”

Recommendation:  If you love country music, or beer in general, you will get a kick out of this CD.  Get it before “Last Call.”

Artist Name:  Johnny Tucker

Album Name:  Seven Day Blues

Label:  Highjohn Records

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1,  Talkin’ About you Baby; 2.  Tired of Doing Nothing; 3.  Why do you let me Down so Hard; 4.  Love and Appreciation (to Georgia); 5.  Seven Day Blues; 6.  Come on Home With Me; 7.  Tell you All; 8.  Something I Want to Tell You; 9.  Gonna Give you one More Chance; 10.  I Wanna do It; 11.  Do Right Man; 12.  One of These Days; 13.  I Can’t Wait; 14.  Listen Everybody; 15.  You can Leave my House

Publicist:  Blind Raccoon

Review:  Johnny Tucker broke into the business back in 1964, hooking up with Phillip Walker and singing James Brown.  He later became the drummer for Walker’s band and began touring the world for the next 34 years.  This is his second album since returning to music in 2006, and he has not lost a step.  This time around, he collaborates with such monumental blues players as Big Jon Atkinson, Bob Corritore and Kid Ramos in creating this perfect 15-song disc that celebrates the beauty of traditional blues.  His voice brings back memories of some of his peers, like Muddy Waters, BB King and Fats Domino.  This is an album to relish and savor.  Just put it on, sit back, and reminisce about the return of the glory days of the blues.

Recommendation:  If you are a music historian, or simply love the blues, you simply must Get this one.  It is a national treasure.

Artist Name:  Barren Womb

Album Name:  Old Money / New Lows

Label:  Spartan Records

Genre:  Metal

Track Listing:  1.  Crook Look; 2.  Mystery Meat; 3.  Theory of Anything; 4.  Slumlord Millionaire; 5.  Cave Dweller; 6.  Drive-Thru Liquor Store; 7.  Mad 187 Skills; 8.  Russian Hankerchief

Publicist:  Earshot Media

Review:  Norwegian rockers Barren Womb have returned with a new album, nearly three years after the last project, and are planning an extensive tour of Europe and Scandinavia to promote their music.  They call their music “Noise Rock,” and the description is apt.  It is a cross between metal and Beastie Boys, with the lyrics more spoken than sung, and a heavy metal/rock musical score.  This music is not for everyone, but true metal-heads will dig it, especially the current single, “Mystery Meat.”

Recommendation:  If you are a lover of metal and/or hard rock, then you should definitely check out Barren Womb.   If not, then you should probably forget it.

Artist Name:  Viv and the Revival

Album Name:  Perfect High

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Pop/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Perfect High; 2.  Stop my Heart; 3.  Lost in the Fire; 4.  Cannonball; 5.  Nikki

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  Viv and the Revival have a perfect radio sound that is missing from current programming.  From the amazing title track through the final notes of “Nikki,” this band gives us incredible music, with an indie rock sound that is perfect for Top 40, as well as serious consideration by music supervisors looking for hot tunes to incorporate into television and film projects.  We really love the rocking “Stop my Heart,” with its killer guitar riffs, but all five songs are hot.  We can’t wait to hear what they come up with next.

Recommendation:  This one is a keeper.  Get it now.

Artist Name:  Thrillchaser

Album Name:  A Lot Like Love

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Pop/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Emptiness; 2.  Out of our Minds; 3.  A Lot Like Love; 4.  Like That; 5.  Wildflower; 6.  Hold on to the Night; 7.  fivetwentyfive; 8.  Invisible; 9.  Still got a Hold on Me; 10.  Juliet

Publicist:  Right Angle PR

Review:  Thrillchaser, formerly known as American Wolves, have returned to bring us incredible pop/rock tunes.  As American Wolves, they had a hit single with “Part of Me,” which went viral on YouTube and Spotify, and their new tunes as Thrillchaser will surely exceed that high bar they set.  Thrillchaser has released a lyric video for their first single, “Wildflower,” which has gained them 10.1K Facebook fans in only three weeks.  Clearly this band is on to something, and radio programmers and music supervisors need to stand up and take notice of their music.  This is pop music that appeals to all ages, and is just what our stale Top 40 stations need to perk up their listeners.  “Hold on to the Night” is already being featured on idobi radio.  Don’t be surprised to see this one on the list of Grammy nominees next year.  If the Academy overlooks this band, they are doing everyone a disservice.

Recommendation:  If you love music, then this band MUST be on  your radar.  Drop everything and Get it now.