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

Get it or forget it – The Reverend Shawn Amos, Kathryn Grimm, Kenny Parker, Beautiful Things, Paul Nelson

We got over a foot of snow in the past 36 hours, with more on the way.  At least we have a break today, but we had to dig ourselves out so we could go to the store this morning.  Good thing we have some hot albums to review to keep us motivated.  Check out these amazing artists.

Artist Name The Reverend Shawn Amos

Album Name Kitchen Table Blues Vol. 1

Label:  Put Together Music

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1.  Ooh La La; 2.  Hold On; 3.  Whip It; 4.  Have Love Will Travel; 5.  Jesus Gonna be Here

Publicist:  Blind Raccoon

Review:  The Reverend Shawn Amos has been a pillar of the blues community for many years.  Back in 2016, he began cooking breakfast for his friends and then entertaining them with blues covers of some of his favorite songs.  These sessions were recorded and turned into his Kitchen Table Blues series.  On Vol. 1, he shows his amazing and diverse talents through some interesting song choices, including “Ooh La La,” which has become famous on the Alexa commercials, “Hold On” and “Whip It.”  We love the Roots/Americana vibe he puts on “Ooh La La,” and love the overall sound of the entire EP.  This one belongs on repeat.

Recommendation:  Drop everything and go get this amazing EP, which belongs in every collection.

Artist NameKathryn Grimm

Album NameBlues Tools

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1.  Best of Me; 2.  Blues Tools; 3.  C’mon Home; 4.  Empty Space; 5.  God is Testing Me; 6.  Gone; 7.  Hot Date with Buzz; 8.  Lovegun; 9.  Miss Celie’s Blues; 10.  Talking to the Wind; 11.  Trouble of this World; 12.  You Make me so Happy, I Can’t Sing the Blues

Publicist:  Doug Deutsch Publicity Services

Review:  Kathryn Grimm is an amazing electric blues/rock guitarist who is also a great storyteller and songwriter.  On this blazing hot CD, she tackles such subjects as domestic violence (“The Best of Me”), theft of her van with all of her gear inside (“God is Testing Me”), talking to people who don’t listen (“Talking to the Wind”), the regret of mistreating someone (“C’mon Home”) and vibrators (“Hot Date with Buzz”), which also includes a smoking slide guitar solo by the late Jeff Buckley.  The songs are both serious and light and deserve serious industry attention, reflecting a myriad of musical styles including jazz, blues, gospel and rock.  Put this one on repeat.

Recommendation:  Run out and Get this one!  It will quickly become one of your favorites.

Artist NameKenny Parker

Album NameHellfire

Label:  Rock-a-While Records

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1.  I’ve Got my Eye on You; 2.  Baby Come Back to Me; 3.  Blind and Paralyzed; 4.  Bye Bye Baby; 5.  Hellfire; 6.  Goin’ in Circles; 7.  Dance with Me; 8.  I’m Missing You; 9.  But Then we Danced; 10.  Half Crazy; 11.  Back up Plan; 12.  Hard Time in the Land of Plenty

Publicist:  Blind Raccoon

Review:  The blues world has some distinctive styles, from Chicago to the Delta, and Detroit is no exception.  Kenny Parker brings us the best of Detroit blues rock on his latest collection.  From the rocking guitar and vocals of “I’ve Got my Eye on You,” to the soulful sound of “Baby Come Back to Me,” this album is jammed packed with some of the best blues you have ever heard.  Every song is worthy of attention, and should be on the radar of every successful music supervisor for potential placement opportunities.  These songs likewise belong on blues radio.

Recommendation:  Definitely Get this one!

Artist NameBeautiful Things

Album NameDream World (Revisted)

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Dream Pop/Alt-Rock

Track Listing:  1,  Dream World (Sky Mix); 2.  Hey Hey Hey (Electric Mix); 3.  When the Night Comes Down (Bliss Mix); 4.  Astronaut (Space Mix); 5.  Astronaut (Acoustic Mix)

Publicist:  Paula Berg

Review:  On this beautiful reimagining of their debut 2009 album, which was just released yesterday, singer and songwriter Dina D’Alessandro aka Beautiful Things has been joined by former Screams for Tina bass player Grahame “Billy” Budd and keyboardist/guitarist Sean X.  This strange pairing has rerecorded D’Alessandro’s favorite songs from that album, breathing new life into them with a sound that is more electronic and contemporary than the original versions.  The album was engineered and produced by alternative rock legend Michael Rozon (Ministry), resulting in an album that is rich in  context, as the musical accompaniment elevates the vocals and lyrics to a new level.  You can’t go wrong with any of these five amazing tracks.

Recommendation:  This is a must-have for all true music lovers, and we guarantee that you will love these songs on the 100th listen as much as you do on the first one.

Artist Name Paul Nelson

Album Name Over Under Through

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues/Folk/Roots

Track Listing:  1.  Go Down Ezekiel; 2.  Ghost in the Basement; 3.  Color it Blue; 4.  Secret; 5.  Lay a Little; 6.  Alice Mullin; 7.  I Walk the Line; 8.  Relative Work; 9.  Silent Majority; 10.  Over Under Through; 11.  There is Weeping

Publicist:  Frank Roszak Promotions

Review:  Paul Nelson hails from New Hampshire and captures that rugged sound with his latest release, infusing his storytelling with the sound of folk, blues and roots music.  He should not be confused with the other Paul Nelson, a multiple Grammy-winning modern blues/rock guitarist, although he has just as much talent as his namesake.  Unlike the other Paul Nelson, this one writes songs that are haunting and moody while carrying on the rich folk tradition of telling compelling and memorable stories.  You will not easily forget his songs or his talent, and we believe you will thoroughly enjoy these folk songs.  We especially love his treatment of the classic Johnny Cash song, “I Walk the Line.”

Recommendation:  If you love great songs in the rich folk/roots tradition, then Get this one for your collection.

 

 

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

Get it or forget it – Susan Williams and the Wright Groove, Sly and Robbie meet Dubmatix, Ann, Cvltvre, The Reverend Shawn Amos

Greeting from the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival!  We are actively engaged in the Festival, but taking time to bring you review of five new artists.  We hope you enjoy them.

Artist Name Susan Williams & The Wright Groove

Album NameIt’s About Time

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1.  Tell me you Love Me; 2.  Love What U Do; 3.  Loving U From a Distance; 4.  Shame on You; 5.  I’m Sorry; 6.  Meet me in the Middle; 7.  Another Thing Coming; 8.  One Way Street; 9.  Please Come Back to Me; 10.  Keep Moving On; 11.  Too Little Too Late

Publicist:  ABIK Radio Promotions

Review:  Susan Williams is an iconic Chicago-based blues bassist who, along with her band The Wright Groove, is releasing their debut album.  They also competed in this year’s International Blues Challenge.  The album is chock full of amazing blues riffs, dynamic keys and kick-ass progressive and traditional blues featuring the soulful voice of Williams, who penned nine of the album’s eleven tracks.  They have definitely set the bar high for their next project, and we fully believe that they will continue to excel.  Our favorites include “Tell me you Love Me,” “Love What U Do,” “Love U From a Distance,” “I’m Sorry,” “Another Thing Coming,” “One Way Street,” “Please Come Back to Me,” and “Keep Moving On” – practically the entire album.

Recommendation:  Don’t even hesitate, just Get this one.

Artist NameSly & Robbie meet Dubmatix

Album NameOverdubbed

Label:  Echo Beach

Genre:  Dubstep, Triphop/Electronic, Reggae

Track Listing:  1.  Dictionary; 2.  Smoothie (ft. Prince Alla, Screechy Dan, Megative); 3.  Riding East; 4.  Great Escape; 5.  Great Wall

Publicist:  RDX Promo

Review:  Jamaican’s Sly Dunbar (drummer) and Robbie Shakespeare (bassist) have combined with Canadian Dubmatix to produce this interesting dance mix.  The tracks range from dubstep to reggae to breakbeat, triphot, Afro-Brazilian and electronic, but all of them are fun to listen and dance to.  We are still amazed at the level of talent in the international indie community, and are so happy to be part of spreading this music to America.  This album should be of interest to every dance DJ out there looking for great mixes.

Recommendation:  If you are a DJ, we strongly encourage you to check out this collaboration.  If you just love reggae music, then this is the one for you.

Artist NameAnn

Album Name Let Go

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  R&B/Soul

Track Listing:  1.  Try (ft. Will Gittens); 2.  Todd’s Song; 3.  So Familiar; 4.  Let Go

Publicist:  Camp Entertainment Worldwide

Review:  Ann was born in Nairobi, Kenya but now calls Worcester, Massachusetts her home.  She has competed on such shows as X-Factor and American Idol, and has interestingly enough decided to release her four track EP as a series of audio only tracks on YouTube.   She has also chosen to forego Facebook and instead base her social media through Instagram and Twitter.  Please be advised that these songs are rated Mature (language).  The first track is a duet with Will Gittens that is slow, sexy and steamy.    The second is a slam at a former boyfriend.

Recommendation:  This one deserves to be checked out simply because of its uniqueness.  We think the voice will grab you and keep you.

Artist NameCvltvre

Album NameAll Life Is // Act 1:  An Act of Letting Go

Label:  Standby Records

Genre:   Alt Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Blame; 2.  Birthday Song; 3.  Progression; 4.  Drown; 5.  Pour These Words

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  Cvltvre is an Inland Empire (California) based rock band releasing their second EP, the first of a four-part series dealing with self-purpose and identity.  “Drown,” the fourth track is the first single off the EP,  They have also released a music video for the second track, “Birthday Song,” a rocking ballad.  In fact, the musical diversity of this EP is what sets it apart from its peers, and make Cvltvre a band worthy of industry attention.

Recommendation:  If you love rock, definitely check this one out.

Artist NameThe Reverend Shawn Amos

Album Name The Reverend Shawn Amos Breaks it Down

Label:  Put Together Records

Genre:  Blues/Gospel

Track Listing:  1,  Moved; 2.  2017; 3.  Hold Hands; 4.  The Jean Genie; 5.   Freedom Suite – Uncle Tom’s Prayer; 6.  Freedom Suite – Does my Life Matter; 7.  Freedom Suite – (We’ve got to) Come Together; 8.  Ain’t Gonna Name Names; 9.  (What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Publicist:  Blind Raccoon

Review:  This is an interesting effort, delivering a message of freedom and the search for civil rights in the form of the blues, including a three-song “Freedom Suite” that includes an acapella reading of Uncle Tom’s Prayer before expounding on the words of Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King.  The album plays like a passion play, and needs to be listened to in its entirety without skipping around.  All we can say is “Preach it.”

Recommendation:  If you are at all concerned about civil rights, then this one is a must for you.  Hopefully it will empower change in this world.