We started sorting through the nearly 500 submissions for the LA Music Critic Awards for the second half of 2018 yesterday. There were so many great albums submitted it is going to be a very difficult job for our committee to choose the nominations, but we think you will be happy with our choices. Start thinking about your fan favorite because the voting will open on Friday and run for three weeks. The winners will be announced on January 4. In the meantime, we have five more new releases to share, so here we go.
Artist Name: Hadden Sayers
Album Name: Dopamine Machine/Acoustic Dopamine
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues Rock
Track Listing: 1. Unsatisfied; 2. I Feel Love; 3. Hit the Road; 4. Blood Red Coupe DeVille; 5. Wanting Wanting; 6. Good Good Girl; 7. Learning to Disappear; 8. Peppermint Patty; 9. Dopamine Machine; 10. Gravity; 11. Backbreaker
Publicist: Frank Roszak Promotions
Review: Hadden Sayers is one of the hardest rocking blues guitarist in the world. Even Billy Gibbons looks up to him. This time around not only has he released a killer album in Dopamine Machine, but he has also recorded a companion acoustic album of the same songs, with nothing but the sweet voice of Ruthie Foster to help him. This masterpiece is definitely one of the best blues rock albums we have ever had the privilege of reviewing. We can’t choose the best tracks because all 11 of them are smoking hot, especially the lead track “Unsatisfied” and the smooth blues sound of “Blood Red Coupe DeVille.” This album needs to be heard again and again.
Recommendation: Do whatever it takes to Get both of these albums. They deserve the highest place in your musical collection.
Artist Name: Popa Chubby
Album Name: Prime Cuts (The Very Best of the Beast From the East)
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues
Track Listing: 1. Life is a Beat Down; 2. Angel on my Shoulder; 3. Hey Joe; 4. Stoop Down Baby; 5. Sweet Goodness of Love and Beer; 6. San Catri; 7. Caffeine and Nicotine; 8. Grown Man Crying Blues; 9. Go Fuck Yourself (ft Theodora Horowitz); 10. Hallelujah; 11. Somebody let the Devil Out; 12. I Can’t see the Light of Day; 13. Dirty Lie; 14. Daddy Played the Guitar; 15. There on Christmas
Publicist: Frank Roszak Promotions
Review: NYC-based Popa Chubby is a beast on the blues guitar, and in this collection he has chosen his favorite tracks from his 30 year career, including an incredible cover of the Leonard Cohen classic, “Hallelujah.” He also includes a previously unreleased political rant appropriately called “Go Fuck Yourself,” which features his daughter on violin, as well as a holiday track, “There on Christmas.” This is traditional blues at its best, and will appeal to every true blues lover. As he says in “Angel on my Shoulder,” “spread your wings and fly.”
Recommendation: If you love the blues, then this is a must-have for your collection. Get it today!
Artist Name: Mariel Austin
Album Name: Runner in the Rain
Label: Self-released
Genre: Jazz
Track Listing: 1. A Rough, Unsorted Compiling of Ways not to Exist; 2. Night Dreamer; 3. Mirrorshift; 4. One-way Journey Home; 5. Runner in the Rain
Publicist: Mouthpiece Music
Review: Up and coming jazz trombonist Mariel Austin is also a producer, arranger and composer, and she has created this short but sweet five-song masterpiece especially for big band as an introduction of sorts. On her debut EP, she shows why she is an award winning jazz musician, and provides a beautiful soundtrack for your everyday life. This is the perfect album to introduce your friends to the beauty of jazz.
Recommendation: Definitely add this one to your list.
Artist Name: Paper Gliders
Album Name: Trials
Label: Self-released
Genre: Indie Rock
Track Listing: 1. This Magazine Scene; 2. Petri Dish; 3. Birthday Candles
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: With harmonies galore and a brilliant progressive pop sound, Houston’s own Paper Gliders make beautiful music together. This all-too-short three-song EP gives us just a taste of their brilliance, and whets our appetite for their first full-length album. The guitars are dreamy as are the vocals, and the well-crafted songs are truly radio friendly. We think they have a great future in store and can’t wait to hear what comes next.
Recommendation: Definitely take a chance on this band. They are truly worthy of future stardom.
Artist Name: The RG’s
Album Name: The Cricket Sound
Label: Self-released
Genre: Rock
Track Listing: 1. Bored Ass Tony; 2. Stevie, the guy who Didn’t pay Us; 3. The Cricket Sound; 4. Dirty Allan; 5. All Day; 6. Keep Your Secrets; 7. Dead Inside; 8. My Friend Ed; 9. Smack Your Neighbor
Publicist: Viral Propaganda PR
Review: The RG’s are a Belgian band that brings the rock in the style of Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains and Rival Sons. Although the music has a hard edge, it is melodic, much like Metallica. The vocals stand-out and are easily understandable, contrary to the usual screaming of most hard rock bands. Much like Taylor Swift, these songs are written about their real-life encounters with people, so don’t piss them off or you might become a song in their catalog, like “Stevie, the Guy Who Didn’t Pay Us.”
Recommendation: If you like your rock on the hard side, then definitely check out this band.