It’s been a while since our last edition of Get it or Forget it, and we wanted to ease back in with a few of our favorite artists who have all been busy during this pandemic. We hope you like what you read, and will check out these amazing artists. We hope to make this a regular weekly feature, but that will depend on when our work schedule becomes more solid. At any rate, here we go.
Artist Name: Emily Zuzik
Album Name: Torch & Trouble
Label: Head Bitch Music and Maenades Music
Genre: Americana
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Track Listing: 1. Stay Wild, 2. Get it Right, 3. Chinese Food and Donuts, 4. Trouble, 5. Magic, 6. Shadows, 7. All That Love, 8. Wild Mustangs Across the Great Plains, 9. Embers, 10. The Band Played On
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: Emily Zuzik has been one of the leading voices in the resurgence of the Los Angeles Americana music scene with her unmistakable voice and incredibly well-written songs. Her latest, Torch & Trouble, sets the bar high and is truly her best effort to date. The album is skillfully produced by Ted Russell Kamp, the amazing country bass player who is a huge part of the success of every artist he works with, including Shooter Jennings, Manda Mosher, Tanya Tucker and Zuzik. Among the amazing supporting musicians on the project are Christopher Allis on drums, Brian Whelan on Hammond organ and guitar, Kamp on bass, and John Schreffler on guitar.
Zuzik wrote or co-wrote nine of the ten songs on the album, hits the ground running with the first track, “Stay Wild,” and never slows down as she delivers memorable song after memorable song. Although there are no weak songs on the entire album, our favorites include “Stay Wild,” “Get it Right,” the rocking “Trouble,” the Chris Isaak-like “Shadows,” (a Yo La Tengo cover), the romantic waltz “All That Love,” the epic story of “Wild Mustangs Across the Great Plains,” and “Embers,” which features the vocals of Kamp and Zuzik in a stirring duet.
Recommendation: Run, don’t walk, and get this one like your life depends on it.
Artist Name: Tawny Ellis
Album Name: Love Life
Label: Music Building Records
Genre: Americana
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Track Listing: 1. Love Life, 2. Moon Shine, 3. Pretend Love, 4. No More, 5. Deep end of Love, 6. Spirit of Love, 7. I Believe, 8. Powers That Be, 9. Daddy, 10. Dirty Work
Publicist: KG Music Press
Review: Tawny Ellis is proof of the benefit of being in the right place at the right time, and her relentless pursuit of perfection is evident in every song on this true masterpiece, which took three years to complete. The artists who worked with her on this project sound like a “Who’s Who” of some of the finest musicians in the industry, including Jesse Siebenberg (Lukas Nelson, Lissie), Ted Russell Kamp (Shooter Jennings, Tanya Tucker), Gio Loria (Jack Johnson) and Kaitlin Wolfberg (H.E.R.). Their contributions give Ellis’ sound an eclectic vibe that makes the music accessible to fans of all genres. Among the best cuts are “Love Life,” “Pretend Love,” the rocking “No More,” the mournful “Deep End of Love,” the stirring “I Believe,” and the haunting and iconic “Powers That Be.”
Recommendation: This one is a no-brainer – your music library NEEDS it and so do you.
Artist Name: Ted Russell Kamp
Album Name: Down in the Den
Label: PoMo Records
Genre: Roots/Rock/Americana
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Track Listing: 1. Home Sweet Hollywood (ft Shooter Jennings), 2. Have Some Faith, 3. Waste a Little Time With Me, 4. Stick With Me, 5. Hold On (ft Gordy Quist), 6. Hobo Nickel, 7. Rainy Day Valentine, 8. The Good Part, 9. Word for Word (ft Sarahh Gayle Meech), 10. My Turn to Cry, 11. Only Son (ft Shane Alexander), 12. Every Little Thing you Need, 13. Saint Severin, 14. Take my Song With You (ft Kirsten Proffit)
Publicist: KG Music Press
Review: This article would not be complete without a review of the common denominator between Emily Zuzik and Tawny Ellis, the legendary musician himself, Ted Russell Kamp. The album was recorded in Kamp’s home studio, affectionately called “The Den,” and features several of the amazing artists that Kamp has worked with, including Shooter Jennings, Gordy Quist, Sarah Gayle Meech, Shane Alexander and Kirsten Proffit. We have already featured the first two songs on the album in our Monday Mashup series, and they are just the tip of the iceberg of the treasures contained in this 14-song collection. We really love the swinging feel of “Waste a Little Time With Me,” the classic country sound of “Stick With Me,” the New Orleans Jazz-infused “Hobo Nickel,” the two-stepping sound of “The Good Part,” the Dwight Yoakum-inspired strains of “My Turn to Cry,” the righteous country ballad “Saint Severin,” and the sweet duet “Take my Song With You.”
Recommendation: No music library is complete without this one, so go out and get it ASAP.