Tag: Kate Reid

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Artists Worth Checking Out Best of 2018 Women in Entertainment

Forty best albums of 2018

What a year for indie music.  We received a boatload of review requests from around the world, and published reviews of nearly 1,000 CDs and EPs.  We culled through those we reviewed first to pick our nominations for the LA Music Critic Awards, and now to compile our list of the 40 Best CDs of 2018.

Due to the sheer volume, we only considered full-length projects for this list, but that doesn’t mean that quite a few of the EPs we reviewed weren’t also worthy of distinction.  We may yet put together another list of just EPs.

In the meantime, while we wait for the winners of the second half of 2018 for the LA Music Critic Awards to be announced tomorrow, here are our favorite CDs of 2018.  You can find their individual reviews by searching for them on our blog.

40.  Kate Reid – The Heart Already Knows

39.  Deb Ryder – Enjoy the Ride

38.  Jeffrey Foucault – War on the Radio

37.  Katie Herzig – Moment of Bliss

36.  Eric Tingstad – Electric Spirit

35.  Fanny Walked the Earth – self-titled

34.  Wily Bo Walker – Almost Transparent Blues

33.  Buddy Guy – The Blues is Alive and Well

32.  Walt Weiskopf – European Quartet

31.  Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers – All I Got for Christmas is the Blues

30.  YYNOT – self-titled

29.  Peter V Blues Band – Shaken but not Deterred

28.  Delta Moon – Babylon is Falling

27.  The Textones – Old Stone Gang

26.  Ronny Morris – Sweet Silence

25.  Sydney Wright – Seiche

24.  Gleeson – The Years Have It

23.  Colin Devlin – High Point

22.  Everlast – Don’t Complain

21.  Zsuzsika – Start Again

20.  Michael Peterson – From Here to Eternity

19.  K. Michelle Dubois – Autumn

18.    Broken Bellows – I, Kaleidoscope

17.  Rachel Sage – Myopia

16.  Janiva Magness – Love is an Army

15.  John Flanagan Trio – Honest Man

14.  Lee Ainley’s Blues Storm – Shoot me Down

13.  Floods – Bad Times

12.  Frank Hannon (From One Place . . . to Another, vols 1 and 2)

11.  Keith Harkin – In the Round

10.  Southern Halo – Just Like in the Movies

9.  Cindy Alexander – Nowhere to Hide

8.  Kari Kimmel – Gold & Glitter

7.  Hymn for Her – Pop-n-Downers

6.  Jordan Siwek – Sun Inside You

5.  Slim Gambill – Fake Jazz

4.  Gina Sicilia – Heard the Lie

3.  Birds and Arrows – Arbitrary Magic

2.  Brigitte Rios Purdy – Still I Rise

and the Best Album of 2018 goes to

Norway Reloaded – My Longest Mile

 

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

Get it or forget it – Soviet Shiksa, Strunz and Farah, Kate Reid, Yamaneko, Katmaz

Happy Thursday – hope  your week has been going well as we close in on another weekend.  Here are five more artists to check out while you wait.

Artist Name:  Soviet Shiksa

Album Name:  Songs About Sex, Death and God:  Pt II

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Gothic Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Goodnight; 2.  Venge; 3.  Dolores; 4.  Island; 5.  Rise; 6.  Zeal

Publicist:  Neoteric Nashville

Review:  Soviet Shiksa has a completely different sound that incorporates heavy guitar and a gothic feel with an Americana vibe, resulting in high energy music that is also reminiscent of post-punk.  This is the second part of their three-part EP series on Songs About Sex, Death and God.  According to their website, their sound is inspired by late night horror films, and we can definitely tell that from the lyrical content and the overall vibe.  Our favorite track is “Zeal,” with an amazing trumpet on top of spectacular guitar and a bluesy feel.  Regardless, it is a most worthy effort, and we look forward to part 3.

Recommendation:  Definitely give this one a spin.

Artist Name:  Strunz & Farah

Album Name:  Tales of Two Guitars

Label:  Selva

Genre:  Instrumental World Music

Track Listing:  1.  Butterfly’s Wing; 2.  Bolero #3; 3.  El Regalito; 4.  Peaks of Alborz; 5.  Vision Vine; 6.  Aire Carineño; 7.  Cirrus; 8.  Firoozeh; 9.  Two Moods; 10.  En los Montes; 11.  Clavo y Canela; 12.  Vals Tico; 13.  Carara

Publicist:  Guitarz Forever

Review:  If  you love the sound of the Gipsy Kings, then you will simply love Strunz & Farah.  They are two virtuoso guitar players and the variety of styles will truly amaze you.  Their music is heavily influenced by Latin and Middle Eastern  cultures and has a strong jazz feel.  From the frantic strumming on “Butterfly’s Wings,” the album just takes off, and is one of the best albums we have heard this year.

Recommendation:  Don’t think twice – Get this one today!

Artist Name:  Kate Reid

Album Name:  The Heart Already Knows

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Jazz

Track Listing:  1.  Something to Live For (ft Paul Meyers); 2.  Confessin’ (ft Larry Koonse); 3.  No More (ft Fred Hersch); 4.  Two Grey Rooms (ft Larry Koonse); 5.  Endless Stars (ft Romero Lubambo); 6.  Busy Being Blue (ft Taylor Eigsti); 7.  I’m Just a Lucky So and So (ft Paul Meyers); 8.  Secret o’ Life (ft Taylor Eigsti); 9.  If I Should Love You (ft Fred Hersch); 10.  Minds of Their Own (ft Romero Lubambo); 11.  Lazin’ Around (ft Fred Hersch)

Publicist:  Mouthpiece Music

Review:  The Heart Already Knows is a collection of duets with some of the finest guitarists and pianists in the world.  Kate Reid is an accomplished pianist in her own right, and her smoky, sexy voice is the perfect vehicle to convey this amazing group of jazz standards, original compositions and pop tunes.  Her scatting seems so natural, and she brings life to these songs with just her vocal abilities.  It doesn’t hurt that her accompanists are some of the best in the business, resulting in a jazz masterpiece.

Recommendation:  Definitely get this one if you love jazz.

Artist Name:  Yamaneko

Album Name:  Afterglow

Label:  Local Action Records

Genre:  Electronic Ambient

Track Listing:  1.  Afterglow; 2.  Second Encounter; 3.  Oslo House Sunrise 4K; 4.  Unreachable Feeling; 5.  Hydrokinesis

Publicist:  Worldwide Friendly Society

Review:  Yamaneko is a London-based producer who mixes electronic and ambient sound into a truly original musical form.  The music is so soothing that you will want to put it on whenever you need to relax or meditate.  Every song will soon become a favorite, and would also provide a perfect soundtrack in combination with your photos.  Give this one a listen, it is definitely worth it.

Recommendation:  Definitely Get this one!

Artist Name:  Katmaz

Album Name:  Tremolo Love

Label:  Nordic Records//PaintedBlack

Genre:  Indie Pop/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  One More; 2.  Tremolo Love; 3.  Don’t Change; 4.  Hello; 5.  Each Other

Publicist:  Nordic Records

Review:  If you are a fan of the TV show Empire, you know that after his near-death experience, Lucius Lyon (played by Terrence Howard) could “see” music instead of just hearing it.  That is the experience the listener receives from this new EP by Katmaz, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who brings his songs to life in such a cinematic and dramatic way that you can visually “see” the music.  Music Supervisors need to take immediate notice of this amazing artist, whose songs would be perfect for placement in television, film and commercials.  These songs also have potential for radio airplay.

Recommendation:  Get up and Get this one NOW!