Tag: Midnite Medicine

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

Get it or forget it – Joey Racano, Ben de la Cour, Cathy Segal-Garcia, Andy Sydow, Wolfe Jackson

As we explained yesterday, while we were off covering the Hollywood Fringe Festival, we received 94 review requests for the month of June.  We will be focusing on those for our Get it or Forget it articles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  For the Friday edition, we will focus on the July releases.  We should be caught up with everything by the end of the second week in August, so let’s get started.

Artist Name:  Joey Racano

Album Name:  Midnite Madness

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  In the Middle of the Night; 2.  Tell the Truth; 3.  Medicine Wheel; 4.  Eight Ball Jones; 5.  Saturday Cyberdate; 6.  Hello Baby (Reunion Blues); 7.  Six String Savvy

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  Joey Racano takes traditional blues guitar and adds in elements of pop (repetition) and rap to create a most unique sound, as demonstrated on the first track, “In the Middle of the Night.”  He also throws in some wailing sax for good measure.  “Tell the Truth” has more of a rock beat but continues with his spoken/sung vocals and pop repetitions that immediately distinguish his sound from others in this genre.  His lyrics are deep and may require multiple listens to fully comprehend all that he has to say.  What he lacks in vocal prowess is more than made up by the musical accompaniment.

Recommendation:  This one is worth a listen or two just because it is so different.  It’s a throwback to when music was more important than smooth silky vocals.  You may or may not like it, but it’s worth a listen nevertheless.

Artist Name:  Ben de la Cour

Album Name:  The High Cost of Living Strange

Label:  Flour Sack Cape Records

Genre:  Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Dixie Crystals; 2.  Uncle Boudreau Went to Texas; 3.  Company Town; 4.  Face Down Penny; 5.  Tupelo; 6.  Guy Clark’s Fiddle; 7.  Just Like the Blues; 8.  The High Cost of Living Strange

Publicist:  Broken Jukebox Media

Review:  Americana is a uniquely American genre, and Ben de la Cour plays it better than just about any other artist we have heard in recent memory.  His voice is strong, smooth and fluid, and his songs are well written masterpieces.  His instrumental soundtrack perfectly captures this genre, delivering compelling time capsules of life.  His publicist said his album was the best he’d heard this year, and we would tend to agree to that.  This is an artist that should be on the top of the Americana scene, and we are proud and privileged to have been chosen to review his album.  We think he belongs in the company of Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton, as well as in the national spotlight.  We really love the sound of “Dixie Crystals,” “Company Town,” “Tupelo,” “Guy Clark’s Fiddle,” and “Just Like the Blues.”

Recommendation:  If you love Americana, then you must add this one to your collection.  Get it today.

Artist Name:  Cathy Segal-Garcia

Album Name:  The Jazz Chamber

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Jazz

Track Listing:  1.  Star Eyes; 2.  Velho Piano; 3.  Time After Time; 4.  High Trapeze; 5.  Cinema Paradiso Theme; 6.  Message to Prez; 7.  This Moment; 8.  Universal Prisoner; 9.  Compared to What; 10.  Sleep in Peace

Publicist:  Mouthpiece Music

Review:  Cathy Segal-Garcia is a gifted jazz vocalist who has just released her 11th CD.  This time around, she adds an entire jazz chamber orchestra to the mix, and the result is rather grand, as in ballroom.  These tunes would have been right at home in the 1940s, with their elegant and expansive sound, and the feeling that you should be dancing around a large ballroom floor while she serenades your senses.  She even throws in a couple of cover songs, including a brilliant adaptation of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”  Grab a glass of wine, dim the lights and enjoy.

Recommendation:  If you love jazz, then we’re sure this artist is already in your collection.  We recommend you add her latest.

Artist Name:  Andy Sydow

Album Name:  Reasons for Departure

Label:  Uncle Ralph Records

Genre:  Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Reasons for Departure; 2.  Directions to the Moon; 3.  Who I Want to Be; 4.  Secret Rodeo; 5.  Hearts go On; 6.  Shame on Me; 7.  Lonely Love; 8.  Jenny’s Masquerade; 9.  Bus Drive; 10.  Whispering Moon

Publicist:  EMPKT PR

Review:  Andy Sydow is a gifted songwriter who hails from Denver, Colorado.  On this album, he has hooked up with LA Music Critic Award winning producer Chris Daniels to deliver an amazing group of songs that loudly proclaim he has arrived and is ready for his cameo.  From the first notes of the title track, Sydow firmly establishes himself as a force that cannot be overcome, so we advise you to sit down and enjoy these tracks.  Daniels has managed to highlight all the strengths of Sydow’s style, and give us an album that is good from start to finish.  You will not want to miss a single track, but just sit back and savor the instrumentation, the lyrics, the stories and the voice of calm that permeates this music.  Sydow is a combination of Tom Petty meets Jackson Browne, and we will forever be a fan.

Recommendation:  You simply MUST add this one to your library.  Get it ASAP!

Artist Name:  Wolfe Jackson

Album Name:  Nobody Knows Me (Better Than You)

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Americana/Soul

Track Listing:  1.  Nobody Know Me (Better Than You); 2.  Comfort Love; 3.  One More Time; 4.  Where my Heart Belongs; 5.  Brother; 6.  Lord Forgive Me (I’ve Been Bad) (bonus track)

Publicist:  Effective Immediately PR

Review:  Wolfe Jackson is a UK transplant who has firmly established himself as an American artist.  On his debut EP, he shows why he sold out his record release show at Hollywood’s famed Hotel Cafe.  His sound is raw and rare, and should provide him with a long career in music.  From the first notes of the title track, his amazing voice rises above the simple accompaniment, reminiscent of Jason Mraz, who was also had success at the Hotel Cafe early in his career.  His songs feel like they are being sung directly to  you while you listen to him in the comfort of your living room.  This is a voice that will surely rise like cream to the top of the music scene.  We expect to see him become a household name in no time at all.

Recommendation:  This one is a no-brainer.  You need this album in your library, where we are sure you will listen to it over and over again.

 

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

Get it or forget it – Ghost Town Blues Band, Milo Gore, Tennessee Jed, Fanny Walked the Earth, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Happy Friday – we made it through another week.  Here in Missoula, it’s First Friday, a night when local businesses present displays of local artists and photographers, coupled with beer, wine and live music.  We’re having an art exhibit by our manager, Tanner Court, at the VFW, with music by another employee, Doug Barrett.  Should be lots of fun.  To warm things up, here are five more reviews for your enjoyment.

Artist Name:  Ghost Town Blues Band

Album Name:  Backstage Pass

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues/Funk/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Come Together; 2.  Tip of my Hat; 3.  Shine; 4.  Giving it all Away; 5.  Big Shirley; 6.  Whipping Post; 7.  I get High; 8.  One More Whiskey; 9.  I Need More Love

Publicist:  Frank Roszak Promotions

Review:  Memphis-based Ghost Town Blues Band does more than just play the blues, combining their music with a healthy mix of funk and rock to form their own unique style.  That style is manifest in their cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together,” which segues into a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”  Their original numbers are progressive, upbeat and fun, creating an atmosphere conducive to just cutting loose and having a good time.  They are like the Doobie Brothers with the Tower of Power horns.  The entire album is a collection of live covers and fan favorites, and make us want to get to Memphis and see their live show.  In the meantime, at least we’ll have this album to tide us over until we do.

Recommendation:  If you love blues, funk or rock, and want that live experience, then you simply must Get this one.

Artist Name:  Milo Gore

Album Name:  Too Much Too Soon

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Alt Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Towel on the Floor; 2.  State

Publicist:  Rollon Entertainment

Review:  The latest from five-piece British alternative rockers is a short two-song EP, and those songs could not be more different.  The first tract, “Towel on the Floor,”  is lo-fi and was recorded in a home studio, while the second, “State,” co-written with electronica artist Jay Beale, is much more upbeat, with interesting vocal harmonies, a steady and driving beat plus an electronic edge to the song.  It would do well on American radio.  We really love “State,” and would love to hear more of that type of song from this band.  We look forward to what they have in store for us.

Recommendation:  As they so eloquently sing in their second song, “They keep me running.”  Run out and Get it.

Artist Name:  Tennessee Jed

Album Name:  Pimpgrass

Label:  Sam & Molly Music

Genre:  Americana/funk/soul/bluegrass

Track Listing:  1.  Over the Mountain; 2.  Shout; 3.  Can’t get There From Here; 4.  Sweet Relief; 5.  Cells; 6.  Opie’s Intermezzo; 7.  Sunup ’til Sundown; 8.  Country Pimpgrass; 9.  Kiss; 10.  The Train for to Carry me Home

Publicist:  Golden Relations

Review:  Tennessee Jed calls his music “Pimgrass” aka “Bluegrass with Bling” because it is a mixture of Americana, funk and soul fused with traditional bluegrass and country music.  He works with an all-star band, including Scott Vestal and Todd Parks (Sam Bush Band), Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett, Lee Ann Womack and Ricky Scaggs), Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart), Andy Hall (Infamous Stringdusters), Patrick McAvinue and Bob Mummer (Dailey & Vincent) as well as Aaron McCune (Oak Ridge Boys, Dailey & Vincent), on this amazing release, which only makes his unique sound that much more appealing.  From the amazing original, “Over the Mountain,” with McCune providing the bass backing vocals, to the stirring and reimagined covers of “Shout” and “Kiss,” Jed shows us an entirely new side of bluegrass and Americana.  We love the smooth and soothing sound of “Can’t get There from Here” and “Cells,”  the humor of “Sweet Relief,” the Celtic feel of “Opie’s Intermezzo,” the straight Americana feel of “Sunup ’til Sundown” (which could have been lifted from O Brother Where art Thou and “Country Pimpgrass,”

Recommendation:  Run, don’t walk and Get this one today!

Artist Name:  Fanny Walked the Earth

Album Name:  Fanny Walked the Earth

Label:  Blue Élan Records

Genre:  Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Lured Away; 2.  When we Need Her; 3.  Walk the Earth; 4. Girls on the Road; 5.  One; 6.  It Happened Here; 7.  Not my Monkey; 8.  Cool Girl; 9.  What are you Waiting For; 10.  Storm-crossed; 11.  Love Farmers

Publicist:   Jensen Publicity

Review:  Back in the 60’s, three teenagers, June Millington, Brie Darling and Jean Adamian, formed a band named Fanny, and proceeded to rewrite rock and roll history by becoming the first all girl band to be signed to a major label.  Jump ahead 38 years, and Kirk Pasich and the folks at Blue Élan Records convinced them to get back together as Fanny Walked the Earth.  The ladies sound like they never stopped playing, and hit the ground running on the first track, “Lured Away,” which definitely belongs on Top 40 radio.  The awesomeness continues with the next track, “When we Need Her,” and continues throughout the entire album.   They pay homage to their past on “Girls on the Road” (reminiscent of Wynonna’s hit, “Girls With Guitars”), rock out on “Walk the Earth,” “One” and “What are you Waiting For,” and speak their mind on so-called “friends” and human behavior on “It Happened Here” and “Not my Monkey.”  “Cool Girl” is a mellow and smooth pop song that is also very radio friendly, while “Storm-crossed” is another rocker.  They close out the album with “Love Farmers,” a thought-provoking ballad that leaves us wanting more.  Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 38 years for the next one.

Recommendation:  Easily one of the best albums of 2018, this one is a must-have for your musical collection.  Get it now!

Artist Name:  Barrence Whitfield & the Savages

Album Name:  Soul Flowers of Titan

Label:  Bloodshot Records

Genre:  Rockabilly/Blues/Soul/R&B

Track Listing:  1.  Slowly Losing my Mind; 2.  Pain; 3.  Tall, Black and Bitter; 4.  Tingling; 5.  Sunshine Don’t Make the Sun; 6.  I’ll be Home Someday; 7.  Let’s go to Mars; 8.  Adorable; 9.  I Can’t get no Ride; 10.  I’m Gonna Leave You; 11.  Edie Please; 12.  Say What you Want

Publicist:  Bloodshot Records

Review:  Barrence Whitfield @ the Savages waste no time on their latest project, rocking our blues with the first track, “Slowly Losing my Mind,” and continuing this throbbing sound through the final track, “Way What you Want.”  Our favorites include “Slowly Losing my Mind,” “Tall, Black and Bitter,” “Tingling,” “I’ll be Home Someday,” “Let’s go to Mars,” “Adorable,” “I Can’t get no Ride,” “I’m Gonna Leave You,” and “Edie Please.”

Recommendation:  This one is a must for every serious audiophile, whether you are a fan of the blues, rock, soul or R&B.  We strongly recommend that you Get it.