We started writing this article on Good Friday, but the day turned dark and bad – lost our car keys and had to wait four hours for the locksmith, who charged us $220 because the key has a computer chip in it. Then it was off to T-Mobile to switch accounts, which took another four hours, followed by hosting a concert at the VFW that kept us out until early Saturday morning. Needless to say, there wasn’t any time to finish it on Friday, and we wanted to give those hard times a little space to breathe before completing the review. Sorry for the delay, but here are five more artists we hope will get your April off to a good start.
Artist Name: Caitlin Canty
Album Name: Motel Bouquet
Label Tone Tree Music:
Genre: Roots/Americana
Track Listing: 1. Take me for a Ride; 2. River Alone; 3. Time Rolls By; 4. Who; 5. Leaping Out; 6. Onto You; 7. Motel; 8. Scattershot; 9. Basil Gone to Blossom; 10. Cinder Blocks
Publicist: The Syndicate
Review: Caitlin Canty has a sweet sound due in no small part to the amazing production work of Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny, who has included some of Nashville’s finest musicians in his treatment of Canty’s well-crafted material. This is Americana/Roots music at this core – pure instrumentation, soaring vocals, finely tuned stories and that feeling of down home goodness that permeates throughout. This is Saturday honky-tonk music, with fiddles so crisp, a drum beat that is barely there and the sound of those amazing vocals soaring above it all. We think you will put this one on repeat, and listen over and over again. Canty’s voice is reminiscent of the sweetness of Alison Krause, while Stuart Duncan turns in some of the finest fiddle playing we have ever heard on any Americana album – indie or major label. We can’t get enough of this one, which we think is definitely in the running for the best Americana album of 2018.
Recommendation: Run, don’t walk and grab this album. If you only buy one album in 2018, it had better be this one.
Artist Name: Soldat Hans
Album Name: Es Taut
Label: Wolves and Vibrancy Records
Genre: Metal
Track Listing: 1. Story of the Flood; 2. Schoner Zerbirst Part I; 3. Schoner Zerbirst Part II
Publicist: Viral Propaganda PR
Review: The album is composed of only three songs, with the first track a staggering 26+ minutes long. The sound is orchestral, with sustained guitar over crashing cymbals, creating a dark and ominous feeling of impending doom from this Swiss sextet, whose screaming comes in about three minutes into the track. Absent that screaming, the music is melodic, although foreboding, but is definitely listenable. If you aren’t depressed when you start listening, you will be by the end of the first track. The second track starts off with actual singing, followed by more depressing mood music, before segueing into the second part of the song on track three, combining for another 27 minutes. This album is sure to appeal to our younger crowd, as it feeds into their abandonment issues with this modern society.
Recommendation: Unless you like prog rock mixed with heavy metal screaming, it might be best to just forget this one.
Artist Name: Malina Moye
Album Name: Bad as I Wanna Be
Label: WCE Records
Genre: Funk/Rock
Track Listing: 1. Something 2 Say; 2. Betta Than U; 3. Jumpin’; 4. Woman 2 Woman; 5. If 6 was 9; 6. Enough
Publicist: Effective Immediately PR
Review: The Electric Guitar has a new Empress and her name is Malina Moye. With the sexiness of Janet Jackson meets Beyonce’, and guitar skills that are without equal, Moye brings it all together for her latest project. From the first note of the album, it quickly becomes evident that Moye has “Something 2 Say,” and we want to hear it over and over again. Moye would have been the perfect complement to Michael Jackson, and had she auditioned instead of Orianthi, she would have won the job hands down. This one will definitely get you jumping with her R&B flavored rock, especially the truly empowering final track, “Enough.”
Recommendation: If you love guitar, then this one is a must have. Not only that, but Moye has vocals and looks to die for, so don’t hesitate to Get this one.
Artist Name: Bill Bloomer
Album Name: Jubilee
Label: TDP Records
Genre: Americana/Folk
Track Listing: 1. Whiskey Priest; 2. Goin Electric; 3. Can’t see it From Here; 4. Gift of Love; 5. Columbus; 6. Roses, Bridge and Rain; 7. Winter on the Road; 8. Go Find Yourself; 9. Animal Channel
Publicist: Broken Juke Box Media
Review: There is nothing as soothing as a deep voice over an acoustic guitar, and the latest from Bill Bloomer has both in spades. His voice speaks volumes and clearly shows that he has lived a full life. It is not smooth or silky, but raw and emotional, perfectly capturing the words of his songs. Tracks 2 (“Goin Electric”), 3 (“Can’t see it From Here”) and 5 (“Columbus”) are the feature tracks of the album, but is definitely an album that is best played in the background.
Recommendation: If you like Americana and folk, you will probably like this one. Check it out.
Artist Name: Joachim Cooder
Album Name: Fuchsia Machu Picchu
Label: Temple of Leaves
Genre: Folk/World
Track Listing: 1. Fuchsia Machu Picchu; 2. Elevated Boy; 3. Everyone Sleeps in the Light; 4. Calm my Mind; 5. Because the Moonlight; 6. Gaviota Drive; 7. Country Blues
Publicist: Perpetual Media Relatiosn
Review: We were wholly unprepared for the unparalleled sound of Joachim Cooder. It is a mixture of so many styles, including funk, world, folk, and others that it should be its own genre. The vocals are raw, much like Native Americana chants, but perfectly convey the well-crafted lyrics and make the sound as unique as the instrumentation. The son of Ry Cooder, Joachim has lived his whole life surrounded by musicians and music, and that heavy influence is reflected in what he has created. You can look far and wide, but we don’t think you will ever find anything like this sound. We are so happy that Joachim has joined the elite, and his sound will live on forever.
Recommendation: Definitely Get this one – we guarantee there is nothing like it in your current collection.