Little Diamonds - New Orleans Bound

Little Diamonds - New Orleans Bound 

URL: http://littlediamondsmusicllc.com/ 

The sophomore album from a songwriter is usually a proving ground about whether or not they have the staying power to make a career out of this. Little Diamonds’ second release New Orleans Bound not only improves on the high quality of his debut 1^st Rail, it moves the goalposts substantially and establishes a whole new bar for success that signals this is an artist committed to realizing the fullness of his artistic potential. This is a professional recording through and through that balances out the relatively narrow range of instrumental voices with the central musical force on the album, Little Diamonds’ own voice. He has come a long way from winning a Bob Dylan impersonation contest and is rapidly evolving into one of the most respected performers and songwriters on the Americana scene. There are twelve songs on this album that testify to a talent deserving of such a reputation. 

There’s a John Prine-esque turn to the album’s first two songs “I Don’t Know About You” and “Never Met You at All”, but it’s never over-exaggerated to the point of outright parody. Diamonds is a multi-instrumentalist, but his work on acoustic guitar is particularly impressive and the musical hinge upon which these dozen songs swing. He has a clearly articulated style and his playing remains steady throughout while adding countless low-key embellishments to give the progressions some added flair. “12-12-12” is much more Little Diamonds’ own confection and owes little to anyone. The light humor has a delicious dark twist, but it isn’t so black as to drag down the listeners’ emotions. Instead, the band arrangement he adopts and the brisk pace they set come together to make for an exceptionally nice performance. His vocal is full of great phrasing that plays up the song’s comedic elements some, but concentrates much more on tailoring the singing as closely as possible to the music.  

“Duluth Grandma” has stronger lyric imagery than any previous song and showcases his skills for creating characters to inhabit his songs. It creates an effect of eavesdropping on a life and being able to observe without having to pay a penalty for what we hear and see. These are immensely human songs and “Duluth Grandma” has even more humanity than most. “Old Man Al” has a similar template, but it isn’t quite as dark and the musical accompaniment provided by Diamonds’ guitar is a little less intricate than we heard on the preceding track. His guitar takes a very direct approach on “Come Back Here” and the majority of the song’s melodic content comes from the beautifully phrased fiddle accompanying Diamonds. This song has good natured warmth that some of the recent songs have lacked and it comes at a good place. 

The upbeat mood continues with the album’s title track. “New Orleans Bound” is full, musically and lyrically, with a vivid sense of possibility. The steel guitar and brass don’t sound at all incongruous together in this context and Little Diamonds provides a perfect counterweight to those elements with his plaintive singing. New Orleans Bound is an impressively unified and clearly conceived musical and lyrical work. Little Diamonds never sounds uncomfortable or uncertain and the songs have a tightness of focus that never wastes the listener’s attentions. Few albums in 2016 will prove as satisfying for fans of Americana music. 

9 out of 10 stars 

SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/60Wf0zeykV2PkBgWJfHSUF?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open 

Gilbert Mullis

Erica Sunshine Lee – Elixir

Erica Sunshine Lee – Elixir 

URL: https://www.ericasunshinelee.com/ 

Elixir, the follow-up to her last studio album Southern Amendment, is another stellar entry in Erica Sunshine Lee’s growing discography of top flight rock infused country music. The fifteen songs on her latest album veer from raucous country rockers with a bluesy spirit all of the way to spiritually minded songs that brood over her connection to higher powers and His place in her life. Stylishness pervades over both types of songs. The raucous country rockers are never too dumbed down; Lee and her accompanying musicians play those cuts with skill and a generous amount of inspiration considering that the songs aren’t particularly taxing from a technical point of view. Enthusiasm for what you’re playing is irreplaceable. The spiritual songs never beat listeners over the head with their convictions; instead, they come from a much more personal place and have no real agenda beyond communicating the performer’s heart. The album’s overall production gives these songs an excellent presentation that gives Elixir a virtual guarantee to please the hardcore devotees while positioning itself to appeal to a much larger audience. 

Elixir starts off on a decidedly commercial, rock oriented note. “Shut Up Heart” and “The Bottle Ain’t Enough” pull from the mainstream in two distinct ways. The first song isn’t nearly as grounded in genre, from a songwriting perspective, thanks to its wont for reaching beyond the confines of the style for its lyrical content and its understated comedic value. The second song, however, has numerous antecedents in country music and Lee turns it into a gritty, high octane track thanks to the electric guitar muscle and powerhouse drumming it makes use of. “My Favorite Word” has similar commercial potential, thanks to its classic balladic elements, but Lee is a performer who never has to pander. There’s no sense of compromise in how she brings together the song’s various elements and the hint of minimalism it maintains gives the song space to breathe in a way that only benefits the performance.  

“Medicated” is another of those aforementioned high octane guitar-fueled rockers. Lee gives a credible vocal, spitting out the words and tossing them aside with great relish, and the six string work along with the thundering rhythm section never tries to steal a single sliver of the spotlight from Lee’s singing performance. “Pills and Booze” has some of the same rambunctiousness, but there’s not even a hint of celebrating the lifestyle in this song and Lee’s vocal concentrates, instead, on conveying the heartache that relying on the combination cited in the song title has brought to her life. “Jesus and Georgia” has some restrained climatic points, but this is overall one of the album’s most laid back numbers. The acoustic guitar playing is quite melodic and the song’s percussion provides just the right rhythmic touches. “Briars to Ferns” musically recalls the earlier “My Favorite Word”, but this is much more of a big screen production number and far more cluttered in comparison. The vocal and lyrics are good enough to mask a certain amount of premeditation and overthinking going on with this song.  

It ends, however, on a much more relaxed and natural note. “Take the High Road”, based on title alone, could promise a high-handed and cliché ridden statement of character, but Lee’s far too great of a songwriting and performing talent to fall for that particular brand of bathos. It ends Elixir in the right place musically and emotionally. It will likely help seal the deal for most that, seven albums in, Erica Sunshine Lee is reaching her peak as a singer and songwriter. 

9 out of 10 stars.

REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/EricaSunshineLee

Charles Hatton

StonerPop - Self-Titled

StonerPop - Self-Titled 

URL: http://www.stonerpopculture.com/ 

StonerPop’s five song self-titled debut is a collection of electro pop that harbors no apparent ambition to make you dance. This is dire, soul-crushing laments about alienation and broken love, but StonerPop are clearly looking to create music that breaks with norms while still making use of the genre’s sonic template. Many outfits working in this vein are adept at creating soundscapes but, while StonerPop’s Jimmie Maneuva clearly can’t resist weaving some atmospherics, StonerPop largely refrains from using its electronic firepower in such a way. Instead, the songs on StonerPop’s debut elongate structures some, but follow precise patterns and show a clarity of vision most first releases lack. This isn’t music that sprawls; instead, Maudie Michelle and Maneuva keep its elements under tight control and shape the compositions through an accumulation of effects rather than singular, dramatic turns. They are joined by Fred Kalil from the band Porcelain People on the EP’s final two tracks, but there’s no question that every creative decision made on this release bears the mark of Michelle and Maneuva.  

Those decisions pay off nicely from the first. The patience and playfulness in the opener “Preachers” is hard to miss. Michelle gives the audience an often emotive vocal, but the confidence reflected by the song’s surprising use of its instruments, the dramatic spikes and dips in intensity, and its slowly unwinding quality contrasting its relatively short length make this a memorable start to the EP. The EP’s second track “Running” raises the bar even higher. This is a song with something hot on its heels and the stressed out qualities in the music give it an immediacy other composers in this area might have struggled to suggest so easily. There is something of the same stripped down effect here that we heard in the EP’s first song, but it’s overall a much busier number. “You’re Never Listening” wears its emotions on its musical sleeve. Much like “Running”, this song feels under pressure from the first seconds on and only narrowly avoids blowing up. Michelle’s singing has an almost seething sound during much of the song that adds immeasurably to its appeal.  

Fred Kalil’s contribution to “Monsters” is primarily musical and his vocals don’t figure much into the performance. Michelle’s voice dominates this song and she turns in what sounds like a painful performance reliving emotions and memories that, perhaps, she has kept long buried. His vocal turn on the EP’s finale “Fox” is quite good, if not a little inexplicable. There’s nothing about the song lyric that should have disqualified Michelle from singing this song, but it’s likewise a good sign in certain respects. This decision shows how StonerPop isn’t beholden to the audience’s expectations and will do what they deem best for their art irrespective of other’s thoughts. This sort of blindness to the standard operating procedure is one of the best things setting this band apart from their contemporaries. StonerPop’s debut is an entertaining and idiosyncratic piece of work. 

9 out of 10 stars

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stonerpop-ep/id1172111781 

Scott Wigley

Jesse Eplan – Dreams

Jesse Eplan – Dreams 

URL: http://info62103.wixsite.com/jesseeplan

Jesse Eplan has released a wide variety of singles reflecting his interests in pop, rap, and hip hop music and the latest, “Dreams”, is his best yet. The blooming reputation of this young musical artist isn’t the result of being in the right place at the right time; instead, Eplan has put himself in this promising position through monumental talent and the sheer dint of hard work. He’s handled the production duties on this new song just as he has on all of his previous efforts and it’s thanks to his perfect pitch and abilities as a multi-instrumental that he’s able to pull this juggling act off so well. He’s been chasing after these musical dreams since first discovering his love for self-expression at the age of seven and through multiple bands, live appearances, television outings, and a growing chorus of praise, Eplan has retained the same commitment to finding inspiration in what he does and communicating that same feeling to the widest of possible audiences. 

His vocals are perfect for such aims. Eplan sounds quite comfortable in his own skin and in complete command of the song throughout. It’s thrilling to hear such a young singer and songwriter confidently navigate the twists and turns of a subject so front-loaded towards cliché and never strike a single overly-familiar note throughout. Instead, he picks listeners up from his first line and carries them through the entire lyric as if he alone were capable of sharing these experiences with the world at large. It’s particularly exciting to hear how he gradually responds more and more to the song, ratcheting up the emotional intensity, and making sure each listener will, in some way, respond differently to this song than others. This has such open-ended possibilities for interpretation that it wouldn’t be a shock if Eplan himself doesn’t sing it differently every time in a live setting. 

It’s a remarkable lyric for the form. Instead of composing some ode to seeing all of his dreams come true and staying relentlessly upbeat throughout, Eplan throws a little light swagger into the mix and the knowledge that success, like many of the other phenomenon we go through in life, is illusory or has little permanence. He delivers those sort of lines with emphatic conviction that the other lines don’t lack and blends his emotional stances so artfully that it will be impossible for listeners to ignore his skill.  

The musical backing focuses on create a strong R&B setting for these musings. If someone tells you that it’s hard to pull off rhythm and blues with electronic instruments, the soulful color of this song should conclusively prove that’s a lie. Instead, “Dreams” has the sort of slow burn we expect from the best R&B balladry and doesn’t go in for any of the saccharine turns populating so many similar tracks. Jesse Eplan’s “Dreams” is his best recorded work to date and heralds a turning point of sorts – this isn’t some unknown commodity making great music in a vacuum, but a steadily rising commercial and artistic force capable of turning heads and ears alike. 

RELATED ARTICLE: https://patch.com/new-york/merrick/amp/26828535/jesse-eplan-singer-songwriter-muti-instrumentalist-and-producer-debuts-brand-new-single-dreams 

Charles Hatton

Big Tribe - In This Together

Big Tribe - In This Together

URL: http://www.bigtribemusic.com/ 

Many bands, having experienced even a modicum of success with their first release, wisely opt to follow the path of least resistance with its follow up. These are bands with primarily commercial concerns – they want radio play, they want songs that seamlessly translate to the stage, and they want their follow ups to sound as much like the first album as possible. Big Tribe is not one of these bands. Their debut From the Fringes announced the arrival of Peter Panyon as a songwriter, but the second effort finds Big Tribe building on the accomplishments of their first collection rather than merely trying to replicate it. In This Together has a dozen numbers that cut across a wide swath of musical styles, but never in an ostentatious way that calls attention to itself. These are rock solid compositions and even the looser moments have the feel of a band who naturally play with confidence and a talent for simply letting the songs flow through them rather than laboring over both the writing and performance to such an extent that all of the life and verve are drained from their efforts.  

Big Tribe’s In This Together begins with “Martha”. The lonesome train whistle starting off the song might suggest listeners are going to hear a convincing blast of Americana but that quality is confined to Paynon’s lyrics. The storytelling aspects of this song make the lyrics a must hear and it’s paired quite well with an arrangement that sounds like biting folk rock. “All in This Together” has a straight-ahead, no frills instrumental attack that fits remarkably well with Panyon’s unique vocals. The drumming, in particular, reaches out and grabs listeners with its physicality. “The Final Boat Out”, however, pulls the album back towards a much rockier tilt while still never veering too far from its singer/songwriter heart. Panyon’s vocal on this track is more relaxed, more natural sounding, than the opener and the lyrical content is quite as enigmatic. There’s a woozy, late night blues feel to “I Want To Be With You” that has an unusual side thanks to the inclusion of violin. Panyon and second vocalist Bonnie Eyler tackle this tune together to marvelous effect. 

Eyler, however, is the whole show on the song “How the Mind Wanders”. Unlike songs like the opener and “The Final Boat Out”, this reaches the level of performed poetry without indulging in any of the verbal and symbolic play heard in those two tracks. Instead, unvarnished and eloquent honesty is the order of the day here and Eyler’s vulnerability practically throbs through each verse. There’s no vulnerability at all, however, on the next track “You Lied”. This is the album’s zenith for guitar work, but it never gets heavy-footed and allows Eyler the chance to command the audience’s attention with her searing vocal. “Just a Boy” is another moment of great vulnerability on the album, but Paynon and Eyler share much more of the vocal duties here than on the earlier “How the Mind Wanders” and it gives the song a different character while still championing the same melodic strengths. If you appreciate musical clarity and a little daring to spice up your traditional loves, Big Tribe will not disappoint. In This Together sparks with creativity and imagination from the first song and never loses that fire throughout.  

9 out of 10 stars. 

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Together-Big-Tribe/dp/B01N3L3FJH 

David Shouse 

The Cavalry - Build Your Own Empire

The Cavalry - Build Your Own Empire 

URL: http://www.thecavalry.fm/ 

Build Your Own Empire is the first release from one-man Nashville Rock outfit The Cavalry. Tristan Jackson, the songwriting vision behind the project, proves himself to be a wildly talented figure with this offering. He’s already established a reputation as a quality first-tier supporting actor, but Build Your Own Empire distinguishes him as a gifted vocalist and nuanced songwriting with a mastery over his chosen idiom. Jackson conjures up universal images through the prism of his own experience and creates eminently relatable tracks that will please a broad-based swath of the listening public. The EP’s five tracks follow a general similarity of plot, but there are important variations from song to song that help set them apart from each other. The collaborators he brings into the mix are another important factor in the music’s success. Jackson works with, among others, the songwriters of the group Love & Theft to craft a singular listening experience.  

“Don’t Mean You’re Gone” is a resounding song with a light touch that brings together pleasing strains of melody with tone-setting drumming. Jackson carefully weaves the song’s various elements together in such a way that no one particular strain assumes prominence over the others and balances his vocal, as well, with expected attentiveness. None of the album’s songs risk over-indulgence and never run longer than four minutes. “Wake Up Call” is the album’s single ballad and, accompanied by guest vocalist Kristie Lane, soars high on its orchestrated texture and superb vocal performances from both singers. Like some of the EP’s other songs, “Wake Up Call” has an impressive amount of sound but never achieves such density that it slows up the track in a negative way. It comes at a great place in the running order because it gives listeners an entertaining one-two punch in tandem with the EP’s fourth song, “When the Radio’s Gone”. The commercial leanings of this song are much stronger than the earlier numbers and its mood, deliberate yet wonderfully organic, agrees wonderfully with the preceding song. Jackson excels with the big chorus and this is probably the best example yet of Jackson’s skill with this facet of songwriting. His vocal, likewise, underscores the strength of this part of his game. 

“Red, White, & Blue Jeans” has a much more cluttered vibe than the earlier songs, but there’s still much of the melodic strength and southern rock attitude fueling this track that made the earlier numbers so memorable. Guest vocalist Nolan Neal brings a lot to the song without ever competing with Jackson for attention. It ends Build Your Own Empire on a rousing note that will pick up even the most jaded of music fans. Tristan Jackson has a rambunctious vocal edge that emerges on this album, but he has also has an impressive fluency that allows him to convincingly inhabit any style. The five songs on this EP have something to offer any listener of this style and should touch a wide audience of potential fans. 

9 out of 10 stars

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/CavalryNation

David Shouse 

Uncle Frank Band – Fountains

Uncle Frank Band – Fountains 

URL: http://www.unclefrankband.com/ 

This is top shelf pop music with a brain and the ability to get you moving to match. That’s a rare combination in any year, but with the continual dumbing down process that a lot of pop music has seemingly undergone in the last day, it is a great thing to still find a band of real human beings who don’t rely on machines to generate danceable grooves and, instead, pack a personal wallop with their instrumental and vocal talents. Uncle Frank, based out of the Leicester area in England, have swiftly established a reputation as one of the best bands purveying a particular form of pop that doesn’t just aspire to make people boogie. As the saying goes, there’s something here for everyone. The first single from their forthcoming sophomore album, Love Lion, is a monumentally entertaining number called “Fountains” and it manages to get your tapping your feet and shaking while still appealing to the heart.  

The lyrics are definitely worth hearing. Without ever seeming pretentious or overreaching, “Fountains” has lyrical content that will unite an attentive audience and makes the band seem every bit as human as those listening to their music. Viewing the world as a madhouse from which they want escape, the yearning for joyfulness and something affirming comes through in every line of the song. There isn’t one needless word tacked on and, in a rare development, there’s a sense here that the band’s lyrical content is every bit as important to their music in some ways as the music. Vocalist Frank Benbini doubles down on that impression with his powerful, yet highly finessed, singing. A crasser approach to handling the lyrics on this track might have been to belt them out with all the conviction and lung power that a vocalist can muster and some might have enjoyed that. Benbini, however, brings his considerable experience as an important member of the Fun Lovin’ Criminals to bear on this song and chooses tastefulness over browbeating his audience into submission. 

The arrangement is quite straight-forward, but the individual components that make it work so well merit examination. The engine room rates above them all. Drummer Junior Benbini and his musical partner bassist Luke Bryan lay down a massive groove that, undoubtedly, makes Frank’s job all the easier. There isn’t a large guitar presence in this song and, instead, the track gets its top line instrumental melody from Jay Lynz’s keyboard work. He never overdoes it. Instead, the shimmering synth work gives the song a glossy sheen contrasting nicely with the hard hitting rhythm section. 

“Fountains” has the makings of a major hit for the Uncle Frank Band. The musicians and singer alike have combustible chemistry that never fails. The production, benefitting from a stellar mixing job by renowned producer Tim Latham, frames this track in the best possible sonic light and sets up the presentation of their next album in such a way that its success is virtually a sure thing.  

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tJfHo5gyxc 

Scott Wigley

 

Magic Music – Self Titled

Magic Music – Self Titled 

 

URL: http://magicmusicband.com/ 
 

This is an ambitious debut. Colorado based Americana six piece Magic Music could have released a ten song collection and easily contended for one of the best debuts of the year in that genre. Instead, Magic Music swings for the grand slam shot and authoritatively connects. The seventeen songs on their first release are rarely happy with pursuing one line of inquiry. Instead, there are innumerable shadings and layers in the album’s best songs and even its nominally throwaway numbers have musical and melodic substance. The production presents the music, vocals, and songwriting alike in an ideal light. The album sports a number of important guest stars like violinist Scarlet Rivera, Little Feat vocalist Bill Payne, and Jimmy Haslip. They enrich what is already a superb entertainment experience with the extra bonus of being a virtual master class in how to write and play this music.
 

It’s obvious that they have aspirations on even the first song. “Bring Down the Morning” focuses an impressive amount of lyrical and musical artistry into one relatively short song and manages to make it a complete listening experience. The production handles the work of producing Magic Music’s vocals with sensitivity and frames the voices up front and center in the mix. They turn up the musical attack on the second cut “Bright Sun Bright Rain” while holding onto the same poetic intensity that lights up the opener from within. The fierce musical attack is never rough hewn, but it has unusual passion and physicality that will win over many listeners. Melodies are so strong in “The Porcupine Flats Shuffle” that the song, despite its retro mold, has a strongly commercial quality. It’s hook filled and moves the listener in subtle ways. The playing is a high point on the album as the players lock in tightly with one another while still playing in a relaxed and nuanced fashion.  
 

“Gandy Dancer” maintains a much straighter line than many of the other songs on the debut, but that doesn’t mean it’s dull in comparison. It shows the band’s ability to focus and forego much in the way of added instrumental pizzazz. Instead, the song places its attention on giving the lyric and vocals a highly musical framework for communicating with the band’s audience. “Carolina Wind” is a much more varied and dramatic number, but Magic Music handle any challenges they set for themselves with easy-going command of the music. “A Cossack’s Song” has a steadily mounting sense of musical drama that rides out on a sustained and rousing climax. The vocal delivery is a little different here than other songs, but still familiar somehow. Another exceptional instrumental track, “Old Man Das”, counts among the major works included on the release. The same hallmarks of melodic excellence listeners encounter in the best lyrical-driven works are equally present in the album’s instrumentals and this is the band’s finest moment in that area. 
 

The closing track “The Cosmic Jingle” is a great finish. The fiddle has a patiently developing elegiac quality, slightly mournful, and interacts well with the supporting instrumentation. The lyric is delivered quite earnestly and avoids too much sentimentality, but the best part comes with the harmony sections. Magic Music is a powerful and fully realized work of traditional music filtered through a modern sensibility.  
 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/magicmusiccolorado  
 

9 out of 10 stars 
 

William Elgin III