With pipes that soar somewhere between Ann Wilson, Patti Smith, and Grace Slick, this powerhouse from Northern Ireland vibes 60’s Rock Chick and 80’s girl group all in one package.
Category: A Rock and a Roll
Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week February 12, 2019
It’s official. 2019 is kicking into high gear with a lot of really cool new releases. Robert Ellis throws us a curve ball, Dale Watson kicks it with his own brand of Texas Honky Tonk, and even Charlotte Gainsbourg enters the fray. Chaka Khan has a new record out and Texan Troubadour Hayes Carll is back with another solid set. Here are five of our favorites.
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Signs
Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi deliver another solid set of blues influenced Americana. Tedeschi was raised on Mississippi John Hurt and Lightning Hopkins while husband Derek grew up on a diet of Allman Brothers courtesy of his uncle Butch Trucks. Together, they are a match made in musical heaven. This new set, their first since 2016, was recorded live to analog tape and features Warren Haynes and Doyle Bramhall III.
Robert Ellis – Texas Piano Man
Somehow, right before our very ears Robert Ellis has turned into Ben Folds. Texas Piano Man is a throwback to the 70’s singer songwriter in all the best of ways. “Father” is a stunner of a song where a son tries to get to know more about what his father is all about and why he left, the line “I wanted a father but I’ll settle for a friend” pretty much sets the stage on this one. A new direction for sure, but still brilliant.
J.S. Ondara – Tales of America
Kenyan J.S. Ondara could be the love child of Sam Cooke and Leon Bridges. With a full throated voice that bobs and weaves around his own self penned songs, Ondara sings for the lovelorn on “Torch Song,” expresses his love for “Television Girl,” and ends up capping everything off with his own “American Dream.” The first best album of 2019 has just washed up on our shores.
Jeff Whalen – 10 More Rock Super Hits
The album pretty much says it all on this one. The front man for the glam Power Pop band Tsar delivers a sweetly concocted set of hook heavy early 80’s inspired tunes. The album is produced to within an inch of its life in all the best of ways. Take a trip back to when Rock and Roll was fun.
The Sonic Dawn – Eclipse
The song titles tell you everything you need to know about The Sonic Dawn. Leading off with “Forever 1969” and “Psychedelic Ranger” your trippy journey begins. The Danish Psych-Pop band sounds a bit like early doors meets Love.
Rock Chick of the Day: Elles Bailey – What’s The Matter With You
With her mixture of Country, Blues, Americana, and Rock her latest single “What’s The Matter With You” is late night sultry soul.
Best Albums of 2019: Tiny Ruins – Olympic Girls
Tiny Ruins is a band out of Aukland, New Zealand that Hollie Fullbrook put together to release her solo material. Described as the sonic equivalent of dancing around the moon, Tiny Ruins is a beautifully understated gem.
With a voice that is warm and textured at the same time, one can close their eyes and open their ears to hear a bit of Joni Mitchell in Fullbrook’s gentle vocal delivery, particularly so on the song “Bounty.”
The title track, “Olympic Girls,” has a more pastoral feel to it and would not have been too far out of place on a back in the day Pentangle album.
The song “Holograms” (Fleetwood Mac on acid) evokes a tinge of Carole King in it’s DNA, seems to be the centerpiece of the record.
Every song on this record seems richer and more expansive than the last. This is an album that demands a sit down and let this one wash over you sort of listening experience with multiple sessions yielding layers upon layers of musical morsels to delicately digest.
Best Albums of 2019: John Diva and the Rockets of Love – Mama Said Rock is Dead
Just look at these guys and you can tell what their full throttle M.O. is. Unabashed devotees of Sunset Strip Glam and Sleaze Rock they are all about booze, broads, and Rock and Roll.
The sound is is an intoxicating mix of the bands you loved when you had hair. “Rock ‘N’ Roll is Dead” is a Hybrid of Bon Jovi and the Def Leppard era when the drummer had two arms, and “Lolita” could be the love child of Poison and Motley Crue.
Smooth riffs, anthemic choruses, sweet guitar solos, these guys bring back a bygone era before mortgages, kids, wives and divorces sucked up all of your disposable income. Steel Panther, beware. The new kings of The Sunset Strip are coming after your throne.
Rock Chick of the Day: Delain – Masters of Destiny
Going on ten years now, Dutch symphonic Rockets Delain are still going strong with the release of “Masters of Destiny” in advance of their upcoming album.
Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Records Released This Week (February 9, 2019)
Another solid not quite spectacular week in music releases. Mercury Rev delivers a tribute to Bobbie Gentry, Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers fame is represented, and Mavis Staples has added a live album to the mix.
Jessica Pratt – Quiet Signs
Releasing what might be her first proper release, Jessica Pratt adds some production value from a proper studio on this one. Still subtle and understated this one might be your new late night jam.
Gurf Morlix – Impossible Blue
With a lyric the likes of “Your breath smells like expensive wine, your kisses taste like turpentine, this one has our ear-tention from jump street. There is some Ray Wylie Hubbard meets Tony Joe White barbecue sauce slathered all over this one.
Boogie Beasts – Mad
With a sound that has been described as The Black Keys jamming with John Lee Hooker at a rave in the wee hours of the morning, there is nothing not to like with this one.
Cass McCombs – Tip of the Spear
A 70’s inspired somewhat Folk-Rock record, this is a kick back in your favorite chair with a cigar and a bourbon sort of a listen. “The Great Pixley Train Robbery” might be the best story song you will hear all year.
Mercury Rev – Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete revisited.
With a spot already reserved in The Falcon’s Nest/Rock is the New Roll top ten list this is one of those rare entities where the tribute album is better than the original. This thing is ridiculously cool. With a different female singer for each song, Mercury Rev puts their own swirling psychedelic spin on the original Country-Folk classics. “Big Boss Man” featuring Hope Sandoval is an eclectic stunner, on “Reunion” you just might find out what was thrown off of the Tallahatchie bridge, and Susanne Sudfor’s spin on “Tobacco Road” will tingle your spine. With only one song that was not on the original recording, Lucinda Williams does what Lucinda does on “Ode to Billy Joe” to polish off a sublime set of masterful songs.
Five Cool Ones – Five Cool Albums That Were Released This Week (February 2, 2019)
With a couple of live albums to note, Jesse Dayton’s rough and rowdy On Fire In Nashville and Linda Ronstadt Live In Hollywood, it has been a solid but not spectacular week of new album releases.
Blank Range – In Unison
Another one of those great hybrid bands from Nashville, Blank Range combines melody-driven Rock, country-tinged Americana with bits of Psych-Folk thrown in for good measure. Think Wilco meets Drive By Truckers on this one.
The Woggles – Please Leave My Mind
A crowd favorite on Stevie Van Zandt’s Underground Garage Sirius XM radio station, these guys could have been Austin Power’s house band. This 4 song E.P. released in advance of a more proper record to come out later in the year is groovy man groovy.
Unloved – Heartbreak
With a 60’s-noire femme fatale sort of vibe, a lot of their songs are featured on the television show Killing Eve, this record is a cinematic near masterpiece. Evoking Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield and early Burt Bacharach, singer/songwriter Jade Vincent totally immerses herself in each of the songs. This one may end up being the most interesting album of the year.
Business of Dreams – Ripe for Anarchy
The Indie-Pop band Business of Dreams can’t quite figure our if they are firmly rooted in the 80’s or the 90’s. With visions of 80’s Brit-Pop bands sprinkled throughout their vibe visions of The Lightning Seeds or Aztec Camera will will be wafting in the air after a couple of listens.
Van Duren – The Van Duren Story
Van Duren was at one time a part of the underground Memphis power pop scene along with the boys in Big Star and Alex Chilton. This album grabs 12 songs from the recently released documentary, Waiting: The Van Duren Story. If you are a fan of Big Star, Badfinger, or The Raspberries this one one is music to your ears.
Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released January 25, 2019
The month has been pretty crackin’ so far, and the really cool releases seem to be hitting their stride. From old timers like the Dandy Warhols and Conor Oberst and even Santana on to the relative newcomers Mike Krol and Ratboy, as Jack White would say, “It’s getting ready to get loud.”
Rival Sons – Feral Roots
Before Greta Van Fleet stole a lot of the buzz Rival Sons were the latest band that was going to save Rock and Roll. Our money is on these guys. With a lead singer that soars somewhere between Jim Morrison and Paul Rodgers and rhythm section that is Double Trouble worthy, this is the Rock and Roll record of the year. We are calling our shot now.
Trapper Schoepp – Primetime Illusion
When you listen to Trapper Schoepp for the first time you will reminisce back to the first time you heard Whiskeytown, Wilco, or The Old ’97s in their prime. Enough gloss to keep the toes tapping but just enough ramshackle to keep things interesting. The Gram Parsons comparisons might not be exactly on the mark, but not far off either. There is a bit of a replacements vibe in the mix as well.
Rosie Carney – Bare
This one goes from a really pleasant listening to stunning with multiple listens. With a voice that brings to mind the late Eva Cassidy and songs that will make you forget that she is barely 20, this one is headed to chart topping territory come the end of the year. Just let this one envelope your soul.
Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center
You probably know these guys better by their real names, Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. Oberst’s boyish croon meets Phoebe’s anguished ethereal vocals for a listen that will bring you bake to the Bright Eyes Days. Bridgers is pretty much everywhere these days with her Boygenius record with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker having been released only a few months ago. Coming a bit out of the blue the band announced themselves on the late show with Stephen Colbert
Santana – In Search of Mona Lisa
This beauty of an e.p. by Santana was recorded after, during a day off in the middle of a concert tour in France, the band stopped by the Louvre in Paris and Carlos was so inspired he stopped into a nearby studio and laid down 3 tracks with the band accompanying him. “Do You Remember Me,” “In Search of Mona Lisa,” and “Lovers From Another Time.” And that’s not all. Look for a new Rick Rubin produced album to be released towards the middle of the year.
Best Albums of 2019 (So Far)
No time like the present to start compiling the best albums of the year. Stay tuned to this space as this list will be constantly updating.
001. The Delines – The Imperial
Every song could be an episode of True Detective on this one. The songwriting is living on the edge middle America Noir with every character seemingly living on the razors edge. Brooding Country-Soul courtesy of Willy Vlautin and his muse Amy Boone.
002. Liz Brasher – Painted Image
This one is likely to be on the list of best debut albums of the year. With vintage Dusty Springfield old school grooves mixed with contemporary Blues swirling throughout there is a definite new age feel to the record to complement the vintage sounds. “Cold” baby sounds like Otis Redding’s long lost sister.
003. Red Rum Club – Matador
With Matador, as debut albums go, Liverpool sextet The Rum Club has delivered a record that is sure to be on most of the Best-Of lists once the end of the year rolls around. With a distinct gumbo of a sound that is part 80’s Brit-Rock, part Psychedelic Rock, Part 60’s Surf-Garage, part Tarantino-Noir, and all cool, the texture of the album changes from track to track with even more influences filtering through the ears upon multiple listens.
004. The Twilight Sad – It Won’t Be Like This All the Time
Given the dark often gloomy tenor of this record it should come as no surprise that Robert Smith of the Cure is a big fan of this Scottish four piece band. In fact, he was sort of a musical muse on this record. A grower of an album, after a few listens of this you will definitely feel alive.
005. Maggie Rogers – Heard It In A Past Life
It is her singing voice that carries the day here as Maggie Rogers moves effortlessly between singer songwriter fare and electronic pop. Fully prepared not to enjoy this album, the jaunty 80’s Olivia Newton John vibe of “Give a Little” and the more folk-centric jam of her debut single “Alaska” made a believer out of these ears.
006. The Steel Woods – Old Woods
This Americana and Outlaw Country by way of Southern Rock band is the real deal. The opening couple of riffs on the lead off song, “All of These Years” will have you digging out your old Lynyrd Skynyrd records, and if that’s not enough, their cover versions of “Whipping Post” along with Petty’s ” Southern Accents” will direct your attention to the music that these guys discovered when they were growing up.
007. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
The consistent tone and perspective change on this, Sharon Van Etten’s fifth album, makes this one an extremely enjoyable listen. “Seventeen” is likely to be on many best songs of the year listings.
Rock Is The New Roll 