Year: 2022

Noah Chenfield – In Our Room

     Vodka describes In My Room (seen/heard here) from power pop multi-instrumentalist Noah Chenfield as full-on fun. While the subject of the song tends to be tried-and-true material (love y’all!) the feeling of this track is playful. Noah says that this track is: “a love song about a very specific time and place. I wanted to make something that would sound right for a lazy beach day…” Certainly In My Room is radio-ready. It’s the kind of pop song that you’d expect to find…

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Snarky Puppy – Take It!

     Since Vodka found Thing Of Gold back in 2012, I’ve been a fan of Snarky Puppy. Though it doesn’t fall neatly into the philosophy of shining a light on music that is mostly hidden from view, Snarky Puppy’s live ecosystem of music performance is a thing to marvel at (see video). Take It! (seen/heard here) from their new LP, Empire Central (coming October 2022) falls squarely in the jazz-funk fusion category as far as Vodka is…

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Tina Ross – While I’m Here

     For a while now, Vodka has been using video-only links, but sometimes the quality of the video or the quality of the sound is just not good enough. In addition, some musicians don’t release their music on video, and even if they do, it can be live performances that just don’t translate well when looking for high-quality audio. Enter my first use of embedding a bandcamp.com player for an artist. While I’m Here (heard here) from folk artist Tina Ross represents the first single from…

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Misterwives – Wrongside

     We seem to be hitting the female vocalist pretty hard this month, but it’s just by chance. Enter the latest incredible voice, with the frontwoman of  Misterwives, Mandy Lee, and Wrongside (seen/heard here).  The song is all about breaking through negativity and the slog that this creates within minds, reinforcing the importance of being there for yourself. From the band’s promotional material Mandy describes where the song idea comes from: “I have spent a lot of my time on the wrong side…

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Weyes Blood – It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody

     Prepare to be mesmerized! Weyes Blood has a beautiful alto voice! As ballads go about feeling desperate loneliness and not knowing what to do, you can’t do better than wanting to listen over and over again. As Vodka was writing this review, I listened twice in quick succession and then pre-ordered the CD. I must have more of this wonderful voice!   It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody (heard here) is striking, in melody, in the…

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