Indigo Blue (seen/heard here) is from Gambler’s Daughter (a.k.a., Jessa Roquet) first full-length offering, Serotinous Skin (due February 8, 2020). ‘Serotinous’ is defined as “remaining closed on the tree with seed dissemination delayed or occurring gradually.” It is obviously a reference used mainly in the study of trees that produce seed cones, however, it isn’t hard to decide the definition that is intended here, or at least my take on it. We have all heard the term “tough skinned” when we have heard certain people defined. We have heard the…
Read MoreDropkick is preparing to release a new long-player, The Scenic Route, (coming February 7, 2020) on the Bobo Integral label and Vodka was honored to be able to listen to pre-releases of all of the tracks from that long player. Feeling Never Goes Away (seen/heard here), is the opening track on that new long-player, and the first single. Lyrically, this is the most positive message of all the tracks contained on The Scenic Route, but that isn’t saying too much. What all of these tracks contain, is the…
Read MorePiers Faccini has appeared a couple of times before on Vodka, but I’ve got to say this little mournful melody is one of my favorites. Taken from his new four-song EP (#4 in the Hear My Voice series) (November 2019), Could Have Been You (seen/heard here) takes a beautiful melody, with minor-key flourishes and major key resolves, and adds in a thoughtful lyric, tasteful orchestration, and the delightful baritone vocal of Piers. The Hear My Voice series was launched by Piers in 2018 with the goal…
Read MoreYou may remember Stella Ruze from a little over a year ago. They were not quite a year into the release of their self-titled EP and Vodka posted the review for Bide The Time from that EP. Well, things have changed in a big way for the band. First, they’ve added personnel. Joining the band since the EP is Sean McIntyre on percussion, Ted Mayo on bass guitar, and Vince Gleason on saxophone. With the addition of these three stellar musicians, Stella Ruze is now…
Read MoreOne of Vodka’s favorite rock couples, Little Hurricane, had a new long-player in 2019, and it slipped beneath the radar for some reason. Enter That Woman and Poor Me from their August 2019 long-player, Love Luck! There is no duo in rock and roll that has the big sound of Little Hurricane! Their music hearkens from blues rock and roots rock, but it is absolutely their own formula. If dirty blues is the style, then Little Hurricane is the ruler of that style. For the uninitiated…
Read More