M. Byrd has an infectious, hypnotic, single with Morning Sun (seen/heard here), which could function as an early morning experience in the mind. Byrd describes it this way: “Morning Sun has become a kind of morning mantra for me. The idea came to me a few years ago in the morning right after I got up and it came back to me subsequently over and over again, like a kind of entry into meditation, until I finally recorded it and arranged it into form.” Blending the sound of waves, jangling guitars,…
Read MoreProgressive rock can either be a blessing or a curse. Vodka favorites in this genre`, Big Big Train, have just released their latest long-player, Common Ground (July 2021), which falls firmly in the former category. The video for the title track (seen/heard here) of the new LP starts in silence with a simple statement: “There is more that unites us than divides us.” And then the music and lyrics kick in to remind us why that is so! It’s a message that needs to be emphasized often. The 24-hour news…
Read MoreJoyful jazz aficionado’s Lydian Collective return to Vodka with what will no doubt be one track on the upcoming, as yet unnamed, LP, due out sometime this year. (No release date has been set.) Shuffle Bubble (seen/heard here) picks up where tracks like Thirty One from LC’s previous March 2018 LP left off. Frankly, Vodka cannot wait for the new LP! Shuffle Bubble has a wonderful question and answer section where keyboard (Aaron Wheeler), lead guitar (Todd Baker), and bass (Ida Hollis) all play the same melody line in mini-solos, one following the other, while the beat is laid down…
Read MoreI’ve said before that I believed that Emily Barker’s excellent A Dark Murmuration Of Words was one of the most important albums of 2020. It stands out as a beacon of caution for everything that is going wrong with our world, but it does so beautifully, with conviction, and also with love. To compose such beautiful music, to perform it so well, and to have a cohesive message throughout, would seem like a hard act to follow. Barker seems to have acknowledged that with her reinterpretation of this excellent LP…
Read MoreRoll the black and white movie, tuck into the shade under the palms on a remote sandy beach where the leading lady sings about her love, and you’ve got the picture! Enter Haley Sales and Never Before (seen/heard here). To say that this is a retro number, would be an understatement, but it works on all levels. Haley has a beautiful voice and makes you visualize everything she sings about. The song was a collaborative writing effort with Sharon Stone, and before you ask, yes, the actress. Haley’s childhood…
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