At the beginning of August, Maria Wilman released her debut LP, Dark Horse, which is chuck full of interesting melodic creations, that stray from modern music’s tried and true formulas. That is an excellent thing! Mastermind (seen/heard here) is one of the singles from the new LP. Maria has a beautiful alto voice that she uses at times with a Grace Slick or Chrissie Hynde sort of slide-in bent-note instrument. In fact, Maria Wilman has more in common with those historic…
Read MoreIntroduction If you are longing for some slick, accomplished, power-pop music in your life, then sparkle*jets u.k. has just the recipe for you. After more than 20 years absent from the music scene, the band has returned with a vengeance, and the results couldn’t be more positive. sparkle*jets u.k. last had an LP in 2001 with Bamboo Lounge. A single followed in 2005, Christmas in July, and then the band went dark. Most people would have given up hope for the band by…
Read MoreBen Folds is well known, so it may seem strange to see a review for an artist that is not in one of those dark corners that Vodka is always talking about. He hasn’t had an LP since 2015’s So There but has nonetheless been very busy, and it is this lack of an LP in 8 years that makes this a milestone moment for music lovers, particularly for Ben Folds lovers. Winslow Gardens (heard here) is the first…
Read MoreIt’s got a little bit of Weezer flavoring, but Wesson’s feel-good rocker, Made Me Happy (seen/heard here) is very much their own song and a whole lot of indie-rock fun! Wesson is based in Milton Keynes, UK, and is led by singer/songwriter Chris Wesson. The four-piece includes Jimmy (guitar), Callum (bass), and Dale (drums). That’s correct, nowhere in their promotional or online documents do they give up the last names of the remaining bandmates, at least, nowhere that Vodka could find…
Read MoreFormer Beatle and solo-artist Paul McCartney had a lot to say about the benefits of “Silly Love Songs” and artist Kian Blume is right there with him. Blume sings about the girl that he can’t get out of his head on Daphne (seen/heard here). There’s no new ground covered here and Blume proves that sometimes that just isn’t important. Kian Blume is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. His music can be delightful, infectious, upbeat, raucous, and more. To get a better feel for…
Read More