Odd and wonderful, NOANNE, a Russian transplant to Prague, explores the struggle between good, and our own doubts, asking the question: Are we drawn to the light of goodness or do we wrestle with it against our own will? At once emotional and unconventional, NOANNE delves into this issue with broad strokes, beginning as a love song, Goodwill (seen/heard here) quickly transforms into the edginess of relationships, where deeds done for another fail to garner notice. Musically, Goodwill is expansive and grandiose with NOANNE’s…
Read MoreOut of Utah, and making her Vodka debut, is 26fix, the moniker for music creator, singer, and performer, formerly of the band Brothers, Erica Goodwin. Releasing a handful of singles since 2021 when Brothers split, 26fix has an EPs worth of dance-friendly wonders, that will have you cocking your head to listen more closely while you dance. The latest, Stone Killer (seen/heard here), has made waves on Serious XM Alt-Nation and XMU. I love this track. There is a bundle…
Read MoreLucas Jack appeared on Vodka for the first time in 2013 with the mini-review for Don’t Get Carried Away. He’s kept making music and releasing an LP every few years, with his signature style paying homage to an earlier time in music when the piano was king. With Dear Life (seen/heard here), the famous upright piano is replaced with an electronic keyboard, but the musical style is very much 70s throw-back pop. It’s delightful! Joined by bandmates Michael Gomez (drums)…
Read MorePop singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Peter Wise makes his Vodka debut with Only Gotta Start (seen/heard here). This is the first single from a forthcoming as yet unnamed 13-track LP. Wise has a beautiful tenor voice, and he’s not afraid to let it ring out. I was torn between using this version, which includes other instruments and backing vocals, and this one with Wise, a microphone, and a keyboard. In the end, I chose the full-instrumentation version, but they…
Read MoreA few weeks ago, Vodka had the pleasure of hosting singer-songwriter-producer Mike Vitale for a house concert. The weather was blissfully moderate. Mike and the crowd were ready for what came next. It was a wonderful concert full of stories. Everyone enjoyed the food and the music. It ended all too soon. Mike started the show off with the only song that wasn’t an original, Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, complete with extensive looping pedal work. It was a phenomenal opener, but…
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