Lawson Rollins | Rise Review
Guitarist Lawson Rollins has been described by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as ‘impeccable’ and ‘dazzling.’ At the same time, the prestigious Guitar Player Magazine ranks Rollins as one of the “50 Transcendent Acoustic Guitarists” of all time and writes, “Lawson Rollins is a bona fide star…The key to Rollins’ mass appeal is his signature artistic balance between classically influenced compositional refinement, infectious exotic rhythms, and the unbridled intensity of full-on shred.” Rollins is releasing RISE, a bold collection of ten original songs that showcase his signature virtuoso guitar style [...]
Samantha Fish is back with a new blues-rock album filled with edgy vocal delivery and in-your-face guitar. For her seventh album, Faster, she wanted to develop her sound outside of her normal trad blues-rock and capture the feeling and energy of her live performances. The result is a robust set of songs with producer Martin Kierszenbaum that takes her blues-rock music and encompasses hard rock, electro-pop, and retro soul. Fish is featured throughout, dealing up her searing lead guitar and sultry vocals with a punkish nuance. Also on the album is Hannah Brier, guitar; Martin Kierszenbaum, guitar, keyboards, drums; Diego Navaira, bass, and Josh Freese, [...]
Sierra Ferrell is releasing her mesmerizing debut album on Rounder Records called Long Time Coming. Ferrell sings a dozen songs beautifully uncontrolled by category or period, and the project was co-produced by 10-time Grammy Award-winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Sarah Jarosz) and Australian musician Stu Hibberd and recorded at Nashville’s Southern Ground and Minutia studios. Ferrell was joined by an extraordinary collection of guest musicians, including Billy Strings, Sarah Jarosz, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Chris Scruggs, and Rory Hoffman.
“Jeremiah” has a strong foundation in bluegrass, not only [...]
Rosie Lowe is back with her most raw and unfiltered release to date, Now, You Know, released by Blue Flowers. Taking its title from a postcard unearthed on a dig through at her local Deptford market, its scrawled message from the past resonated with her compulsion to act on impulse. ‘Now, You Know’ became a mantra to encapsulate a new era of creative expression, and the mixtape provides a snapshot of an artist who continues to forge a singular path and leave as many doors open as possible ahead of her highly anticipated third album. Lowe retreated to a cabin in the Devon woods, converting a tiny shed into a studio to write the album in isolation. [...]
Kane Mathis is now releasing his album titled, Geminus. Mathis has studied the Kora and Oud intensely for over 23 years, and Geminus features him on both instruments in a trio setting with fellow New York-based musicians John Hadfield on drums (Yo-Yo Ma, Kinan Azmeh) and Sam Minaie on bass (Tigran Hamasyan, Mark Guiliana). In live sessions over three days, the trio was recorded and mixed by John Davis (Brad Mehldau) at The Bunker recording studio in Brooklyn, New York. The music is ten tracks of original material by Mathis based on the tradition of both instruments while still moving forward with new forms and improvisations.
“Kürdi 7 and 9” is [...]
Mehro is an alternative pop singer/songwriter who has had a string of viral hits. His music videos have been viewed more than 3.3 million times on YouTube with popular singles being “lightning” and “perfume.” He gained the attention of Wonderland Magazine and was interviewed in July of 2020. He is now releasing his latest single called “Coastline.” The song is a follow-up to his debut EP, SKY ON FIRE, released earlier in 2021.
“Coastline” was written by Mehro and has lyrics based on hope for the future. “[Chorus] Look out over to thе west, To the shimmering lights on thе coastline, Don’t know how we’re gonna get [...]
Emily Weisband is back with a new EP called Not Afraid To Say Goodbye (Stripped). The Nashville singer-songwriter continues to affirm her pop prowess with four distinctive and genuine tracks highlighting her sincere lyrics, intimate instrumentation, and nuanced storytelling. Weisband has been writing for other artists like Halsey and Camilla Cabello, but now she is writing for herself and gets to tell her story. Not Afraid To Say Goodbye is the follow up to her debut EP, Identity Crisis and for her second EP, Weisband’s emotional, raw, and authentic songwriting is at its best. Not Afraid To Say Goodbye (Stripped) is [...]
The War And Treaty (Michael & Tanya Trotter) is a critically acclaimed duo with foundations of Southern soul with elements of gospel, country, rock ‘n roll, and blues. The duet is returning with a new album called Hearts Town, built on twelve tracks that reflect this Nashville-based husband/wife team’s most robust material to date. The majority of the material was recorded at Blackbird Studio and featured esteemed musicians Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, and Punch Brothers guitarist Chris Eldridge. Hearts Town was produced by Michael and co-produced by Tanya and the duo’s longtime music director Max [...]
Pat Metheny continues to build a catalog that is diverse and focused on making music from a space of creativity and love of sounds that elicit emotions. Metheny’s latest album, From This Place, is no exception and features ten compositions by Metheny that have the Hollywood Studio Symphony supporting a traditional jazz quartet. Metheny is joined by his long-time drummer, Antonio Sanchez, Malaysian / Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh, and British pianist Gwilym Simcock. The Hollywood Studio Symphony is conducted by Joel McNeely. Also, special guest Meshell Ndegeocello (vocals), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and [...]
Tom Keifer, former front man of the rock band Cinderella, has an instantly recognizable voice. The singer and his #Keiferband are releasing their second album titled, Rise, on Cleopatra Records. The album presents eleven tracks that feature Keifer’s gritty vocals with blues-infused hard rock. The album has a theme of overcoming challenges with the music being written by Tom Keifer, Savannah Keifer and Kendra Chantelle. The band line up is, Keifer vocals, his wife — percussionist, pianist and singer Savannah Keifer — and backing singer/percussionist Kendra Chantelle and the #keiferband, which is lead and rhythm guitarist Tony Higbee, bassist Billy Mercer, [...]
