François-Frédéric Guy : Secret Garden Review
François-Frédéric Guy is releasing his firsrt recording of the music by Chopin. Secret Garden is Guy’s poetic imagination that combines fantasy and consistency in his phrasing in dialogue with his instrument’s unique and charming timbres. This recital, paying homage to the master pianists of the early twentieth century, revives an art of singing in a way that seems utterly natural, such as the clarity and fluidity of the playing. Secret Garden was recorded on a 1905 Pleyel piano, a sublime instrument restored at the workshop of Pianos Balleron.
Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1, opens the recording. The warm and [...]
Firelight Trio plays European folk music that is evocative, imaginative, and endlessly thrilling. Firelight Trio is their debut album of driving fiddle, and stately nyckelharpa meet deep accordion grooves in a vivid embroidery of lively Swedish polskas and Scottish reels, lilting French waltzes, toe-tapping klezmer, and impressive original tunes. Firelight Trio brings musicians from Moishe’s Bagel, Gavin Marwick’s Journeyman, and Bellevue Rendezvous to create a mighty, exciting sound, wide-ranging and richly textured. Ruth Morris’ resonant nyckelharpa is matched by Marwick’s powerhouse fiddle, all backed up by Phil [...]
Country artist Margo Price is back with another album titled Strays. Produced by Price and Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty), Strays was recorded at Fivestar Studio in California’s Topanga Canyon. The songs were written during a six-day mushroom-filled trip that Price and her husband Jeremy Ivey took to South Carolina – amongst the hallucinatory hills of western Los Angeles, Price experienced the best recording sessions of her career. “I feel this urgency to keep moving, keep creating,” says Price. “You get stuck in the same patterns of thinking, the same loops of addiction. But there comes a point where you just have [...]
D!lemma is the musical brainchild of Adil Bari, a California-based electronic musician, digital artist, and producer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Music has always been a part of his world. When he was eight, he learned to play various instruments and performed at small venues. D!lemma produces his own hybrid compositions influenced by multiple artists. As a multi-genre artist, he is passionate about creating music that pushes the boundaries.
“Acid Funk” brings us a big House beat with an exciting drop and build. D!lemma has a balance of electronic sounds and phat beats that makes you wanna move. With just the right amount of Techno, “Acid [...]
Bassist Rodney Whitaker has assembled a refined quintet to present the music of composer Gregg Hill. The ensemble is Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tim Warfield on tenor and soprano saxophones, Bruce Barth on piano, and Dana Hall on drums. Vocalist Rockelle Fortin also appears in four songs. Hill is a composer that has published over 145 original jazz compositions across various albums. Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill presents ten compositions by Hill and one by Whitaker.
“Puppets” is a beautiful waltz-time composition that shows the power of Hill’s harmonic and melody relationships as well as [...]
Tommy DeCarlo is a new name to me on the rock scene. DeCarlo is currently the lead singer of Boston and DECARLO. DeCarlo is releasing his debut album as a solo artist on Frontiers Music Srl called Dancing In The Moonlight. I enjoy hearing Boston on my classic rock playlist and the radio, but I have not kept up with the band’s current material. So DeCarlo’s vocal chops are new to me but are ideally suited for the classic AOR of the ’70s and into the ’80s. Dancing In The Moonlight is a strong debut for DeCarlo and will bring more awareness to his vocal abilities.
“Change Our Fate” opens with a [...]
Bonnie Raitt is back with her latest album, Just Like That…, her first album in over six years. The Rock And Roll Hall of Famer continues to draw on all the influences that have shaped her legendary career while simultaneously creating something that articulates the circumstances and challenges of these unprecedented times. Just Like That… was recorded in Sausalito, California, with an all-star band that included two longtime members of Raitt’s band, bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson and drummer Ricky Fataar, as well as two new musicians, Canadian Glenn Patscha on keyboards and backing vocals and Nashville guitarist Kenny Greenberg. Her longtime [...]
Halestorm has released their album Back From The Dead, which is eleven songs produced by Nick Raskulinecz that takes the listener on a journey through navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, and rediscovery while still maintaining faith in humanity. Already the title track has earned the band their sixth #1 on Rock Radio. Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades as their music has surpassed a billion streams worldwide. Halestorm is Lzzy Hale on guitar and vocals, with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bass [...]
Battle Beast is releasing their next installment of European power metal with its sixth studio album called Circus of Doom. The female-fronted metal band is buoyant with symphonic metal driven by agile guitar playing and the grit of singer Noora Luohimo. Who has lost none of her fire over the past 9 years. The sextet has created an album that is easy to listen to while still maintaining an aggressive metal edge. The ten songs have many hooks, riffs, and rebellious driving grooves.
The album sports many symphonic metal anthems, the best being the title track, “Circus of Doom.” There is an edge to the song with its aggressive guitar riffs, [...]
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 [...]
