Punch Brothers : Hell on Church Street Review
Punch Brothers is mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny, and violinist Gabe Witcher. The New York City-based quintet releases their latest album, Hell on Church Street. The album is the Punch Brothers’ re-imagining of, and homage to, the late bluegrass great Tony Rice’s landmark solo album Church Street Blues. The record features a collection of songs by Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Bill Monroe, and others. The band recorded the songs at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio in November 2020. Hell on Church Street was intended as both its own work of art and a gift to Rice, who died that [...]
Sofia Talvik takes her Swedish heritage and combines it with the twang of Americana to create a particular niche of folk music that has been described as neo-folk. Talvik’s songs go straight to the heart with lyrics of love and loss, and she binds them together with personal anecdotes from her many tours in the USA and Europe, creating a warm and relaxed environment for the listener. Talvik released her new Christmas single, “A Memory of Snow,” based on lost love and snowy Copenhagen. “That’s what I like about writing my Christmas songs; they’re more detached from my personal life than my other songs,” [...]
Vocalist Grace Haggerty is a newcomer to the jazz scene, but one that will undoubtedly turn heads. In early 2021 Haggerty released an LP, My Funny Valentine. The album featured some of the most enduring standards of our era; as the writing is so timeless, the songs continue to have relevance in this modern era. The album features arrangements by Angelo DiPippo and an all-star cast including John Fedchock, Jennifer Warton, David Finck, Tony Tedesco, and more.
In time for the holiday season, Haggerty is releasing a single “What A Wonderful [...]
Norah Jones has been a crossover artist that combines elements of jazz, pop, country, and adult contemporary into something magical. Her warm, alluring singing has captured many awards over the past twenty years. Her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me became a familiar musical companion for millions of people worldwide and began her ever-evolving music catalog. Now, for 2021, the 9-time GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist has released her first-ever holiday album, I Dream Of Christmas. The project has a combination of timeless Holiday favorites and new originals that capture the emotions of our times for this holiday season. [...]
Carolyn Lee Jones is back and releasing a new Christmas project for us to enrich our Holidays with an album of classic Christmas tunes. She presents twelve Christmas tunes on Christmas Time Is Here that are brought to life by a rotating list of top musicians. Each song has a fresh arrangement and keeps the classic design but is unique enough to be of interest.
“Jingles the Christmas Cat” is a fun and less-common Christmas tune that showcases Jones swinging, playful vocal style. Todd Parsnow performs a fun guitar solo as the band swings with delight. Jones has a vocal style that is easy to enjoy as she sings with [...]
Cherry Lena is a Montreal, Canada alternative pop and R&B singer-songwriter that first captured audiences’ attention on The Voice Quebec in 2018. She won many fans with her warm-toned sensual singing and R&B rhythm and inflections. Lena has teamed up with producer Pops & Poolboy to release her single titled “Love-Bombed And Ghosted.”
“Love-Bombed And Ghosted” is set to a relaxed electro-pop mixed with a lo-fi R&B feel, with Lena’s silky voice delivering an irresistible melody. Though the music is upbeat, the lyrics paint a more melancholy setting. Lena explains, “Although the [...]
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, [...]
