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 [...]

First Aid Kit has released their new album, Palomino. The critically acclaimed Swedish duo consists of singer-songwriters and sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg. Palomino is filled with eleven songs that frame the sisters’ vocals with strings, horns, pop synths, catchy drumbeats, full bass, and well-placed guitar. Both sisters share lead vocals and combine to create angelic vocal harmonies.

With a propelling opener song, “Out Of My Head,” First Aid Kit will capture your attention with their powerful vocals and stunning harmonies. The style is a cross between pop and rock, which will pull in many fans, regardless of their [...]

Max Highstein is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter that calls the hot open spaces of New Mexico home. For his latest album, he has many releases in multiple genres; Highstein pairs his jazzy, new-age sounds with adult-contemporary rock. Also on the offering is a balance of vocal and instrumental songs to keep things eclectic. The album is called Hotcakes, and Ed Willet joins Highstein on cello and Mark Clark on drums. In addition, Judy Mitchell plays accordion, and guitarist Jeff Pevar performs on “First Day Out.” The rest of the sounds are Highstein performing on various instruments but featuring his guitar playing and lead [...]

Multi-Platinum selling Country artist Granger Smith has released his latest album called Moonrise. With over 1.3 billion on-demand streams and 12 million social media followers, Smith, is looking to expand his creative horizons as he announces his acting debut as the star of PureFlix’s upcoming film Moonrise, available on December 15th. Produced by Smith with John Marlin, every song on the new record will be featured in the movie. Although written for the film, the twelve songs cover tragedy, hardships, repurpose and redemption. However, Moonrise is unique in Smith’s catalog as it was truly inspired by the movie’s character’s journey, Will Brown – a [...]

Wayne Alpern is a New York City composer, arranger, and scholar. Alpern is fluent in composing in many styles of music, from pop, jazz, and world idioms that use classical techniques to yield a sophisticated contemporary style that crosses any genre label and sits in the category of “good” music. Going by Duke Ellington’s classification, there are only two types of music, good and bad. Alpern’s innovative compositions, recompositions, and rearrangements have been performed and recorded by distinguished artists from diverse musical traditions. The Shape of Strings features director Monica Bauchwitz and the String [...]