MUSIC REVIEWS

A folk-rock harmony is waiting to come alive with passionate indie sizzle in the title track of Jay Elle’s new album Ride the Wave, but if you think for a second that the acclaimed singer and songwriter is limiting the potent output in this record to the first and titular tune …

Sun King Rising isn’t a band in the traditional sense of the term, but you discover it doesn’t matter seconds into Sun King Rising’s first album release Delta Tales. Singer/songwriter/musician John Blangero’s desire to issue this work under a moniker likely reflects, at least in part, his musical background. He came of …

Furious adrenaline in the form of a bass and drum dynamic. A stoic synth melody in the foreground, a sense of danger hanging over the back. In Dub Fu Masters and Head Fake’s “One Step,” there’s no telling what sort of ominous creatures are lurking around in the darkness surrounding …

I like to believe, somewhere beyond the grave, Terry Kath is smiling. Todd Omohundro attended a 1977 Chicago concert and the brilliant guitarist riveted the young man with his transformative six string skills. Kath, likewise, awakened him to music’s possibilities in a wider way than ever before. Omohundro resolved then and …

Burn the Ballroom have been enjoying a pretty exciting career over the past ten-plus years. Starting off with You’re Already Mine, these rockers never hid the fact that they come into the studio with their heart on their sleeve, but finding that perfect middle ground between open-chest poetry and sharp, hard-charging rock beats …

Embracing conventionality in any manner is essentially taking the easy way out in any genre these days, but few prove this notion true quite as emphatically as Gorazde does in The Fury of Lullabies. Comprised of noisy bastions of industrial and death rock in “Diadem,” “Incubavit,” “Dead Hand Path,” and “Kiss …

“People Get Ready” isn’t a new song, but when you listen to the Skip Martin collaboration out now that is benefiting the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital – a sense of anew and contentment fills the air. Grammy winning singer and musician, Martin, holds court amongst a who’s who of …

Tom Tikka and the Missing Hubcaps are building a reputation as among the most daring veins working in a rock vein today. Chaining them to that style, however, is a mistake. Listen to Tikka and the band’s latest album This Is My Happy Face and you’ll hear several aural strands woven into …

Color My World from folk/country singer and songwriter Annette Adler is full of lush harmonies and riveting lyrics. Playing on her penchant for, well, colorful words, Adler’s angelic voice elevates the hues and honey-dipped melodies in this sing-along, reflective album. If you’re a fan of traditional country, these songs check several boxes. If you’re also …

Talitha Jae, an Australian singer/songwriter, has just released a delightful debut EP, “Spilt T.” With her lovely inviting voice and soft bluesy indie folk sound, Talitha Jae has created a highly listenable little bundle of songs that lead the listener through the good and bad parts of love and romance. …