MUSIC REVIEWS

Chris Bullinger‘s latest single, “Darlin’ ‘n’ Me,” emerges as a competent addition to the ever-expanding landscape of Americana rock. As someone who approaches music from a pragmatic standpoint, I’m always on the lookout for artists who can deliver a solid performance without veering into overhyped territory. With “Darlin’ ‘n’ Me,” …

As if to shove its way through the darkness on the back of a potent guitar’s hardest melody, we’re bid a harsh hello by the strings in “Bangkok City” as we start the tracklist in Vicious Kitty’s LP Vicious Kitty. There’s a feeling of iciness to the beat-solid piece that …

Alright now, hold onto your hat because we’re diving deep into a soulful tune with Trisha & Thara’s latest confection, “So Far Away”! Let me tell you, this isn’t your average pop-ballad. Oh no, this is a whole vibe, and these two sisters are serving up some serious sisterhood realness. …

The baker’s dozen worth of songs written and recorded by The Star Prairie Project for their seventh album, The Shining Ones, represents the best work yet from this fascinating band. The project’s creative engine, songwriter Nolen Chew Jr., aims high with the album’s conceptual scaffolding. URL: https://thestarprairieproject.net/ Structuring a thirteen-song cycle …

Good intros are everything in pop music. Slowly but surely, a delightful acoustic guitar comes slinking out of the shadows in “Beautiful Day,” the brand-new single from acclaimed folk-pop veteran Stephanie Bettman. Nothing is menacing about its euphoric melody, and yet its amiable disposition is rife with an underlying emotionality …

Stunning but straightforwardly delivered verses adorn a dark neon melody as we become entranced by a bassline just waiting to come alive beneath the surface of the mix. There’s a slight tension in the air as Hourstone laces the beats with Amanda Kang’s velvety vocal, yet the tempo of the music …

In the annals of modern musical experimentation, few acts capture the imagination quite like Streaking In Tongues. Hailing from the serene landscapes of Marquette, Michigan, this dynamic father-son duo, comprised of Ronnie and Elliott Ferguson, has once again seized the spotlight with their latest sonic masterpiece, “Einstein’s Napkin.” And let …

I began listening to Alex Wellkers’ Fly Away with trepidation. I feared that the European background and his familiarity with English as a second, possibly third, language might make it a difficult slog. Those fears were needless. Wellkers’ eleven tracks for the album cut across cultural lines. He has mastered English well …

Lee Shupp’s Rise Up has an exhortative quality befitting the album title. The eight energetic performances he’s written for this collection have varying textures while engaging listeners with gut-level immediacy. These are songs about flesh and blood life lived, not ideas or cliches, and he crouches them in everyday language that his …

In the vast landscape of indie folk music, B.D. Gottfried has carved out a niche all his own, and his latest offering, Ghosts & Girls serves as a testament to his artistic evolution and storytelling prowess. Produced and co-written with the Juno award-winning Siegfried Meier and mastered by the esteemed …