MUSIC REVIEWS

South Carolina doesn’t seem like an ideal place to start a career in show business. However, that is exactly what Kevin Rollinson set out to achieve, initially aspiring to be a recording artist/comedian. It’s unclear if he was planning to go the Adam Sandler route, or to keep the two …

Solo projects can oftentimes come out of three things: vanity, inspiration, and (least likely, yet still possible) utter boredom. It’s not every solo project that finds itself existing out of pure and total necessity, but for Robert Miller, this would end up being the case with his album Miller Rocks, …

This is Melanie Rogers’ coming of age moment as a performer and songwriter. Her new single “Fever” isn’t her first release, but it is her debut as a songwriter and she sounds ready to take the reins of her musical voyage in a way she wasn’t before. Her self-assurance comes …

“Good Ole Love” is a song that only comes around once in an inspired blue moon, as does the pandemic it was written in, by Kenny Black, Shimmer Johnson, and Stephen Wrench. A combo in which I am not previously familiar with but would not mind hearing a lot more …

Linda Imperial’s latest release Heart Rock is an EP worth of songs packing a punch as any full-length album. Imperial evidences little if any interest in writing and recording superficial entertainments. Her music will definitely bring smiles to the faces of many listeners, but her overriding reason for writing and recording these …

The mood is rich, mellow, hazy, and almost subtly uncertain, but empowered nonetheless in Rebecca Blasband’s single and video of the same name, “Here” from the album of the same name. Blasband who first rose to notoriety thanks to appearing on the first season of MTV’s The Real World, has …

Talking Heads frontman David Byrne once wrote a controversial article about abolishing the term “World Music”. He felt the title was reductive because what differentiates music from “world music”? I tend to agree and there’s an interesting example to be used in the recent singles from Gabriele Saro, Ivan Comar, and …

  Alex Lopez has built a considerable following and critical reputation since his 2013 recording debut, His latest release Rising Up is an eleven song collection highlighting Lopez’s increasing songwriting finesse, guitar prowess, and the top-notch cadre of musicians complimenting his artistic vision. The Xpress is more than capable accompaniment; they are …

From Montreal, CA Dova Lewis hits the ground running with the release of her self-titled EP. This excellent, brisk 4 track wonder which was co-produced with Dova by Daryl Swan with all songs written by Lewis is an excellent arrival from a woman looking to use her voice to empower …

One cannot accuse songwriter and author Travis Atria of aiming small. His album Moonbrain exudes timeless qualities while still falling into place with contemporary concerns. There are several important moments in the gestation of any artistic work and this is no exception. After co-authoring a lauded biography of Curtis Mayfield entitled Travelling Soul, …