Rooftop Screamers “Vol.1”
Throwback Suburbia drummer and songwriter Mike Collins gathers a great cabal of pop talent for this pet project. Kyle Vincent sings lead on the opener “Sign Me Up” a dramatic rocker with a ringing guitar hook in the chorus. Not all of these artists are famous names, but they all do a great job singing Collins’ songs.
Geoff Metts cranks up the twang and his grizzled vocal on “Have Mercy” and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) delivers the wistful ballad “Roses Again.” Andrew Paul Woodworth adds some reverb to the superb “Get Outta Your Way,” full of layered Beatlesque jangle. Kim Wayman’s “Your Ghost” makes great use of spooky slide guitar and her smokey whisper. The remaining tracks don’t hit as high, but come darn close. Highly Recommended.
Ryan Hamilton and The Traitors “The Devil’s in the Detail”
Fresh-faced Ryan Hamilton burst on the scene with his impressive “Hell Of A Day” and then recently changed his entire look (George Harrison?) and teamed up with his new band The Traitors for this LP I missed last year. Thankfully, his fast-paced rocking style hasn’t changed much, as “Smarter” chugs along on its heavy riffs, as he’s “a little bit smarter and a whole lot older.”
“We Never Should Have Moved To LA” is a solid story-themed song with a slick sound, and “Anywhere” utilizes a quick rhyming lyric to contrast the rhythm. “Scottish Mud” turns up the guitars again, with another great hook. The slower songs have a slight country twang to them, “Back In Time” and “Cheaters Never Change” and they are a good break from the hard rockers we heard earlier. Once again, Ryan doesn’t display any filler and other highlights include; “The Gulf of Mexico” and “Strength In Numbers.” A wonderfully balanced album with a profanity-laced rocker hidden at the end. Highly Recommended. And a live EP followed that up. Keep it coming, Ryan!