Rachel McGoye “Ghetto Gloss” EP
Slick and melodic, the talented Rachel McGoye has a great voice for modern pop with a touch of country soul. Produced by Alex Band (The Calling) this is a nice showcase for Rachel, the sweet strum of guitar and shuffle of “Love Me Good” reminds me of Shania Twain a bit. So it makes sense she’s been touring with Idol runner up and country star Kellie Pickler. Both “Love Seed” and “Oh My My” are good songs and seem destined to make it on a TV soundtrack. The talent is definitely there, but nothing sticks out hook-wise to leave a lasting impression. We’ll need to hear more from Ms. McGoye to make a solid judgement.
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Matt Ryd “Looking For Home”
Compared rightly to Jason Mraz meets The Rembrandts, Matt Ryd is a Chicago artist who serves up sweet pop with clear harmonies and memorable melodies. On the opening track “Impression” he leads with Joan Hoedeman supplying backing vocals. “Healed” has already been featured on TV’s Scrubs soundtrack. This fast tempo track is followed by “For So Long,” which recalls The Barenaked Ladies with it’s sunny tone. Things slow down at the album’s middle, but on “Wondrin'” Matt’s vocal adds real emotion to the ballad. A few missteps (like the annoying “Lie To Me” and dark “When I Fall”) don’t ruin things, as the sparse arrangements and heavy percussive “Over You” and the tender “Shadows Of Your Life” redeems things. Nothing approaches the first half’s “single” oriented tunes, but Matt’s a singer/songwriter worth looking into.
Tim Kasher “The Game of Monogamy”
Debut solo album from Kasher which features musical assistance from members of his band Cursive and Minus the Bear. Kasher gives us a brilliant concept album about commitment. Starting his opening argument “A Grown Man”is about responsibility in a pop punk rant that gives way to the blaring horns of “I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here.” This is an awesome single that recalls those early Joe Jackson or David Byrne songs about the fatal attitude of our protagonist. Another stroke of pop genius is “Cold Love” with dissonant guitar chords and synth rhythms. The bouncy pop reveals that when it comes to marriage “I’m just inadequate, or maybe this is stupid, we’re just chumps.” Another gem is the wonderful “No Fireworks” which goes to great stylistic lengths to express the loss of love. There is a theatrical flourish to the album with orchestral arrangements that make it feel like you’ve heard a soundtrack to a movie or stage play. A truly impressive debut – Get the single “Cold Love” for free here.
