Aussie popster Adrian Whitehead has been getting raves from the press and pop bloggers who’ve heard his latest “One Small Stepping Man”. A soft classic pop formula similar to Dave Dill and Brent Cash, Adrian uses simple catchy melodies with a nod to The Beatles and a very smooth clean production style similar to Dave Stephens. The opening track “Caitlin’s 60’s Pop Song” echos Nilsson and Adrian’s vocals are very similar here to Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. It’s got the pop smarts and little details that make a wonderful song. Next, “Saving Caroline” opens with a seventies-styled strum a la Styx, and the bass floats the melody along, but at over six minutes it goes on a bit too long for me. “Radio One” sounds like a Posies mid-tempo guitar song and breaks into an amazing piano ballad. The piano ballads continue with the McCartney-like melodies in “You are The Sun” and “Julia” which are very good and the bright “Spector’s Dead” remind me of Julian Lennon’s “Photograph Smile” album. On the “Ways of Man” we get a very McCartney-like bass line and on “Better Man” the lyrical themes are sharp and the song has a bit more energy, but “Elle” is another long ballad that seems to go on forever. No doubt this is a strong debut and if you like any of the above artists, you’ll enjoy this. An equal measure of credit goes to producer Jak Housden for making these songs sound so good.

My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

A Canadian band, The Morning Stars were formed by brothers Michael Ivic and Mars Ivic in 2004. The approach to power pop is akin to a mix of U2 and Oasis. Opening with the ringing anthemic “Hearts for the Living” gives you a great set of chorus and wall of guitar riffs. The next tune “Wrong” is my favorite, with it’s Raspberries styled guitar strum and emphatic drum beat and feel good hook. Then the band takes a detour in “You Can’t Change the World,” with an 80’s dream pop feel similar to Joy Division or The Smiths, and sounds like a breakout hit single for sure. This track combines the above mentioned influences and the songwriting is excellent here. The lush guitar strums returns on “Waiting At Your Door” another great track. Then the heavy rock of “All Coming Down” combines the influences and reminds me a bit of The Happy Mondays or The Stone Roses. Then “Don’t Waste Time” falls back into the familiar territory – the lead vocal even resembles Bono, this track could have fallen off of U2’s “Boy”.  At the album’s end, “Fall” is a ballad with atmospheric guitars and has that melancholy feel. The entire album feels like a well worn pair of jeans, and is a comfortable fit for your ears (and easy on the ipod). Although a bit derivative, it is a very good debut, and follow the link below for some sample tracks. I can’t wait to see these guys continued musical growth.

The Morning Stars Site | My Space | CD Baby

Download the FREE album tracks here

Shake Some Action, the Seattle power pop band fronted by James Hall returns with more rockin’ tunes on “Sunny Days Ahead.” Like the last album, we get those classic 70’s sounds updated for modern audiences. The opener “Get It Together” has that Kinks meet Strokes vibe, as this is a bit more agressive than the debut. My favorite tune here is “Looking For Someone” which reminds me of the Hoodoo Gurus or a more rockin’ version of the La’s. The sound across the album is fairly consistent. The familiar Rickenbacker jangle on “Hurry Up” would feel at home on a Grip Weeds album. “Draw The Line” draws from The Cars a bit and the Replacements even more. The hooks are all good too, although after the mid point the album sags a bit, then it picks up – “Unusual Girl” sounds like a cool They Might Be Giants track. The retro riff in “You Don’t Care” is another winner – these guys would sound great touring with The Uglybeats! The sonic attack ending of “Who Do You Live?” has an atonal rock vocal contrasting with the really heavy guitar crunchiness making it closer to an Iggy Pop or Paul Westerberg song. You can hear samples on the bands web site or CD Baby. If you want a rock and jangle-y good time, you couldn’t pick a better starting point.

The Shake Some Action site | My Space | CD Baby

Rock and Roll with a side of Soul. That’s the best short description for The BellRays. Fronted by the intense voice of Lisa Kekaula and the heavy guitar riffs of Bob Vennum, the group resembles Led Zeppelin fronted by Aretha Franklin. Not since the days of Vernon Reid and Living Colour have I heard such a sweet mix of rock energy with R&B rooted vocals. “Hard, Sweet and Sticky” is good title for this album as the styles veer from the heavy rock of “Infection” to the sweet folk soul of “Footprint on the Water.” It even approaches the punk of MC5 on “Psychotic Hate Man” and driving riffs on “Coming Down” evoke AC/DC with Lisa’s vocals matching the manic guitar theatrics. The softer R&B pop tunes ( “Blue Against the Sky” )come out by the middle of the album and are a welcome break from the ferocious rock of the earlier half of the album. These gentler songs don’t have the staying power or hooks of the rock numbers, but they are beautifully executed, as “Wedding Bells” really belongs on a jazz album. But that aside, their brand of rock ‘n’ soul will get the attention and respect of rock ‘n’ roll fans, bands, and critics all over. This is not a heavily tread road, and I can only recall Nona Hendryx getting this type of attention. The last track “Pinball City” is a strong rock anthem that I seem to remember Tina Turner used to do with Ike back in the day. Lisa Kekaula has gladly picked up that torch — people, are you ready to rock with the BellRays?

The BellRays Site | My Space | E-Music | Itunes

Live performance – something the BellRays are famous for.