Enjoy the gentle strums and multi-part harmonies of Brent Wilder. Looking forward to this LP soon, but get the FREE download in the meantime.
The prolific Richard Turgeon pens a genuine love letter to his instrument.
John Lennon’s 80th Birthday would have been on October 9th, 2020. To celebrate, a number of artists have released tributes in his honor.
Each band is given a pair of tunes, and this first-class tribute starts with the premiere Beatlesque band The Weeklings. They add a Bo Diddley styled rhythm to this unique arrangement of The Beatles “The Word” and flesh out the bare-bones Lennon demo “What’s The New Mary Jane?” NYC-based The Midnight Callers deliver some sweet harmonies on the acoustic “Child of Nature” and bluesy lead guitar on “Jealous Guy.”
The Grip Weeds are faithful to the spirit of “You Can’t Do That” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the depth of sound and crisp production are impressive. The Anderson Council’s Peter Horvath channels Lennon well on “I Found Out” with its swirling psychedelic reverb. Johnathan Pushkar and The Gold Needles also deliver the goods. Richard Barone’s speeds up the tempo in the lone mashup of “Revolution” and “Power To The People.” It all works and is Highly Recommended.
Timmy Sean puts a modern spin on several classics with his new EP – It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!
Reno Bo has done Beatles tributes before, but this one is new! It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!
This latest ‘greatest hits’ collection is likely the best sounding mix you’ve ever heard and really does do justice to John’s compositions. Remixed by Paul Hicks (who did Imagine – The Ultimate Collection), all 36 tracks were selected by Yoko and son Sean to tell John’s post-Beatles story and illustrate his many moods. All gift-wrapped in numerous deluxe packages (the big one has a commemorative book, stickers, postcards, and extensive liner notes.)
Lennon’s searing indictment of self-serving politicians and “narrow-minded hypocritics” is even more relevant today than it was over forty years ago. The selection of songs includes his most popular work giving them new life for generations to come. Highly Recommended.
Jared Lekites is a singer/songwriter based in Oklahoma City with a style that’s part Paul McCartney and part James Taylor. This was Jared’s 2010 debut, but with plenty of time during the COVID-19 lockdown, he reworks and re-recorded many tracks here plus a bunch more. “Love That Lasts” opens with gentle harmonies comparable to Brian Wilson’s balladry and the title track boasts a great opening riff and a catchy verse that carries you along with a “bop-bop” backing rhythm in the chorus.
The variety of musical textures and instrumentation is impressive on “Electric Car Ballet” and “Let Your Hair Down (Once In A While).” In addition, the full-length version of the album includes the singles Jared recently finished gem “Freebird” and some great covers; McCartney’s “Temporary Secretary” and The Beach Boys underrated “I’d Love Just Once To See You.” Highly Recommended.
Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts continue to write hook-filled melodies that made their Wicked Cool Records debut a top ten album last year. The gentle opener “Only A Dream” sets the bittersweet tone with crisp vocals that foreshadows the theme ahead. Ryan has a real love of music’s past and “Oh No” featuring Key Hanley demonstrates this by naming a bevy of his favorite album titles. Similarly “Jesus & John Lennon” name-checks some more, with a mild country-pop rhythm.
The album finally shows some bounce with “Out of My League,” a fun tune about getting that pretty girl, and the follow-up “Let’s Go Slow” is a mid-tempo tune about that first date. Next, “Can I Get an Amen” seems to recall Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” in the melody. While there is no filler, the band feels like its playing safe here. After the upbeat “Newcastle Charm” it may lull you to sleep with the next few tunes. And while the last tracks “We Gave It Hell” and “Pick Yourself Up” complete the love-lost song cycle, the lyrics feel rote and predictable. Still, it’s a good collection of songs that deserves to be heard.
On a rare occasion, I hear some EMD that does it right. On “Tarantino,” Steve Aoki & Timmy Trumpet modernize the classic surf guitar riff of Dick Dake, later made famous via Pulp Fiction. Aoki’s mesmerizing electro beats combined with Trumpet’s eccentric horn licks are very entertaining. The cartoon is also a hoot!
The new Kurt Baker single “I Like Her A Lot” appears on his upcoming album ‘After Party’ out Oct 23, 2020, on Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records.
“A lot of the topics on this record came out of conversations I would have with my co-writer and producer Wyatt Funderburk. I’m sure I said, “I like her a lot” in passing and then was like, “Wait…it’s so simple, but why not make that the title!” I love the line “Monday night she goes down to Amigos, never afraid to get up and dance,” mostly because of the Amigos name-drop. I’ve talked about this bar in Portland, Maine a lot, but the place really is an important spot in the making of After Party. They say it’s a Mexican restaurant but to be perfectly honest, I’ve never eaten the food there. One of my favorite choruses on the record, Wyatt suggested a few variations of the melody line that really made it pop in the end. This definitely captures our sound during a live show.”