Palmyra Delran “You Are What You Absorb”
I was introduced to Palmyra during The Cavestomp Festival last month, and was really impressed, so I picked up her CD. Palmyra takes some elements of garage, power pop to deliver perfect party rock. Her sound is part Debbie Harry with a psychedelic spin, she’s been a member of The Friggs and Pink Slip Daddy – and she’s caught the attention of Little Steven Van Zandt.
“You’re My Brian Jones” was a No. 1 song for Underground Garage’s 2012 list, and it certainly is a catchy gem. But there is so much more here, “Shy Boy” has that great bass reverb and multi-tracked chorus and the high energy on “Lies For You” make it a signature power pop tune. There is enough echoes of the past here, recalling The Animals and The Shangri-Las on “Never To Be Back Again” and “Someday Soon.” Delran keeps things fresh on each song here, using pig latin and bongos on “Sunny Day” and the mid-tempo charmer “Back To You” has some nice string accents. Highly Reccomended!
CD Baby | Amazon
Jimmy Jax Pinchak Band “Make It Better”
Lots of actors try expanding their resume by becoming musician. Unless you have a Disney pedigree, the road is uphill and very steep. Jimmy Jax Pinchak (recently seen as Peter Wiggin from Ender’s Game) is one of those rare actors who actually have solid musical skills to go with the good looks. His new album “Make It Better.” was mastered by Grammy award winner Erick Labson and contains great influences (The Beatles, Cream, The Blues Breakers).
The opening track “There is More” is a muscular rock track with a sweet guitar hook. Pinchak’s deep vocal reminded me a little of his main inspiration, Johnny Lang with “On The Run” and the guitar stylings on most of the album are straight forward blues-rock. Standouts include covers of Tommy James “Draggin’ The Line” and Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice.”
Amazon