Music Review, Punk, Rock

Music Review: Return for Refund – Self-Titled

Filled with contagious, riff driven sounds and raw vocals, the six tracks on Return for Refund’s self-titled EP combines elements of hard rock, punk, metal, funk, and blues. The last two songs are also clearly tinged with a southern twang. That members Drew Clementino (vocals, guitar), Sasha Molotkow (guitar, backing vocals), and Karlis Hawkins (drums,… Read More Music Review: Return for Refund – Self-Titled

Adult Contemporary, Jazz, Music Review

Music Review: Heather Powell – ‘A Haze of Grays and Blues’

Heather Powell’s song writing career began with her 2012 album Believe it to Life. With 2015’s A Haze of Grays and Blues, Powell add another ten tracks to an already impressive résumé, showcasing again her crystal clear vocals and relentless optimism. Tomás Doncker has not only signed on Powell through his production company, True Groove… Read More Music Review: Heather Powell – ‘A Haze of Grays and Blues’

Music Review, Pop

Music Review: Mark Maze – ‘Uncomfortable Truths’

The United Kingdom is now offering us Mark Maze, who pours his London attitude in this full album of pop, electric, pop rock, and R&B hybrids that speak mostly of heartbreak and individualism. This makes for particularly insightful lyrics in most of the songs in Uncomfortable Truths that could make for very interesting individuals musings… Read More Music Review: Mark Maze – ‘Uncomfortable Truths’

Music Review, Pop

Music Review: Liz Graham – ‘Charcoal on a Canvas’ Single

Long-time singer Liz Graham released last month her new single, “Charcoal on a Canvas”, a song about wanting to know a person on a deeper level. The metaphor is an interesting one, as charcoal is literally a hands-on drawing method the use of which gets the artist’s hands quite dirty. For the artist to be… Read More Music Review: Liz Graham – ‘Charcoal on a Canvas’ Single

Music Review, Rock

Music Review: The Torn Images – ‘Reviver’

The Torn Images released a full length album called Reviver last November. The ten tracks put together by this California based alternative, indie rock band come after two well received EP and hopefully marks the beginning of a long and successful career. The album opens with the electric guitar driven of “The Drifting”, the mid-tempo,… Read More Music Review: The Torn Images – ‘Reviver’

Music Review, Rock

Music Review: Rock Masters Band – ‘Diamonds/Hit The City’

When I heard that Rock Masters Band went from their native Finland to Hawaii to record the first of these two singles, I couldn’t help but smile—and no doubt those of you who are currently living in a snow covered area of the world just might do the same. Formed in 2007, the band, under… Read More Music Review: Rock Masters Band – ‘Diamonds/Hit The City’

Jazz, Music Review

Music Review: Joan Torres’s All Is Fused – ‘The Beginning’

Joan Torres’s All Is Fused released in August of last year a great album titled The Beginning. The jazz ensemble includes artists who previously had the opportunity to work on Joan Torres’ project together—Sergio Gonzalez and Gabriel Vicens on guitars, Fernando Garcia on drums, Jonathan Suazo on the saxophone—while welcoming Emanuel Rivera on the piano… Read More Music Review: Joan Torres’s All Is Fused – ‘The Beginning’

Music Review, Rock

Music Review: G2P – ‘G2P’

Hailing from the sunny state of Florida, G2P’s members—Nathaniel Shepherd (guitars, lead vocals), Sterling Siegfried (drums, vocals), and Matt Mallory (bass, vocals)—have put together a self-titled alternative rock EP to which dashes of funk, punk, and reggae have been added. G2P opens with “Animals”. The track starts with heavy but simple electric guitars and slowly… Read More Music Review: G2P – ‘G2P’

Folk, Music Review

Music Review: Ethan Jano – ‘I’ll be Fine’

Ethan Jano is a young folk singer originally from Pennsylvania bringing together a collection of twelve tracks to be released in album form in February this year. There is an interesting mix of simplicity in the instrumentation with complexity in the vocal delivery and in the lyrics that lovers of the genre would appreciate. Dashes… Read More Music Review: Ethan Jano – ‘I’ll be Fine’

Country, Music Review

Music Review: CommonUnion59 – ‘Heartbeat Serenade’

Slated to be released in February 2015, Heartbeat Serenade is the third full-length album released by CommonUnion59, a duo comprised of Steve McKenzie (vocal, guitar, banjo) and Laura Malasig (vocal, piano, glockenspiel) and helped by Kevin Hayes (drums, percussions) and Jake Leckie (bass). The San Francisco based pair write and perform original music that although… Read More Music Review: CommonUnion59 – ‘Heartbeat Serenade’