Joshua Ketchmark - Under Plastic Stars (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark

Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin

“We Were Everything” begins Joshua Ketchmark’s Under Plastic Stars on a decidedly elegiac note, but this isn’t a dreary collection of songs. Ketchmark’s first full fledged solo effort, self-produced and written by Ketchmark, finds this longtime musical cohort of some of the music world’s biggest acts stepping out on his own with considerable talent and finesse. The primarily acoustic slant to this album is adorned with other touches like keyboards and even some occasional swaths of steel guitar, but you can’t comfortably consign it to a particular genre. “We Were Everything” has strong melodic virtues that continues with the second song “Every Mystery”, but the arrangement is a little more inventive and less straightforward than we hear from the first song. It doesn’t veer too far, however, from the tendencies established with “We Were Everything”.

The steel guitar present in “Let It Rain” is so thoroughly integrated with the rest of the arrangement that it never calls ostentatious attention to itself and, instead, proves to be just another color in Ketchmark’s toolbox. It’s easy to single this tune out as one of the undisputed high points on Under Plastic Stars and the emphatic nature of Ketchmark’s singing signals he views the song in a similar manner. “Lucky at Leavin’” sounds like it might be some classic country cut, based on title alone, but it’s actually a lush and carefully wrought acoustic number, folk for the most part, that benefits from a swell of keyboard color strengthening its sound. Ketchmark’s singing hits another high water mark with this tune that will, undoubtedly, linger in listener’s memories long after the song ends. “Hereafter” is particularly effective thanks to Brad Rice’s sinewy electric guitar lines crackling throughout the performance and another impassioned vocal never risking overwrought theatrics.

“Get Out Alive” has a little more of a rough hewn gait than the earlier tunes and owes its roots to the blues much more than anything else so far. It’s an evocative piece lyrically and Ketchmark brings just enough gravel into his voice to make this character dissection all the more convincing. He hits another high point with the commercial potential of “Saturday Night”, but Ketchmark isn’t a performer pursuing the path of least resistance. Instead, he throws himself into this tune for all he’s worth and it reaches heights the earlier songs never explore. “In Harm’s Way” is a largely solo acoustic tune incorporating more sounds in the second half and has a pleasing melodic core that will draw many listeners into its web.

“Sweet Surrender” takes some of the same template we hear with the song “Saturday Night” but, instead of relying on guitars, brings piano in to great effect and Ketchmark’s voice responds in kind with a showstopper of a vocal. The near orchestral sweep of this song stands out from the rest and makes it one of Under Plastic Stars’ more memorable moments. The last track “The Great Unknown” adopts a busier tempo than we’ve heard with much of the album and, thus, brings the release to an energetic close. Joshua Ketchmark’s Under Plastic Stars is an obviously personal work, but the entry points for listeners are numerous and inviting.  

J.Briozo - Deep in the Waves (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.jbriozo.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jbriozo/

Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin

Jeff Crandall’s work over two studio releases and numerous live appearances with Minneapolis’ Swallows has positioned him as one of the indie scene’s best vocalists on the rise, but his first solo album as J.Briozo, Deep in the Waves, should gain him further renown as a songwriting powerhouse and compelling performer away from the auspices of his full time band.  He tries his hand at multiple forms with this collection and achieves across the board credible results without ever straining listener’s acceptance. There’s a rare level of confidence coming off this release for a debut solo album and one can only ascribe that to the likelihood that Crandall began recording these songs with a sure idea of what he wanted the final results to sound like. There’s little question that he’s pulled that off with considerable aplomb.

There’s obviously a lot of thought and consideration given to these thirteen songs, but there’s ample evidence of a loose, spontaneous approach as well that’s capable of capturing true studio magic. This balance is heard strongly in the album opener “Blind” with its keyboard propelled arrangement and the measured duet-like aspects between Crandall’s voice and the artful instrumentation. There’s none of the acoustic musing in the opener that we hear in the album’s title and second track “Deep in the Waves”, but it also features a much cleaner and accessible approach than Crandall adopted with the first tune. The folksy strum of the song’s foundational acoustic guitar pairs up very nice with his voice. The alt rock confidence coming from “Spinning Out” makes good for Crandall and his listeners thanks, in no small part, to how much the mileage the song gets from its title and the steady fundamentals that enable the track to go deeper than most. It’s one of the few tracks on Deep in the Waves to show off some lead playing, as well, and it punctuates the song to magnificent effect.

“The Big Parade” betrays some bluesy influences while still following the acoustic template that’s been established a few songs in on Deep in the Waves. It’s one of the album’s most involved lyrics and comes off well, colloquial yet eloquent, yet the language manifests a rough and tumble quality we don’t get from the stylish and satisfying arrangement. There’s just enough hint of the epic in the song “Catalonia” that helps it stand out from the pack and the obvious work put into realizing the vocal arrangement leaps out as one of the song’s true highlights. Influences from psychedelia rear their head at various points during the recording and one of the best examples of that strand in Crandall’s musical tapestry comes to life with the song “Firefly” and its focus on atmospherics never plays strained. The tune “Santa Cruz” opens with a mix of ambient electronica before spartan acoustic guitar swells out of the mix alongside Crandall’s dreamlike, smoky mid-register singing. It’s one of the album’s shorter tracks and pairs up well with the next song and album closer “Sun Sun True”, a practically raga-like electric guitar workout with big, ringing chords and an inspired vocal from Crandall. This song closes Deep in the Waves with much of the same individual air surrounding the songs from the first cut onward. Anyone who appreciates fine, stylistically diverse songwriting will find much to admire on this release.

Samantha Leon - s/t (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.samanthaleonmusic.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/samanthaleonmusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/samleon_music

Video Teaser: https://youtu.be/v5I3R_SURcg

Written by Mike Tabor, posted by blog admin

New York’s own Samantha Leon is a shiny newcomer on her debut EP, but she’s well-seasoned for it. This beautiful young future star is going places with her wise-choice influences and living up to them in the process. She might even surpass some of them, if she continues to release this quality of product. It has been said that she puts her heart into it, and that is an understatement. She can sound like Adele or Sarah McLachlan in the same song. She has a soft, but very big voice, and her lyrics are cutting-edge. The kind you have got to reckon with, even when she goes below the belt to make her point.

“Bright Yellow Shoes” leads the show and picks back up later with separate versions/mixes, and the first one is considerably better. This brings her voice into the fore and it grabs you and doesn’t let go. Only then are you starting to pick up on her lyrics too. The sound of her voice captivates all on its own. These are layers she gets you completely into. This isn’t some lo-fi production either. She sings her lights out and proceeds to hook you in one fell swoop with this. Every debut starts with a fabulous opener and this is no exception to that rule. She knocked it out of the park.

And this is followed-up by the fun, but completely different animal that is “High” with its lyrical subject matter taking on a more or less desired approach. You either like what she’s chosen to sing about or not, but there’s an audience for it and her aim is dead on. I did laugh and you might as well lighten up if you don’t like it, but to be honest it does go a low place or two. It’s all basically inoffensive though, and maybe rectifiable on the next track if you are forgiving. “Run Away” has its cleaner lyrical content, but there is a bleep somewhere in there. However, this is ultimately a killer track.

I could go on about this one title alone, it’s that good. But there are different gears and speeds to switch on this group of songs and the backing tracks all cruise together so well it’s like a tub of butter. “Perfect” is another story altogether with Danny Matos taking it to another level. Hearing his do some magic with a smooth rap just seals the deal. I wouldn’t even worry about the rest, it’s a voice you want to hear, even if you’re not into this type of pop meets R&B stuff, there’s still an experience to take away from her first, and hopefully not last release. Samantha Leon has a long way to go, but she’s already there in many ways.

Grade: B+

Sarah Donner - Black Hole Heart (2016)

Website: https://www.sarahdonner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahdonner/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahdonner?lang=en

MUSIC VIDEO: (PHOENIX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13Jwyb-AnA

The beauty of real artistry in action is that it touches the heart through a combination of sincerity and simplicity. Few albums you’ll hear this year better embody that approach than Sarah Donner’s Black Hole Heart. Her interest in altruistic causes translates well into songwriting clearly manifesting a strong focus on storytelling and understanding what motivates human emotions. The dozen songs on this crowd-funded release aren’t the first from this important songwriting voice, but they rank high among her most clearly conceived efforts. Her musical style has often been referred to as pop-folk, but there are a number of moments on Black Hole Heart that are purist folk in its finest form and distinguished by a melodic directness that connects well with a wide audience rather than narrowly appealing to those hidebound by tradition. The musicianship on this release is quite strong and Donner’s performances are rendered with exquisite clarity by the production.

There’s a thematic consistency extending throughout the collection that gives it an additional cohesiveness. Her first song on Black Hole Heart, “Phoenix”, makes fine use of this timeless mythological story and it’s indicative of how well she occasionally uses common literary references to make larger points. This is where she introduces the album’s concept of imaginatively chronicling natural disasters and their effects on those who survive them – instead of being heavy handed, as all concepts have the potential to be, she artfully explores the theme. “Black Hole Heart” has much stronger pop music elements but they are brought into perfect accord with the spartan musical arrangement and everything comes off quite stylish without seeming too premeditated. Her voice is quite wonderful, but Donner’s intuitive understanding of her own gifts extends to a sharp ear for framing her voice in the best possible way with gentle and alluring vocal melodies. There’s a real hint of travail and struggle in the song and the sparse musical landscape is an ideal match for the material as it is elsewhere.

“Athena” is another strong musical character piece driven forward by a steady pace and sparkling mandolin work from Brad Sicote. She gives the song a little more bounce thanks to an equally sparkling vocal. The backing vocals on “The Longest Road” give it an ebullient demeanor quite unlike anything else on Black Hole Heart and it helps smooth over the rough edges inherent to the song’s narrative. The musical backing, once again, casts a bright light over listeners and keeps you involved from the first. “Big Big Heart” swells with a generous spirit of gratitude and deeper truths that never quell its very human spirit. There’s a very traditional grace infusing the album’s penultimate song “Sinking Ship” and the harmony vocals joining Donner’s voice at various points through the performance results in a priceless gem near the album’s conclusion. There are many riches in this collection and Sarah Donner’s heartfelt elegance never feels put on or overly affected. Black Hole Heart will win you over early and offers more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

Written by: William Cline

Grade: A