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| Here is a guy born and raised in Texas but now living in the sunny California. Why do I write this for you? Well, it quite explains the sound of his album. It?s a mix between the southern part of the US (read 38 special and such) mixed with a more California-sound on a few tunes (Tim B Schmit etc). It?s quite well done without that extra edge that I need to get a real kick out of this sort of music. A few good songs and an ok production isn´t enough. There are a few tracks that stands out. ´Helicopters Over Hollywood´ is one and could have been on the Van Zant Brothers album they did a few years ago and the acoustic-driven ?Stare Me Down? another that is a typical John Prine sort of tune. But both Prine and the Van Zant guys have much more substance in their stuff. |
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19 year old Alexz Johnson is a Canadian actress and singer/songwriter best known for her performances in the movie Final Destination 3 and Canadian TV show Instant Star.
Alexz also sings all of the songs on the show, and has recorded two soundtrack albums: "Songs from Instant Star" and "Songs from Instant Star 2".
Instant Star features Alexz playing the younger Jude Harrison, a naive singer struggling with the emotional highs and lows of becoming a star.
She is currently taking Canada by storm and has co-written 5 songs of this album?s 14 tracks where Marc Jordan co-wrote the ballads "Time to be your 21" and "Your eyes".
I?m afraid that this doesn?t feel honest and sincere, she?s a talented singer but it all feels like a complete record label product with lots of different songwriters involved where the dollar signs rule before artistic freedom.
The new wave sounding "Stupid girl" is pretty cool and the opening track "24 hours" is another highlight with memorable hooks but all in all, there?s too much of a Disney vibe over this album.
Only for fans of Bratz and Hannah Montana. |
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Ana is a new talented and promising singer/songwriter that is working on her upcoming full length album with two production teams: Ghost (Johan Ekh? and Ulf Lindstr?m) and Marcus Black & Leif Larsson, who have had success with artists such as Robyn and Faith Hill.
"Life" is her 2nd single and it?s more guitardriven and more rocking than her first single titled "Cuz I can",her music is spinning both on radio and ZTV here in Sweden and she really deserves it because this is very nice and catchy modern rock.
You will be hearing more from this lady,be so sure. |
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Girl fronted modern rock with radio oriented songs is what this young talented Swedish singer Ana delivers on her debut album "The Way I am",she walks down the same neighbourhood as Anouk like a rockier version of The Bangles.
I reviewed her 2nd single "Life" not so long ago and I had some expectations that this album wouldn?t be too light and hit oriented but I?m afraid it is.
"L.A" could?ve been a tune with Susanna Hoffs and the Natalie Imbruglia sounding "Now it?s gone" is ofcourse beautiful but oh so ordinary,the track "Cuz I Can" rocks a bit more the Anouk way and the first single "The Way I Am" is a cool soft modern rocker in the same vein as Nine Days and Splender.
Ana sings really good and has the looks to make it in the big world but a rougher production wouldn?t hurt,more guitars more guitars.
The youth will love this,radio will play it and Ana will sell enough copies to make a 2nd album I?m sure....but for now the music is just too shallow. |
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Ana had a lot of success with the hitsingle "We are" from the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and her debut album "The way I am" brought her name on the map of rock.
However, I thought that album was a bit too light and wished she would use some more guitars on the next album.
I got what I wanted because "Little angel" is definitely more of a rock album compared to the first one, it?s heavier and more dynamic feat. the new single "Days of summer" which is one of poppiest tracks on the new album.
She?s been to Finland where she recorded a few tracks with the modern rock band Bleak, they also collaborated on the title theme "Fate" to the Finnish/Chinese movie "Jade Warrior".
The catchy "Exception" was co-written with Swedish singer Dilba and is a highlight along with the huge ballad "What if" that sounds like a future hit to me.
The upbeat rocker "Catch me if you can" sounds like something Joey Tempest could?ve written with Europe?s modern sound in mind.
Ana?s new album is a helluva lot better than the debut, I hope it?s not dead on arrival like so many albums are when they won?t score a hit.
Without the fillers "Spit it out" and "Still", this album would?ve gained 3,5 stars from me. |
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Do you like the Martin Stenmarck album?,well then-here?s another Swedish singer in the same modern rock/
pop vein as Martin named Anders Johansson who won the
Fame Factory contest here in Sweden.
But Martin Stenmarck is better though.......
Anders J. and another producer/composer named Chriz makes the
songwriting team Ace-music which are developing various material to artists around the world.
The Prize of the Fame contest was this debut album
from Anders and half of it is really good modern rock/pop but the other half reminds me too much of
some boybands out there,sooooo sugarsweet and filled
with cliche?s.
I can do without songs like "Save you","Last flight
out" and "She said" which are sounding like Westlife
or Point Break,and why did he do a cover of Bryan
Adams classic hit "Heaven"???!!!!,that is what I call
so unnecessary.....there are a few OK tunes with some
catchy vibes like "Lost and found","Thousand miles"
and "Where were you",they are quite uptempo so that?s
nice.
But the songs that saves the album and makes the
final rating A GOOD ONE!! are the rocking "It?s over"
and "Sooner or later" plus the opening track
"Without you",how some guitars can do so much for
the sound......this is what I want to hear more of
on the next album.
Call it nu-breed AOR or whatever,I call it great rock!
However,the whole album ends on the okay level on the
rating scale. |
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The good thing about Fame Factory winner Anders Johansson?s debut album "If it?s all I ever do" was that he turned up the guitars on a few tracks coz otherwise it had been too much of a syrup pop album.
I had hopes that he would do more rocking stuff on his new album "When I become me" but unfortunately,this one is even more polished and eurovision song contest based.......a few tunes also has those boyband vibes that doesn?t do any good for Johansson?s music.
The new album opens with 2 ok tracks - "When I become me" and "Stay with me" that goes in the same style as the good songs from the debut,also the uptempo pumping "I?m outta love again" is one of the better tracks here.
But there are too many ballads and where are the guitars? |
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| This guy used to play a lowkey midwest type of singer songwriter pop - Even in his band Planet Waves they had that approach. Now hes more into U2 and Radiohead and that mixed up with his own sense of melodies, the result is more than promising. His first single "Glorious" is a superb killer and there are more of that on the album, without saying the album is superb all through. Its not. There are a few lacks of good tunes, but overall a really nice piece of plastic that you can discover if you like modern pop with a rock edge. Good stuff. |
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| Toronto based Andrew Jackson deliver classic rock in a modern version, his 14 track album "Feral Familiar" is a 100% rocknroll affair that stands as far away from mainstream pop music as you can get. The guitars are rough and loud, Andrew´s vocal performance ain´t exactly polished and follows the path of how X-Factor and American Idol wants their contestants to sound like. But if you´re a fan of artists like The Rolling Stones, Marc Bolan, Billy Idol and Talking Heads, you might like Andrew Jackson´s Feral Familiar album. With smokin rock songs like "Grinder", "Big baby" and "Eugene Nixon", Andrew J will go far. This is good stuff. |
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Just like the James Brown song "Living in America", the Swede Billy Johnson is living the dream in America as a real talented singer/songwriter. He formed Billy Johnson´s Roadshow in 2001 which still plays around Minnesota but it took another 8 years for Billy to release his first solo disc "It´s a good life". My thoughts go to a small smokey bar on a late thursday night where the band is playing groovy and jazzy blues rock songs when I listen to Billy Johnson´s album.
The sound is more acoustic driven than electric and there are traces of both southern rock and midwest rock in Billy´s songs, somewhere between Shawn Mullins and Allman Brothers. I think the album is a bit uneven but Billy´s voice is the highlight here, he sings very good and songs like "So c´mon and take my hand", "Oh Emily" and "It´s a good life" feels like a treat for the ears. |
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| Nashville based Brent James has created a nice mix of classic rock and modern rock on his new album "Moment of silence", I think of his music as great road trip songs for long trips in the car. Imagine a mix between Better Than Ezra, Tonic and Bon Jovi and we´re close to the sound of "Moment of silence". At times, he feels like a more rocking Gavin DeGraw without the piano but this is mostly a rootsy rock album where the song "My Mona Lisa" sounds like a given hit to me. |
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There is one big problem with this album. I don?t remember it after I listened to it. And that is quite a sad thing to do when you have listened to an album in a genre you like a lot. With that said I can?t say that Brian?s album is bad. It?s not. It?s just so ?in the middle of the road? so I can?t really bother. The voice is more than OK and so is the production. The songwriting is also OK, but it doesn?t grab me for a second. Or I shouldn?t say ?for a second? because there are a few tracks that stands out a little bit from the rest and that is the beautiful ?Patience? and the soft and naked ?Lullaby for Mom And Dad?.
That is a really nice song with his voice close to the microphone and a trumpet as the companion. Lovely. It?s a pity that he doesn?t show that side a little bit more on the album. |
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Yippie freekin hallaballooo... This is pure modern singer songwriter
heaven
for all you lovers of melodic refrain madness. Imagine a vibe of Jude
Cole,
Troy Newman, Bebo Norman, John Mayer and Burlap To Cashmere and... well
you
can imagine the rest... The album starts out in a fantastic way. First
out
you have the straight ahead rocker "Hold On Tight" and second out you
have
the amazing "Squeeze" that could have been on the last Troy Newman
album or
one of the hits from John Mayers latest album. Third out "The Swimmer"
smells Burlap To Cashmere a long way and fifth out, the melancholic and
acoustic driven "Day Past A Child" is a real charmer as well. And then
we
have the voice of the guy. Phew. Just right up the valley of Mr
Winbergs
taste!!! Nah, folks, its unnecessary to sit here and write more
superlatives. If you like me, adore this side of the music-scene do
yourself
a favour and buy yourself a copy of this CD today. I know that Im weak
for
this kinda music, and Im sure damn proud and happy for that. |
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One of my favorite folk artist Christopher Jak returns with a couple of new EPs. After his latest albums he spent time as a producer for bands as The Heyday and The Northern Way but now he is back and Leadfoot Lover EP is the first release with the FolK EP coming later this spring. On this EP, which is only available digitally Jak present us four songs, three new and an acoustic version of his biggest hit "Begin to Cry".
First out is the title track and it is a song that could have been taken from his New Nostalgia album, a nice up-tempo song. Second out is "Strong Enough" and no, it is not a cover of Sheryl Crow or Cher either for that matter. This song has a slower tempo and is more acoustic but it is just as good. The third one, "Good Boy", is a mix of them both, acoustic but with a higher tempo. Last song out is the acoustic version of "Begin to Cry" and I really like it every time I get to hear a good song stripped down to the core. If you like that original song you will probably like this version as well.
Somehow Jak manages to get really personal with his songs as they feel really intimate and interesting. If you like what he has done before you should "run" to your nearest digital store and get a copy asap. I rather listen to Mr. Jak than Mr. Mayer to be honest. Good to have you back! |
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Second out of Mr. Jak´s new EPs is this one, called FolK EP. Here we get four more songs and this time they are all new. From the first listening these songs feel softer than those on Leadfoot Lover EP. It is just Jak and a guitar and it brings memories from his Applause of the Rain album. His work as a producer has brought up the level on these EPs and there is not much more to wish for from the production.
These songs hit me right in the heart as they are honest and intimate in a way that not many artists can manage. I like Jak better when he plays scaled down and this EP shows plenty of promise. It is not easy to pick a favorite as these are four very strong songs. If I have to choose one it would have to be, hmm, "Breaking". Or maybe it is "Birds", I do not know. Oh well, every song on here could be picked as my favorite so I will leave it up to you to decide your favorite.
If you get the Leadfoot Lover EP you have to make sure that you get this one as well as I think it is better. With small means Jak has made a big EP. One of the best EPs you will hear this year and that is a certain. Jak told me in an interview that there might be an album on its way. If he can bundle up the best songs from the EPs along with more new ones that would be sweet. In the meantime this will do just fine though. |
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