Indie Music Reviews

Karen Littman - The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free

published on November 21, 2017

Karen Littman - The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free

Karen Littman’s first album, a sixteen song collection entitled The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free, is a musical creative outburst quite unlike anything else you’ll encounter in the mainstream or indie music scenes of 2017. Littman waited until much later in life, for a variety of reasons, before recording her first album, but she’s been writing songs since her childhood and the development of years pursuing her art shows in every track on this release. There’s never any sense of her exhausting herself creatively despite the lengthy running time of the album. The melodic strengths of The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free are considerable and she has a facility with the lyrical content that demonstrates a distinctly literary flair while still maintaining a conversational accessibility. It’s an album that’s literally been a lifetime in the making and packs all the expected punch of such a work.

FXRRVST - May XXVI

published on November 19, 2017

FXRRVST - May XXVI

URL: https://www.fxrrvst.net/

This is an album that chooses a moderately wide musical range and can literally do anything within that area and still sound mighty. The musical team of Matthew Fuentes and Holly Forrest, collectively known as FXRRVST, is modern down to the unusual name for the project they lead, but they obviously know how to write songs that appeal to a wide base. Each of the nine songs on their debut XXVI has the necessary elements to draw the attention of more discerning musical fans, but there’s plenty that the novice or casual fan will love, particularly thanks to the duo’s high propensity for melody. Even on the all out guitar workouts, melody remains crucial to everything they do and is, at least, a little under half of their whole musical equation. The other important tools in their box are a world class singing talent who has, essentially, just begin and Matthew Fuentes’ guitar contributions. He’s never club or heavy footed and, instead, I can actively hear him trying to remake the refashion these songs for a modern audience. I respect the effort here and there.

Mike Derek – My Dad

published on November 4, 2017

Mike Derek – My Dad

MP3RED: https://mp3red.cc/album/5962592/my-dad.html

Mike Derek’s concerts consist of a live performance at Civic Square in Kitchener, which was well received by an audience of over 300 people of all age groups. His big break came when he entered a singing competition in Nashville and was selected as one of two people who auditioned to record with famed Producer Richard Donahue. Richard set up a three-track demo at Landshark Studios in Nashville and the rest is history. Mike recorded a single “Down in the Boondocks,” then a ten-track album called Escape. He has been compared to Frank Sinatra Michael Buble in style and content. “My Dad” is his latest single.

Phil Varca and the SlamJammers - Cash and Don’t Push Me

published on November 4, 2017

Phil Varca and the SlamJammers - Cash and Don’t Push Me

URL: https://www.philvarcaandtheslamjammers.com/

These two new singles from New York City blues rock trio Phil Varca and the SlamJammers represent another high point in the life of a band that’s been steadily gigging through different incarnations since 1989 and currently enjoys their longest serving lineup since first forming. Their run has been distinguished by a variety of factors but, in the nearly three decades that they’ve existed as a force on the scene, they’ve opened for and supported a wide variety of powerful acts – among them, Buddy Guy, Robin Trower, and Joe Bonamassa. This sort of exposure testifies to their talents and the respect they are accorded by their peers. Their two latest singles, “Cash” and “Don’t Push Me”, reflect the skills that have propelled them through a nearly thirty year run and show them to be a band far from content merely just turning out some new workmanlike material from time to time.

MkX - Ghost

published on November 3, 2017

MkX - Ghost

URL: https://www.mynameismkx.com/

MkX is a young vocalist and writer working in a cross-section of hip-hop, pop, and R&B styles with a strong sense of visual presentation to boot. The process of writing, recording, and performing is an intensely personal journey for MkX and one that’s intended to do more than merely entertain. It does entertain, however, based on an across the board mastery of what makes top shelf pop music in 2017 while still embracing the fundamentals that have always gone into making a song memorable. The connections his music is able to establish with listeners are formidable – MkX doesn’t present himself as some budding star somehow set apart from the experiences of everyday life – his popular single “The Look” established him as a master of relating to his audience. “Ghost”, his latest single, does the same and shows exponential growth for this luminescent and wildly talented young artist.

Flatt Lonesome - Silence in These Walls

published on October 30, 2017

Flatt Lonesome - Silence in These Walls

URL: https://flattlonesome.com/

Flatt Lonesome has come a long way since their 2013 self titled debut. They’ve enjoyed stunning chart success, a busy touring schedule for appreciative crowds, and even graced the stage of what remains the pre-eminent venue in country music, Nashville’s Grand Old Opry. The six member band is a family affair; the axis of Robertson and Harrigill’s anchoring the band’s creativity and the across the board musical gifts fueling the dozen songs included on Silence in These Walls makes for a dizzying combination. They tackle the material with a breezy effortlessness that picks up even the darkest songs with their melodic skill and the multi-part harmonies frequently supporting the primary vocalist sweeten otherwise heavy material and make it even more entertaining. This isn’t just some academic exercise from top notch musicians hitting their marks in a specific way; Flatt Lonesome, more and more, specialize in original material, present a multi-faceted songwriting approach including inspirational songs, and use this music as a modern method of self expression while never flinching from making use of the style as they see fit.

Trevor Drury - Trip to the Water

published on October 30, 2017

Trevor Drury - Trip to the Water

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/7AlhKViMR7US9SgEqFQeul

Style, artistry, and entertainment. Trevor Drury is a young singer/songwriter whose been honing these qualities since first developing a passion for music at a young age and his pursuit carried him far from his musical childhood into higher education and beyond. His physical gifts have also allowed him the opportunity to enjoy a successful modeling career, but notoriety in that realm has always taken second place to his true love. The latest single from this Southern California native, “Trip to the Water”, shows immense stylishness, a structured and sophisticated approach to delivering its message, and packs enough pizzazz to draw in a large audience of new and old admirers alike. Drury, despite a relatively brief musical career so far, brings us different sounds with each new release, but there’s a commonality stretching across those recordings. Trevor Drury is intent on conveying himself to the audience with eye and ear catching flair, but always has something intensely real and meaningful to offer anyone willing to accompany him on the journey.

Donna Ulisse - Breakin’ Easy

published on October 23, 2017

Donna Ulisse - Breakin’ Easy

URL: https://www.donnaulisse.com/

Breakin’ Easy is the latest album from Donna Ulisse, a twelve song collection firmly entrenched in country/bluegrass traditions. that don’t find much commercial favor in our modern world, but Ulisse seems gloriously oblivious to that fact. This is clearly music she loves and her command over its tropes and characteristics is total – we never feel like this is someone trying a new style on for size but, rather, that we’re in the hands of a performer and musical artist wholly confident in her understanding of the form and how to best use it to express herself. Much of the album can be neatly divided along bluegrass and classic country lines with a smattering of blues influence working its way in. The lyrical content definitely manages to find its way out of the customary boxes bluegrass and country tunes are lodged into, but Ulisse isn’t opposed to showing her mastery of traditional turns and subject matter in the genre.