David Starr - The Head and Heart

URL: https://www.davidstarrmusic.com/

It’s hard to imagine a fan of country music who wouldn’t like this. David Starr’s voice is just so good, that it makes everything here work. There is a decent range of music, too. I would think that this might be a good “gateway” album to country music, too. It manages to have a mainstream appeal without leaning on the whole pop country schtick.

Star Blazers - Raining Fire

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

This is an album that’s all about punk rock fire. The passion and fury run deep here. This is no frills, under-produced magic. It’s the kind of thing that’s designed to get the blood pumping. It works very well in that regard.

The opening song bears the title “Don’t Let It Rain.” I keep wanting this to just kick in and drive hard and fast. It’s a slowly building tune that’s hard rocking and solid. It just seems to miss that push over the edge. Now, “How’d I Ever Live” is more like it. It has that drive and energy that was missing from the last cut.

Various Artists - Rescue Me! A Cause for Paws

RELATED ARTICLE: https://www.americanamusicmagazine.com/daily/americana-artists-support-shelter-pet-day/ 

This collection of songs was assembled to raise money for animal shelters. That’s a good cause. Much of the music here is based in folk music traditions. Doing good through causes is a big part of that sort of tradition. That makes it all fit together well. The music here is diverse and effective. Let’s look at the various contributions in more depth.  

Amilia K. Spicer - Wow and Flutter

URL: https://www.amiliakspicer.com/ 

Amilia K. Spicer has impressed many since her debut and each successive album has only further refined her talents and carried her to higher and higher levels. Her earlier music has been featured on a number of high profile cable television shows like “Roswell”, “Party of Five”, and “Dawson’s Creek” and there’s little wonder why. Each of the songs on Wow and Flutter has an evocative musical treatment never lacking for cinematic imagination and much of her songwriting has a strong storytelling aspect far outstripping offerings from this genre. Many performers are unfortunately reliant on invoking the past directly – Spicer never does. These songs reference past/traditional forms, but Spicer imbues them with a sense of life and experience lived that relying too heavily on the form’s tropes restricts. Pouring new wine into old bottles isn’t as easy as it sounds. Recordings artists and songwriters have to bring a distinctive sense of self to these works that shapes them in different, unexpected ways. 

THREEFIFTY – Gently Among the Coals

PRIMARY URL: https://www.threefiftymusic.com/

THREEFIFTY founders Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick just released their latest CD entitled “Gently Among Coals” in May of 2017. This music captures the essence of what I would call Bluegassy alt-rock and captures honest passion of gripping Americana Alt-pop perfectly or in the case of this red hot band quite effortlessly. The rhythms and slow burning vocals coupled with the heart tugging lyrics will cause you to think and comprehend life itself from a folk-rock “passionate” perspective shall we say. With a list of artistic and professional achievements as long as my arm I suspect these 2 are not new to this. In fact it’s quite clear to me these two are not only experienced, they could probably be heralded as someone to keep a watchful eye on this year. Ninety seconds into the first track “Crossing State Lines” two of the first things crossing your mind is: 1) How undeniably infectious the music sounds, and 2) why the heck haven’t I heard of THREEFIFTY before? But let’s not get to ahead of ourselves here. Track 1 “Crossing State Lines” lifts off the ground nicely. It’s a hooky prelude with a killer chorus and yes, it’s still ringing in my head. Track 2 “Allegiance” is another intriguing anthem which is probably my favorite track on the CD. “Andromeda” is an intellectual affirmation of sorts and delivers more epic-pop rock balladry and show how diverse their writing style can be. The CD as a whole does a nice job at offering a wide variety of media; some slow, some fast, some hard some poppy. All tracks are passionate, while some hit hard with a ring of truth to them. I especially like how instrumentation sort of flows with the music – never going against the grain. THREEFIFTY no doubt has a solid live show proving this is one band that believes in putting an emphasis on good playing and solid heartfelt vocals at their core. One of my favorite things about this CD is how their musical style sort of runs its natural course with pockets of bursting intensity then quickly withdraws again into melodic seclusion. I found this to be a very cool trait of this band. To go with this – I get the impression Parnell and Schulick are both kind of a master at matching this flow with passion of their playing with emotion.

Tow’rs – Grey’s Fidelity

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

Tow’rs is an up and coming, captivating 5 piece Alternative Rock band that come to us from Arizona and is headed up by husband and wife songwriting team Kyle and Gretta Miller. Let me start by saying these 5 deserves praise, recognition and musical fame at the international level – NOW! After doing some preliminary research I was very excited to check them out. I will say Grey’s Fidelity is one release that certainly doesn’t disappoint. This is one band that brings to the table effective songwriting via a highly passionate and polished musical delivery. This meshed with a one in a million Alternative Rock-Pop sound and Gold Standard songwriting makes for an effective combination. Tow’rs even touches on Alternative Rock and Folky-Pop with hints of Melodic Indie Pop along the way. All songs are wonderfully simple yet masterful in their overall arrangements. First impression - one gets the impression, early and often, that The Milers are very much guitar-unplugged oriented, almost to the point where everything else is either stripped down out or this in up close and personal setting. Brilliant approach! For this style of music this approach works extremely well thus putting the spotlight squarely on The Millers. The songwriting is far above average, with earthy tones, music that naturally run their course never under duress, and a wide variety of American tidbits offering the bulk of what makes this 11 track CD so impactful and enjoyable.

Amilia K. Spicer - Fill Me Up

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/amilia-k-spicer 

“Fill Me Up” is the first single from Pennsylvania bred singer/songwriter Amilia K. Spicer’s new album Wow and Flutter. It’s the natural next step in a career burning with tremendous talent from her first efforts onward. The rarity of an artist of any age, gender, or genre to emerge so fully rounded as Spicer did and her skills have grown exponentially since her debut. Spicer’s fully rounded skills extend far past her memorable vocals – this isn’t a case of a singer elevating otherwise pedestrian material. Instead, Spicer’s newest song shows how capable she is of bringing together genuine lyrical facility with musical acumen in a package ensured to entertain anyone who hears it. This is music that communicates instead of attempting to impress listeners with its virtuosity and the statement it makes is as human as it comes. The vulnerability and musicality on display in “Fill Me Up” is an excellent look into the new album from Spicer. 

Gwyneth Moreland – Cider

URL: https://www.gwynethmoreland.com/ 

The songwriting brilliance personifying Gwyneth Moreland’s album Cider is further reinforced by musical excellence that plays in an easy going, confident fashion. Her talents are the beating heart of the album, but she’s accompanied by an array of first class musical contributors like drummer Ralph Humprey and pedal steel player Gene Parsons. Collaborators such as this are a clear clue that Cider isn’t just a strictly folk release – classic country and blues influences run through the songwriting as well and they are further enriched by her poetic feel for songwriting that remains accessible throughout and never risks obscurity. Moreland emerges from these ten songs as one of the most formidably talented songwriters, any genre, working on the indie scene today and her profile is sure to only grow as a result of this album. She’s a fine interpreter of her own material and surrounded by the right people to help make her ambitions come to fruition.