Indie Music Reviews

James Raftery – Everything

published on April 3, 2017

James Raftery – Everything

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xER7bHph7S4

“Everything”, the title song from James Raftery’s first album under his own name, marks a significant turning point in the career of a performer who has worked for the last decade and a half as Rat Wakes Red. His presence in the New York City music scene commands great respect and much of that good will surely informs the reception this release will receive, but Raftery clearly has a breadth of vision capable of taking on many forms and manifesting equal appeal in those areas. Many might think synthesizer dominated music isn’t capable of connecting emotionally with a widespread audience, but the way Raftery uses those instruments immediately discredits such assumptions. Everything shows tremendous ability for physically and mentally engaging listeners and has an overall presentation assured to draw in Raftery’s longtime fans and newcomers alike. “Everything” is an appropriate title – there’s a little bit of everything in this song to draw people in.

Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally Band - Baby, Let’s Take the Long Way Home

published on April 3, 2017

Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally Band - Baby, Let’s Take the Long Way Home

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

The inaugural studio effort of Nell Robinson and the Jim Nunally Band’s collaboration is a twelve song album entitled Baby, Let’s Take the Long Way Home. This pairing is truly an all-star event in Americana/roots and bluegrass music. It brings together one of the purest modern exponents of traditional bluegrass in Nunally and his fellow band members, all highly respected bluegrass and country musicians possessing a long list of credits, with a vocal marvel in Nell Robinson. Robinson has garnered a reputation as her generation’s natural heir to Patsy Cline, but it does her tremendous disservice to imply she’s some modern clone. Instead, Robinson has a marvelously evocative voice that never sounds deliberate or slips into melodrama. She securely tethers herself to the required emotion for each part and delivers them with impressive naturalness. The chemistry these two musical powers share is palpable.

Susan Calloway - Time for This

published on April 3, 2017

Susan Calloway - Time for This

URL: https://www.susancalloway.com/

Susan Calloway is an enormous talent, a continually rising star. Her contribution to the Final Fantasy video game brand, a track entitled “Answers”, resonated so powerful with those who heard it that it scored Calloway a surprise indie hit. Her quick rise is enabled, in part, but her creative partner and producer Gerard Smerek. His presence and musical instincts help shape “Time for This” into the impressive emotional and aural experience it results in for listeners. This clearly represents Calloway upping her musical game and the head-turning presence she provides through the performance is certainly to elevate her professional profile several rungs. “Time for This” is impressive from start to finish and has a masterful build capable of enchanting any listener. She uses her voice as a tool to open her heart and we are lucky to be afforded a glimpse.

Cost of Attrition - There You Go

published on April 2, 2017

Cost of Attrition - There You Go

BANDCAMP: https://costofattrition.bandcamp.com/album/there-you-go

Wheeler Castaneda and Joshua Grow, vocals and instruments respectively, are Cost of Attrition. The Indianapolis based twosome play a mixed but coherent sound with pop/rock, metal, and electronica tendencies. Their focus here falls largely in the pop/rock and metal spectrum, but it’s never handled with club-footed obviousness. Their songs aren’t full of high flown subject matter, but they have intelligent and dramatic construction that brings listeners immediately into their musical experience. Their debut EP There You Go has three immensely likeable songs with irrepressible energy and Castaneda’s performances each time out help the band to own these tracks in a way few young bands are capable of making happen. There You Go is an action packed, passionate collection of songs that introduces this duo to the larger musical world in the best of all possible lights.

Kanisha K - Bet On Me

published on April 1, 2017

Kanisha K - Bet On Me

REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/kanishak/song/26083849-bet-on-me

Kanisha K has already experienced considerable commercial success and relatively early on in her career. The assortment of endorsement deals she’s received from national outlets like Abercrombie and Fitch and Victoria’s Secret, among others, indicate a rising public profile aided by the high quality of her music and commanding performances. The latest in her string of successful singles, “Bet on Me”, should further hasten her rise into mainstream success and she should be content that she’s accomplished this in a variety of ways. Rather than just being another pretty face, Kanisha has arrived at this point thanks to the sheer dint of hard work, ample talents, and surrounding herself with quality collaborators interested in fostering a successful career path for her and assisting her in realizing her musical ambitions. “Bet on Me” signifies another turn in Kanisha K’s energetic ride towards pop stardom and a discography able to withstand posterity’s sometimes withering glare.

Roadcase Royale - Get Loud

published on March 25, 2017

Roadcase Royale - Get Loud

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7Yl_On_lo

The first single from Nancy Wilson’s new side project Roadcase Royale, “Get Loud”, makes superb use of Liv Warfield’s vocal talents. Warfield, a former member of Prince’s New Power Generation, is respected by countless peers, but deserves to be a household name on the basis of performances like this. Wilson and Warfield are joined by the remaining members of Heart, sans Ann Wilson, and Warfield’s musical collaborator and long time Prince protégé Ryan Waters. Based on song title alone, some listeners might be rather surprised by the track’s comparatively laid back nature. Audiences, however, will find themselves quickly drawn into the relaxed groove of the arrangement and the cool confidence emanating from every quarter. Roadcase Royale provides something fresh and modern with this release – guitar driven music that glows with a lot of contemporary appeal while still invoking the band’s influences in recognizable way.

Blue Mafia - Hanging Tree

published on March 23, 2017

Blue Mafia - Hanging Tree

URL: https://www.bluemafiaband.com/

The third studio release from Indiana based bluegrass adherents Blue Mafia, Hanging Tree, marks a new artistic high point for this five piece band. The band is the brainchild of members and married couple Tony and Dara Wray, but they never command the spotlight. Blue Mafia, instead, is a clear band with undeniable chemistry and an easy going sense of mission. The personable manner they approach this traditional music reflects their confidence, but it is clear that they labor mightily to get these songs sounding exactly like they want. The result is a collection that neither holds itself hidebound to merely regurgitate some modern approximation of bluegrass nor veers so far from away from the traditional spirit as to render itself unrecognizable. Hanging Tree will appeal to purists and casual fans alike and has depth found in few modern releases.

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Leah Capelle – Joshua

published on March 21, 2017

Leah Capelle – Joshua

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69tz7iV0JwI

This is a mesmerizing follow up to Windy City based singer/songwriter Leah Capelle’s self-titled debut. The three song sophomore release Joshua features the same sympathetic and often poetic songwriting sensibility listeners heard on her first effort while developing new depths that make this material an even more rewarding experience. The personal touch Capelle brings to her art makes the listening experience an even richer affair without saddling the tracks with self-indulgent moments or an inordinate amount of pretense. These are deceptively simple compositions that are, nevertheless, quite accessible. They are driven by evocative melodies that never overstretch and stay focused on every necessary note and never a single more. The production fields a variety of instruments and textures with impressive facility and an ear for judiciously balancing those elements yet weaving musical tapestries capable of lingering with the audience. Joshua is as fine of a release as you’ll yet hear in 2017.