Southern Soul with Franky

Beats with DJ R-Sin

Jillian Speer – Daggers & Suede (EP)

URL: https://www.jillianspeer.com/

I recently checked out the latest CD from Southern California based female vocalist Jillian Speer entitled “Daggers & Suede” Right away I would put this production in the upper 5% of what I receive every year – especially within the pop realm. “Daggers” as a whole possesses advanced to elite playing skills. Speer commands an advanced to elite singing and songwriting ability. You will find a musical personality that is hooky yet poppy that quite simply - takes no prisoners. Timing is spot on within all 6 musical grooves. Vocals from Speer are at times powerful, melancholy, soulful, boldly honest and hot to the touch but more importantly she knows how to turn it on when the time is right. To go with this last comment - the strongest aspect of the production is the powerful feel you get from Speer behind the microphone. The music: possesses straight forward smooth as silk pop. All in all great music to get your head wrapped around. Very invigorating and therapeutic music and lyrical content. Songs will remind you of Polica, HAIM, Lamamiwhoami, Yelle, Neon Hitch, Sleigh Bells and Dragonstte. Vocally she is comparable to the likes of Jamelia, Ana Popovich, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Janiva Magnessi. The songs: Simply put - music delivers the upbeat and downbeat of life itself. Like the mysterious yet striking title implies with thought provoking lyrical content rich in topics like love, life and priceless wisdom along the way. I kept waiting for a weak song to come - I eventually gave up on that. The vibe: Overall very honest, striking, powerful and at times melancholy album with amazing stories that possess incredible and impassioned highs and lows. CD does a good job at capturing all this.

Take a Walk in Nick Pagan's "Food Forest"

Kevin Sherwood - 8 Years Later

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/8-years-later/id998760040

If you crave acoustic elegance, there will be no better CD this year than Kevin Sherwood’s 8 Years Later. He is the modern day epitome of that legendary, travelling folk player with nothing on his back but an acoustic guitar. Not only does he have those old musical values and roots pressed tightly to his heart but he isn’t afraid to experiment with auxiliary instruments on this borderline masterpiece.

Nashaat Salman - Universal Melodies Vol. 1

BANDCAMP: https://universalmelodies.bandcamp.com/

It’s apparent from the poly-harmonic keyboards lines that intro the first track “Summer Night Joey” that this is an album of soaring heights. The three to the point songs included on Nashaat Salman’s debut Universal Melodies Vol. 1 are of the highest quality and incisive in the way instrumentation wraps around the senses like a warm blanket.

Immediate in its intimacy, “Summer Night Joy” imbeds itself into the mind as its lucid keys shimmer and ripple like the calm waves of the sea. The ethereal surrealism of the interlocking keyboards melodies are akin to the forces of nature in motion. This would be great music to listen to while taking a hike into the woods. Everything moves in a deliberate trot with just enough kinetic energy to keep it interesting. Once an organic crescendo is reached thanks to some stellar horn segments, the song tosses and turns into slight variations on a theme in terms of the piano and standard keyboard harmonies. This is the only track on the EP to feature a stringer instrument and the sitar provides another aspect for the ears to become enraptured with.

Intimate Dream - Wonderful Thing

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

The Minnesota based outfit Intimate Dream isn’t bad, but they are just a little bit disjointed across this EP. The 6 songs hop genres a little too much for their own good, leaving an entertaining collection of music that would benefit from being one thing as opposed to many. Still, what’s included is listenable enough with stirring guitar work all throughout.

The title track is an alright introduction, but it is by far the least dynamic and most plaintive number on the recording. It’s a standard, radio friendly tune with electric/acoustic textures and the obligatory chorus. Even the subject matter, which centers on pining for a girl out of reach, hardly raises the flag about the “standard fare” level. Thankfully, this so/so piece is offset by the explosive “In Your Head.” Vocalist/guitarist Hugh Faulds borderlines his vocals on a near shout here with the entire band falling his lead; the guitars ignite with an overload of fireworks, the drummer spices up the material in a volley of snare fills and the bassist practices his best alley cat slink. There’s a crunch to this material that would have suited it as a better as an opener than the one chosen.

Jupiter in Velvet - The World Didn’t Start With U

URL: https://www.jupiterinvelvet.com/

If you want to hear the envelope pushed in terms of what rock music can be, one man band Jupiter in Velvet aims to please on The World Didn’t with U. It’s hard to believe this is the work of a single player, because there is so much going on it sounds like a quartet or quintet is ripping it full blast.