We recently featured this co-ed folk duo for their single “Poison & Wine” on our weekly jukebox. Their impeccable harmonies and musical synergy made for the perfection combination of audible harmony. Honestly, the first time I heard them I was reminded of The Swell Season, a group made famous by the modern motion picture musical “Once” released in 2006. The Civil Wars had the same type of energy and passion for the music as The Swell Season, and it really showed.
Their latest (and first official) release, Barton Hollow, exemplifies their “musical synergy”, a term first coined earlier in the first paragraph of this post by me. The album is a tribute to folk music with each track generating the kind of traditional, simple acoustic sound you’d expect from artists like Ray LaMontagne or Amos Lee. Singers John Paul White and Joy Williams first met at a camp for aspiring songwriters and immediately recognized their potential as a duet. Lucky for us, that partnership led to the creation of an EP and, now, their first full-length album.
Barton Hallow includes a recording of “Poison & Wine” along with other powerful tracks including “C’est la Mort” and the title track “Barton Hallow”. You’ll find a great mix of blue-sy, soulful folk songs that exhibit both singers vocal talent and smooth harmonies. Oddly enough, co-lead singer John Paul White also has an odd resemblance to Johnny Depp. Maybe it’s the goatee.
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We loves us some Amos Lee. He is one of the more soulful, powerful male singers we’ve heard in a while and he consistently puts out music that captures his style, emotion and fervor. He’s a man of many musical tastes which is exemplified in his music. You’ll hear the acoustic singer-songwriter background in just about every song, but he adds in splashes of blues, soul, R&B, country and folk to give a well-rounded signature sound that travels with him on every album he makes.
His latest release, Mission Bell, is no exception. It pulls in inspiration from all of these different styles and is absolutely Amos Lee. Admittedly I’ve always been a fan of the Philadelphian singer-songwriter, but something about the consistency in which he creates memorable albums is an accomplishment most artists can only aspire to. Many times when trying to explain his music to someone that has never heard it, I call him the male Norah Jones. He has a perfectly tuned voice that exemplifies the melody without overpowering the simple background accompaniment (which is most often just an acoustic guitar.)
If you haven’t heard of Amos Lee or simply haven’t gotten around to checking out his music, make this your New Year’s resolution. His self-titled album as well as his sophomore release Supply and Demand got me hooked and are guaranteed to get you hooked too.
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I love The Decemberists. Especially in January. They have that perfect mix of folk and rock that always leaves you wanting more. The sound is contagious, and they honestly have major problems creating songs that are not good. Ok, I guess I wouldn’t say that it’s a “problem” more a blessing, but either way they have a knack for creating pure acoustic gold. With elements of Neil Young and Bob Dylan (as you’ll notice with the first blow of the harmonica), they draw on old-school folk and even some country-blues elements with soulful slide guitar and powerful vocals.
Their latest release The King Is Dead is a soulful delivery of impeccable harmonies and relaxing instrumentation. Like Enya except not. Or possibly like Kenny G, except also not. I’ve always appreciated their incredible combination of traditional folk instruments and styling to create a completely unique sound that’s instantly recognizable as The Decemberists. And with six albums currently out, they are obviously doing something right. If you stood their fan base shoulder to shoulder, the line would wrap around the world six times. That is a completely amazing fact I may or may not have just made up, but I’m sure it’s pretty close. I mean, they have a lot of fans.
Honestly, if you like The Decemberists or even just great relaxing music, you should definitely check out their latest release The King Is Dead. We promise you’ll be satisfied. And it has nothing to do with Enya. We also promise that.
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First and foremost, any time a band decides to take their name from a “Black Betty” lyric, your eyebrows should pique with interest. When one of those words is a swear word, it should become pretty clear pretty quickly that this is going to be a band with a strong propensity for badassery. Take all that and add to it the fact that The Damned Things is comprised of members from Fall Out Boy, Anthrax, and Every Time I Die, and the group’s debut album “Ironiclast” is a can’t-miss.
It’s hard to explain how this record works stylistically other than the fact that it really is a perfect hybrid between hardcore ‘80s metal and modern-day alternative pop. Everything rocks, but everything is also commercially viable. It’s a legitimately odd sound that works on a level I’m not sure you can even begin to understand.
Scott Ian and Joe Trohman, the guitarists for the supergroup, said they were going for a sort of Led Zeppelinish classic rock vibe driven by hardcore riffs like what Anthrax and Every Time I Die traditionally use, as well as the catchy melody-driven hooks that made Fall Out Boy so popular. There’s a ton of instrumental improvisation during breakdowns, and songs like “We’ve Got A Situation Here” and “A Great Reckoning” show the versatility of the group.
Usually when we review a new album, we say something like, “Almost every song on the album is a winner,” but in this case we’re throwing out the “almost.” There’s no need for it. For fans of straight up rock, or pop-alt, or metal, there’s something for you on this album. It’s crazy good, folks. I mean, The Damned Things go wild on this project. What else would one expect them to do?
Redman has always been one of those rappers you just had to listen to. His bubbly and raucous vocal style combined with what have always been hard-hitting yet ridiculous lyrics have made him both extremely fun and extremely respectable as far as modern-day rappers are concerned.
But in “Reggie,” his seventh studio album, Redman takes a new approach to his music in an attempt to branch out a bit as an artist. Think Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show;” everybody expected comedy, but what they got was something completely different, yet still surprisingly watchable.
The new record is, as Redman puts it, written in the voice of Reggie Noble, the rapper’s real name. Oddly, he calls Reggie a pseudonym, even though, ya know, it’s not, but either way the gimmick breathes life into a Redman album that’s quite a bit different from his predecessors. I don’t want to call it more serious, necessarily, just less ridiculous.
Musically, it’s about 300% more pop-friendly than anything you’ve ever heard from Mr. Raunchy in a while. EPMD’s Erick Sermon didn’t produce a single track on this album—the first time that’s ever happened—and what’s left is a gaggle of tracks that could easily find their way to Top 40 radio. “Def Jammable,” “Lift It Up,” and “Lemme Get 2” are just a few of the songs with potential to hit, but the entire album has rife with tracks that give it a level of replayability I haven’t seen in many hip-hop albums this year.
And my favorite thing about the album—no skits—something I know a handful of hip-hop purists love but I loathe because it breaks up the flow of the music. It’s just one more indication that “Reggie” is a different kind of Redman album, one that closes out the 2010 music season with a vigor only Redman could manage.
