Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad “Make It Better” Rootfire Cooperative livepanda.com If there was ever any question where Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad fits in the roots reggae food chain, the band’s new 10-cut album, “Make It Better,” makes it abundantly clear: the top, baby. The Rochester band returns to its trademark deep-dish roots after […]
Album Review
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Rearview Mirror”
Hanna and the Blue Hearts “Rearview Mirror” Self-released hearhanna.com Here’s a six-song serving of poppy, jazzy goodness in your ear. Hanna and the Blue Hearts’ debut, “Rearview Mirror,” lends itself to a gently irresistible shag, shuffle, and shake. The band — a crack team of Rochester sidemen — is totally in the pocket as it […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Wheel of Time”
Ernie Watts “Wheel of Time” Flying Dolphin Records erniewatts.com Over a long and illustrious career, saxophonist Ernie Watts has played with jazz greats like Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, and Ella Fitzgerald, and pop stars like Carole King, Marvin Gaye, and Steely Dan, just to name a few. His new album, “Wheel of Time,” featuring his […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Metamorphosis”
Leon Foster Thomas “Metamorphosis” Ropeadope Records leonfosterthomas.com If you are tired of the same old instrumentation in jazz bands, let me introduce you to Leon Foster Thomas. Raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Thomas tears the steel pan away from its calypso roots and transports it firmly into the realm of jazz. Thomas, an absolute virtuoso […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Louddy Jack”
Louddy Jack “Louddy Jack” Self-released cdbaby.com/artist/louddyjack There’s precious little about this band online. In fact, I couldn’t find a damn thing. Nada. So let’s look at what we do have, namely the band’s self-titled disc that came across my desk. The album is a classic, mid-tempo head-banger combining a serious bump and drive with plenty […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Experience”
Ed Iseley “Experience” Self-released ediseleyexperience.com With a plaintive guitar approach and a beautiful baritone that could easily be suited for a lullaby, Rochester singer-songwriter Ed Iseley looms large with his new album, “Experience,” amid his own reflections and ruminations. And as serious as his lyrics spell each song’s story out, Iseley seems to start with […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Working Stiffs Unite!”
Sisters of Murphy “Working Stiffs Unite!” Silverdish Records sistersofmurphyband.com This record is positively beau-ticious. “Working Stiffs Unite!” is a fresh, fast, and fun kiss on the mouth. Sisters of Murphy plays slick and fast but manages to keep the rubber side down. And when it comes to putting the hammer down and letting fly, the […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Haunted Island Phantoms”
Haunted Island Phantoms “Haunted Island Phantoms” Self-released hauntedislandphantoms.bandcamp.com Here’s a concept album that I never thought I’d see come across my radar. “Haunted Island Phantoms” is from Rochester musician Rick Yogis (The Isotopes), and he’s giving the acoustic, one-man-band boogie treatment to the caper-based narratives found in Scooby Doo’s classic tales. It’s songs about knights, […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Mulberry Soul”
Mulberry Soul “Mulberry Soul” Self-released Mulberrysoul.com Arising out of the Rochester Folk Art Guild and the picturesque vista that is Naples is Mulberry Soul, a band that deftly interprets this earthen beauty. Though acoustically planted, Mulberry Soul’s instrumentation is positively electrifying. The band burns bright with a kind of new-grass slant on bluegrass. And man, […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “American Acid”
American Acid “American Acid” Rat Records reverbnation.com/americanacid Sick-o graphic artist and resident keeper of Rock-N-Roll Social Club’s bottom end Doug Mac has re-emerged from the primordial hard rock ooze with the trio American Acid and its new six-song, self-titled release. By its sheer existence, the band exemplifies the fundamental differences — and the confusion that […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Behind the Sky”
Jon Irabagon “Behind the Sky” Irabbagast Records jonirabagon.com In saxophonist Jon Irabagon’s brief notes about the inspiration for his excellent new album, “Behind the Sky,” he speaks of the grieving process and the variety of emotions that accompany it. You can certainly feel the intense pain in his mournful solo on the ballad “Music Box […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Strange World”
Sharon Coates “Strange World” Self-released sharoncoates.bandcamp.com Some artistic types have an itch to express what’s inside with whatever is their chosen medium. Sharon Coates must have a rash as she requires multiple disciplines: musician, glass artist, landscape artist. Her new CD, “Strange World,” is kind of a landscaped affair with its big room and bigger […]
