Album Review ~ Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band ~ Goin' Home

Hello, 

Welcome to this weeks main post, I'm going to be reviewing blues band Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and their latest album "Goin' Home" that came out this April. This album delves deep into Kenny's inspirations as he re-creates some of his favourite songs by his heroes. The album features original songs from the likes of BB King, Bo Diddley, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lee Dorsey. 

The album starts off with a track called "Palace Of The King". An upbeat Freddie King number to get the record off to a positive and exciting start. Keeping in the style of Freddie King the guitar tones are noticeably similar in this record to how Freddie played. The horns are a great edition to the track and this whole recording sounds very full.

After that is a classic sounding Walter Jacobs (Little Walter) track that goes by the name of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright". Its got that real blues drive and shuffle that the genre is so famous for, it never gets old. This is the first track we really get a flavour for Kenny's guitar solo's and its certainly one to really get your ears listening. His tone makes it sound like a vintage guitar, but is recorded with the clear quality we have today. Kenny's voice suits this song perfectly. 

Moving onto a Willie Dixon number called "I Love The Life I Live", again that real nice blues shuffle, but with a real blast from the harmonica. The tone from that harmonica has a real delta blues background to it, it sounds like its a recording from the 40's. I personally love a harmonica that sounds as bluesy as this, its one of my favourite instruments when played in this way. Though I found it a shame the harmonica wasn't used in the previous song being a Little Walter number. Though I can't complain too much with some classic blues shuffle done very well. 

The track "The House Is Rockin'" is a fast-paced Stevie Ray Vaughan song with a lot going on in the complexity of the blues straight groove. A neat little number that is certain to get anyone up and dancing to at a live show with a nice little ending too. "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" demonstrates more of the groovy side to the Shepherd band and really getting the chance to hear the power Kenny puts into his voice. At times it overwhelmed me with the raw power he puts in, likewise with how Albert King does the same with his songs, a great cover. 

To me, when "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now" starts, you just know its a BB King track. It has that essence about it, that feel and the guitar solo at the start that Kenny nails. This is one of the stand out tracks on the album, the guitar licks are done to perfection and has one of the best piano solo's I've heard for a very long time. Throughout the first few verses you can hear the piano in the background with a few licks that are noticeable, but that solo...damn. As well as Kenny's impressive solo, this is the perfect homage one of the great blues legends. 

"You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover" goes into more of the country/blues scene with a great Willie Dixon cover that again will certainly get your head boppin' and your feet tapping. I've found that each song on this album doesn't sound the same as the last song. This album proves that blues can be a very creative genre, a lot of people speculate blues to be just a 1,4,5 chordal system with a shuffle. Each song has been different in its own right which is great to hear and keeps the listener entertained with Kenny's impressive blues band. 

Photo Credit: Mark Seliger (All Photos)

"Looking Back" is as cool as you can get with a cover. A really nice simple blues structured song with a lot going on in the song, but with a great guitar solo's. Kenny's tone for his guitar solo's make them sound authentic, nobody else can get the sound he is getting from those guitars. His solo's are note for note perfect with each note clean as a whistle for the listener to hear. 

"Born Under a Bad Sign" was another personal favourite because its one I play in my own blues/cover band 'The Delta Sons'. Singing away and I was really trying to see what Kenny had done with the song that was different from the original. The one thing I noticed is Kenny's laid back approach on how to sing the lyrics. He presents the lyrics how someone like BB King would, coming into the lyrics at any point, but still finishing off at the same point. Singing some words longer than others and really belting some notes out. 

Kenny's reason for creating this album was to pay homage to some of the artists he grew up with and whom inspired him to start playing guitar. He and his band have done this and more. They have recorded some excellent covers, some of which really show off what those legends were about. Taking their presence in songs and re-creating them in the song, but in Kenny's own way. Some with grunge, shuffled blues or a simple 4/4 groove, each song has its own identity and can give a listener a real understanding of how diverse blues actually is. 

"Goin' Home" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band is out now and I advise you all to have a listen if you want to get into blues. These are all classic tracks from legendary blues artists and its a great album to really understand what blues is all about. 

If you enjoy Kenny's album then he has just announced a April 215 tour too. These are the dates:

Salisbury City Hall                                             Friday April 10^th  

Holmfirth Picturedrome                                Saturday April 11^th

Glasgow O2 ABC                                               Sunday April 12^th  

Aberdeen Lemon Tree                                  Monday April 13^th

London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire        Wednesday April 15^th

Thank you very much for reading and until next time. 

Lewis

Album Review ~ Honeyblood ~ Honeyblood

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks album review, today I have a glaswegan female duo that have been impressing the industry within their rock/alternative sound for the past two years. They go by the name of Honeyblood who are signed to Brighton indie label FatCat Records. 

The opening track "Fall Forever" gets things going with a bang, some really nice guitar rhythms and melodies being worked into this song along with very distinctive vocals from vocalist and guitarist Steena Tweedale. I really like the way the actual song is quite simple, but because the way they have produced it, the sheer noise just keeps reminding me that this is only a duo making this music.

The other half of Honeyblood is the drummer who goes by the name of Shona McVicar who really seems to have some solid beats laid down on this album. I really like the little breaks in "Killer Bangs". It could be something little like changing the drums onto the floor tom and snare, but it changes the whole complexity of the song. Some parts are just a second long like in the chorus where the lyrics are "I don't wanna go, go go go on". On the three 'go's' the duo come together and really accent those words which sounds great and keeps the energy throughout the track.

The track after the two very fast paced, but brilliant songs comes "Super Rat" which slows things down. Gives the listener a little break and is the song where you can really appreciate Tweedale's vocals that really stand out and are like nothing ive heard before. I can't think of an artist that sounds remotely like her. In some parts it sounds like she is talking the lyrics,  but still with some notes sung and I really like how she does this.

The new single that comes from the duo is a tune called "Biro". The middle of this album seems to have brought the energy down a peg or two, but that doesn't mean the power has gone. This song keeps the flow of loud alternative rock, but with more of a dynamic shift between the verses and chorus. Though having the dynamics still pretty high in the song can make the hi-hat really pierce the sound which can be a bit uncomfortable at times. Though on the flip side of things it gives their sound something to feel harsh about, its not all games and fun when listening to this record.

The song "Joey" brings out the best in the vocal harmonies from the duo. The song isn't the most energetic in the album, but it gives the listener a chance to hear both vocals without the guitar and drums taking charge of the song which happens on quite a few of the tracks. For a duo you need a lot of things happening at once otherwise it can sound quite empty, but for "Joey" it works well.

The song "Choker" is one of the strongest songs on the album and is the song that really defines who Honeyblood are compared to other bands of their genre. It was the first single that was put out from the duo and got a massive backing from BBC Radio 6 Music with the single being on the A list for a considerable amount of weeks. Its a very catchy tune that lets the backing vocals take the leading melody for the track. The main vocals lead with the melody line in the verses and breaks. I like the way the song is structured and doesn't seem to long winded.

By the time youve got to the track "No Spare Key" you've got a good idea of the Honeyblood sound. The next song "Fortune Cookie" is possibly the 'happiest' song on the record, using major chords and even a xylophone to keep things sweet. Though this sweetness doesn't get annoying because its different to the rest of the album, so it ads a nice texture to the record as a whole. I really enjoyed the guitar solo at the end of the track too and shows off how good Tweedale is on the guitar.

Honeyblood have just come off the back of the NME newbreed tour where they toured the country with the band Superfood and was a great success. I can only imagine there are a whole bunch of better things to come for the duo in 2015 and I look forward to following their journey for the coming year.

The tracks to check out are "Fall Forever", "Killer Bangs" and "Choker".

Thank you very much for reading and until next time. 

Lewis

'Fall Forever'

Website: www.honeyblood.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/honeybloodeatitup

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yumhoneyblood

Album Review ~ Bear's Den ~ Islands

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. This week I have a folk/alternative band to review that go by the name of Bear's Den who are from London, UK. The three piece released their debut album 'Islands' on 20th October and I'm here to tell you what the album is like. 

Their band name  "Bear's Den" has been a band I'd keep constantly hearing about. Whether it be BBC Radio 6, Radio 2 or just from other people recommending them. So I finally got round to jumping on Spotify and checking them out and was incredibly surprised at the quality of this three piece and nothing like what I was expecting. 

Bear's Den bring to the table an album of chilled out folk music accompanied with guitars and a banjo. Andrew Davie (vocals) brings out his calmly toned vocals to make the music sound delight to hear. This is not a band trying to make noise and get heard, they're making music by saying "You...come over here, sit with us and listen". I can't help when I listen to the record that I'm sitting round a camp fire and really taking in everything they're playing and saying about. Just me?

The album starts off with a cracking opener that is "Agape". Bringing together each main instrument, packing a punch from the drums followed by the distinctive vocals and some mellow backing vocals from Kev Jones and Joey Haynes. The backing vocals are very impressive and give the overall sound of the album promise for the other 9 songs much to look forward to. 

In the track "The Love We Stole", you can really get a feel for the Bear's Den sound. A sound that is very different to anything that is out there at the moment. When its hard for me to describe the genre and style of music, you know its good.

One of the more popular tracks on the album that is ""Above The Clouds Of Pompeii" starts off with a guitar rhythm that free-flowing and catchy. Everything just seems to fit for this song to be the best on the album. The bass drum at the end of the song can be quite heavy on the ears compared to the rest of the song, but this is only a minor set back.

The lyrics make the songs very home-grown, if I was to describe everything on the record in one word it would be home-grown. They all enjoy making the same music, nothing is over-done, nothing is pushed. Its all come from some inspirational songwriting and experience on the road. Quite a lot of the album involves adding things little by little. Possibly starting off with just a guitar and vocals, then adding bass, then a small drum beat. Its also adding in piano's and trumpets at the end to really give it a fulfilling end. 

"Think Of England" does the whole adding in instruments gradually very well. Its only until the end of the song you realise how much has been added since the beginning of the song when it ends with guitar and vocals. At the beginning of the song you know something is brewing with the beating bass drum accompanied with clapper and shaker. 


Songs like "Magdalene" on the record are as if they're just made for Bear's Den. A chilled out worry-free song was if it was meant to be written for them. Its so difficult to make something sound so relaxed and easy, this song does it very well. The vocals are the reason this song is so laid back, if it was a singer who signs very powerfully then it wouldn't work. 

In the song "When You Break", I think its a little unnecessary for them to say the line "I want to f*** away all my fear". I think the style that they're playing in has no need or use for swear words. Its meant to be free-flowing and heart warming, but throw in some swear words and it changes the mood of the album to angry and raging. 

Finishing off the album are some beautiful songs that include some of the most hauntingly graceful guitar tones as well as feeling like the album is coming to an end. The use of horns in "Elysium" bring everything together in the track to become one of the loudest, but is one of the best on the record. The last track "Bad Blood" also has this feeling of togetherness to bring an end to the album.

In conclusion, Bear's Den have really outdone themselves to produce an album of folk that I feel everyone should give a try. You'll more than likely find that you'll enjoy at least three of the songs on this album. There isn't a song on the album that is 'below par' from the others, each one has been carved into the 'Bear's Den' wooden hut to be shared with the world. I look forward to seeing what is in store for the band when they go on their first headline tour in 2015. 

Here are the dates: 

Fri 6 Feb	Birmingham	Temple	UK
Sun 8 Feb	Dublin	Workman’s Club	IE
Mon 09 Feb	Belfast	Voodoo	UK
Wed 11 Feb	Glasgow	Oran Mor	UK
Thu 12 Feb	Newcastle	Cluny	UK
Fri 13 Feb	Manchester	Gorilla	UK
Sun 15 Feb	Cardiff	Clwb Ifor Bach	UK
Mon 16 Feb	Oxford	Academy 2	UK
Wed 18 Feb	Brighton	Concorde 2	UK
Fri 20 Feb	Paris	Point Ephémère	FR
Sat 21 Feb	Brussels	Witloof Bar *NEW	BE
Mon 23 Feb	Amsterdam	Melkweg Old Hall	NL
Tue 24 Feb	Hamburg	Knust	DE
Wed 25 Feb	Cologne	Buergerhaus Stollwerck	DE
Fri 27 Feb	Munich	Strom	DE
Sat 28 Feb	Zurich	Mascotte	CH
Tue 3 Mar	London	O2 Shepherds Bush Empire	UK

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Lewis

Website: www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bearsdenmusic

Twitter: twitter.com/bearsdenmusic

Album Review ~ John Mayer ~ Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. Today, I'm taking you all back to 2007 when John Mayer recorded a live album in Los Angeles. This album was made around the time of his best album "Continuum" with the likes of "Vultures", "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" and "Gravity" coming from the album to name but a few. 

The reason I'm reviewing this album is because over the past few weeks I've been really getting into the album. Its a fantastic live album, one of the best personally and I wanted to share it on my blog, so, enjoy!

With a long list of quality songs on his back, this live gig was shaped up to be one of his best. He starts the set off with 4 acoustic songs including "Stop This Train" and "Free Fallin'". A mellow way to start off a gig, but with some of his biggest songs. These are definitely the most intimate songs on the album. There's no percussion or anything to support the rhythm, it genuinely is just Mayer and his guitar. 

A personal favourite on the acoustic section is "In Your Atmosphere". Its a free-flowing riff that Mayer plays expertly that sounds like a part written for two guitars. Mayer is known for his top songwriting and this song bares no exception to this, as well as his vocals. They're displayed in this song the best with some difficult high notes to reach, but sings with ease. 

So, with four songs down, time to crank it up and introduce Pino Palladino (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums) to make up the 'John Mayer Trio'. Introducing the trio is a song called "Everyday I Have The Blues" which is a cover of BB King's famous song that comes in with a bang. A blues shuffle with some electric guitar solo's cranks the gears up from the acoustic set earlier. 

Pino Palladino has worked with some of the best in the industry. He's worked with the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Jools Holland, Eric Clapton, The Who and Adele. To be accompanied by the effortlessly talented Steve Jordan on drums that makes the line-up seem like some sort of royalty. Steve Jordan has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, BB King, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and Buddy Guy. Need I say more about the line-up!?

When you get into the groove of "Wait Until Tomorrow" and "Who Did You Think I Was" you can get a real feel of what's in store for the rest of the record. Tight drums, groovy, fast paced guitar chords and solo's accompanied with slick bass. Both these songs are a great introduction to the trio and with the album not even halfway through, its certainly build up the excitement for what's in store. 

Steve Jordan, John Mayer and Peter Palladino

Getting to the song "Out Of Mind" is a real treat for the ears if you're into your guitar solo's. This is the song to really dig deep into Mayer's guitar skills, its clean guitar, but the sounds he can get out of it are astonishing. This song is practically one big solo with some vocals here and there with solid grooving drums and bass. This is the first song you can really hear how locked in and professional Jordan and Palladino are. 

The only song that can get slightly tedious on the record is the song "Bold As Love". Mayer does a corny speech in the middle about how "he made it happen for himself" and about love. To me it wasn't necessary, but ends of with a nice little drum solo and instrumental so I'll let that part slide. 

One of my favourites on this album is "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room", just purely because it's such a beautiful song. Performed really well live on this album too, the backing vocals are to the point which you can't really pick up that well on any other song apart from "Gravity" a bit later on.

Other songs on the album that are a stand-out are "Why Georgia", "I Don't Need No Doctor" (that is just the grooviest 'headbopping' song) and "Gravity". Though the album ends on more the mellow side, it ends on a great song called "I'm Gonna Find Another You". 

All in all I hope this review has made you think about giving this album a listen. If you enjoy listening to blues, groovy tunes and John Mayer then this is the album for you. Its out of CD, 4xLP Vinyl and Digital Download. It was also recorded for a DVD too, so you can see the concert for yourself and how it was performed!

Thank you very much for reading (if you made it all this far down especially) and until next time. 

Lewis

"Gravity"

Website: http://johnmayer.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMayer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmayer

Album Review ~ Royal Blood ~ Royal Blood

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 37, today I have a Brighton based two piece band that are rocking the music business to high hell and back! If you haven't heard of Royal Blood yet then you've clearly been cooped up in your room all summer. Their debut album took the summer music scene by a storm and I'm here to tell you why. 

Royal Blood are a two piece rock band formed in 2013 that have a rounded rock sound that is unusually distinctive compared to most rock bands out there. I heard a lot about Royal Blood before they released this album, I'm pretty sure they were practising at Brighton Electric Studios when I was there a few moths beforehand. Their name was floating round Brighton like a black rain cloud that was sure enough to turn into a storm.

Mike Kerr (Vocals, Bass Guitar) and Ben Thatcher (Drums) have released an album that is now at the forefront of rock music. These guys are now the new generation of the rock genre and I wouldn't want it to be any other band. 

The powerful might from "Out Of The Black" to introduce the album really gives you a flavour of what you're in store for. "Come On Over" uses a simple structure but really keeps the tempo going for the album to give listeners like myself a lot of hope for rock in the next few years. "Figure It Out" is the most popular track from the album that has been played a lot on BBC Radio 1 and 6 music. With the catchy riff line to work through and the double time section at the end, its no wonder its the most popular track. 

Once you get to "Blood Hands" you are already halfway through the album surprisingly. The time for the half way mark is 15 minutes and 50 seconds which to most bands is not even onto track 4. The total time for the album is 32 minutes and 42 seconds, very short for an album, but this could be the reason for its success. Brilliant short songs, keeping the listener entertained throughout with no messing around. The longest song is 4:12 and is possibly the weakest song. This could be because its the longest and isn't keeping to the way Royal Blood have recorded the rest of the album.

With the band only being a two piece band, I was worried about there not being enough within the sound to keep the album's momentum up. With the use of space between the guitar and vocals, catchy riffs and heavy drums the band have done a fantastic job. I cannot express how difficult it is to create such an emphatic sound with a 3 piece let alone with bass and drums. 

Mike uses distortion and other pedals alike to create a guitar tone on the bass. This then creates a tone that sounds like its coming from two different guitars.  Ben's hard hitting drums and tight fills compliment the overall sound. 

The one thing I was worried about with this album was that the songs would sound the same. Luckily this doesn't happen and each song has its own characteristics which really made this album for me. Each song doesn't follow the same structure as the last, but every song is still heavy and high tempo. I believe this is one of the reasons that this album has done extremely well this year. There are no sad or slow songs, its all go go go from the word off and its exactly what the rock industry has been needing for some time now.  

In conclusion this album is one to remember for some time and hopefully will be around for many years to come rocking out the industry. Even though it has not been long since their newest release, I look forward to what they hold in store for us next in a few years to come! 

Thanks for reading and until next time!

Lewis

Website: royalbloodband.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK

Twitter: twitter.com/royalblooduk

Google+: plus.google.com/+royalblooduk/posts

Album Review ~ Joe Bonamassa ~ Different Shades Of Blue

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 34! Today I will be looking at the blues/rock giant that is Joe Bonamassa and his brand new album 'Different Shades Of Blue'. If anyone knows me personally, I am a huge Bonamassa fan of all his work and his side projects with the likes of Beth Hart and Rock Candy Funk Party (see link below for both reviews on this blog).

The main band for this album is:

Joe Bonamassa - Vocals/Guitar
Carmine Rojas - Bass
Resse Wynans - Keys
Anton Fig - Drums 

The album came out on the 22nd September and has had a range of raving reviews about the record. This has got me massively excited, especially when he was on the Paul Jones show last week on BBC Radio 2 and mentioned that all the songs were originals. In previous records, Joe has done mostly originals, but always put in 2 or 3 covers. This album is all originals which he has never done before and to me seemed a risky move to take, but seems to have paid off. 

There was a lot of speculation around the album as to whether it would be another hit album following the likes of "Driving Towards The Daylight", "Blues Deluxe" and "Had To Cry Today". One reason for this is because he teamed up with writers from Nashville who write hit songs for country singers instead of blues singers.

This didn't seem like the perfect combination, but from the interview with Paul Jones, Joe explained that it was a breath of fresh air for them. The writers had freedom because Joe didn't know what to write. Whereas the writers were used to artists coming in saying "write me a hit"! Although I wouldn't of assumed his producer (who Joe has worked with since his early albums) would let anything slip under his belt that is anything but Joe's sound. 

The beginning of this album is just a short 1 minute and 20 second instrumental to get everyone in the mood for what's to come. The song "Oh Beautiful" reminds me of Led Zeppelin's Black Dog, but obviously a lot more atmospheric and bluesy. Its very different to a lot of things he has done before, in a good way. In the interview with Paul Jones he mentions that the solo in the song was all one take with no edits, very impressive. 

A small handful of the songs on the album aren't exactly what you would call blues/rock, but still have a great sound. Though when you hear songs such as "I Gave Everything Up For You, 'Cept The Blues", that's when you know Joe in his comfort zone. Songs like this stand out from the crowd, easily. Any blues singer would naturally be comfortable with the shuffle groove or 6/8 time signature for that matter.

Songs like "Get My Back Tomorrow", "Never Give All Your Heart" and "Oh Beautiful" are real blues/rock chord based songs, perfect for his live shows which are all about the power. Where as the song "So, What Should I Do" seems a lot more personal and emotional to him and the listener.

The horns are a fantastic edition to the album, they add a new dynamic to Joe's overall sound and just makes the record become bigger and better. The album demonstrates how mature Joe's singing and guitar playing has become since his last album. Its a lot cleaner and easier to hear what he is singing about, but with the same tonalities he posses that make him 'Joe Bonamassa'. Though still with a rifling roar from his solo's on quite a few of the tracks, which most people wanted to hear (including myself).

Overall, this album is worth checking out if you're an fan like myself or want an introduction to his work. Joe's sound has improved over the years, obviously you can't get away from the classics, but there are some in the making on this album. I wouldn't say its his best work, but its a great album none the less with guitar solo's, shuffles and real blues beating throughout.

Different Shades Of Blue is out now and from all good record stores and Itunes etc. If you have the album then let me know what you thought of it! 

Thank you for reading and until next time

Lewis

Rock Candy Funk Party Review - http://justanothermuso.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/rock-candy-funk-party-we-want-grooove.html

Beth Hart Review - http://justanothermuso.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/my-favourite-artists-beth-hart.html


Website: http://jbonamassa.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBonamassa

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/JoeBonamassaTV

Album Review ~ Gregory Porter ~ Liquid Spirit

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 33, I hope everyone is doing well! Today I have a wonderful artist I discovered a few days ago called Gregory Porter who is a downright wicked jazz/soul singer! The album is full of gems and such a wonderful pick up for me to find!

Gregory Porter comes from California and was originally going to become a professional footballer, but due to injuries that put his career at an end (thank god too!). His debut album "Water" was nominated for 'Best Vocal Jazz Album' at the 53rd Grammy's! His following record titled "Be Good" was very popular in the Netherlands and got lot of recognition for his soulful jazz voice. 

His latest album Liquid Spirit has attracted a lot of attention from across the globe with a number 12 spot in the UK album charts, 8 in Germany and 7 in Denmark! Porter's breakthrough into the mainstream market is becoming apparent with much coverage on BBC Radio 2 and some on BBC Radio 6 as well. 

Liquid Spirit warms your heart, calms you down and lets you forget about your troubles. It sends you on a little journey with Gregory through the world of jazz, but on a completely different scale. In some respects the music has its own genre in the form of jazz, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I think its the soul element throughout the record that makes this album different to most jazz albums. 

Radio 2 have been pushing the song "The 'In' Crowd" which is a very fast paced jazz tune. It can really get your head nodding with the pace from the four piece. It was such a relief to hear this type of music on BBC Radio 2 during the day, they certainly brought out the stops for this song. 

The musicians in this album are amazing. I have to give a huge applause from myself of how professional and impressive the other musicians are to make this album what it is. Gregory's singing just sounds so effortless. Though his voice can't be faulted, its the perfect blend of melodic power and I'm glad he's gone down the route of jazz and soul.

A personal favourite of mine isn't exactly jazz when you first hear it, but I just instantly fell in love with the song and Gregory's voice from this song alone. The song is "Hey Laura" and it was really the reason I bought the album. I love jazz anyway, but even if I didn't, his voice convinced me to buy the whole album just from one song. Its so simple, but calming and just a perfect example of how beautiful music is. 

Songs like "Movin'", "Liquid Spirit" and "Wind Song" keep the momentum of the record going. Whilst you can easily relax and wind down to songs like "Brown Grass", "Wolfcry" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". 

The duo of a pianist and Gregory Porter to me personally is just pure heaven. There's no other way to describe it, this album has made me realise why I fall in love with music. Beautiful pieces like this album need to be listened too and I hope everyone who reads this will agree with me. 

Let me know what you all thought of the album and if you would buy the album off the face off the one song I'll leave as the video for the review, "Hey Laura".

Until next time and thanks for reading

Lewis

Facebook - www.facebook.com/gregoryportermusic

Twitter - twitter.com/I_GregoryPorter

Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/GregoryPorterMusic

Album Review ~ Camera Soul "Not For Ordinary People"

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 32 and I would like to say thank you for all the support with getting near to 3000 views, its insane! Today I'll be celebrating with a fantastic jazz/funk band called Camera Soul and their latest album "Not For Ordinary People". Camera Soul are based from southern Italy (Bali), led by veteran composer brothers Piero and Pippo Lombardo and fronted with the vocals by the wonderful Serena Brancale. 

Piero (one of the composers) messaged me and asked if I could review their latest album and of course I said yes, but I what was in store was about to blow my mind. My ears were in for a rare treat of just pure soul, jazz-fusion and funk from this band that are starting to become more popular across the world. 

Camera Soul are inspired by legendary horn line, soul, R&B and jazz-fusion artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, The Commodores, Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder. Put all of those together and you have this band. They certainly have a 'Jamiroquai' tone to them, but so much more purity to the sound. 

One song I would recommend to you to sum this band up would be the second track "Mama". It just keeps my head bopping throughout the whole track and enterains throughout with drops and bridges and always has treats in store. The album is very well produced, since this is a large band its difficult to not get anyone lost within the music. They have balanced everything perfectly to make it such a crisp sound which is an absolute delight to the ears. 

Piero and Pippo certainly know what sounds to create from each instrument at which point. You can sit back and really focus on the arrangement of the band and listen to each instrument.  A personal favourite of mine is the jazz guitar and bass lines, it just holds it together and brings a lot of funk to the band. Its left so subtly in the background to just groove around the riff. A good example would be the verses in the song "I Don't Like Roses". Another head bopper might I add!

During the album you can start to hear some Italian characteristics come into the music. Whether its a certain riff from an instrument or genuinely just the feel, it gives the band that difference about them which every band looks for. The band have a great mellow tone during the verses and can really kick up a gear in the chorus. Enough to keep the song exciting to the listener, but not enough to try be too brash which is a nice change. 

Their tight playing and soulful music is making a real dent in the music business and are certainly making a noise about it. In October 2013 this album was 2nd in the UK Soul Charts and spent a gigantic 15 weeks in those charts too which is a fantastic achievement by the band that is well worthy of its place.

The album has got the band a range of awards such as 'Best Instrumental Jazz Solo',' Best Engineered album', 'Producer of the Year',  'Song of the Year' & 'Best R&B Song'. Not a bad collection of awards, but boy do they deserve it. I would agree with all of these especially ' Best Engineered Album' for just the clear sound from every instrument on this album and how balanced everything is. 

The songs that I recommend are 'Not For Ordinary People, 'Mama', 'The Happiest Day' and 'I Don't Like Roses'. The rest of the album is brilliant, but these are the ones to check out for a little taste tester first. 

I hope you all enjoy the music and thank you for reading. 

Until next time

Lewis

Website: http://www.camerasoul.eu/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Camera__Soul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camerasoul?fref=ts

Album Review ~ Twin Atlantic, 'Great Divide'

*Disclaimer* - So this review, isn't going to be the my usual "yeah this albums great" review. I have got negative outlooks on this review, so if you DO like the new Twin Atlantic album then I would advise you to not read if you don't want to hear anything negative. Its not all negative, but I hope you'll understand my points about the album.

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 29! Today I shall be talking about the new album from Twin Atlantic. Their second album was an absolute masterpiece. A great step forward into the business and I was highly anticipating this album to be just as rocky and fulfilling as the last.

Twin Atlantic are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, who in their last album 'Free', got a lot of success and radio play from Radio 1 and other stations alike. One of the songs was even featured on the video for the highest sky fall that was watched by over 36 million people! Not bad for your second album and now their new album has come around called 'Great Divide'. 

Although the two singles were not winning me over to buy the album, I thought I needed to check out the full album in case I was wrong about their new sound for this album. When I first heard their first single 'Heart and Soul', my immediate reaction was "oh no...another rock band going pop, please no!". Their second single wasn't much help either with quite a simple structure and happy chords although the song itself wasn't too bad. 

So...let me sum up the first three songs to you in three words. Waste. Of. Time. The first three songs nearly put me off listening to the rest of the album. The use of electronic pads and keys is just plain wrong for this band. Wrong. They use the same producer as the other record too, what was the guy thinking!? This to me just seems like a stunt for popularity which nearly cost them the album to me. Just skip to the song 'Fall Into The Party'...

If you listen to the second album 'Free', you'll notice its hard-driving, heavy and fantastic for the boys to perform. You just know from top to bottom on the album 'Free' that these guys pack a punch. Though this 'punch' seems to have been left behind from this album.

There are some flickers of promise at the start of songs, but they don't follow through for the whole song. For example in 'The Ghost of Eddie' you hear the structure twice and think that's everything they have to give, but then the section where he whispers "everybody scream" into quite possibly the heaviest part of the album is a real treat to the ears of the shear noise. This doesn't happen in the new album.

Don't get me wrong some of the songs on this album are good, but its nothing compared to the previous album. That was their second album...one to work from...one to keep moving forward from. Instead it seems like they have moved backwards, there isn't as much creativity or passion in this album. To me the aim was to get as much coverage on Radio 1 as possible and leave old fans to leave them alone.

When I'm listening to the album, I feel like Sam McTrusty's lyrics are trying to get us to learn life lessons. He talks about how "the youth of today have lost their voices" and that to him"music is my therapy"!? He even has the cheek (in a sense) in the song "It's Not Dead" that according to him, 'rock and roll is apart of me'. Go back and listen to "Hold On" and see how 'Rock and Roll' that track is...

Apart from everything else I have mentioned above, I just hope Twin Atlantic can learn from their mistakes from this flop of an album and crank the gears up for album number four to impress all us rockers again.

The tracks I recommend (and could be the only ones) are "Cell Mate", "Fall Into The Party" and "Actions That Echo". Keep to these three and you have a pretty decent EP, how about that!? 

I promise the next review will be back to my jolly self! I might do a little discussion post again on Sunday about how a lot of rock bands are turning to mainstream and leaving their whole 'rock persona' behind just for more coverage.

Until next time and thanks for reading

Lewis

Website: http://www.twinatlantic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinatlantic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/twinatlantic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/twinatlantic