Matthew Check is a singer-songwriter based out of Brooklyn, New York. ‘The November Album’ originally dates from recordings made in 2013, but which are finally seeing the light of day eight years on. This is a really enjoyable collection of acoustically-driven rootsy country-pop songs, with a definite early ‘70’s Laurel Canyon sound at times.
William Russell Wallace is a rock and roll story teller in the tradition of Tom Waits or Tom Petty. His latest release is ‘Confidence Man‘ which is something of a concept album dealing as it does with the lives of those living on society’s edges – painting word images of their deeds and delving into their inner motivations. And all that’s attached to some fine saviour of rock and roll stylings – raw and dirty when it’s needed. On ‘Fire Season’ we have a protagonist who is always looking for the way out “there’s something beautiful about making an escape – and making it look easy every time.”
Well, this is something different. Ahead of their debut album, ‘Things That Can’t Be Seen‘, Manuel the Band release a smart video for a new single, ‘Without You‘. Based around the deft songwriting skills of their charismatic frontman, Manuel Grajeda, the band brings together such a disparate mix of instruments and styles that it’s impossible to pigeonhole them.
Kiely Connell is preparing to release her debut LP, ‘Calumet Queen’, a ten-track collection that combines breezy indie-folk with heavy swamp rock & roadhouse country twang. Today’s song ‘Blues That Really Burn’ is one of the album’s less breezy tunes, dealing with a punch in the guts that is a depressive turn. READ MORE…
Matt Jones, who is the driving force behind Two Cent Revival, brings many textured layers to bear on ‘Demons‘. There are clear dusty desert rock influences as well as a touch of cinemagraphic glamour – and it would be a foolish person who would bet against Jones ever having spun a disc or two by Tom Waits, yet for all that it is the originality of the album that is most likely to linger in the memory. READ MORE…
The new single from Matthew Check is a rhythmic foot-tapper, upbeat and full of energy. ‘Couple of Reasons’ makes the perfect soundtrack for driving through those wide-open spaces you see in the accompanying video. The harmonies, percussion and melody combine to create a positive vibe but pay attention to the lyrics, which offer a contrast to the song’s sonic happiness.