Band Of Susans - The Word and the Flesh 1991

Despite featuring their third pair of guitarists in as many albums (Love Agenda's Page Hamiltondeparted to form Helmet), Band of Susans deliver their most assured, accessible album. The guitars operate as interlocking pieces of a larger puzzle, while bassist Susan Stenger floats below, providing structure without being chained to the beat. The sound alternates between haunting and crushing, and the guitars are finally consistently corralled into the dramatic service of the song. The clean, nearly reverb-less guitar sound leaves plenty of room to hear the guitars' idiosyncratic directions while maintaining a nearly opaque wall of sound. Most rewarding are the moments when the band breaks loose from their throbbing chords to deliver a crunchy punch to the solar plexus, such as on "Plot Twist" and "Silver Lining." Mostly, though, the effect is of rich lattices of guitar and intermingling swells, lifting and propelling the songs through an omnipresent guitar drone. Bassist Stenger's throaty vocals add a moody counterpoint to the guitars' pitched screech and anchor the album's opening two tracks, not incidentally two of the better compositions on the disc. The album closes with a nod to Robert Poss' mentor, Rhys Chatham, with a cover of Chatham's hypnotic, slow-building fugue "Guitar Trio." AMG.

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The Orgone Box - Orgone Box 2001

Sheffield-based multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer Rick Corcoran, who plays nearly every instrument here, is the only member of the Orgone Box. He reportedly used four eight-track tape machines, a 32-channel mixing desk, three guitar amps, a half-dozen effects-laden guitars, and laid down guide drums to a click-track during the initial home-recording sessions. Later, during four days of overdubbing at a mansion called "the House in the Woods," Corcoran was aided by a couple of friends, drummer Tam Johnstone (ex-the Green Tambourines, the General Store) and bassist/keyboardist Tim McTighe, who provided "orchestral arrangements" on a Roland MC300. The result, of course, is thatthe Orgone Box has that identifiable studio sheen that low-budget self-produced solo efforts of this ilk often have, where the drum/bass rhythm tracks are purposefully simplified in the early stages of recording to easily allow for sonic layers to be added above.
Even so, unlike most albums that are built this way, brick by brick, from the foundation to the penthouse, the more you listen this CD, the more you realize the Orgone Box is a stylish triumph of substance over simple revisionist psych-pop. Corcoran was evidently inspired by listening to his favorites from the original 1967 era -- the Fabs, Butterfly-eraHollies, early Pink Floyd are a few that come to mind -- and "informed" by later albums released by the Dukes of Stratosphear, Robyn Hitchcock, and Oasis, but he doesn't seem to be too interested in ripping off any of his precursors. On the second track, "Anaesthesia," Corcoran even lets listeners know that he's "not into psychedelia/I've got a psychedelic mind...whatever," probably meaning that his music simply pours out of him whenever he hits "record," without him having to "psychedelicize" to get into the mood. Each track abounds with effective Lennon-esque vocals, ringing Byrds-ian 12-strings, phase-shifting guitar solos, and mellifluous multi-tracked vocal harmonies, all swirling amid confectionery pop melodies. The collective result resembles a fantastic Baroque pop construct of Sgt. Pepper-yproportions, the kind of record that headphones were invented for. AMG.

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Emily Kate Boyd - In the woods 2014

Emily Kate Boyd is an American rock, folk, blues, and country music singer and songwriter. As a performing artist, she's a poet and storyteller, making her live performance an original and deeply heartfelt experience.

A woman of the world, her hometown is Chattanooga, Tennessee, though Emily splits residency in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she is currently expanding her independent label, ARCA Records. Her latest release, “In
the Woods”, includes sessions recorded in both Floyd, Virginia and Buenos Aires with local musicians from both cities.
Emily has shared the stage with many notable singer-songwriters, including live performances with Clay Cook (o/ Zac Brown Band), Shawn Mullins, Angie Aparo and many more. Her rich, bluesy voice is reminiscent of Laura Marling, though many associate her style with artists like Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Madeleine Peyroux. Best served in a listening room environment, Emily’s acoustic set brings a passion and energy that deeply connects with her audience.
EKB has contributed to many works, including collaborations with contemporary writers Clay Cook, Gareth Asher, Nick Niespodziani (Yacht Rock Revue), Paul Warner, Jesse Tyler, Heather Luttrell and many more. EKB is the author of several published creative works, including multiple albums of music.. Thanks to B.

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Gail Ann Dorsey - Rude Blue 1992

Gail Ann Dorsey is one of contemporary rock's top session bass players and background vocalists. Although her solo albums -- The Corporate World in 1988 and Rude Blue in 1992 -- failed to generate much interest, Dorsey has continued to attract acclaim with her imaginative playing and luscious vocals. In addition to working with such bands asGang of Four, The The, Tears for Fears, God's Home Movie, Affinity, and Mall, Dorsey has made important contributions to the music of the Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, and Jane Siberry.
Dorsey's greatest work has come as a member of David Bowie's band since 1995. She was featured on Bowie's 1997 album, Earthling, and tours in 1995-1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002. High point of the shows were a duet version of "Under Pressure" that she performed with Bowie, and renditions of "London Boys" and "I Dig Everything," on which she played clarinet.

A native of West Philadelphia, Dorsey grew up eight blocks from the Tower Theater, where Bowie recorded an influential live album in 1974. Playing guitar from the age of nine, she cites Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, the late Terry Kath of Chicago, Jimi Hendrix, and Nancy Wilson of Heart as early influences. Although she acquired a bass shortly after her 14th birthday, she didn't consider herself a bass player until she was 20. Although her earliest aspirations were to become a screenwriter and she studied film at CalArts, a small arts-oriented college in Santa Clarita, CA, Dorsey turned to music after realizing the difficulties of earning a living in film. AMG.

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CPR - Just Like Gravity 2001

By now, the story behind the reunion which begat CPR is well known. David Crosby, while awaiting a life-saving liver transplant, was found by keyboardist James Raymond, whom Crosby had given up for adoption years before. This would just be great People magazine rock & roll fodder if not for the great fortune that Raymond is an incredible keyboardist whose harmonies blend in sweetly with his legendary dad's. Veteran Jeff Pevar's crack guitar work once again helps drive these provocative pop/rock tunes, particularly on the few more aggressive tracks like "Katie Did"; elsewhere, he's a little more restrained on acoustic, and Raymond's blues-influenced keyboard and piano playing dominated behind the powerful vocals. Raymond also shows propensity for a jazzy riff on the solo a few minutes into the romantic funk-rocker "Map to Buried Treasure." "Breathless" and "Darkness" show the gentler, folksier, and more emotional sides of the trio. "Gone Forever" is CPR's appealing stab at social commentary, while the harmonica-enhanced "Jerusalem" tackles spirituality. Along those lines, the gorgeous, methodical "Angel Dream" comes across as a gentle prayer. The title track is the most sparsely produced, just Crosby's sweet voice and a swampy acoustic guitar. CPR could have easily just capitalized on their story of origin, done one album, and tour and been relegated to the novelty bins. But this smartly conceived collection proves that father, son, and Pevar are in it for the long adult contemporary haul. AMG.

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Ally MacLeod - Astor Place 2011

Thanks to B. here another excellent album. Ally has been singing and writing songs since her childhood but became captivated by the theatre in her teenage years and decided on a career as an actor, writer and director for both film and theatre. Her theatre work took her to many places on the globe, finally settling in New York for a number of years. On her return to Scotland at the end of the '90's she began concentrating more on music and in the spring of 2010, through a happy happenstance, she met Martin Stephenson and began working with him on her first album - Astor Place - which was released in November 2011. During the summer of 2010 she teamed up with singer-songwriter Donald Forbes, touring with him under the name Red Hook Rapids. Their quick rise to prominence confirms the talent within and the past year has seen them support, among others, Michael Weston King, the Lush Rollers, Martin Stephenson, Christine Collister, Viper Central and Suzette Lawrence. Within just over a year of working together they were supporting Martin Stephenson at the Jazz Cafe in London and performing on two different stages at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
Red Hook Rapids first album will be released at the end of June, in plenty of time for their North of England tour in July and the plethora of festivals they're lined up to play this summer.
Ally's second solo album will be released in September.

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Duster Bennett - Fingertips 2003

Originally released in 1975 on Toadstool, Fingertips became U.K. bluesman Duster Bennett's last album. The harpist, vocalist, and guitarist died tragically in an automobile accident the following year. More soul than hardcore blues, much of this material sounds like a combination of the Meters, the Average White Band, and Billy Preston's "Outa-Space." The original nine tracks include Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" (Bennett's harp playing here is equal parts Wonder and the laid-back approach of Toots Thielemans), "Risk It for a Biscuit," and "Take Care (But Don't Take It Easy)" with Peter Frampton on guitar. The six bonus tracks, recorded at the same sessions, make this reissue especially appealing to completists. For the most part, these tracks are steeped in traditional blues and gritty soul, with the exception of the disc's closing track, "Everyday," a beautiful string-laden ballad which sounds like a Harry Nilsson outtake. [The 2007 Castle Music reissue features bonus tracks.] AMG.

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Blake Mills - Break Mirrors 2010

Blake Mills is a guitarist, producer, and recording artist. He is best known as a session musician, having performed on recordings by Kid Rock, the Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst, Norah Jones, Dixie Chicks, Zucchero, P!nk, Lana Del Rey, Dangermouse, Paulo Nutini, and Weezer.

After he left, the band shortened its name to Dawes. Millsbecame a touring guitarist for Jenny Lewis. He also served as a hired gun for Band of Horses, Lucinda Williams, andJulian Casablancas.Mills began his musical career as a founding member ofSimon Dawes with Taylor Goldsmith. They recorded and released the EP What No One Hears in 2005, and the 2006 full-length Carnivore.

His strategy worked. He co-produced Jesca Hoop's The House That Jack Built in 2011, and produced fiddler Sarah Watkins sophomore release, Sun Midnight Sun. He produced, co-produced, and/or played on several tracks by several other musicians as well as contributing to compilations. His co-production and performance of "Oh Well," with Billy Gibbons and Matt Sweeney, on the tribute album Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, was considered by many the set's highlight.Until that time, Millsnever really considered himself a solo artist. His first recording on his own, Break Mirrors, was released with the intention of securing more session work and becoming a producer. The end result was widely acclaimed for its overall originality in writing, arranging, and producing.

Mills began recording his sophomore offering Heigh Ho at Capitol's Ocean Way studio (the room was built for Frank Sinatra), with a host of guests that included Fiona Apple, Jon Brion, Benmont Tench, Don Was, and Jim Keltner. The album was released in September of 2014. AMG.

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The Walkabouts - Satisfied Mind 1993

Like Yo La Tengo's Fakebook, the Walkabouts' Satisfied Mind is a definitive artistic statement masquerading as a loose-knit collection of acoustic covers. Sometimes a group's selection of cover material, combined with their ability to make the songs their own, winds up revealing as much about their craft as their original music, and such is the case here; mining the work of diverse artists like the Carter Family, Gene Clark, Mary Margaret O'Hara, John Cale, and Nick Cave, Satisfied Mindrepresents the purest evocation to date of the Walkabouts' aesthetic and its standing at the crossroads of country, rock, folk, and punk. By casting well-known songs in an entirely new light -- Patti Smith's "Free Money" becomes an ominous waltz, while Charlie Rich's "Feel Like Going Home" is renewed as an epic dirge -- the album makes explicit all of the implicit connections in the Walkabouts' work. By extension, it underlines the connections binding the spectrum of roots music as well; Satisfied Minddoesn't simply suggest that diverse sounds can coexist together -- it proves that they always have. AMG.

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Melanie De Biasio - A Stomach Is Burning 2012

Melanie De Biasio is a Belgian vocalist who mixes jazz, blues, and soul. Born in Charleroi, Belgium in 1978, De Biasio studied classical dance and flute before discovering her love of singing. She studied music at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven and the Brussels Conservatory. De Biasioreleased her debut album, A Stomach Is Burning, in 2007. In 2013 she returned on PIAS with No Deal, an album that reached number five on Belgium's Ultratop chart and earned her a 2015 European Border Breakers Award. The release was also strongly supported in the U.K. by BBC DJ Gilles Peterson, who had the singer perform at his 2015 Worldwide Awards ceremony. Peterson helped put together No Deal Remixed, issued on PIAS in February 2015. Contributors included Eels, Seven Davis, Jr., and Cinematic Orchestra. AMG.

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Marley's Ghost - Four Spacious Guys 1996

Marley's Ghost is an eclectic unit steeped in everything from gospel to bluegrass to old-time to Celtic to country -- even reggae. The group originally came together in 1986 whenDanny Wheetman was invited by his friend Ed Littlefield Jr.to work on a solo effort in Littlefield's studio in Arlington, WA.Jon Wilcox and Mike Phelan came up from California to help out. (The three had been playing together since St. Patrick's Day of that year.) While working on the solo effort, the three began recording the tracks for what would become theMarley's Ghost debut album Haunting Melodies. Littlefieldoffered to play steel guitar and the group was born. VocalistWheetman plays bass, rhythm guitar, fiddle, harmonica, banjo, Dobro, and lap steel. Wilcox, who holds a law degree from Stanford, sings and plays mandolin and rhythm guitar. Columbus, OH, native Phelansings and plays lead guitar, fiddle, Dobro, bass, and lap steel. Littlefield sings and plays pedal steel, Highland bagpipes, mandolin, Dobro, and lead guitar. The group released Live at the Freight, a collection commemorating their 15 years together, in January 2001 on Sage Arts Records. AMG.

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