MUSIC REVIEWS

Working away at a brittle harmony in “You’re the One,” Kate Lynne Logan at once embodies the indulgent folk-pop of the past and the efficiency of the modern singer/songwriter. In “Better Life,” her affection for western melodicism protrudes into her poetry, carrying forth a message of solidarity with the rural …

Brent Saba is just starting out, but the proverbial sky’s the limit for this young country music performer. “County Sound” is his third single following on the heels of “Carolina Girl” and “Southern State of Mind” and gives interested listeners a sneak peek of his forthcoming debut EP. Saba’s making …

Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates chronicle the benefits of personal growth and transformation on their debut album, Sea Change. Throughout 12 tracks Stapleton explores the divisive nature of America and how following your heart takes more courage than you ever thought it would. Sea Change navigates these delicate subjects …

Ari Pappalardo is living his life on his terms – he brokers no compromises. One clue of that is in the title of his latest album, Minstrel Class. It’s a title fueled with self-identification rather than some two-word throwaway and places Pappalardo in a long tradition of iconoclasts who reject mainstream …

Francesca Beghe offers the world her version of “Trust In Me” nearly 30 years after its release. “Trust In me” was famously performed by Joe Cocker and Sass Jordan on 1992’s The Bodyguard soundtrack. To this day, The Bodyguard soundtrack is the best-selling film soundtrack of all time. Beghe who …

Bringing the feeling and concept of redemption to life in musical form seems like a tall order. It isn’t a common theme like love or hate which lends itself to clearer interpretation. Instead, redemption is as subjective as it comes, doesn’t immediately suggest particular sounds or structures, and seems like …

Singer/songwriter Holt Vaughn’s latest release These Songs, Vol. 1 features a dozen songs. Half of these tracks are highlighted by contributions with some of the best vocal and instrumental talents working today. It’s as impossible to categorize their specific contributions to each song as it is to slap a label on These Songs as …

Admit Nothing! Deny Everything! Lie! Lie! Lie! The debut album by Brit Ska rockers, King Goon, is a work that is 7 years in the making. The founder of King Goon, Joel Morgan, had amassed a collection of demos that he planned to use for multiple projects. That idea proved …

Dayton, Ohio’s Ludlow Creek emerged out of a long-standing cover band named Southbound and deep friendship binding together its five members. Each member is a singer and multi-instrumentalist which means, if nothing else, that their musical potential is more or less boundless. The band experienced considerable success as Southbound, eventually …

Between the synth, the keys, the guitar strings, and even the sleekly-appointed bassline, there’s an argument to be made that the new single “Yesterday’s News” is the most instrumentally complicated song of Rob Alexander’s career to date, but I don’t think that’s the full story on this track. Contrarily, while it might …