The master of the pedal steel, Robert Randolph, has release his third album and has returned, slightly, to his roots as a musician. The album is incredibly heavy on the influence of gospel and soul music, and for this rocker, it's a bit of a departure from the sound of his first to studio albums. Also, this album is heavy on cover songs, with Randolph & band taking on songs by Bob Dylan, Prince, and John Lennon. In fact, Lennon's "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama" is one of the standout songs from this album. Randolph only co-wrote four of the tracks on this album, and one in particular is one of Randolph's best released songs. Featuring Ben Harper on guitar and vocals, "If I Had My Way," is an excellent combination of heavy guitar rock and gospel influenced blues which is the closest bridge to Robert Randolph's previous work. On this album the Family Band also plays a much larger role as many of the tracks feature Lanesha Randolph and Danyel Morgan on vocals. This T-Bone Burnett produced album is certainly a great one and really showcases Randolph's pedal steel mastery and unique mix of rock, gospel, soul and blues.
This is not your grandma's jazz music. Trombone Shorty takes jazz and mixes it with a whole lot of funk on his newest album, showing off his brass instrument in ways that it has never been showcased before. It's always fun to hear music that is out of the ordinary. And, even though the style of music that you get from this album is familiar and accessible, it's the fact that Trombone Shorty is the purveyor causes all the excitement. Lenny Kravitz and New Orleans' own Marc Broussard lend their vocal abilities to a few of the tracks, adding a bit of rock and roll into the funky mix. Firing on all cylinders, the entire album hits hard from end to end in a fury of fantastic horn madness and proves that even a trombone can rock as hard as any instrument.
My Morning Jacket's guitarist Carl Broemel has branched out on his own for the second time, this time releasing an incredibly mellow folk album on ATO Records. Broemel, known for his classic rock style guitar riffs with MMJ has taken a huge left turn with this album showing off his inner Bob Dylan. Broemel, a master of many instruments, almost performs every single musical part in each song. "Carried Away" and "Life Leftover" are lyrically poetic. Elements of jazz and classic 50's era pop are sprinkled throughout the midwest folk compositions making for a collection of music that is unlike any other recently released folk recording. "Enough" is probably the most interesting recording on the disc, combining modern synth beats with old school folk. The album sounds both new and classic at the same time and Carl Broemel definitely can have a solo career if something horrible happens and MMJ calls it quits.
Srsa is a bit of an international mutt. He was born in Croatia, raised in South Africa, and recorded his new album in Argentina, a place he currently calls home. That all being said, it's hard, from his music, to really decipher where he is from, being that it sounds a whole lot like much of the mellow indie and folk rock being released by bands from the US, UK, and Australia. Regardless of where the music comes from, or sounds like it comes from, it's still pretty darn good. It mixed typical mellow folk similar to Jack Johnson with acoustic reggae for a unique twist on a familiar sound. Fans of Jack Johnson will love the similarities of Srsa's music, particularly on "Shine On Me" and "Trouble All Around," which are two of the album's best tracks. The Bob Marley fan will fall deeply in love with "Passer By" with is mellow reggae vibe and summery feel. Arman Srsa is a great unknown talent that is sure to gain tons of fans once their ears take in this album.
album, but also features a few classic Mason Jennings songs from older albums. Some of the highlights of the album include the heavy rockers "Ain't No Friend Of Mine" and "Be Here Now," as well as the stirring and emotional tracks "Black Wind Blowing" and "The Field." Mason also shines during performances of the subtle classics "Ballad For My One True Love" and "Rebecca DeVille." His interaction with the crowd showcases just what an excellent and down-to-Earth performer he is and the fact that the performance was in his home state of Minnesota makes the performance extra special for Mason and the crowd. The album features thee unreleased songs as well, "Born," "Lonely Computer Screen," and "Grow Old With Me." "Born" could have easily found its way onto any of Mason's albums and the other two tracks are beautifully performed by Mason solo with just his acoustic guitar. "Godless," a gem from his first album closes out the set and bridges the entire performance from then until now. Many of his fan favorites and radio singles are missing from the performance, but if he found time to include them all, he'd need about a 4 hour show and probably have to release it as a box set. Mason's live versions of his songs are very similar to his studio recordings, so the fun is in experiencing them live on stage. This is the closest most will get and it's a great representation of what it's like to be there,
![The Capitol Years: 1995-2007 [+digital booklet]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003Z182JM&tag=thisismodernn-20)
Jess Harris became well known as the Grammy award winning songwriter of the Norah Jones hit single "Don't Know Why." But, what many people don't know is that Jesse Harris is an incredible musician on his own, and he has released eight excellent albums of his own music. This latest album, the first in a double album release, shows off his jazz roots with light pop music that is full of soul. "Tough As Water" and "Put It Out Of Your Mind" are the album's standout tracks. The entire collection of music is so incredibly natural and organic and is the true mark of a superior songwriter. Not only are the lyrics magical and poetic, but they are sung over a backdrop of music that is beautifully written and performed. With this album, coupled with the pending release of a fully instrumental album, Jesse Harris is showing the world why his Grammy award is the real deal, and with or without Norah, he would have won one eventually.
Foundling" is not a b-sides album. What "Foundling" has become is a collection of reinterpreted tracks from David Gray's extensive songwriting history that he felt the world finally needed to hear. He recently decided to get back into the studio and give many of these songs new life, some songs having been born right out of soundcheck jams. Other songs he felt just needed a little love via some vocals and piano. The blues of the title track and the jazz elements of "We Could Fall In Love Again Tonight" show off the album's twist from Gray's signature folk style. Although, the album is heavy on Gray standards, it features a lot less commercial friendly tracks than usual, making for an interesting mix that is straight from his soul. The oldest song of the album is a reworking of "A New Day At Midnight" which is actually where the name of David's critically acclaimed 2002 album came from. The song didn't make it to that album but finds itself right at home here. The first single from this album is "A Moment Changes Everything" actually strangely comes from the bonus disc. The fact that the last track on the bonus disc is the first single shows the lack of commercialism of the entire album, with is one of the more appealing qualities of this collection of music. David Gray has come a long way since "White Ladder" but one this has remained true: his unmatched songwriting and delivery is as perfect now as it was then.
Every now and again a musician comes along and surprises listeners with their incredible songs and music. That such musician is Lissie, and her debut full length album is full of excellent tracks. Produced by a handful of big names including Jaquire King (Kings Of Leon) and Bill Reynolds (Band Of Horses), each song takes on a bit of the producers signature style and a whole life of their own. The album's first single "In Sleep" is easily one of the ten best songs of 2010 and the guitar solo at the end of the song is unlike anything heard on an indie rock recording. "Cuckoo" and "When I'm Alone" are a couple of the other standouts, however, each song on the album can stand alone as a great song. Lissie is truly the next big thing, and her blend of indie, classic, southern, and alternative rock styles is both interesting and outstanding.
![God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise [+Digital Booklet]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003YOWU1Q&tag=thisismodernn-20)
Although he just recently released his debut album, Matt Hires has decided to grace us with a few new tunes to keep our cravings at a minimum until his next full length release. This EP features a reinterpreted version of his hit single (and downright awesome song) "Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song," which falls somewhere between the studio version from his debut album and an acoustic performance of the song. The original version also appears on the EP. This digital only release also features two brand new songs, the title track "A To B" and "Rock N' Roll Heart," both of which could have easily found themselves on the debut. These songs are the epitome of pop rock music and are exactly the style you'd expect from Hires. Nothing outrageously inventive, but nothing incredibly run-of-the-mill either, Matt's new tunes could play on the radio, but could very well become just a few fan favorites that only the die hards fall in love with. Either way, Matt Hires has proven that his debut album and the beauty of it was not a fluke and he can match its excellence with subsequent releases, even if they are only a few songs long.
They say "the west coast is the best coast" but in this group's case, Best Coast is the west coast. The entire album is light and airy indie rock music that transports you right to the coast of California. It's old school indie vibe is incredibly similar to the work of She & Him, but the music seems to me much more gritty and less poppy. At times the vibes of 50's era pop shine through the music and in other places on the album you can hear elements that remind you of no one else. "Boyfriend" could be Summer 2010's best song. The title track and "Summer Mood" are also two of the album's best tracks. Best Coast is truly great new band that is making music that is unmatched in its special blend of uniqueness and excellence.
Without the burden of a major recording contract, making music can be fun, sound great, and define you as a band. Ingram Hill has come full circle from being an unknown indie band, to a major label standout, back to an indie band, only this time people know who they are and really want to hear their new stuff. Well, the wait is over, and "Look Your Best" has the band looking their best with some of their best tunes since before anyone cared who they were. "As Long As I'm With You," the album's lead single, could be the band's best song since the original indie release of "Will I Ever Make It Home." "Ready For The Sun" is another of the album's standout tracks. The band has outdone themselves and have proven that making great music is the core of who they are. They have proven that the band they always were is the band that they still are, and the music industry certainly didn't get in the way of the music.
Amy Kuney is a lesser known singer/songwriter that is beginning to make a name for herself in the indie world. Her newest release, a full length album that features ten originals, is a beautiful collection of music showing off both her talents in songwriting and performance. "Simple Things" is probably the best on the album, however each song has it's own level of greatness. She even gets a little help on the song "Time Machine" from her friend and fellow singer/songwriter Ari Hest, repaying the favor of guest appearing on his last album. The music is beautiful and listeners will get lost in its subtleties and intricacies. She is truly a talent to keep your eye on, as she will surely continue to turn heads and gain fans in the years to come.
Operation Aloha is a bit of a supergroup, comprised of members from Gomez, Phantom Planet, and Maroon 5. The guys all got together, being that they are all friends, and decided to make sweet music while on the island of Hawaii together. The result is an outstanding album that combines original tunes with some of the band members' previously released music, all done in a traditional Hawaiian musical style. The best song on the album is "Failure" which previously appeared on Ian Ball's (of Gomez) solo release. The version featured here makes the song even better by adding the Hawaiian elements and the musicality of all of his friends. Overall, the album is a success, creating more of a feeling and an energy than a collection of music. Hopefully this won't be a one time thing, but who knows. At least we still get to bask in their sunshine.
Sleeperstar have returned with their best album to date. "Just Another Ghost" is the definition of what it is to make a great rock record. It won't be long before alternative rock radio station are picking up this album and adding its songs to their heavy rotation. And, despite the album's excellence, Sleeperstar remains unsigned and put the disc out all on their own. Recycling older songs like "Texas Rain" and "Disengage" (their best song period) and combing them with newer standouts like "We Go Tonight (Say It Again)" and "Only Human" is the perfect formula for making the album that is going to get you recognized by exponentially more fans than before, not to mention all the major labels. "We Go Tonight" and "Disengage" have the makings of superstar rock records and will hopefully find themselves atop airplay charts in the not-too-distant future. Sleeperstar have proven that they are the real deal and can rub shoulders with the best around, and this album is as good as anything that any alt-rock band has put out as of late.
Musket is a new side project from Eric Lyman of the band Slackstring, and featured a completely different sound that we are used to hearing from him. Musket is a band that is more on the indie side of things, stepping away from the usual SoCal acoustic laid back vibe that Lyman's other band is known for. Pro surfer Brad Gerlach is also a member of the band. The music is hard to describe, as it draws its elements from all different styles of rock music. It's got a hard edge at times and at other times is as mellow as it gets, but in each song it's the musical guitars and drums that shine. It's the kind of music you'd hear in action sports videos for things like skateboarding and surfing. Musket may not turn out to be the next great rock sensation, but their music is awesome and it's nice to hear a different side of southern California.
It's not often a promising young band releases as stellar a debut as Elmwood's. Poised to be part of the next generation of great live rock bands, Elmwood is beginning their journey following in the footsteps of bands like Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and Virginia Coalition. They have harnessed the musicality of each of the members of the band, combining their talents and efforts for a debut album that will have them selling out stadiums in the future. A music of shorter pop tunes and longer jams is the perfect combination, and songs like the title track and "Night Caper" are sure to make any listener an instant fan. There's only up from here, and Elmwood have found their springboard to catapult them to the next level.
