CD REVIEW: Samuel Ventura "Beautiful Tragedy"

Samuel Ventura is a bright up-and-coming singer/songwriter from upstate New York, and his debut album is an excellent display of lyrically rich pop rock. The entire album is filled with catchy hook, radio friendly songs, and a simplicity that is not always appreciated in music. There is always something to be said for a musician who can do straightforward really well, without gimmicks or overproduction. Songs on this album that are sure to hook the listeners are "Strawberry Soda," "Sunshine," and "Coconut Tree." For a first time out, Samuel Ventura has created a debut album that is a huge stepping stone towards a fruitful career. His style of music will be timeless (for the next few years are least) and he is sure to benefit from his talents.

CD REVIEW: Zach Deputy "Sunshine"

After having your tour van, equipment, and most of your worldly possessions stolen from you, the last thing that you can be thinking about is recording a new album. For Zach Deputy, the free spirited fun loving musician, that's exactly what the doctor ordered. The result, an incredible new album that combines both his love for reggae music, his jam band sensibility, his one-man-band approach at music, and his fun personality. The song "Paramus" is about his unfortunate incident involving the theft of his van. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is not a cover of the Michael Jackson song, but rather a feel good reggae tune that shows off Deputy's work with a full band. About half the album includes the full band and the other half has Zach pulling out all the stops and performing all of the instruments. "Stay" shows off Deputy's true musicianship and has a very old school bluesy vibe. The entire album is awesome and Zach Deputy does a wonderful job bringing the fun right to the listeners. It's a rarity to actually hear how much fun a musician has while performing, but Zach Deputy displays that quality to the max.

CD REVIEW: Greg Laswell "Take A Bow"

On this album, Greg Laswell solidifies himself as a pop folk superstar. He has managed to put together another great album full of great songs that showcase his incredible lyricism and distinct voice. This album is a little darker sounding than the previous two and on "Come Clean" there is a bit of spookiness as well. The debut single, "Take Everything," could possibly become Laswell's most memorable song, and move him into the mainstream spotlight. Ingrid Michaelson also lends her vocals to the song, as well as several others on the album. Cary Brothers joins the mix as well, lending his background vocals to a few of the tracks. "Off I Go," a song that first appeared on the television show "Grey's Anatomy," makes its first appearance on a Laswell album, and is one of Laswell's most lyrically perfect songs. "In Front Of Me," "Marquee," and "Around The Bend" are all standout tracks, proving this album is full of incredible songs. Greg Laswell has managed to take folk rock music to a new level and has brought us a new album, which he also self produced, that is one of the best of the year.

NEW TUNES: Pete Francis

Check out the first single from Pete Francis' new album "The Movie We Are In" which will be released on his own Scrapper Records on May 18th. The song is called "Glue" and you can download it for free by clicking here. Enjoy!

CD REVIEW: Alpha Rev "New Morning"

Alpha Rev is a great young band out of Texas who are taking the airwaves by storm with their new single, the title track of the album "New Morning." The album is your typical modern rock album, rivalling albums recently put out by bands such as The Fray, OneRepublic, and Green River Ordinance. Although there's nothing inventive or out of the ordinary about Alpha Rev's music, it's their attention to detail that makes their music great. Not only do they rely on excellent lyrics, but as a band who is seven members strong, their instrumentation is much more than just the simple guitar/bass/keys/drums that many other bands focus on. It makes a simple, familiar style of music sound new and fresh. The best song on the album is "Face Down" which is a bit more funkier than the other songs, and features a killer guitar solo. Alpha Rev are surely the real deal, and with the success of this style of music in the past, there's no doubt that this album will turn these guys into hitmakers.

CD REVIEW: Ozomatli "Fire Away"

At their creative best, Ozomatli have returned with their most cohesive album to date. The entire album both flows well and epitomizes the true nature of the band, who dabbles in countless musically styles. All of their albums have always incorporated all of their influences and their musical talents quite well, but this is the first time that the entire album feels like a full album and not just a collection of individual songs. The album's first single, "It's Only Paper," is incredible catchy and will help Ozomatli gain more of a mainstream following as it is currently blowing up on the radio, possibly from the guest appearance of chorus vocalist Jack Johnson. The song is all about how money is just paper and that you should never let it chance or control you. Their activism is always in full force in their music, but this time they embrace more sensitive issues like gay marriage on "Gay Vatos In Love." Their true fun-loving, partying nature shines on tracks like "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and "Elysian Persuasion." Whether its Latin, rock, funk, or even hip hop, Ozomatli is always there to make it happen and mix it up well, and on "Fire Away" they do it at the top of their game.

CD REVIEW: Luce "The Year We'll Have"

It's been a long time since Luce started making music, and yet, this indie band has managed to stay a small, independent group. These days they're getting back to their roots, and their latest album combines some of their best old songs with some great new ones in a very organic and acoustic state. "The Year We'll Have" (both the song and the album) is a testament to where the band will be going with their new old sound. The title track of this eight song album showcases the true musicianship of the guys in the band, and has the lead singer and namesake sounding his best. "Good Day," by far the band's best and most well known song, gets a new treatment which focuses on the excellent lyrical content of the song, and the feel good, sun soaked sound of the original is left behind for a folksy, bluesy sound that doesn't take away from the greatness of the original recording. Luce are truly and underappreciated band, and for the fans that have grown to know and love them, this new album is both exciting and nostalgic.

New Release Tuesday

New releases out today worth checking out:

• The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
• Greg Laswell - Take A Bow
• Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away
• Tonic - Tonic

CD REVIEW: Dirty Heads "Any Port In A Storm (Special Edition)"

Dirty Heads have been kicking around most of these tunes for a few years now. In fact, 2008 saw the original release of "Any Port In A Storm" and was excellent then. It's still excellent, and now made even better with the inclusion of a handful of new songs and b-sides that almost double the original tracklist. Poised to take over as the prominent reggae rock band on the scene today, Dirty Heads have drawn comparisons to everyone from 311 to Sublime to Slightly Stoopid. Their music features a bit of each of those bands' styles while still establishing themselves as their own entity. The don't overdo it on the hip hop, they are a little less punk than Sublime, and they pull out all the stops when it comes to making feel good music. Rome, the new lead singer for the newly revamped Sublime, lends his vocals to the new single "Lay Me Down" which is Dirty Heads' best song of the newly released tunes. An older song seeing release for the first time is "Sails To The Wind," which is another great Dirty Heads composition. The portion of the album originally released two years ago features the hit songs "Stand Tall," "Believe," and "Driftin'." "Stand Tall," which first saw the light of day in the movie "Surf's Up," also gets the acoustic treatment in this new version of the album, which showcases the organic nature of Dirty Heads' music and the excellence of their lyrics. With great tunes, both new and old, Dirty Heads are leading the way for the next generation of west coast reggae rock music, and are doing it their way.

CD REVIEW: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros "Up From Below"

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are one of the most interesting bands currently making waves. They are more of a musical collective than a band, and are incredibly reminiscent of something you might have seen in 60's ad 70's San Francisco. Their music is indie meets hippie and appeal to fans of everyone from Phish to Bright Eyes. Their song "Home" is a folk throwback with duet vocals, that at times seems a little like it took some cues from Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant." It's no wonder the song is currently climbing the charts at modern rock and adult alternative radio as it's chorus is incredibly catchy. "40 Day Dream," "Desert Song," and the title track are also excellent, modern folk songs. This group may not fit the mold of a traditional rock band and they may not use the typical guitar, bass, drums format, but they sure know how to make awesome and interesting music that is both current and retro all at the same time. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are definitely not a gimmick, and are bound to continue to make excellent music.