Acoustic Rock

Album review: 'Little Hell' by City and Colour [AUDIO]

Artist: 
City and Colour

Dallas Green, former vocalist of the band Alexisonfire, released a new album under the moniker City and Colour in June of this year. The album, Little Hell, is his third for his solo career.

I have been a huge fan of Green’s voice, even when he was in Alexisonfire. It is extremely identifiable. He sounds like no one else. When I first started to listen to his work, I did a review of his song “Sleeping Sickness” which was off of his second album, Bring Me Your Love, which I have been constantly addicted to.

Album Review: Porcelain

Artist: 
Edward Rogers
Old School Sound, New School Style

Porcelain – might be fragile, but it’s undeniably beautiful.

It’s also got a lot of class, for being old school. (It originated in China some three thousand years ago. And had its hey-dey in the 16th century, though it’s certainly still popular in the 21st.)

In a similar vein, the music of Edward Rogers touches on something long-gone and yet there it is – as solid as a porcelain plate – and just as beautiful.

City and Colour's 'Sleeping Sickness'

Artist: 
City and Colour

With a voice that would make Heaven’s purest angels writhe with jealousy, City and Colour, also known as Dallas Green, created an absolutely sin-tastic song, called “Sleeping Sickness.” Released in 2008, this song has been my guilty little pleasure and I am embarrassed to say that I have kept this song to myself, instead of sharing it with family and friends like I usually do.

Bethany and the Guitar's "Careful with Me" Review

Bethany and the Guitar, a lively acoustic pop band, consists of Bethany Parks, her brother Kurtis, and three other people. Their song, “Careful with Me,” starts off with two acoustic guitars and an added violin, and then the rest of the instruments join to collaborate and form a beautifully well-written song showcasing raw talent.

Three Cities

Artist: 
Keeley Valentino

When I hear Keeley Valentino's "Three Cities," I immediately thought she was a more grown-up, less commercial Taylor Swift. While this is not necessarily that far off, it really isn't fair to her talent. True, she borrows from country and pop to make a uniquely American sound, but her songs and musicianship maintains such an organic feel that is absent in the commercially viable Swift.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Crosby, Stills and Nash

Artist: 
Crosby, Stills and Nash

In the modern musical landscape, Crosby, Stills & Nash's unique blend of acoustic folk, subdued rock n' roll, and otherworldly vocal harmonies seems more relevant than ever. This is particularly evident in the stylistic resurgence of vocal harmonies in indie rock over the last few years. Many of the characteristics of today's most cutting edge underground music find their roots in music such as CSN's. However, few can do it better.

Their self-titled debut album demonstrates the mellow, deceptively simple nature that would come to define the band's music.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

The Madcap Laughs

Artist: 
Syd Barrett

The original front man of Pink Floyd, whose career in the band was cut unfortunately short by his mental illness, released two solo albums before retiring from music forever. "The Madcap Laughs" is generally considered his best work from this period. The album mostly contains bouncy acoustic pop songs about love and other common topics. However, none of the songs are completely coherent or straightforward either. Long gone are the spacey freakouts that dominated his work with Pink Floyd.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

War Elephant

Artist: 
Deer Tick

This is the record you always hoped your friend in high school would make. These are the tunes you'd trek to late night shows in inconvenient locations just to hear. And after the show, you'd tell your friend he was a talented songwriter and good things would come one day, though of course you had your doubts. This is the record that proves you wrong.

"War Elephant" is the debut release from Deer Tick, the moniker for singer/songwriter, John McCauley. It's not a cheerful record, but it's an accomplished one.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Artist: 
Jason Mraz

Although singer and song writer Jason Mraz has been on the scene for a while, his greatest commercial success came from his latest album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." The record, released in May 2008, is the third studio album for Mraz.

While Jason Mraz is a great talent, he has unfortunately flown under the radar in the musical world during the last few years. However, since the success of "We Sing. We Dance.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Casualties

Artist: 
Phil Putnam

Upon first listening to Phil Putnam's "Casualties," this CD gave me the impression that it was destined to be nothing more than a mediocre effort. However and luckily, this feeling didn't last long.

The opening track, "More Than This," starts off somewhat weak, with contrived lyrics that did not feel fresh and new.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars
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