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High-Performance Audio Reviews
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Various Bluegrass, Blues and
Jazz Albums
Review By Steven Stone
Click here to e-mail reviewer
Amy Speace
The Killer In Me
Amy Speace's second album leans more toward rock than country, but this direction better suits her New Jersey roots. Her powerful lead vocals and penetrating songwriting are well supported by James Mastro's (the Bongos) production. Ian Hunter's harmony vocals on the title song add an extra bit of rock angst to the proceedings.
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Dancing Alone
The Songs Of William Hawkins
This two-CD album celebrates the works of Canadian songwriter William Hawkins. Twenty-four tunes performed by Bruce Cockburn, Lynn Miles, Brent Titcomb, and other Canadian musicians demonstrate the breadth of Hawkins' work. I especially enjoyed Ana Muira's double-tracked vocals on "Get Free." This project was a labor of love by producer Ian Tamblyn, and it shows.
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Spring Creek
Way Up on A Mountain
The first release by this young Colorado-based bluegrass band sports an eclectic and unique acoustic edge. Jessica Lynn Smith's lead vocals have a rustic quality reminiscent of Gillian Welch. Banjo player Chris Elliot's relaxed yet rhythmically precise vocals and instrumentals drive the band forward with quixotically laid-back efficiency.
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Peter Holsapple And Chris Stamey
Here And Now
DB fans will relish this foray into pop rock heaven. Although the album begins with a beautifully rendered cover of the Move's classic, "My Friend the Sun," Holsapple and Stamey's originals prove that over the years they've lost none of their songwriting acuity. If you love compelling hooks and bridges, consider this the ultimate musical erector set.
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54-40 Northern Soul
54-40 Northern Soul
54-40 Northern Soul delivers post-punk modern rock for adults. A crunchy and chimy wall of electric guitar sound wraps around their catchy melody lines and plaintive vocals. For their 13th release 54-40 spent a month recording in a converted funeral home. The results are very much alive and kicking.
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