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HOT NEW REVIEWS
ANA CRISMAN ARPA
FLAMENCA ‘ARPAORA’ (ANDALOUSE ALHAMBRA/INOUIE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE
IMPORT)
This is the first flamenco harp album I have ever
heard, and I believe this combination has also not been done before. It
concerns the new album of the Spanish harpist ANA CRISMAN ARPA FLAMENCA, who is
joined by Jesús Méndez: vocals; Javier Ktumba: percussion and palmas; Vicente
Soto Sordera: vocals; Pedro Navarro: percussion; M. Cantarote: palmas; José
Valencia: vocals; Juan Diego Valencia Vargas: palmas; Jorge Pardo: brass artist
collaboration; Rosa Gómez: backing vocals, vocals; Rosario Heredia: backing vocals,
vocals and Tomasa ‘La Macanita’: vocals. The mix of beautiful European Harp
music with South American Flamenco is a rather unique combination that works
quite well actually here. If you take the vocals of GYPSY KINGS, and cross it
with calmer European classic music as played on the Harp, then you might end up
with this album. The songs are mostly calmer, and here and there instrumental.
More info can be found at: https://veevcom.com/en/ana-crisman-arpa-flamenca-presente-arpaora/
(Points: 7.4 out
of 10)
TRAM ‘ALLIGATOR’
(LES ENTETES/L’AUTRE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
TRAM is a French band that has been around for 25
years now, and they have performed over 1,200 live performances so far, so they
are quite an established band. They consist of Vincent Westphal – Lead vocals,
clarinet, bass clarinet, Diego Meymarian – Vocals, violin, cittern, banjo,
mandolin, Vincent Gaffet – Vocals, accordion, Mathieu Cervera – Drums,
percussion, vocals and Nicolas Canavaggia – Double bass, electric bass, vocals.
Alligator is their 7th album, and musically speaking it’s a World Music affair,
with all kinds of influences from all kinds of European cultures, such as
French Chanson, Klezmer, Balkan music, Nordic Folk and even the polyrhythms of
Reunion island, so it is quite a diverse affair, with many uptempo pieces that
are easy to sing-a-long and should go down very well at the European festivals.
There is a lot to discover here, because even THE SHADOWS can be traced during
the song Grad Se Beli, a song that should be a massive hit among festival
visitors! There’s a cappella to be heard during a song like Rachuli and even a
bit of progrock rhythms during Novoset, while Black Betty is the cover of the
famous traditional that was popularized by RAM JAM in the 1970s. The music is
happy, uplifting and very catchy, and as already mentioned, it is very diverse
and takes you into the rich music culture of Europe. More info can be found at:
https://lesentetes.com/tram/?lang=en
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
VICTORIA ALEXANYAN
‘VISHAP’ (MUSIQUE EN BALADE ENTETES/INOUIE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Out of Armenia originally, but eventually settling
herself in France, where she built up a career that now results in the debut
album Vishap, VICTORIA ALEXANYAN is without a doubt someone to watch out for,
because she has delivered a lovely album that shows her talent as a
singer/songwriter. She is helped by Amin Al Aiedy (oud, nay, co-composition), Vincent
Forestier (piano, co-composition), Yann Phayphet (double bass) and Matheo
Ciesla (drums,backing vocals), and her music is quite diverse actually, melting
her Armenian roots with French chanson music. The Arabic influenced world music
sounds sometimes really beautiful such as during L’eau coule du haut de la
montagne and Yerangi that both remind me a bit of a calmer ALTIN GUN. I am
really loving the vibe of this album, and it’s diversity, because the French
chanson singing comes out alive really well during Liens d’Or, and there’s also
some lovely classical music influences during a song like Ur es du?. Concluded,
this is definitely a recommended CD to check out. More info can be found at: https://veevcom.com/en/victoria-alexanyan-presente-vishap/
(Points: 8.2 out
of 10)
LARIN MICHAELS
‘IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE’ (CONCH TOWN RECORDS/FRANK ROSZAK PROMOTIONS/USA IMPORT)
LARIN MICHAELS grew up in Motorcity Motown Detroit,
USA, and he has been in the music business ever since. He worked and performed
with many well-known musicians the past 5 decades, such as DIANA ROSS, BOB
SEGER, ARETHA FRANKLIN, and many others. However, It’s All About Love is his
first solo album. He plays, wrote and produced all of the songs on his own.
Besides singing he also plays guitar, bass, keys, horns and drums, so we have a
real multi-instrumentalist here. The music is old school light classic boogie
barroom boogie rock/blues rock with a touch of classic rock that sounds at its best
during uptempo pieces like Love Straight from the Heart, Look at You and All
that Matters Is the Bottom Line, while we can also trace 50s rock and roll
touch/rockabilly influences here and there (Mardi Gras Louisiana). There are
some similarities to BOB SEGER and BOZ SCAGGS, although the production/sound is
at a lower scale. Check it out for yourself at: https://larinmichaels.com/
(Points: 7.5 out
of 10)
SHE’S IN PARTIES
‘ARE YOU DREAMING? EP VINYL LP’ (SUBMARINE CAT RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
One of the highlights of the 3-days counting LEFT OF
THE DIAL FESTIVAL in Rotterdam was the female fronted band SHE’S IN PARTIES. I
saw an excellent gig of this new band from London, UK in one of the many
smaller venues. They were obviously named after the 80s BAUHAUS song, and
although musically they are also influenced by this band, SHE’S IN PARTIES has an
own identity that can be heard very clearly on their latest VINYL EP Are You
Dreaming. The band sent me a copy of this album, and without a doubt, it is one
of the highlights of 2025, because this band sounds really strong from start to
finish, and they are able to bring in some freshness into the scene. Fronted by
Irish-born frontperson Katie Dillon (vocals/guitar), alongside her friends
Herbie Wiseman (guitar), Matt Carman (drums), and Charlie Johnson (bass),
there’s quite some diversity going on here. 5 tracks are on this EP, which is
produced very well, and has some nice pictures and lyrics included inside the
inner sleeve of the LP.
Opener Fallen is a lush 90s influenced indie
alternative rocker, while following song is the lovely titletrack Are You
Dreaming?, which is an 80s influenced happy massive sounding new wave/poprocker
featuring the synths upfront, a hooky guitar riff and a catchy modern day
memorable radio orientated chorus that almost sounds like an indie combination
of DUA LIPA, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE and KIM WILDE. Closing track of side-A is
the 80s FLEETWOOD MAC orientated midtempo melodic poprocker Runaway, another
catchy radio-ready tune that also reminds me of the early 80s legendary female
fronted acts THE MOTELS, ‘TIL TUESDAY and THE DIVINYLS.
Side B opens with Same Old Story, a 90s
shoegaze/dreampop rocking affair, which also has a very catchy vibe going on
throughout the song, while closing the album is R.E.M., a poppy tune with a
memorable catchy chorus that fits somewhere between 80s New Wave and 00s
Dreampop, and somehow this is the best song on the vinyl album.
Anyone into the modern yet retro 80s influenced female
fronted new wave/poprock sound should absolutely check out this sensational
band SHE’S IN PARTIES. Live on stage they are even better than on the album, so
make sure to check them out at: https://www.shesinpartiesband.com/
(Points: 8.7 out
of 10)
LEILANI KILGORE
‘TELL YOUR GHOST’ (RIFF BANDIT/USA IMPORT)
As soon as opener High/Low of the CD Tell Your Ghost
blasts through the speakers, it is clear that we are dealing with a sensational
new artist. Her name is LEILANI KILGORE, she comes out of Nashville, Tennessee,
USA, and her music is massive sounding melodic heavy blues rock, like a
somewhat heavier version of JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR, LARKIN POE and HEART, although
her debut album also offers calmer moments. She has a killer voice and she also
plays the guitar extremely well, while her self-written (and self-produced) songs
are very strong. Leilani is definitely one to watch out for in the future! Back
To You is a beautiful slightly calmer AOR/Melodic Poprocker in the style of
ALANNAH MYLES and JAIME KYLE, while Spanish Moss has that big fat heavy blues
rocksound like LARKIN POE again, which can also be said of the heavy groovy
guitar riff driving Burn. The diversity of the CD is making it a really
interesting album to check out, because the superb midtempo AOR piece Early
Grave has a cool retro late 80s vibe, not far removed from ROBIN BECK, LITA
FORD and 80s HEART actually, and this song shows Leilani’s gifted golden voice!
And how about the superb lush uptempo 80s influenced AOR/Melodic Rocker Can’t
Take It Back or the 90s midtempo alternative rocking Wish You Were Dead!
It’s just all there on 1 disc!
Besides Leilani on guitar and vocals, other involved
musicians are guitarist JON WISECARVER, bassist JOSHUA RICE and drummer DAVID
KEITH, and it’s a pity it’s impossible to catch this singer/songwriter/musician
live due to the incredible distance between my home and the places she plays
live in the USA, such as the beautiful town of Madison, Indiana, USA where she
played a show recently. Anyway, this CD and musician is highly recommended, and
if she is ever able to come over and play shows over here, we might welcome the
next big star. LARKIN POE, BETH HART, HEART and JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR are
household names here in Europe, so who knows Leilani will be up next, because
she fits right between them. More info available at: https://leilanikilgore.bandcamp.com/album/tell-your-ghost
and http://leilanikilgore.com/
(Points: 9.0 out
of 10)
THE IMAGINARIES
‘FEVER’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Norman, Oklahoma, USA comes the husband/wife
duo/band THE IMAGINARIES, consisting of Maggie McClure: Vocals, Piano, Keyboards
and Shane Henry: Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitar, and Fever is their 2nd
album. When they perform live on stage, they are joined by Jordan Oliver: Drums,
Ryan Miller: Bass, Jim Robinson: Organ / Keys and Kevin Webb: Electric Guitar,
but on this new album there is a long list of session musicians helping them,
such as David Hood: Bass, Kelvin Holly: Guitar, Justin Holder: Drums and Clayton
Ivey: Keys, but the special appearance of the legendary VINCE GILL, JOE
BONAMASSA and ARIEL POSEN is probably the most interesting side fact, while the
album itself was partly recorded at the legendary FAME STUDIOS in Muscle
Shoals, Alabama, USA and partly co-produced by the legendary JEFF SILBAR (VAN
STEPHENSON, FLEETWOOD MAC, BETTIE MIDLER…). Maggie and Shane wrote and produced
all of the 12 included tracks themselves, and I have to say that right from the
start with the superb opening titletrack Fever, we are hearing music of an
incredible high level. That particular song Fever is one of the catchiest
uptempo AOR/Melodic Rockers I have heard in ages, remembering of the classic
80s female fronted AOR rocksound of CINDY CRUSE, DONNA CRISTY, ROBIN BECK, TANE
CAIN, SCANDAL, etc. etc. A killer tune I have played over and over again
lately! The following songs are a bit more midtempo heavy blues rock
orientated, and as already mentioned a few of them feature some legendary
musicians. Wishing Well for example has the LARKIN POE ish bluesy rocksound,
and this song features guest singer/guitarist ARIEL POSEN. Following track
Crossroads brings JOE BONAMASSA as guest guitarist/singer, while VINCE GILL
appears during the uptempo country ish rocker Whole Lotta Livin’. The shared
female and male lead vocals is making the material very strong, and obviously
we can clearly compare them to FLEETWOOD MAC during Americana poprock songs
like Constant, I Knew It Was You and the superb Buzzard’s Roost (sensational
song that also reveals some JOHN MAYER influences). Other highlights on this
sensational CD are the Americana/AOR/Country melted pop/rocksongs Breaker and
Riding That High, while the album finishes with 2 calmer acoustic tingled
Americana/singer/songwriter pieces, so there is a lot of diversity going on
here. Without a doubt, this is something special that needs to be checked out
if you like music of a very high level, and you’re a fan of catchy melodies! More
info can be found at: https://www.imaginariesband.com/
(Points: 9.0 out
of 10)
CACTUS LEE ‘CACTUS
LEE VINYL ALBUM’ (WESTERN VINYL/USA IMPORT)
Out of Austin, Texas, USA comes the talented musician
KEVIN DEHAN, who is the main character behind the band CACTUS LEE. Besides
Kevin, there are also other musicians involved, such as Russell Hymowitz on
bass, Adam Amram on Drums and percussion, and Jon "Catfish" Delorme
on Pedal steel guitar, as well as guest musicians such as John Bush on Percussion,
Bukka Allen on Accordion and Billie Buck on Saxophone. CACTUS LEE has released
albums almost every year since 2019, so this lovely new vinyl album Kevin sent
me, which is simply titled Cactus Lee, it is the 9th CACTUS LEE
album so far. Musically speaking we are heading into a calmer
Americana/singer/songwriter/country/folk direction that feels like a warm
summer breeze blowing straight from the desert parts of the USA from back in
the 1970s. Comparisons to a band like POCO or THE BAND or even JAMES TAYLOR,
JIM GROCE and any of these almost Westcoast ish singer-songwriter pop/rock from
the 70s could be possible, but CACTUS LEE has meanwhile created an own identity,
and I think the act is mostly comfortable as being an Americana/rootsy act that
would easily fit the yearly Ramblin’ Roots Festival held in Utrecht. Kevin was
kind enough to also sent me a vinyl copy of his 2019 album, which is another
highly recommendable album that also has some similarities to PAUL SIMON, but
let’s now focus on this lovely self-titled Cactus Lee LP from 2019. There are
10 songs in total on the album, which by the way has some really nice artwork
drawings that indeed makes you long back to the 1970s when all you had to do as
a youngster was reading a comic strip like Donald Duck. There are a lot of
lovely laid-back tunes on this album, such as Americana opener Rabbit, the
somewhat funky groovy Sister (reminds me slightly of LITTLE FEAT) and the
superb Westcoast ish VENICE/YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX Roll Maggie. A song like
Runaway has that slightly alternative country Americana pop/rock vibe like we
know it from someone like STEVE EARLE, but as you can see there is a lot of
diversity going on, and it’s really an enjoyable adventure. Kevin has a great
voice that sings these lovely stories in his songs. Other highlights on the LP
are Hotel New Orleans, Got a Heart Like Rainwater Blues and Twenty Dollars.
Basically CACTUS LEE is a highly recommended act to check out since they
deliver quality music. It’s calmer, breezy and warm, just like the old days,
with a focus on beautiful melodies that are sung by Kevin. More info can be
found at: https://cactuslee.bandcamp.com/album/cactus-lee-3
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
THISTLE SIFTER
‘FOREVER THE OPTIMIST’ (FREIA MUSIC/DUTCH MUSIC WORKS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Sometime ago I witnessed a great concert of a Dutch
band called THISTLE SIFTER, which took place just around the corner of my house
at a small venue here. They did already have a few albums out, and to my
surprise I recently received their 3rd album Forever The Optimist.
The band, or project is based around the British musician PETE BARNES
(guitars/synths/composer), who is settled in The Netherlands, and along the way
he gets help from Nils Breunese (guitar), Alex Flushmer (bass, synths) and drummer
Koen Klarenbeek. The resulting sound on this new album is massive, and
basically could be described as a spacey instrumental trip through the
wonderful worlds of post-progressive rock and affiliated atmospheric sounds.
There’s a bit of everything in here, such as uplifting
uptempo songs (Ghost Acres), midtempo stuff (One Fleeting Glance), atmospheric
cinematic parts (Endling), progrock moments (Weightless), doomy post-stoner rock
(Et In Arcadia Ego) and throughout the album spoken word fragments are being
incorporated into the calmer parts, so it really feels like a journey through
time and space when listening to this beautiful album. Definitely highly
recommended to fans of instrumental post-progressive atmospheric space/stoner
rock in the style of RUSSIAN CIRCLES, GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT, LONG DISTANCE
CALLING, etc. More info can be found at: https://thistlesifter.com/
and https://thistlesifter.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
MAGNIFY THE SOUND
‘SEARCHING FOR A QUIET PLACE’ (CRISPIN GLOVER RECORDS/STICKMAN RECORDS/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
MAGNIFY THE SOUND from Norway started as a duo, but
evolved into a full band on their 2nd album Searching For A Quiet
Place. The band now consists of Trond Engum: Electric guitar and electronics, Carl
Haakon Waadeland: Drums, Tone Åse: Vocals and Sturla Eide: Fiddle and Hardanger
fiddle. Funnily enough last week I watched a great apocalyptic horror movie trilogy
called A Quiet Place, and this new album of MAGNIFY THE SOUND could easily be
the soundtrack to that movie. The music on this CD has this beautiful dark-folk
and atmospheric cinematic vibe going on that it sometimes gives you the chills.
It’s different than for example WARDRUNA, but you can imagine that it on the
other hand does have a resemblance to that band here and there. However,
MAGNIFY THE SOUND is less bombastic and more heading into a dreamy atmospheric
direction, which feels arty and cinematic most of the time as already
mentioned. If you love the movie, then you will also love this CD of the
Norwegian band MAGNIFY THE SOUND. More info at: www.linktr.ee/magnifythesound
and www.magnifythesound.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.2 out
of 10)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
‘LOUDER THAN YOU THINK – A LO-FI HISTORY OF GARY YOUNG & PAVEMENT’
(INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS, LLC/USA IMPORT)
In 2023 the legendary PAVEMENT drummer GARY YOUNG died
way too young, but during the 1970s and 1980s this musician/producer/promoter
was quite vital in the Stockton, California area where he booked lots of bands
to play on certain venues (DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS…), but he
also played in several bands, and now there is a CD released that is more or
less a compilation of some of his work recorded throughout his music career.
Just like every other release on the INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS label, they
did an excellent job, as this is a very nice CD package that comes in a
hand-letterpress printed die cut CD pocket folder complete with
letterpress-printed stamp sheet in a folding booklet insert, which looks
absolutely beautiful. Inside the CD booklet you can read everything about
Gary’s music career, and all together we have 19 songs included that musically
speaking are quite diverse actually.
THE AUTHORITIES and their song Achtung! Is a really
strong catchy straight-ahead uptempo classic punkrocker that was recorded back
in 1982, while later on the CD we get hear another track of them, the slower
post-punky LSD that has a touch of both TALKING HEADS and JOY DIVISION. Then
there’s some more underground hardcore/punk that has a real independent sound,
but also a bit of instrumental spacey lo-fi hi-tech ambient stuff here and
there, some alternative rock and everything else that is not commercial or
radio orientated. Experimental alternative (rock) music, straight-ahead punk
and singer-songwriter comedian pop (his solo work), that basically sums up
Gary’s life and this CD is a nice introduction to this legendary Californian
musician. More info can be found at: https://www.independentprojectrecords.com
(Points: 7.5 out
of 10)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
‘THE WELL – THE INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS COLLECTION 2’ (INDEPENDENT PROJECT
RECORDS, LLC/USA IMPORT)
We have reviewed a lot of the releases of the label
INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS the past few years, but the label itself has been
around since 1980, when it was founded by musician BRUCE LICHER. 45 years
onwards the label has a long discography, and to give a short overview, we now
received volume 2 of their The Well collection series. The Well: The
Independent Project Records Collection II is a 41-track compilation that spans
the label's 45-year history, and as always like all of their releases, the
package of the 2 CD set is impressive. It comes as a letterpress-printed record
cover and extensive liner notes to read while listening to this excellent
compilation set. The beauty of it all is that you can discover a lot here,
because the label released a lot of high quality albums of great acts like
AFTERIMAGE, LESLIE MEDFORD, GREG LISHER, THE OPHELIAS, HALF STRING, DRIVEWAY
CELLING, etc. etc. The music is alternative orientated, so don’t expect any
commercial pop/rock here, because despite these are all mostly unknown bands,
they definitely delivered great material that most of the time sits nicely in a
post-punk/new wave/alternative/indie-rock direction with influences of bands
like TALKING HEADS, THE REPLACEMENTS, R.E.M., THE SMITHS, THE JAYHAWKS, JOY
DIVISION and such 80s alternative pop/rock.
CD 1 highlights include songs of AFTERIMAGE, LESLIE
MEDFORD (spoken-word post-punk at it’s best), THE OPHELIAS (typical 80s
alternative poprock with a rather catchy chorus, a la CLIP BAND MET DWERG), the
catchy 60s influenced psychedelic melodic pop/rockband DRIVEWAY CELLING, BRUCE
LICHER (lovely atmospheric guitar instrumental), JEFFREY CLARK (very much
sounding like THE SMITHS), BPEOPLE (Post-punk), and RED TEMPLE SPIRITS (a very
original sounding late 80s gothic-post-punk band) and on CD 2 SAVAGE REPUBLIC,
MIDDLE CLASS (very strong early 80s post-punkband from California, yet sounding
like the current British movement), SNUFFY and EDWARD W. DAHL (both sorta 90s
instrumental ambient post-techno-prog-krautrock mixture), LANTERNA (calmer
instrumental post-prog) and JAZZ BEDOUINS (lovely instrumental jazzy progrock).
Roughly said, most of CD 1 shows the 80s somewhat post-punk/wave/alternative
direction of the label, while CD 2 is clearly more 90s/00s
post-prog/kraut/experimental instrumental orientated).
If you want to learn about the huge underground
American new wave of such music from mainly the 1980s and 1990s, then this is a
highly recommended compilation CD that gives you the opportunity to discover
the many gems from the past. More info can be found at: https://www.independentprojectrecords.com/product-page/the-well
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
MAGIC DANCE ‘NO
WAY TO SURRENDER’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
AOR and Synthwave are both getting their inspiration
from the good old 1980s, and sometimes the genres overlap(ped), while at other
times they are quite far removed from each other (for example OMD and FM).
Anyway, quite some time ago I reviewed a wonderful AOR meets Synthwave project
called MAGIC DANCE. They sounded sensational on this particular album
Vanishings, which was released back in 2016. Now 10 years later they have
meanwhile released quite a few more albums, and also signed to FRONTIERS RECORDS
for a while, however they are now back with an independent CD release titled No
Way To Surrender. Musically speaking we are heading straight back into the
retro 80s when AOR and Synthwave blended very naturally. It feels like you’re
back in 1985 and Back To The Future is released in the Movie Theatre and
JOURNEY and SURVIVOR were still receiving lots of radio airplay, while MTV was
your guide to discover new music. I guess you can say that fans of both genres
will be interested to check out this new MAGIC DANCE CD. It sounds a bit
punchier and hookladen driven than synthwave acts like THE MIDNIGHT and SACRED
SKIN, but on the other hand it's also not pure AOR all the way, which is partly
due to the use of heavy synths and keys as a drumcomputer (FM 84 and MAGIC
SWORD are instrumentally speaking also clear influences). Thankfully it works
really well and the fact that (almost) everything was done and created by New
York based musician, singer/songwriter, guitarist/keyboardplayer, producer JON
SIEJKA, this makes it even more interesting. Most of the guitarsolos are played
by guest guitarists, but Jon is definitely the man behind MAGIC DANCE.
Needless to say that it all sounds at its best during
the uptempo tunes, which we can find in overdose among the 12 included tracks.
Catchy hookladen uptempo Synthwave/AOR pieces like Don’t Give Up, No Way To
Surrender (MASSIVE HOOK, superb song), I’m Gonna Fight (Still Breathing)
(excellent soaring guitarsolo, pure 80s classic Terminator movie of 80s cartoon
theme tune style), Point Of No Return (classic 80s hi-tech movie synth orientated
AOR at it’s very best!), Battle Lines, and The Dead Boys are a joy to listen
to. I also smell some late 80s STARSHIP here and there, and the fans of 80s AOR
(FORTUNE, AVIATOR, AGENT, JOURNEY, SURVIVOR, THE ARROWS, etc. etc.) will
absolutely like this album a lot, but as already mentioned the Synthwave is
also clearly present all the time.
Concluded, this is a superb album that feels very
natural and is blending the best of both worlds, AOR and Synthwave, with the
clear focus on those catchy memorable hooks and singable choruses that stick in
your head quite rapidly after hearing them, just like in the good old days of
the 1980s. More info can be found at: https://magicdance.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.9 out
of 10)
VOODOO HIGHWAY
‘MADE IN KACHOT’ (SONIKA RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
VOODOO HIGHWAY is an Italian band that has been active
since 2010, and after 3 album releases, they held a pause since 2017, but they
are now back with a live album and are currently working on a new studio album
to be released later this year. Made In Kachot features the band back in shape
for a bright future. The musicians on this live mini-CD are Federico Di Marco:
Vocals, Filippo Cavallini: Bass, Filippo Romeo: Guitars, Massimiliano
Sabbadini: Hammond Organ and Vincenzo Zairo: Drums (This album marks his
farewell performance with the band). Musically speaking they are influenced by
classic 70s Hardrock/Classic Rock like URIAH HEEP, DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN,
although live they are definitely sounding heavier with even a touch of 80s
American Hardrock, and I have to say it sounds really good. This is classic
hardrock at it’s very best, just listen to the Hammond Organ solo in an
excellent groovy heavy rocker like Gasoline Woman. There’s even similarities to
bands like BADLANDS, BLUE MURDER, TESLA and GREAT WHITE to be heard such as
during the superb To Ride This Tide, and one of my favorite tracks is the
superb catchy uptempo catchy 80s American Melodic Hard/Hair Metal rocker
Midnight Hour, which reminds me of bands like BLACK’N’BLUE, BANGALORE CHOIR,
BLACK ROSE (UK), etc. (also vocally very strong), so basically we have a very
interesting band here that combines the best of the 70s and 80s. Both
instrumentally and vocally it sounds really sensational live, so hopefully we
can get these guys come over and do a full tour here! Looking forward to their
4th album, which will be released in Autumn 2026. Meanwhile, check
them out at: https://voodoohighwayhardrock.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
BILLY THOMPSON
‘THIS WORLD’ (MOMOJO RECORDS/MAC RADIO PROMO/USA IMPORT)
Out of the south of the USA originally (but now
settled in Washington D.C.) comes the talented singer/songwriter/guitarist
BILLY THOMPSON, and This World is his 9th CD so far. Musically
speaking it is clearly in the classic American blues rock tradition with
influences of Americana, roots-rock, Chicago Blues and with a soul/funk/jazz
groove like only the Americans are able to produce. Billy has a great voice,
and he is surely able to write some great tunes. He is assisted on this album
by several other musicians including Eric Selby (Drums and percussive elements),
James East (Bass guitar and veteran session player who played with ERIC CLAPTON
and LIONEL RICHIE), Michael Leroy Peed (Keyboards and piano) and a few others.
Billy is at his best during the rockier songs such as This World, Downsizing
2025, Melia, Monkey Back Guarantee, Thankful and the fantastic groovy Dinosaur
Eggs, while the calmer ballad ish Hope Peace & Joy has a nice soul touch.
Concluded, this is a highly recommended CD to everyone who likes authentic
American classic blues rock with a soul. More info can be found at: https://billy-thompson.bandcamp.com/album/this-world
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
OMAR COLEMAN &
IGOR PRADO ‘OLD NEW FUNKY AND BLUE’ (NOLA BLUE RECORDS/MAC RADIO PROMO/USA
IMPORT)
2 well-seasoned musicians join forces and release an
album together titled Old New Funky And Blue. OMAR COLEMAN is a vocalist and
harmonicaplayer from Chicago who has been in the music business since 2003,
while IGOR PRADO is a talented guitarist/bassist from Sao Paulo, Brazil who is
also praised worldwide, and along with a long list of guest musicians (Yuri
Prado: Drums (Igor's brother), Rodrigo Mantovani: Bass, Ari Borger: Piano, Denilson
Martins: Saxophones,Felipe Magon (organ), Bruno Belasco (trumpet), and Rodrigo
& Eduardo Belloni (guitars)), they recorded a sensational album in Brazil.
The included music is a superb mix of Soul, Funk and classic Blues rock, and
from start to finish it sounds absolutely wonderful, funky, rocking and soulful
with many highlights, such as I’m Leaving My No Good Woman, Moving On To Better
Days, Answer Your Phone, I Wanna Do The Do (if CHIC and WAR would create a song
together!) and Brown Nosin’ Man, while the acoustic ballad I Let A Good Girl Go
is stunning and a calm moment among the many funky danceable tunes. Omar has a
great soul injected voice, while he plays the harmonica at a very high level,
and along with Igor’s Brazilian groovy funk approach in both the guitar and
bass department, this makes the album a highly recommended one! This should be
programmed at NORTH SEA JAZZ festival! More info can be found at: www.lnk.to/oldnewfunkyandblue
(Points: 8.7 out
of 10)
MINDFEELS ‘2WO’
(ART OF MELODY MUSIC/BURNING MINDS GROUP/ATOMIC STUFF/PLASTIC HEAD/ITALY
IMPORT)
MINDFEELS is an Italian band that started as a TOTO
tribute band back in 1994, and eventually they started developing their own
material, which was obviously also in a TOTO style. The resulting debut album
XXentry was released in 2017, and now almost 10 years later they are back with
their 2nd album 2WO. As soon as opener We Will Make It blasts
through the speakers, we are definitely heading into classic 80s AOR HEAVEN,
not far removed from classic TOTO, but also WORK OF ART and PRIDE OF LIONS are
obvious comparisons here. The thing is that real good authentic AOR needs a lot
of effort to make it sound as good as this album, but MINDFEELS absolutely
succeeds in releasing a sensational pure AOR album that also has Westcoast-AOR memories
of LE ROUX when you hear a subtle calmer midtempo songs like Fading Lights and
Again In The Wind. These guys are definitely serious about their AOR, and it’s
quite early to say but the high level of this CD will make it hard for other
bands to claim the best AOR album of 2026! Anyway, their line up consists of Davide
Gilardino (lead vocals), Luca Carlomagno (guitars/keyboards), Roberto
Barazzotto (bass), and Italo Graziana (drums/keyboards), and there are special
guest appearances by Michael Kratz and Kasper Viinberg, while the album was
mixed and mastered by ROBERTO PRIORI (DANGER ZONE, MICHELE LUPPI, STREETLORE,
WHEELS OF FIRE…). A total of 13 tracks are included, and other highlights
besides the earlier mentioned tracks are Flying Away From This World, the
superb The Other Side Of You (TOTO meets WORK OF ART), the calmer Passengers
(even a bit proggy like ENCHANT), Runaway (lovely pure AOR high class style)
and You Can’t Let It Go. Don’t miss this sensational AOR release from Italy!
More information can be found at: https://www.mindfeelsmusic.com/
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
MAYHEM MAVERICKS
‘MAYHEM MAVERICKS’ (STREET SYMPHONIES RECORDS/BURNING MINDS GROUP/ATOMIC
STUFF/PLASTIC HEAD/ITALY IMPORT)
MAYHEM MAVERICKS are coming out of Brescia, Italy and
they have released a self-titled debut album on STREET SYMPHONIES RECORDS. It
seems like nowadays for a good portion of AOR and Melodic Hardrock, Sweden, UK
and Italy are the places to go to, because this new Italian band delivers a
great debut album that brings back memories of the good old American Melodic
Hardrock days. Their line-up consists of Marcello Spera: Vocals, Andrew
Trabelsi: Guitars and Keyboards and Andrea Oliverio: Drums, while the bass duties
are done by guest musicians Vanessa Odry, Angelo Sasso, Stefania Sarre, Mauro
Balestra, and Matteo Castelli. Together they have created a great first album
that has the late 80s American Melodic Hardrocksound of bands like 80s BON
JOVI, KNOW ILLUSION, SLYBOYZ, DANGER DANGER, DOKKEN, FIREHOUSE, JADED HEART and
such. Highlights are especially uptempo sing-a-long rockers like Killing Eyes, Midnight
Crawler, I Can Feel The Heartache, and Best Of Me, this is how high quality
Melodic Hardrock needs to sound like, while the final 2 songs (One Day In A
Lifetime and Road With No End) show some of their AOR influences and remind me
somehow of VALENTINE (the HUGO fronted band). There are some similarities to
CROWN OF THORNS as well, especially in the vocal and chorus department, although
1987 BON JOVI is definitely the closet thing for sure, so I guess you will then
more or less understand in which direction to look for here. Check them out at:
https://www.facebook.com/mayhemmavericks/
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
LORDS OF SALEM
‘SUPERSONIC VAMPIRE PUSSY’ (ECHOZONE/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
In 2025 I discovered a great new Theatrical Gothic
Glamrockband called SOUTH OF SALEM, and now I am surprised by a similar
sounding band with almost the same name, LORDS OF SALEM. Anyway, this German
band releases their debut with Supersonic Vampire Pussy, and musically speaking
it is dark, yet still catchy, and actually sounding like the 90s Glamrock
underground movement that was still going on throughout the 1990s with bands
like NASTY IDOLS, SHOTGUN MESSIAH,
ALICE COOPER, yet with a more modern approach in the slightly industrial gothic
influences. DANZIG is also an influence we can hear clearly here. Anyway, they
deliver a nice album that should easily find it’s way to the fans of the genre.
There’s even some RAMMSTEIN similarities during a song like Miss Demoness. The
band consists of vocalist Dominic Postel, guitarist Holly Loose, bassist Marple
and drummer Ole. Recommended to the fans of industrial gothic
shock-horror-glamrock of the 90s underground movement. More information at: https://lords-of-salem.jimdofree.com/
(Points: 7.8 out
of 10)
LEI ‘AMARRE’ (INOUIES/INOUIE
DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Amarre" is the debut CD by the French vocal duo
LEÏ. Formed around vocalists Laurène Barnel and Carine Habauzit, they release
an interesting and unique sounding album that sounds very spiritual and almost
Gregorian Chant a like, yet when percussions are used also a bit more
bombastic. This combination makes their album quite attractive to listen to.
Influences are coming mostly from the rich history of vocal singing/chanting
around the Mediterranean area, from France, Italy to Greece. You can hear it
all on this album, and like I already mentioned, especially during the songs
when percussions are played to accompany the angelic vocals of the 2 female
singers, it sounds quite bombastic and appealing. You can find more info at: https://veevcom.com/en/lei-presente-amarre/
(Points: 8.0 out
of 10)
LE BAL JACQUIN ‘AU
BOUT DU BOUT’ (MODULAR RECORDS PARIS/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Out of France comes accordionist, composer and rhythm
explorer Éric Allard-Jacquin, who formed a band around him called LE BAL
JACQUIN, and their new album ‘Au bout du bout’, is about to be released very
soon. Besides Éric Allard-Jacquin, the band is completed by Matthis Pascaud
(guitar), François Lapeyssonnie (bass) and Arthur Alard (drums). The music is a
mix of French Chanson, World Music, some bluesy guitar riffs and a groovy funky
almost Latin-like rhythm/sound to keep things danceable and quite catchy. Live
at a festival this will definitely go down very well! Anyway, most of the songs
are instrumental, but during 2 songs we can hear guest vocals (Bazbaz on the
track ‘Au bout du bout’ and Oriane Lacaille on the track ‘Fanm tambour’. It
would have been interesting if the whole album would have featured these 2
talented singers, because somehow those songs are the highlights. On the other
hand, instrumental it all sounds top-notch and besides of course the wonderful
accordion of Éric himself, also the bluesy old school 1950s ish rock and roll /
garage guitar sound of Matthis is also contributing a lot to this rather
excellent album. Check it out for yourself at: https://veevcom.com/en/le-bal-jacquin-presente-au-bout-du-bout
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
LUNA MARBLE ‘LUNA
MARBLE’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of Manchester, UK comes another sensational female
fronted classic hardrock/heavy bluesrockband. They are called LUNA MARBLE, and
they were formed back in 2021 around Maria Rico (Spaanse) on vocals, Dragos
Colceriu (Roemeen) on guitar, David Grundy on bass and Sean Stewart on drums.
They deliver an absolutely sensational same titled debut album that musically
is not far removed from BYWATER CALL, BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE,
WHEN RIVERS MEET, BLUES PILLS, LARKIN POE, BRAVE RIVAL, etc. etc. The mix of
soulful vocals, heavy blues rock guitar riffs and a groovy catchy melodic
rocking approach during the chorus makes it a perfect combination of bands like
LED ZEPPELIN and RIVAL SONS, yet with a female singer. Maria is a great singer,
and there are a lot of winners over here, such as Crazy Loving (stunning
vocalwork), So Long and Sea Of Sorrow (sensational soaring guitarsolo).
Hopefully this band will make it across the North Sea, because they would do
very well over here at the rock clubs and festivals. Check them out at: https://lunamarble.bandcamp.com/album/luna-marble
and https://www.lunamarbleband.com/
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
GLEN ‘IT WAS A
BRIGHT COLD DAY IN APRIL’ (KAPITAN PLATTE/CARGO/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Out of Berlin, Germany comes GLEN, and It Was A Bright
Cold Day In April is their 4th album since their formation in 2019.
The band consists of Wilhelm Stegmeier: Guitar, Eleni Ampelakiotou: Guitar, Roland
Feinaeugle: Bass and Achim Faerber: Drums, and this new album features
instrumental post-progressive rock/krautrock of a very high level. The album
was recorded by Einstürzende Neubauten producer Boris Wilsdorf and mixed by
producer legend MACK (LED ZEPPELIN, STONES, QUEEN), so rest assured that the
sound is massive. The band’s instrumental adventure through the world of dark
atmospheric progressive post-rock and krautrock is very enjoyable from start to
finish, and I can safely say that fans of LONG DISTANCE CALLING, ALL THEM
WITCHES, MOGWAI and such will absolutely love this new album of GLEN. You can
check out more info at: https://glen1.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
KABASSE ‘ABOUT
SITTING ON FENCES’ (KAPITAN PLATTE/CARGO/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Contemporary Art Prog Jazz is the description of the
sound of this band called KABASSE. The band is made up of musicians from the
Munich/Augsburg area in Southern Germany, and despite they played together for
over a number of years in different bands and projects, only very recently they
joined forces as KABASSE, and so this album About Sitting On Fences is their
debut album. The band’s line up consists of Sigmund Perner (Fender Rhodes /
Keys), Jonas Perner (Drums), Giuseppe Puzzo (Upright Bass), Jan Kiesewetter
(Saxophone & Bass Clarinet), Martin Lehmann (Trumpet & Flugelhorn) and Benjamin
Häußler (Trombone). Musically speaking it is close to classic jazz in a 60s/70s
style, yet with the touch and modern approach that gives it an art-proggy
feeling as well. The artwork is incredible, because this is basically pure in
the classic Jazz/Blue Note artwork of the good old 1960s/1970s. And from
beginning to end it is an enjoyable relaxing album that has mostly calmer
relaxing moments, yet with a bit of experimentation here and there. The use of classic
Fender Rhodes with a horn section makes it a lovely listen and especially
during the opener Beauty Of The Brain. You can hear it for yourself at: https://kapitaenplatte.bandcamp.com/album/about-sitting-on-fences
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
CARDINALS
‘MASQUERADE’ (SO YOUNG RECORDS/MATTAN RECORDS)
The new fresh band CARDINALS is one of the countless
many new upcoming bands from Ireland that recently found its way to the
mainland Europe. They performed a great show at the Left Of The Dial festival
in Rotterdam back in 2023, and now they reveal their official debut album
Masquerade. The band was formed in the lovely fishing suburban coastal harbor
town village Kinsale, which is close to Cork, and what sets them apart from the
other bands is the use of an accordion in the line-up. Their line-up consists
of Euan Manning (vocals, guitar), Finn Manning (accordion), Kieran Hurley
(guitar), Oskar Gudinovic (guitar, keyboards), Aaron Hurley (bass), and Darragh
Manning (drums). The band’s music takes a bit of every British genre from the
past ranging from post-punk to garage rock to alternative shoegaze to Britpop
to even folk/pop, and 10 tracks are included on the album. The highlights
include the slow atmospheric melodic FONTAINES D.C. ish St. Agnes, I Like You, Over
At Last and the uptempo folk post-punk rocking Ammedonia, but the most hit
potential tune is the superb catchy Barbed Wire, which already sounds like a
classic midtempo early 2000s post-punk classic of the KAISER CHIEFS, THE
STRANGLERS, THE KOOKS, THE KILLERS kind. CARDINALS are without a doubt the next
band to keep your eyes open for in the near future. More information can be
found at: https://www.cardinals.band/
(Points: 8.6 out
of 10)
QUEEN’S PLEASURE
‘STUNT DOUBLE’ (SHAI RECORDS/MATTAN RECORDS)
There are so many new young rockbands active in The
Netherlands that it is impossible to keep track of all of them, but thankfully
we received the wonderful new CD of QUEEN’S PLEASURE, so we didn’t overlook
them. This rather new band from the city of Amsterdam could easily become the
next big thing over here. They have been active since corona entered the world,
and they have meanwhile released 3 albums when we include this new album. Their
music is catchy, razor-sharp, uptempo melodic driven guitar orientated indie
post-punk style rock with memorable choruses in the classic style of the early
2000s British Indie-Post-Punkrock period, not far removed from bands like
KAISER CHIEFS, THE HIVES, ARCTIC MONKEYS, FRANZ FERDINAND and more recently,
THE VICES or even FONTAINES D.C., which you can hear especially in the uptempo
garage rockers such as Day By Day, The Devil (superb, raw to the bone) and The
Club. However, the band delivers an absolute classic radio-ready tune with the
intelligent 2-Step, which has a superb catchy chorus that should live give the
audience something to keep singing along to. And the band also has a
radio-ready lighter ear-wurm uptempo powerpop piece on offer (Eva) and calm
things down during the orchestral alike ballad ish Come Over (which sounds like
CROWDED HOUSE meets JOHAN), so there’s enough diversity going on! TALKING HEADS
on steroids could also be a description, but QUEEN’S PLEASURE have developed an
own identity by now. The band consists of Jurre Otto on vocals, Jelmer van Os on
bass, Sal Rubinstein on drums and Teun Putker on guitar, and Stunt Double is a
highly recommended 3rd album that could easily gain them a
breakthrough. Recommended if you like any of the aforementioned bands. More
info at: https://www.facebook.com/queensplxxsure
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
OLOF ARLANDS
‘SPIRA’ (BELLA UNION/MATTAN RECORDS)
Ölóf Arnalds is an Icelandic
musician/singer/songwriter who debuted in 2004 with Summer Make Good, and now
in 2026 releases her 7th album titled Spira. She plays guitar,
violin, charango, koto and sings, while she is helped out by her busband Skúli
Sverrisson on bass, guitar, production and Davíð Þór Jónsson on piano, guitar
on this new CD. The resulting album continues the sound of her earlier work,
which is mostly calm intimate folk melted with indie-pop, and it’s all sung in
the Icelandic language. Not bad at all, and clearly sounding completely
different than the usual stuff. JONI MITCHELL in an Icelandic version is
perhaps the best description. More info at: https://olofarnalds.bandcamp.com/album/sp-ra
(Points: 7.5 out
of 10)
MIDLAKE ‘A BRIDGE
TO FAR’ (BELLA UNION/MATTAN RECORDS)
I have followed the Texas based band MIDLAKE since its
beginnings and always loved their ultramelodic relaxing classic 70s inspired
folk progressive rock due to the strength and warmness of the songs. Anyway,
there have been numerous line-up changes and long pauses of inactivity, but
every once in a while a new album of the band is released, and in this case
it’s called A Bridge To Far, which once again shows the band’s incredible
strong and will to bring forward such beautiful timeless harmonvocal driven choruses.
It’s like you take away the rock of BLUE OYSTER CULT and GHOST, the prog out
out of JETHRO TULL and SPOCK’S BEARD/NEAL MORSE and melt it with the classic
sounds of THE BYRDS, POCO, BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST and PINK FLOYD, while not
forgetting to add some SIMON & GARFUNKEL ish harmonies. This is basically
melodic 70s psychedelic progfolk at it’s very best, and there’s no single weak
moment to be found on this new MIDLAKE CD. Of course if you’re familiar with
MIDLAKE and FLEET FOXES’s earlier material, you will more or less understand
exactly what this is all about. The band nowadays is featuring Eric Pulido
(vocals, guitar), McKenzie Smith (drums), Eric Nichelson (keyboards, guitar),
Jesse Chandler (keyboards, flute, backing vocals), Joey McClellan (guitar,
backing vocals) and Scott Lee (bass), and together they bring a fresh updated
approach to the classic MIDLAKE sound. The uptempo rocking The Ghouls might as
well be called the most catchy unknown song of 2025! The other highlights are opener
Days Gone By, Make Haste (with even a jazzy touch), Eyes Full Of Animal and the
catchy uptempo heartland rocking The Calling (a bit like THE WAR ON DRUGS). Now
this is quite a sensational release and a very nice comeback of this legendary
band! More info at: https://midlakeband.bandcamp.com/album/a-bridge-to-far
(Points: 8.9 out
of 10)
GREY CITY
PASSENGERS ‘GREY CITY PASSENGERS’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
GREY CITY PASSENGERS is a band based in Berlin,
Germany, but featuring mostly Italian musicians. Their line up consists of Fab
Cirotti, Vocals and Guitar, Fabio Buemi, Guitar, Guillaume Cambon, Bass, Julien
Lasala, Drums and Tito Macozzi, Guitar, and their music is rootsy raw classic
rock and roll with memories of ROLLING STONES, THE BLACK CROWES, CLAW BOYS CLAW
and GEORGIA SATELLITES. 10 songs are included on their one and only album so
far, the self-titled debut album from 2016. The band is at their best during
the uptempo raw rockers Lola, Sun City, Think About It and Dream Lovers Do. I
have no clue what happened to the band and it’s members, but we are now 10
years later, and it seems this was their only album, which is a pity, because
GREY CITTY PASSENGERS sounded like a really good straight-ahead rocking band.
Recommended to fans of authentic raw classic rock and roll. More information
at: https://www.offlabelrecords.de/
(Points: 8.2 out
of 10)
OH LAZARUS ‘GOOD
TIMES’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
OH LAZARUS is an Italian band, which released 2 albums
so far, of which Good Times was released back in 2015. The band consists of Cecilia
Merli: Vocals and Clarinet, Simone Merli: Guitar and Daniele La Barbera: Drums
and Percussion. Good Times is a nice mix of rural blues, ragtime, and garage
rock. It has a sorta 1920s kinda approach, yet vocally it is not so strong I’m
afraid, but it isn’t bad either. More information at: https://ohlazarus.bandcamp.com/album/good-times
(Points: 7.0 out
of 10)
DEADCAT STIMPY
‘UNEASY GROUNDS’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
You can’t get any more raw and rough than the album of
DEADCAT STIMPY, which sounds like a dirty, grittier, meaner and somewhat
heavier version of the street stompin’ one-man band punk sleaze blues of
SEASICK STEVE meets THE WHITE STRIPES. DEADCAT STIMPY comes out of the Dutch
city of Delft, and is a one-man’s band formed around musician Tim Herrebrugh.
From start to finish, it’s 11 tracks filled with sleazy punk street blues in
it’s most raw and gritty way, where everything’s played at the same time by one
person. Recommended to fans of SEASICK STEVE. More info at: https://www.deadcatstimpy.com/
(Points: 7.7 out
of 10)
ZACH KEIM ‘BATTERY
LANE’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Singer/songwriter ZACH KEIM comes out of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, USA and besides a couple of albums while being in a band called
THE NOX BOYS, he released his solo debut album in 2017, although it took him
almost 9 years to release a follow-up, which is Battery Lane. Besides Zach on
vocals and guitar, the other musicians performing on the CD are Matt Costa (who
also co-wrote with Zach), Jordan Clark of The Frights on electric guitar, and
Evan Westfall of Caamp. The resulting album is an interesting professional
album. Opener Canyon is not the strongest song here, because Zach sounds a bit
too forced in a high octave NEIL YOUNG ish vocal level here, but following
songs Better Days and Wash Away The Pain are very strong and showcase an indie
folk poprock development that sounds ready for the radio. A calmer song like
titletrack Battery Lane is dangerously close to bands like FLEET FOXES and
BEAR’S DEN, 2010’s indie chamber folk pop with a memorable chorus. It’s all
done at a very high level and Zach’s fragile voice is reminding me also of
singer/songwriters like DYLAN LEBLANC and JASON ISBELL, so I guess by now you
will more or less understand what ZACH KEIM is all about! Yet, he also
surprises with a superb cool uptempo rock and roll tune called 25 Years that is
almost in the style of JD MCPHERSON and even THE WAR ON DRUGS, while Alice has
a folky BOB DYLAN feeling going on, so there’s quite some diversity on this CD.
Zach is definitely someone to watch out for, and I can imagine him performing
at the yearly Ramblin’ Roots Festival in Utrecht. More info at: https://zackkeim.bandcamp.com/album/battery-lane
(Points: 8.2 out
of 10)
THE OUTCROWD
’GETAWAY VINYL LP’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Cologne, Germany comes the band THE OUTCROWD,
and they released recently an EP titled Getaway, which I received on vinyl. The
sound is authentic, and combines elements of 60s fuzzy Organ driven garage rock
with late 70s powerpop infused Punkpoprock. 4 songs are on their EP, and the
band consists of Matthias Pons: Vocals and Drums, Frank Villanueva: Organ, Richard
Axelsson: Guitars and Daniel Hienert: Bass Guitar. The band released a couple
more EP’s before, but this is their most recent, and I have to say that songs
like Oh Du and Go Away (featuring a strong fuzzy guitarsolo) are rather catchy
upempo pieces with a cool vibrant organ and a memorable sound, while the vocal
department is quite good. Check more for yourself at: https://www.offlabelrecords.de/Artists/The%20Outcrowd.html
(Points: 8.1 out
of 10)
STEVE LEON &
THE ACCUSATIONS ‘BORROWED TIME BONANZA VINYL LP’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Out of Belgium comes STEVE LEON & THE
ACCUSATIONS, a band formed around Steve Leon (Steve Michielsen): Vocals and
guitar, Mila Francis: Vocals, violin, mandoline, and guitar, Bouke Cools: Pedal
steel, banjo, and dobro, Yannick Hermans: Guitar, Kristof van de Vliet: Bass
and Tim Martens: Drums, and Borrowed Time Bonanza is their 2024 released debut
album. The music is a mix of alternative country, indie and folk, kinda like
WILCO, RYAN ADAMS and STEVE EARLE. There is a slight raw edge to be heard here
and there, such as during Say It Out Loud, which is probably thanks to the lead
singer’s punky past, and that definitely makes them sound just a bit different
than the aforementioned comparisons. I also can’t help it that Steve reminds me
vocally during this song of the legendary MEATLOAF, yet musically speaking
there is no link to him, because as mentioned the music is altcountry folk rock
that is also sounding a lot like THE JAYHAWKS and DRIVE BY TRUCKERS. Anyway,
other highlights are Bound To Break, Clowns and Free. Check out this band for
yourself at: https://steveleonandtheaccusations.bandcamp.com/album/borrowed-time-bonanza
(Points: 7.9 out
of 10)
DEAD WOLF ‘BLUES
FOR THE APOCALYPSE VINYL LP’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
DEAD WOLF is a German band, and Blues For The
Apocalypse is already their 4th album so far. The band consists of Dominik
Wolf - Guitar, Vocals, Martin Fehling - Bass, Guitar and Florian Strober -
Drums, Percussion, and their music is a mix of heavy slow dark blues rock and
apocalyptic psychedelic garage rock, reminding me a lot of ALL THEM WITCHES,
with also some similarities to THE BLACK KEYS. They are doing things at a very
high level, and at a somewhat underground cult way. A song like the slow dark
Apocalypse Blues shows the somewhat psychedelic dark influences of ALL THEM
WITCHES, while the slightly uptempo Until The Sun Comes Up Again has some
memories of THE BLACK KEYS. I think DEAD WOLF’s sound is somewhere in between,
and that is something to be proud of. I received the wonderful vinyl pressing
of the new album, and there’s no single weak moment to be found on this album,
so make sure to check them out at: https://deadwolfband.com
and https://deadwolf.bandcamp.com/album/blues-for-the-apocalypse
(Points: 8.5 out
of 10)
THE DINOSAUR
TRUCKERS ‘THE DINOSAUR TRUCKERS’ (OFF LABEL RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Already released way back in 2013, the sensational
bluegrass rockabilly-punk crossover same titled album of the German band THE
DINOSAUR TRUCKERS is even now 13 years later one to pick up if you like your
bluegrass to sound a bit raw, dark and edgy, with even a Mariachi/Mexicano
influence here and there. It is definitely more authentic than the commercial
sound of MUMFORD AND SONS, and is best comparable to similar bands like THE
DEVIL MAKES THREE and THE DEAD SOUTH. Especially during uptempo pieces like Wolves
In The Streets, Burn The Place To The Ground, Halfway Through (even a bit
JOHNNY CASHish) and Shadow Fallin’ Down My Face, it all sounds really good and
live these guys should go down very well. In fact, a festival like the
Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival would bring them fame and fortune. Sadly, the band
that was formed around Philip Bradatsch (vocals, banjo, guitar), Daniel Nissle
(steel/electric guitar, vocals), Till Nissle (mandolin, guitar, vocals), and
Tobias Hieber, they have called it quits since the release of this album, and
so we have to wait if they will every make a comeback. In case you missed the
album, you can check more information and availability of the album through: https://www.offlabelrecords.de/
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
EPINIKION ’THE
FORCE OF NATURE’ (INDEPENDENT)
The Force Of Nature is the 2nd album of the
Dutch band EPINIKION, and as soon as opener and title track The Force Of Nature
kicks off the album, we are delighted by an incredible high level of
musicianship. The production/sound (thanks to the legendary JACOB HANSEN) is
massive, while this song is a superb uptempo neo-classical melodic power metal
piece that of course has similarities to the classic EPICA, NIGHTWISH, DELAIN,
AFTER FOREVER and WITHIN TEMPTATION sound of the past, but thanks to the lovely
vocals and catchy chorus, the overall feeling of this band is quite exceptional
and at a very high level. The band was founded as a Rock Opera project back in
2020, but eventually it became a full band that nowadays consists of Kimberley
Jongen (vocals), Robert Tangerman (rhythm guitar), Maarten Jungschläger (lead guitar),
Renate de Boer (keyboards), Rutger Klijn (bass) and Michal Gis (drums). And
this new CD is sounding very sensational, bombastic with a focus on catchy
songs like EPICA and DELAIN, and besides the aforementioned opening title
track, other highlights include Lessons In Life (Are For Free), Your Ultimate
Joy, I Thought You Were On My Side and Monsters In My Head (absolutely killer
song like AFTER FOREVER and EPICA in their heydays). The artwork is also very
professional and impressive (thanks to Giannis Nakos (AMARANTHE, KAMELOT,
EVERGREY…), and all together I can easily recommend you to check out EPINIKION,
because they succeed in passing on all ingredients. More information can be
found at: https://epinikion.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
BRAVE RIVAL ‘5 TO
4’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
The Portsmouth area, UK based band BRAVE RIVAL was
founded by lead vocalists Lindsey Bonnick and Chloe Josephine, drummer/acoustic
guitarist/backup vocalist Donna Peters, Ed
“The Shred” Clark on guitars and backing vocals, and Billy Deadman on
bass guitar and backing vocals, and they have been active since 2019.
Meanwhile, they have released a couple of albums, but recently Chloe left the
band, and Lindsey became the primary lead singer of BRAVE RIVAL. While their
earlier material was more leaning towards heavy blues rock, this new EP CD 5 To
4 shows a slightly different direction that goes into an 80s Arena Melodic
Hardrock direction. I have to say it sounds sensational, and Lindsey is an
incredible singer. I can’t wait to catch this band live someday soon. Anyway,
the CD consists of 5 new rocking tracks, and 3 of them are also featured in an
acoustic version. Opener Let Me Rock n Roll is a sensational uptempo 80s
influenced female fronted melodic rocker with a powerful chorus and superb
vocalwork, not fare removed from legendary acts like WITNESS, HEART, LAOS, IF
ONLY and the mighty VIXEN. Next track Poison even has some cool 80s SCORPIONS
ish guitar riffs as intro, while the rest of the song is another high class
uptempo melodic hardrock tune. Fans of aforementioned bands will absolutely go
nuts when they hear this band, because they have got it all, the full package
of catchy tunes, superb musicianship, a massive sound and a killer singer! Try
Again follows, and is somewhat different, with a very classic rock kinda
approach that even reveals some influences of BLACK SABBATH. The song is also
quite lengthy, with a playing time of almost 8 minutes, this is an epic pure
70s HEART orientated piece, with once again those amazing strong vocals of
Lindsey. Control is back to the massive classic 80s melodic hardrocksound of
VIXEN, MEGHAN, DANTE FOX and PHANTOM BLUE. Wild Child is the final new song,
and this is another sensational uptempo melodic hardrock tune. If you want to
hear a new female fronted band with original songs that reach the high level of
past heroes like HEART and VIXEN, then please look no further, because BRAVE
RIVAL absolutely ticks all the boxes in becoming the best new band in this
genre! The 3 remaining songs are beautiful acoustic versions of the earlier
mentioned songs, on which Lindsey shows her incredible vocal skills! Concluded,
this EP CD shows that BRAVE RIVAL is ready to become the next big thing and I
really hope they will go for a tour in Europe, because the incredible high
level of the new material should easily gain them many new fans! More info can
be found at: https://braverival.com/
(Points: 9.3 out
of 10)
THE RUNAWAY WILD
‘THE RUNAWAY WILD/WILD NIGHT’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Besides the fantastic retro 80s synth pop AOR act
MAGIC DANCE, the New York based multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter JON
SIEJKA also has another project called THE RUNAWAY WILD, where he does more or
less the same, yet a bit punchier and darker. He released 2 CDs as THE RUNAWAY
WILD, and once again we are treated with some of the best 80s retro
synthwave/movie theme AOR/Poprock like it was done 40 years ago all over the
place. Both albums were already released in 2023, the self-titled debut in January
2023, while Wild Night was released in November 2023. Just like MAGIC DANCE,
Jon does everything on his own, and he does a really great job. The self-titled
album features many great uptempo catchy hookladen synth dominated
AOR/Poprockers that will be loved by fans of especially the 1983-1985 American
radio/movie era when this kind of music ruled the airwaves. Highlights include
Wake Up, God Rest The Youth, Into The Mirror (We’ll now Unite), The Cretins and
Forever Eighteen. The deluxe edition CD contains some really nice covers of
classic songs such as Mighty Wings (CHEAP TRICK), (I Just) Died In Your Arms
(CUTTING CREW) and several synthwave versions of the original songs of the
album. The other CD Wild Night is slightly more darkwave orientated, and is
more like an expanded mini-CD, including track commentary. Nevertheless, this
is also a great album to check out, and here the highlights are Wild Night
(close to SACRED SKIN), Dark Force Energy and especially the superb midtempo
Arena anthem The Last Ones Left. Do not miss THE RUNAWAY WILD if you’re keen on
synth dominated 80s tingled AOR/Poprock! More information at: https://therunawaywild.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
YEAST MACHINE ’BAD
MILK’ (TONZONEN RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The German band YEAST MACHINE released their debut
back in 2024, and now follow it up with the hard hitting rockalbum Bad Milk,
which is a very 90s Alternative/Grunge Rock orientated affair, but in a good
way, because the band acts at a very high level. ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN
and PEARL JAM are obviously influences, yet YEAST MACHINE give it a slight
psychedelic gothic touch here and there. The band consists of Benjamin Frenzel: Vocals, Synth, Fabian
Köninger: Guitar, Vocals, Tobias Köninger: Guitar, Vocals, Marcel Gundlach:
Bass and Jonas Bischof: Drums, and here and there, the band also adds stoner
rock/doom elements into their sound, such as during the fantastic uptempo Dust
On The Radio and Feeding Poison To The Spiders Was Never Really My Thing, which
also remind me a bit of ALL THEM WITCHES. Benjamin has the perfect voice for
this kind of music, because he reminds me a lot of JIM MORRISON. The mixture of
stoner, psychedelic and alternative grunge rock is done very well by this
German band, so I can easily recommend YEAST MACHINE. More info at: https://yeastmachine.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.3 out
of 10)
GARRET T. WILLIE
‘BILL’S CAFE’ (GULF COAST RECORDS/MAC RADIO PROMO/USA IMPORT)
Here we have another sensational new young hard
rocking blues guitarist/singer/songwriter hotshot from Alert Bay, British
Colombia, Canada. His name is GARRET T. WILLIE, and he just delivered his 2nd
album titled Bill’s Café on GULF COAST RECORDS. Garret’s real name is actually
GARRET CRANMER, and he has an incredible raspy voice as if he has been singing
for over many decades, but he is only 25 years of age! His guitarplaying is
phenomenal, and he might be the next JOE BONAMASSA in the future, because also
his self-written songs are quite strong on this new album. Besides Garret,
other musicians include Tom Hambridge (drums, producer), Audley Freed (guitar),
Kenny Greenberg (guitar), Tommy Macdonald (bass), Kevin Mckendree (keys) and
Mike Rojas (keys), and the 9 songs pass by in a second, because they are of an
incredible high level. Highlights are opener Hypnotist, Going To Toronto
(uptempo southern fried hardrocker, even reminding of BLACKFOOT and DOC
HOLIDAY), It Won’t Get Done, Young Country Boy and closing track I’m late
(amazing guitarsolo!). Make sure to check out this incredible talented musician
from Canada. More info at: https://garrettwillie.com
(Points: 8.7 out
of 10)
PONTCHARTRAIN
SHAKERS ‘LOVE, PEACE & CHICKEN GREASE’ (VENERABLE SOUTHLAND RECORDS/FRANK
ROSZAK PROMOTIONS/USA IMPORT)
PONTCHARTRAIN SHAKERS is a band out of Louisiana, USA,
and they were formed back in 2018. Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease is their 2nd
album, and their music is a mix of classic blues and a bit of Louisiana funky
groovy soul here and there. The band consists of Amedee “A5” Frederick – core
band member, guitar & vocals, Jojjo Wight – core band member, vocals &
guitar, Red DeVecca – bass and Earl Smith Jr. – drums, and together they are
one of many excellent bands that live on stage will probably turn a venue into
one exciting vibrant music explosion. On CD they sound great as well, opener
Sunshine is a very nice groovy soulful tune, while following Don’t Ask Me How
I’m Doing is a more slow blues orientated piece, and this kind of mix can be
heard throughout the CD. There are originals and covers included, so there you
have a nice melting of past and present as well. Highlights are the more
uptempo rockier tunes, such as the light southern rocker Going To Kentucky that
has 70s classic us bluesy southern rock written all over, while another
highlight is the excellent R.I. BURNSIDE cover Jumper On The Line, a true
uptempo classic blues rocker. Concluded, a very nice album with very strong
vocals and guitarwork of bandleader AMEDEE FREDERICK! More info can be found
at: https://pontchartrainshakers.com
(Points: 8.0 out
of 10)
MICK KOLASSA ‘BLUE
TO THE BONE’ (ENDLESS BLUES RECORDS/POLLY FR PROMOTION/USA IMPORT)
Out of the Memphis/Mississippi area comes blues
musician, singer‑songwriter MICK
KOLASSA, who has been making music for over a long time now, and his new album
Blue To The Bone continues his drive to bring us pure Blues in it’s most
original classic tradition. Besides Mick om vocals, other musicians include
Jeff Jensen (Producer & Guitarist), James Cunningham (drums/percussion),
Bill Ruffino (Bass), Rick Steff (Keyboards / Organ), Tom Lonardo (Drums), Carl
Casperson (Bass / Guitar), Eric Hughes (Harmonica), Marc Franklin (Trumpet),
Kirk Smothers (Saxophones) and Bob Corritore (Guest Harmonica). The material is
slow original blues, with a couple of covers included as well. This kind of
blues works extremely well when played live in a smoking hot small bar
somewhere in a small town, while at home when playing the CD, it works best
late at night in good company. Make sure to check this one out if you like old
school slow original Blues! More info at: https://mimsmick.com/
(Points: 7.5 out
of 10)
MOTORJESUS
‘STREETS OF FIRE VINYL LP’ (REAPER ENTERTAINMENT/BERTUS)
The German band MOTORJESUS was originally founded in
1992, although the band name was THE SHITHEADZ back then. They changed it to
the current name in 2006 when they released their debut album, which I
reviewed. It would take 20 years before I would review another album of them,
but now in 2026 I received an absolutely beautiful vinyl edition of their 2025
released album Streets Of Fire. This vinyl edition is a Limited Reaper Edition,
which is a Red/Silver Splatter that accompanied with the lovely cartoon front
cover of the album is a lovely view while playing the record. The music of the
band is a mix of a tiny bit of 80s Hair/Sleaze Metal (CRASH DIET/NASTY IDOLS),
some Punky rock and roll (MOTORHEAD/ROGUE MALE/PETER PAN SPEEDROCK) and loads
of Melodic Metal (80s) and mostly modern day Melodic Power Metal (MYSTIC
PROPHECY). Streets Of Fire is already their 8th album, and I have to
admit that this is a strong high quality album with a fabulous production by
DAN SWANO. The band consists of Chris “Howling” Birx: Vocals, Patrick
Wassenberg: Lead Guitar, “Sparkling” Steve Sørensen: Rhythm Guitar / Bass, Dominik
Kwasny: Bass and Adam Borosch: Drums. The first couple of songs Somewhere From
Beyond and Back For The War are lovely full speed ahead melodic power metal a
la MYSTIC PROPHECY and NOCTURNAL RITES. Things slow a bit down to melodic heavy
rock/hardrock during the strong catchy titletrack Streets Of Fire. The
production is top-notch, the band sounds extremely tight with lovely
twin-guitarwork and biting soaring melodic guitar solos and Chris’ vocals are
perfect for this kind of music, as he sounds raw and raspy. Side-B has the
aforementioned Sleaze Punky Rock and Roll influences during 2.Evil, while The
Driving Force is a great twin-guitarwork driven Melodic Hardrock piece and Holy
Overdrive and City Heat are 2 great melodic metal pieces. Actually there’s no
weak song to be found and so I can easily recommend MOTORJESUS. Check out this
excellent band at: http://www.motorjesus.net/index.php/home.html
and make sure to get yourself the lovely red/silver splatter edition of their
latest album Streets Of Fire.
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
C2C Country To Country Festival 2026 - Live festival review
Friday 6th of
March and Sunday 7th of March 2026 – Ahoy, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands
Spring has returned, and just
as the sun begins to warm the world outside, Rotterdam Ahoy is heating up with
the finest newcomers in Country Rock and beyond. This marks the 3rd
edition of C2C (Country to Country) in Rotterdam—Europe’s largest country rock
festival, held annually across various major cities. After attending in 2024
and 2025, we’ve returned for the 2026 edition of this wonderful event. As in
previous years, it was a fantastic opportunity to discover the latest
sensations from the USA, and once again, the incredible talent left us
pleasantly surprised.
Here I am on a sunny Sunday
afternoon writing the review and going through all of the acts that performed
during the 2 days before. This year 26 acts were on the bill, and despite some
of them overlapping each other on the timetable, I was able to catch all of
them, and therefore I was able to get a good picture of every single one of
them. Just like the previous years, no bad or average acts were on the bill,
and each performance showed a positive enthusiasm in bringing an own brand of
country rock. Although at first sight, it is clear you are attending a country
rock festival, if you listen close to each act, you can hear so much diversity
in the music. We can also conclude that this festival should appeal to music
fans in general, because who knows you might see the next big act here. If you
like for example BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SAM FENDER, TAYLOR SWIFT, TOM PETTY,
MUMFORD AND SONS, CHRIS STAPLETON, TEDDY SWIMS, JOHN MAYER or any other big
name in the music industry, then you might just discover the next big thing at
this festival. There were even a few 18/19-year old musicians in the line-up, and
they impressed quite a lot, while if we look at the audience, about 80% is
under the age of 30-35, so country is not a dying genre at all anymore! LUKE
COMBS selling out the biggest Stadium in The Netherlands in the upcoming summer
of 2026 is a sign that Country Rock is slowly becoming one of the major music
genres in Europe as well now, in contrary to the USA, where Country Music has
been on top for over many decades now.
Anyway, this year the festival
took place on a Friday and Saturday, so 1 day earlier, which is perfect for
people who want to enjoy a day of rest on the Sunday before the working week
starts again. On Friday the festival started with BAYKER BLANKENSHIP, and
probably due to the low attendance so early in the afternoon, this was not such
a strong start, although Bayker did the best he could in doing his brand of
country rock at the main stage. MCCOY MOORE was up next at the Spotlight Stage,
and he was clearly a better singer than Bayker
, so we will definitely going to
see him at a bigger stage in the future to come. One of the few Dutch musicians
to appear at C2C is KOEN VAEL, who did a great performance at the Salon Stage.
Accompanied by only his own guitar, he showed he is a great entertainer and a
strong singer, so hopefully we will see him with a full band someday, because
he is one of the finest Dutch country rockers alongside WAYLON of course. The
show featured originals and covers, of which the best song was the song Coming
Home, made popular by DIXIE CHICKS and CODY JOHNSON. Back to the Main Stage, it
was time for the only female singer on the Main Stage this year, WILLOW AVALON.
She is a fabulous singer/songwriter with an angelic voice that somehow reminds
me of the legendary KAREN CARPENTER, while the music itself also has that 70s
singer-songwriter/Americana feeling, yet as the performance continued she began
to go more into the country direction of DOLLY PARTON. She looks a bit like
TAYLOR SWIFT, and towards the end of the show, she started to talk a bit more
about the songs she write, and one of her finest songs is definitely Hell in a
Handbag. Concluded, this was a very authentic show that was close to what
country is all about! JADE EAGLESON was up next, and she is a Canadian
honky-tonk country start for the future I think, because she did a great
performance that also featured a 2nd guitarplayer, and they both
sing some great harmony vocals. KAYLEE BELL was the first real surprise,
because this singer/songwriter comes out of New Zealand, and she has a
beautiful voice. Despite it was another acoustic only performance, here we
could absolutely enjoy her superb voice. The songs were a mix of originals and
covers, of which the 90s classic Torn (ALANIS MORRISETTE) was the crowd
favorite for sure. It was her very first performance outside of New Zealand I
believe, and she blew us away for sure!
As the evening came closer, it
was at 18:00 the first real big arena rock show began at C2C, because TYLER
BRADEN is the name of the Nashville, USA based singer/songwriter, who was
announced as a huge GUNS’N’ROSES fan! He even wrote song about his love for the
band, and it was clear that his show went far beyond country music! He is one
of the upcoming names in Country Music, and after his show at C2C, I can assure
you that he was one of the highlights of day 1. Although his show is almost a
full-blown classic rockshow, he also keeps space for intimate calmer acoustic
moments, and then you can listen t
o his amazing raw raspy tone in his voice. If
CHRIS STAPLETON is one of you favorite singers, then rest assured you will
enjoy Tyler! He is right up there with KIP MOORE, 39 WINCHESTER and JACKSON
DEAN musically speaking, so this is the so-called Outlaw Southern Fried Country
Rock and Roll world, and for yours truly, he is one to watch out for! ELIZABETH
NICHOLS followed, and she was quite good, although more aiming at a traditional
side of country music, which of course likewise deserves a spot at this
festival. We have seen DYLAN SCHNEIDER at a previous edition of C2C, but compared
to the acoustic performance back then, this time it was more or less a semi
arena rockshow, yet without the big stage. He has fully grown into a country
rocker with a lot of audience interaction, kinda like NATE SMITH, yet with more
of an alternative orientated rockband helping him out to rock on stage. Also
DRAKE MILLIGAN performed at an earlier edition of C2C, and back then he already
impressed a lot. No he has even improved much further, and perhaps gave the
finest performance of Day 1 at C2C, because this is modern new country in it’s
best optima, which is a combination of the past and present. He looks a lot
like ELVIS, and when doing a cover of the ELVIS classic Burning Love he even
shows he could also be doing that for the rest of his life! Thankfully he has
chosen his own path with originals that sounded very strong, and musically
combine elements of the rich American music history of the past 60 years! He’s
an excellent performer, entertainer and singer/songwriter presenting a picture
perfect show. One of those artists you want to see over and over again, because
he absolutely delivers the goods live on stage!
SOLON HOLT on the smaller
stage followed, and although he has a great blue-eyed soul tone in his voice,
his songs were not yet strong enough. However, he is definitely able to sing
very well and adds a lot of soul to his singer/songwriter music. Then we head
over to LIAM ST. JOHN, another world class performer. He seemed to enjoy his
time in Rotterdam, as he was very funny and was joined by 2 other great
musicians. Overall he performed a great rocking set that sounded slightly different
than the usual county stuff, because some rock a la JOHNNY COUGAR melted with
JOHNNY CASH rawness was added to fuel the flame. He could even be programmed at
a Rockabilly Festival with his energetic uptempo rocking set! The first day of
C2C ended with headliner JORDAN DAVIS. He is a big name in the USA, and his
show was close to full-blown Arena Rock in the NATE SMITH direction, yet with
just a bit more authenticity, although I am afraid that towards the end he did
a bunch of needless covers to keep the crowd entertained. Covering the THE
KILLERS classic Mr. Brightside was not necessary at all to do, because it
sounded very average. Thankfully he switched back to originals again after the
10 minutes of covers intersection, and performed his most well-known song Buy
Dirt, a very catchy modern sounding uptempo poprocker that actually even
reminds me of THE WAR ON DRUGS, so with an indie folk edge. I think in the end,
Jordan stepped away from country a bit too much, and after a strong start, it
turned out to be not the strongest performance on the Friday, yet still
entertaining enough to keep watching.
Day 2 started with NOELINE
HOFFMAN, who performed a very nice classic country show that included a JOHNNY
CASH cover. Her concert immediately set the bar very high, because despite
following artist EMILY ANN ROBERTS didn’t do bad either, she did not reach the
level of Noeline. Emily nevertheless did a great traditional country show with
a lot of interaction with the audience, and reminded me of DOLLY PARTON here
and there. NOAH JAMES is a gifted soulful singer/songwriter, who was doing an
honest authentic show, because he only had his own guitar to accompany himself
with. On the mainstage WAYLON WYATT is one of the teenagers on stage, but his
performance looked as if he already had been in the scene for many decades. He
had a great band supporting him and his melodic country poprock sounded very
catchy. His song Everything under the sun was very popular among the audience.
Definitely one to watch out for in the following years, because he might become
the next SAM FENDER.
CROWE BOYS was up next on the
small Spotlight stage, and these 2 musicians/singer/songwriters simply blew everyone
away, because they had the finest lead- and harmony vocal driven material
during the festival, sounding crystal clear and very catchy, these 2 guys
delivered a top-notch show! WYATT MCCUBIN followed on the Salon stage, and he
has a great voice and is a real performer, while TY MEYERS on the main stage is
another teenager who has a bright future ahead of him, especially since he is
only 18 years old. He started his show as a real rocker, and eventually
develops into a pure blues musician, both on vocals and guitar, while also
adding a touch of soul. It was quite close to JOHN MAYER here and there, and
there was also a fantastic 2nd guitarist on stage with him, so for
the blues rockers, this is a name to remember, because he is right up there
with the other young blues guitarists/vocalists out there, such as SEAN
MACDONALD and QUINN SULLIVAN. I think Ty was the least country orientated
musician/singer during the festival, and I would not be surprised if he lands a
spot on the major blues festivals someday. His voice is not powerful enough
yet, but just like JOE BONAMASSA, his voice will develop in the years to come,
because Joe also didn’t sound as good as he is now vocally speaking. I only saw
a glimpse of JULIA COLE, who was another new hotshot in the country scene.
However, ASHLAND CRAFT made a big impression on the other stage at the same
time, as she had a real raspy raw tone in her voice, which reminds one of the
legendary JANIS JOPLIN. She has been in the music business for over a couple of
years, and I wonder how she would sound like if she had a rock band backing her
up. Anyway, another female singer to watch out for in the future. Then it was
time for the greatest Arena Rock show of the festival, which took place at the
Main Stage in the shape of singer/songwriter KAMERON MARLOWE. I think this was
even one of the best shows I have seen so far on C2C, because the combination
of such an energetic rock show with also authentic elements during the calmer
moments, and the fact he is a true showman and performer with the strongest
voice of all 26 acts, it is making him the absolute winner here, while his
material also offers some really sensational songs that combine modern 
country
rock with both classic rock, aor, singer-songwriter and soul. Without a doubt,
Kameron is an all-round performer who live on stage will appeal to everyone.
It’s hard for NOAH RINKER to start on the smaller stage a few seconds later his
show, but Noah and a partner guitarist definitely showed they are able to come
up with interesting melodic material, so hopefully he will do a full rocking
show on a bigger stage next time, because on the other smaller stage it was
time for THE JACK WHARFF BAND. I was hoping this was going to be a great show,
and I can guarantee you it was without a doubt, because Jack is a great singer,
and his band was on fire, especially the superb guitar player with his hard
rocking guitar solos. This was another band you absolutely want to see again,
because they deliver a top-notch rocking show!
ZACH TOP closed the festival, and he showed the world there was still space for classic traditional country in the old school style pre-1990, because after GARTH BROOKS, BILLY RAY CYRUS, SHANIA TWAIN, KEITH URBAN and countless others paved the way in the early-mid 1990s for the New Country sound that was actually a mixture of 80s Arena Rock shows and Country Rock, the old fashioned country vanished. Zach is one of the few musicians/singer/songwriters who sounds like the country stars of the old days. He was therefore a well-respect closing act of another wonderful festival. We already look forward to next year’s edition!
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