Makeda - Escape from Egypt

Singer/songwriter Makeda, invites us on a soulful journey to the land of milk and honey on her latest CD, Escape from Egypt. Whispers in the Wind, is love on the breeze, gently executed with high quality. I Wish, The Childhood Game, take a jazzy turn into the softer places of the night, while Forever is beautiful harmony and jazz guitar. Son of Man is willful and seductive yet could be interpreted to either a physical or a higher love. Free is rival to the likes of Diana Ross, as are many of the songs, with the last track, My Life, being the perfect pop tune.

If you like soul, jazz, pop, Motown-sounds, Makeda is your best bet around with a heavenly shimmer and a voice that’ll knock you off the ground.

NOW AT: www.cdbaby.com  and www.itunes.com
Visit her website at www.myspace.com/justmakeda

Jen Porter - Closer to the Surface

This Chicago_based lady is still singin' and rockin' the blues on her fourth album, Closer to the Surface. Porter is a powerhouse. She's been compared to Joplin and this doesn't see too far-fetched. What she brings to the mic is earthy strength moving at a torrential speed. Discarded is an outstanding example of the range of power Porter has within. The title track, Closer to the Surface, is softer and tells us Porter has a hidden depth with an edge; going deeper is the paradox of coming closer to the surface. Porter sings with passion for equality on Now is Then. I Don’t Really Know You, beautifully whispered potency. Another Sign of Life with it’s bluesy-sixties organ feel and funky sounds, is a nice surprise. Christain Chruch (not mis-spelled) is easy and acoustic.

Geez, just listen to Jen Porter . . .

www.jenporter.com

Char Butler/Amber Whitworth - Sleepers Awake

Sleepers Awake is a spiritual odyssey from mother/daughter duo Char Butler and Amber Whitworth. Ethereal voices in sync beckon like celestial mermaids for the listener to come forth on tracks like Always For Me. A special rendition of McCartney’s Let it Be, softly reminds us that the torch has indeed been passed to the coming generation, whether to teach with or learn from, this song really lends itself to the feminine emotional plea. This is further evident in the lyrics to Peace (Whatever Happens). Waited ‘Til Noon carries the mourning of lost love with a strong Celtic feel. Butler and Whitworth then move into a seductive gospel sound on Wade in the Water that could possibly make even the most reluctant to at least dip in a toe.

A CD for lovers of music and searchers of truth.

www.charbutler.com

Leah Chandra - Always Something

Smooth, silky, sultry, driven; this California-based piano singer/songwriter, Leah Chandra, seems to have found a layer hidden away from the surface. Always Something, Chandra’s latest single with its downtown style, dives beyond the obvious. We want to go farther with Leah Chandra and look forward to the next release.

www.Leahchandra.com

Westcoast Annie - Get Over It

On the album, Get Over It, Westcoast Annie presents soft, comforting vocals and acoustic guitar on tracks like Present Moment. Annie’s lullaby-style brings a peaceful feeling. Mad, Wishes, make for pleasurable listening while Annie shows us that less is still sometimes more in a return to the simplistic sounds of an artist and her instrument.

Visit Ann's website

Carley Tanchon - Peridot

Fresh from Nashville, twenty-two year-old country recording artist, Carley Tanchon, is setting a new pace in a well-loved genre on her CD, Peridot. Tracks like Lilies, exhibit strong performing vocals, and a smooth county roll. Throw in a little banjo, some blues, and Waiting, is a steamy beat with deep and heavy vocals. Fool’s Gold softens to an almost whispered plea. This Home, is maybe one we’ve all been to and can appreciate in a good story as Tanchon tells it. Come Around is angelic and acoustic in nature.

It’s a softer, lighter side of country, and combined with the power of Tanchon’s vocals and talent, produces a refreshing movement that fits well for today’s contemporary country fan. Think Sarah McLachlan gone country and it’s pretty great stuff.

www.carleytanchon.com
 

Acoustic Ocean - Light Returning

Soothing acoustic new age songs by artists Peggy Morgan and Bette Phelan. The title cut, Light Returning, follows a sacred ocean path of light through the depths of vocals and instrumentation with calls of ocean mammals softly echoing in chorus. Refuge From the Storm, is a sweet Celtic-sounding track, graceful and redeeming. We Are the Ones, is so beautifully performed that any heart will soar with the light chanting of vocals in harmony backed by a lovely classical guitar sound. Purified by the dolphins and seabirds, washed clean from the lapping rhythm of the waves, Innocence Recalled, seems to bring back the dreamer.

In a deeper, darkened, Ancient Forest, feel the magic pulled from long ago back into our hearts on this profound musical journey. Suitable for yoga, meditation, and relaxation, this therapeutic CD, is written and performed by Morgan and Phelan, experts in the field of body/mind improvement, as well as music. Enchanting.

www.acousticoceanmusic.com

Cailyn/Dani - True Lies and Other Fairy Tales

Newest release from Wisconsin artists, Cailyn Lloyd and Dani Daly, True lies and Other Fairy Tales, is a mixture of original compositions, as well as some much loved classics.

Heartland brings some outstanding lead guitar by Lloyd. Vocals by Daly are clear and concise. Lady Kicks Ax, another original by the duo, grinds some hard guitar and proves that these two can indeed kick with the best. Portrait (He Knew) revisited from the Kansas hit, listens well and it’s enjoyable hearing a female tell the story this time around. And if you’re hittin’ the highway, pop in, Heading West, for a slow rockin’ ride. Their cover of Dream On, is probably the most pleasant surprise on this collection, as Daly’s vocals seems to fit exceptionally well in this slightly softer, more introspective version; complimented highly by Lloyd’s lead once again. Daly finds a fit one more time on the old classic, Can’t Find My Way Home, with more exceptional accompaniment by Lloyd. The last track, is an original, Road Not Taken, and for these two ladies taking stepping up to take the cock out of rock, they have indeed gone down a road not yet taken.

www.cailynrox.com

Linq - Rx and The Side Effects

New England sensation Linq is back with a new CD. In Rx and The Side Effects, ex-pharmacist Linq, sings about the evils of prescription medicines on Prescription Chaos, Side Effects; an inside voice that we all might want to take note of. With a folky, fifties yet contemporary rock sound, Linq has gone where few will go.

Money Today tells a heartfelt story of money and success, and Linq has the knack of story-telling in a moving and musical way. More stories of life and its atrocities on Tired, and Simple Woman. Get a box of tissues ladies or you won’t get through this collection. And as Linq prescribes, Take two CDs and call her in the morning.

www.linqmusic.com

S-Jai - Selfish Love

Soothing with a grove, S-Jai's Selfish Love is soulfully moving and dreamy with a great moving flow.  One of those Motown-sounding cools that we love to listen to.  S-Jai takes me to a place I like to be.  A single that's headed places, leaves us longing for more; where's the full collection S-Jai, we're ready to listen! 

www.MlyricsMusic4u.com - Also from MlyricsMusic4u, Love Sick, by Crystal Nyla.  Watch for more from this rising woman!
 

Tina Sugandh - TablaGirl

Wow, sexy, sultry, Tina Sugandh’s debut CD, TablaGirl, contains eleven chart-topping songs with an eastern twist on pop, reinventing the genre and making room for a new, bold and completely lovely music and voice. Try Joa, then sit back while you listen (if you can sit still, two of Sugandh’s songs are currently climbing the Billboard dance charts) and move on to Bollywood Girl, for which the video will be released later this month. Sensuous vocals rising and falling in tune to sitar and tabla, you’ll be hooked. You Without Me breaks in slowly with a lonely seafaring sound as Sugandh sings of love and loss and the oceans between. Patiently Wait moves the listener in and out of dreamy ethereal worlds. There I.s N.o Alternative is a unique expression of vocals ranging from the ancient to a Madonna-sound in a voice that "will echo eternally," (Prisoner).

www.tinasugandh.com

Joanna Cotten - Joanna Cotten

From the cradle in Memphis to Juilliard in New York City, and back to her southern roots, Joanna Cotten’s musical bio reads like an epic journey and her CD plays the same.

Cotten goes from soft, soothing pop sounds on When Something is Wrong (great vocals), to sultry southern sounds on 5 Crackers and an 8 Ball. Contemporary alt pop sounds on Back to the Basics. Bluesy sounds on What I Ain’t Got. No Ordinary Love, nice movement, feeling and rhythm.

Joanna Cotten is her own package and she’s packed it full of pop, R&B, songs that you’ll love. Don’t let the blonde hair fool you; the Delta gave this lady a load of southern talent that can write and perform with the best of Motown and she's done it on her own.

Www.joannacotten.com

Nancy Cassidy - Runaway Train

Wow. Deep, sultry, country sounds bring singer-songwriter Nancy Cassidy’s newest CD, Runaway Train, to the top of the crop. The title cut, Runaway Train is soulfully sensuous with country tones and beautiful guitar, excellent timing and rhythm. Wonderful appeal, hit material.

Halo remains true to the broken-hearted. Pickin’ some blues on Red Rose, Rooster. Then dance on into some western swing with Way Back Then and kick your heals up on Whoopee, upbeat with a lively piano.

Cassidy takes us across the folk/country board with this latest CD, proving once again that she's got what it takes.  Dig into Cassidy. Her voice just "fits."

www.nancycassidymusic.com

Melissa Giges - Evident

Native New Yorker, Melissa Giges is extraordinary as a songwriter; performing piano, keyboards and vocals on her new CD, Evident.

Jazzy, sultry, and smooth, combine with an element of pop to produce a new and enthralling blend like Silent I Will Be. Giges moves into the angelic on Could it Be You, moving and ethereal. Bedtime Story is hauntingly beautiful. Lightening the feel on Hey Lion, Giges is obviously multi-dimensional as she delves into the depth of the lighter side, a paradox, how do you do that? Tell Me Soon carries an autumny/wintery feel full of anxious feeling. On Evident, the title track, Giges, takes the listener back to the speakeasy feeling of the sparky yet slow-moving energy classic of earlier times. And the layers continue to peel away from Giges on Movie Scene with a Broadway feel, and given her surroundings not a surprise, but what a combo on top of what we’ve already heard. So many tracks have "hit" written between the lines, and it is Evident. Lovely.

www.melissagiges.com

Angie Stevens - Queen of This Mess

Stevens country sound is almost old-time; going back to country at it’s roots, forgetting the pop country sound of today, Stevens offers us the real thing. The title track, Queen of This Mess, asks for belief in love today, and is appropriate to Steven’s style, perhaps asking us to believe (again) in  country today. Coming Home, This Time Around, good traditional country sounds. Accidentally Smiling, borders on folk; a deeply heart-felt love song. Give It On Back, brings to mind the Judds and we hear Stevens begin to kick up her heals a bit and is very likely hit material. The vocals on Anything include Seth and Josh Larson as well, with a wonderful old-time, blue-grass, gospel feel.

www.angiestevens.com

J. - Da Music

For light soul-soothing sounds, Da Music, the debut CD by J., is delightfully satisfying. Nice music to relax and find that "groove" to get into. All instrumental, this collection will uplift any mood or occasion. It’s moody, it’s classic, shadowy and street-smart at times but always comes back to that "I feel good" sound. Keyboards, bass, percussion; all low-key but not understated. J. has a style we’ve been missing in contemporary sound.

www.myspace.com/jandcompany

Catherine Duc - Visions and Dreams

Sensual sound at its best, Catherine Duc’s Visions and Dreams, is a melodic journey to a new horizon. From the Native American sound on cuts like Essence of Dreams to imaginary raindrops in Dancing in the Mist. Ethereal; Evocation may be calling the whales with the beauty of the feminine vocal and flowing musical sounds. Almost comparable to Yanni, One Autumn Day, exhibits true beauty in musical flight. Soothing flutes, keyboards, angelic voices; this CD is absolutely a must have for the soul.

www.catherineduc.com 

Judy Nagy - Bulldog Girls at the Dresden

Judy Nagy’s, Bulldog Girls at the Dresden, kicks off with the title cut, an interesting folk-ish tale about Bulldog Mary and her Merry Band of bitches who may very well be saving the day on Monday night at the Dresden. Paul McCartney, is a unique take on a place we’ve probably all been; lost and naive’, with hopes of marrying Paul. Nice surprise cover of the old, It’s Not Unusual, in a contemporary sound.

Slow, bluesy, soft-movin’ songs to groove to. Piano sounds, easy-listening. Great job on The Shoop Shoop Song, with a smooth flow into, The End of the World. Nagy takes you on a nostalgic ride whether through your past or to your favorite pub around the corner, without ever having to leave the house.

www.judynagy.com

Demi - Genesis

Is it dance, is it pop, is it hip-hop? Show Me, Don’t 4get to 4get, Bad Girls, and all of the songs on this collection are tunes for steppin’ out. High energy and electronica in motion, Demi may just take you where you want to go, so ride her Tidal Wave, a core piece in this collection, to the top with her.

This beauty from New York shows us that she’s got a lot going and isn’t taking no for an answer. If you want an upbeat, fast-moving dance EP, she’s your girl.

www.rhapsody.com/demi/genesis

www.myspace.com/demi360

Michael Scott Parker - Naked

This is female rock at a high. Sultry, deep, fast and furious, Michael (yes she’s a girl) Scott Parker, really steams it up on her 2007 release, Naked. Right off the bat, Let’s Make Crazy, jumps in and let's us know where we're heading and we want more. Tiny Yellow Leaves diverts to a slower, mid-tempo almost jazzy sound because, "heartbeat’s slowing down now, look at all the tiny yellow leaves," and is perhaps the only slow point in Parker’s exploration-al journey.

Great music with widely ranging vocal abilities, it seems Parker rolled up everything from the eighties to contemporary rock and put it all into one hot new ball of music along with some unique sounds clearly her own.

www.creaturerock.com

Ellen M. Wilson - Songs of Ascent

Beautiful, swirling awakening of transcendent vocals spanning the ages. From giving thanks, to healing, to ending war; Songs of Ascent, is a moving collection of what are obviously songs of divine inspiration, culturally folk, and mythically tuned.

Whatever your faith, Wilson’s tribute to ancient verse and prayer may just awaken the age-old soul within, enticing ancestral memories to rise and lead you on your very own soul-ful journey to the wisdom that guides us all. Wherever you are spiritually, Songs of Ascent will take you higher.
Modah Ani to Ellen M. Wilson.

www.ellenmwilson.com

Linq - Life Goes On

Diane "Linq" Lincoln’s newest cd, Life Goes On, touches hearts and consciousness with her music and lyrics (all by Lincoln except one track, Ode to the Butterworth Boys, a soothing contemporary folk tale).

Where will the Wild Ones Go is a call to arms for the love of nature’s loss to bulldozers, with nice guitar and vocals. Change the Picture, is asking for just that, change, change in the world with an emphasis on racism. Diversity Dance offers up variety as the spice of life from sexual orientation to socio-economics.

The title cut, Life Goes On, is people, life, loves, and Linq assures us it’s all par for the course, and reminds us a simple ‘be here now’ with love is all we need.  Route 32 Blues carries traditional blues sounds lending a lighter, humorous side to this highly outspoken and artistic work, and it’s pretty good blues. Most importantly on this CD, Linq asks us, "when the peace train comes, will you be there?"

This is an excellent collection and work from rising artist Linq and her cohorts. Our pick for the new Woman on the Rise; this gal didn’t set out on her musical journey until she turned 55. Life Goes On is her third CD since 2004, not bad for a late-bloomin’ boomer.

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