Author: Captain Capm (Page 10 of 118)

Richard Frankz: The Traveler

August 26, 2008 /

Richard Frankz explodes out of your stereo with his good-time honky tonk/blues-country cookin’! It’s true, people. Frankz is a solid songwriter and The Traveler is a fine CD packed with journeyman type songs. “Just Being Me” swings with steady assurance with tight production and rock solid playing by Frankz’ band. “More Each Day” has a smooth kind of ’70s professionalism to it, while the same rings true for “Just Spending Time (With You).” Then there’s the pop side of Frankz, which is best experienced on a track like “I Could Never Fall” that sounds like something Chicago might have done when Terry Kath was still alive. Good stuff, indeed. “Southern Summer Nights” recalls Little River Band as well as Glen Campbell. And on “One Step Forward” Richard Frankz shows off his abilities at melding country and bluegrass with much panache. The Traveler is certainly a rock-solid album that fans of older country stars and just plain good songwriting and performing will like. It’s certainly nice to hear this style of music at this quality being made today. (Richard Frankz Music)

Richard Frankz’ MySpace page.

Artists, Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Pop

Davina Robinson: The Blazing Heart

August 22, 2008 /

Let’s get one thing straight: “Never Good Enugh” might just go down as the best rock tune of 2008. That said, whether or not the world at large catapults Davina Robinson to stardom is anyone’s guess. On this four-track EP, Robinson is billed as “The Rock n’ Soul Chick,” and that’s a pretty good description of her talents. On “Conversations in My Head” she sounds like the female equivalent of both Lenny Kravitz and Terrence Trent D’Arby. The big electric guitars in the mix are definitely what sets Robinson’s music apart from that of others in the “Soul” category. Sometimes, things get a little cliched, as on “Making Love to Your Girlfriend,” whose ‘thinking of another person while getting it on’ sentiments have been done too many times to count before. But overall, this a really solid disc that fans of rockin’ tunes and good singing should easily enjoy. (Plum Wine)

Davina Robinson MySpace page

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Nick Motil: Everything’s Alright

August 8, 2008 /

This six-song EP by singer/songwriter Nick Motil is sure to please fans of artists like James Taylor. In fact, Motil sounds enough like Taylor on “Butterflies” here that you’d almost have to double-check whom you were hearing if you didn’t know beforehand. Motil’s music is tasteful, acoustic-based stuff that will easily tug at the tender heartstrings of music fans who yearn for something that reminds them of yesteryear. While it’s nice to hear Motil do his thing, it’d be nice to hear him stretch out a bit more. After all, not every tune needs to run at a slow canter. But that’s what you get here, a handful of slower-paced tunes that are well produced, well sung, and are completely contemporary. It’s hard not to imagine females everywhere swooning for the likes of “Cliche” and “Try Harder.” But will the guys like it? It’s hard to say. James Taylor had legions of fans, so it’s probably a safe bet that Nick Motil can capture the ears of anyone out there as well. But again, it would have been nice to hear him do something a bit more adventurous – even just one song, even – instead of staying in his comfort zone for the length of this disc. (self-released)

Nick Motil MySpace page

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Jimmy Lloyd: Jimmy Lloyd

August 8, 2008 /

Ouch. There’s something here that’s just not working. Maybe it’s the way Jimmy Lloyd tends to be way too repetitive in the lyrics to his songs (“Maybe,” “Half Human”), or maybe it’s the way this album sounds like it was recorded quickly and the band doesn’t sound quite as tight as they should (drummer Ian McGlynn almost sounds lost at times on “Half Human”). Then there are the strained lyrical conceits (“Maybe you have a thing for black guys, maybe your mother didn’t love you enough”; “well I never felt as anonymous as I did in the west Texas rain / It sure as hell wasn’t Christ risin’ beneath the billboard of his name.”) Indeed, Lloyd’s strained singing to hit some of those notes on “Siddhartha in a Chevy” is just painful at times. Springsteen this guy ain’t. “cop Bar” isn’t half as tough as it wants to be and “Are You Ready to Keep Some Secrets” is just plain corny. Lloyd seems competent enough, but there’s nothing on this album to really prove it too well. (self-released)

Jimmy Lloyd’s MySpace page.

Artists, CD QuickTakes, Rock

Janelia: I’m an African

August 8, 2008 /

Janelia is a likable African-American artist who explores her pride in her family’s roots on I’m an African, an 11-song semi-concept lbum about her life as a “second generation” African, born in America. The title track is instantly enjoyable, featuring a bouncing, almost tribal rhythm and excellent melody. It’s borderline reggae, but not completely. “Baba Wa” explores the exploitation of such natural African resources as gold and diamonds an d the violent bloodshed the demand for both can bring. “Ashabi” is a chant sung in African, and “Get on Down” is a celebration of life, friends, and love. The songs on this album are quite good. The production of it is another thing, however. Most of the tunes sound a little thin, and the repeated instrumentation and style sounds a little too familiar after awhile. yet the messages and melodies here are strong, and Janelia is to be commended for bringing her spiritual messages to the groove so succinctly. Definitely worth a listen. (self-released)

Janelia’s MySpace page.

Artists, CD QuickTakes, Pop

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