Category: Pop (Page 76 of 216)

Holly Williams: Here with Me

July 4, 2009 /

Holly Williams is the epitome of country royalty. Her grandfather Hank established the family name with classic songs like “Hey Good Lookin,’” and her father Hank Jr. left his mark on country music forever with the help of a devilish, bad boy image, and undeniable outlaw spirit. With the recent release of her sophomore album, Here with Me, singer/songwriter Holly Williams proves she’s worthy of her family’s notoriety. Not only is Here with Me packed full of potential singles, but it’s authentic, believable, and flawless. The music on Here showcases the full scope of Holly’s talent—both as a singer and a songwriter—as she belts out songs about “Mama” to honky tonkin’ boot stompers like the infectious, “A Love I Think Will Last.” Most impressively, there’s a commanding authority in her storytelling, and life in her lyrics that stretches far beyond her 28 years.

There isn’t a song on Here with Me that doesn’t deserve a moment in the spotlight, but the record shines brightest when Williams sings of heartbreak and hardships. Bittersweet undertones come through on tracks like, “He’s Makin’ a Fool Out of You,” “Three Days in Bed,” and “Alone.” The rawness that resonates in her vocals conveys an honesty that’s been sadly absent from the sugary country-pop of late, and the appropriate simplicity in her lyrics make the whole thing seem effortless. Other standouts on Here include, “Keep the Change,” and “Without Jesus (Here With Me),” from which the record’s title was spawned.

Here is the perfect combination of raw emotion, illustrative lyrics, and beautifully composed melodies, creating one of the best female vocal performances country music has heard in years. Where other artists prove to be predictable, Williams keeps listeners entertained, cranking out song after song of quality country with a contemporary edge and loads of credibility.

Here with Me would be best served on a warm summer night, under the light of a full moon, with a side of red wine. It’s a record you can laugh with, cry to, and even learn a few life lessons from along the way. Here with Me should fit nicely into a library filled with soulful singer/songwriters or country sweethearts like Jennifer Nettles, Emily West, or Katie Armiger. Whether or not you’re a country fan, however, Holly Williams and her latest release are definitely worth investigating. You may just fall in love.

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Get to Know, Pop, Rock

Michael Johns: Hold Back My Heart

July 3, 2009 /

Nobody ever said you had to win American Idol to have a successful music career. In fact, each year more former contestants are finding a niche for themselves in some corner of the music business. Enter the latest of those, Season 7 alum Michael Johns, who used Idol as a springboard not just for popularity, but as a means to finally make the kind of music he wants—blue-eyed soul. Johns had been down the rock road before, his Australian roots bringing comparison to the late Michael Hutchence, among others. But it was when a phone call from his mom prompted Johns to follow his true passion, which was to sing the music he grew up on, and his path had suddenly been set out before him. Several years later, Johns has delivered a solid Downtown Music debut, Hold Back My Heart, with many of the songs being Johns’ co-writes with Dave Cobb. Falling somewhere between the music of his idols Otis Redding and Sam Cook and the sappy soul of guys like James Morrison, Johns has discovered a middle ground that could absolutely launch his career to lofty heights—though nothing is guaranteed in today’s music business. Coincidentally, the opening (and best) track was a song Morrison had a hand in, “Heart on My Sleeve.” Other standouts are the aching ballads “Fools Gold” and Heart is Weak” (the latter written by Diane Warren) as well as the bluesy boogie of “Little Bear.” As impressive as it is, though, Hold Back My Heart falls short of being a home run, but leaves plenty of room for growth. (LABEL: Downtown)

Michael Johns MySpace Page

Adult Contemporary, Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Passion Pit: Manners

June 26, 2009 /

Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room, shall we? Manners, the debut album from Cambridge quintet Passion Pit, sounds a hell of a lot like MGMT. This is not to say that Passion Pit are thieves, mind you; with three keyboard players, a bass player and a drummer, there are only so many ways your band can sound, especially when your singer has a helium-soaked voice like Passion Pit’s singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos. So yes, the band sounds like a streamlined version of MGMT (a.k.a. they don’t dabble in psychedelia), but let’s not throw the book at them just yet. Indeed, Manners is a rather impressive melding of ’80s synth-pop with modern-day technique. Lead single “The Reeling” is stunning, a pop makeover of the Chemical Brothers’ “Star Guitar” with a monster cut & paste drum track. “Folds in Your Hands” has its roots in early ’90s house music, and “Sleepyhead,” with its fairy princess backing vocal line, is insidiously catchy. Whether or not it falls in another band’s shadow, Manners is a good first step; it will be interesting to see where they go from here. (Frenchkiss 2009)

Passion Pit MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop

Elizabeth & the Catapult: Taller Children

June 26, 2009 /

What do you get when you cross a classically trained but independently minded pianist with two folk/rock instrumentalists? You get a Joni Mitchell/Aimee Mann/Jenny Lewis hybrid, which is probably accurate when describing the music of New York City based trio Elizabeth & the Catapult. This jazzy alt-pop trio, fronted by singer Elizabeth Ziman, released an EP on their own in 2006 and then created enough of a buzz through touring that they were courted by major labels. But they ultimately signed with indie Verve Forecast, and the guess here is so that the group could maintain creative control, which is a good thing for all of us. Their full length debut, Taller Children, has two of the group’s best tracks from the EP, the bouncy and snarky “Momma’s Boy” and the dreamy, Jill Cunniff-ish “Right Next to You.” But there’s much more, with the rest of the LP continuing to jump between bouncy and dreamy, but Ziman and her cohorts deliver it all with precision and pizazz. Other standouts are the uber catchy title track, melancholy “Rainiest Day of Summer” and quirky “Everybody Knows.” (Verve Forecast 2009)

Elizabeth & the Catapult MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Rock

Amazing Baby: Rewild

June 19, 2009 /

When UK bands were crashing on American shores during the Britpop boom of the mid ’90s, it made sense that Pulp would have a more difficult time making the transfer than some of their contemporaries. Singer Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics were steeped in class warfare and bedroom politics, meaning that most American teenagers wouldn’t quite understand what it meant to live like common people. Flash-forward a dozen years or so, and Brooklyn band Amazing Baby, born from the ashes of several other Brooklyn bands, lets their Pulp flag fly on Rewild, and the results are intoxicating. Ringing guitar lines, breathy but deathly serious vocals and pogo-friendly drum beats abound, but Amazing Baby are no knockoff band; Pulp, for example, would never have written “The Narwhal,” though Supergrass might have. After enduring band after band of self-absorbed ninnies, to see a group like Amazing Baby actually enjoying themselves is a sight for sore eyes. More, please. (Shangri-La 2009)

Amazing Baby MySpace page

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Melodramatic, Pop, Rock

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