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Month: June 2018
Belgium Review: EMILY JOHNSON “OPEN YOUR HEART”
https://www.rootstime.be/index.html?https://www.rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEUW/2018/JUNI1/CD24.html
Translated:
The well-known American musician and producer Narada Michael Walden from San Rafael, California, most people probably know the best of his world hit “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme”, the duet that in 1985 together with Patti Austin to the top of the charts Has sung. This 66-year-old artist has had his own recording studio ‘Tarpan Studios’ for some time now, where he offers new talent a chance to record a record.
This often involves stunning women, because that is why this old confectioner has a lot of knowledge and expertise. In addition, they are talented singer-songwriters who mainly operate in the soul and R & B music scene. On our ‘Rootstime’ pages we have already reviewed a lot of those albums produced by Narada Michael Walden in recent years.
Now we received “Open Your Heart”, a four-song debut EP from the Bulgarian mother and Nigerian father born singer-songwriter Emily Johnson. Producer and co-composer of the four songs is Narada Michael Walden and on three of the four tracks he also provides all musical accompaniment as a multi-instrumentalist, while Emily Johnson naturally takes care of the vocals.
The title track “Open Your Heart” is also the single that was pulled out of this EP and also the song you can listen to on the accompanying video. It is an uptempo song with a positive message, for which Emily Johnson was inspired by, among others, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and the musicians Michael Jackson and John Lennon.
The three other songs that this ‘The Lady Of Heart’ named singer puts on her record are the epic opening track “The Light”, the rocking “I’m Blessed” and the poppy song “Baby Forever” floating on a nice beat. The experienced music lover will not be able to compare the comparison with Whitney Houston when listening to this minialbum in terms of vocal performance.
Her musical mentor is John McLaughlin, the 76-year-old English jazz guitarist and band leader of the ‘Mahavishnu Orchestra’, who also brought her to the attention of Narada Michael Walden, formerly also a drummer with his orchestra. This EP “Open Your Heart” is a first introduction to this future soul and R & B star, because we will be able to hear a lot more from Emily Johnson in the coming years, is beyond dispute.
(valsam)
For more information about OPEN YOUR HEART or live EMILY JOHNSON performances please visit her website: www.emilyjohnsonofficial.com
To order OPEN YOUR HEART on Digital Platforms worldwide please visit:
http://radi.al/EmilyJohnsonOYH
To see the video for the title song “OPEN YOUR HEART” please visit:
From the Net: The Power of Playlisting
SkopeMag.com Video Premiere: THE WALK-A-BOUT “THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT GOES”
Congratulations to THE WALK-A-BOUT and the premiere for their new “THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT GOES” music video today at SkopeMag.com!
https://skopemag.com/2018/06/22/the-walk-a-bout-new-video-thats-just-the-way-it-goes
https://skopemag.com/2018/06/22/the-walk-a-bout-new-video-thats-just-the-way-it-goes
Aussie-American acoustically driven rock ‘n’ roll quintet THE WALK-A-BOUT hail from the artistic East End of Long Island, New York. THE WALK-A-BOUT release their sophomore album THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, produced by Andrew Michael Bertrand and mastered by Roger Lian, in stores and online worldwide on June 15, 2018. The album’s featured single “THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT GOES” with a music video distributed to hundreds of broadcast video channels is premiering today, June 22, on Skope. A limited edition 180-Gram Red Splatter Vinyl is also available exclusively on the band’s website.
The band’s carefully crafted songwriting has allowed THE WALK-A-BOUT to explore the outer reaches of the orchestral atmosphere, and this dynamic new collection explores that avenue with a welcome pop appeal while maintaining their depth and introspection. Members of THE WALK-A-BOUT have worked with the likes of Bill Ortiz (Santana), Vince Welnick (The Tubes, The Grateful Dead), renowned jazz saxophonist David Murray, Earl “Chinna” Smith (Bob Marley and The Wailers), and Grammy winning film composer Alex Wurman. With something in their catalogue for every mood, whether it is a smooth island vibe, a high-stepping funk feel, or straight hard-driving rock, their music is visceral, emotional, fun, and easy.
For more information including tour dates or booking inquiries please visit:
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on digital services please visit:
http://smarturl.it/TheWalk-a-Bout
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on Bandcamp please visit:
https://walkabout.bandcamp.com/
Blog Talk Radio: The Week in Reviews – Interview with THE WALK-A-BOUT and their new album “THINGS ARE LOOKING UP”
TODAY at 3 PM PST/6 PM EST, and available streaming thereafter:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/simon-barrett/2018/06/15/the-week-in-reviews–the-walk-a-bout
Aussie-American acoustically driven rock ‘n’ roll quintet THE WALK-A-BOUT hail from the artistic East End of Long Island, New York. THE WALK-A-BOUT are releasing their sophomore album THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, produced by Andrew Michael Bertrand and mastered by Roger Lian, in stores and online worldwide on June 15, 2018. A limited edition 180-Gram Red Splatter Vinyl will also be available with the official album release. The band’s carefully crafted songwriting has allowed THE WALK-A-BOUT to explore the outer reaches of the orchestral atmosphere, and this dynamic new collection explores that avenue with a welcome pop appeal while maintaining their depth and introspection.
For more information including tour dates or booking inquiries please visit:
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on digital services please visit:
http://smarturl.it/TheWalk-a-Bout
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on Bandcamp please visit:
https://walkabout.bandcamp.com/
US Review: THE WALK-A-BOUT “THINGS ARE LOOKING UP”
For more information including tour dates or booking inquiries please visit:
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on digital services please visit:
http://smarturl.it/TheWalk-a-Bout
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on Bandcamp please visit:
https://walkabout.bandcamp.com/
US Review: THE WALK-A-BOUT “THINGS ARE LOOKING UP”
For more information including tour dates or booking inquiries please visit:
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on digital services please visit:
http://smarturl.it/TheWalk-a-Bout
To Pre-Order THINGS ARE LOOKING UP on Bandcamp please visit:
https://walkabout.bandcamp.com/
US Track-by-Track Review: GEORGE ST. CLAIR “BALLADS OF CAPTIVITY AND FREEDOM”
| George St. Clair
Ballads of Captivity and Freedom Review by Gary Hill This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound. |
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| Track by Track Review | ||||
| Tularosa Coming in with a mellow, folky vibe, this gets some country elements added to the mix as it makes its way forward. It’s a classy tune with a classic sound at its heart. I suppose “soft rock with plenty of Southern twang” is pretty close to the description of this. |
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| The Places Where They Prayed A mellower, slower moving piece, this has a lot more country in the mix. There is a spoken movement further down the road. |
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| Autumn 1889 This is an even mellower number. It has less country music built into it, though. It makes think of a cross between Jackson Browne and The Eagles. |
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| Corridors Energized folk rock, this is another classy cut. It’s not a huge change, but has some solid hooks and a good groove. |
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| Good Times With a lot more country built into it, this has a real old-time music vibe. The piano solo bit is cool, as is the slide guitar. |
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| Cynthia With a lot of folk and soft rock in the mix, this one definitely makes me think of the acoustic side of The Eagles. |
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| Up to Fail One of the most rocking tunes here, this is definitely built on folk music, making it the definition of folk rock. Some of the guitar sounds on this make me think of Neil Young a bit. The lyrics to this tell a dark tale of the reality of life. This gets a minor parental advisory, but also has a powerhouse guitar solo. |
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| Lie to Them The guitar picking on this number brings a lot of country to the table. This is an effective number that does a good job of combining the country and rock elements. |
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| Cimarrones This song has a good balance between mellower rock and more powered up, dreamy type stuff. It’s a powerful piece of music. |
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| New Mexico Energetic music, there is plenty of country in the slide guitar that dances around a lot of this. Still, overall it’s more in line with soft rock music. |
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| Pedro Páramo I dig the folk music vibe on this piece. |
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| Talkin Mesquite This reminds me of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere.” The acoustic guitar sounds are intricate and the vocals are spoken. |
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For more information or to order BALLADS OF CAPTIVITY AND FREEDOM please visit:
Opie & Dixie Pet Products Featured in the June 2018 Issue of Pet Lifestyles Magazine!
Specializing in natural, USDA Certified Organic grooming aids, healing balms, and non-dietary care solutions designed for pets and tested by humans, OPIE & DIXIE, LLC is proud to introduce a new product formula and updated company website in early 2018. Their latest product, COCONUT SNOUTSTIK®, joins a high-quality lineup of certified organic and cruelty-free products reflecting OPIE & DIXIE’s commitment to holistic pet care. Consistent with their past products, this new Snoutstik® formula features a clear ingredients panel and carries the cruelty-free Leaping Bunny seal of approval.
In addition to the new Snoutstik®, OPIE & DIXIE has revamped its website at www.opieanddixie.com to reflect the same clean and holistic aesthetic as the company’s packaging, allowing visitors to easily find information about and purchase all OPIE & DIXIE products in the blink of an eye. The website features clickable lists to provide customers with ingredient specifics, including the benefits of each and why it was chosen for a given product. For example, Coconut oil is a wholesome, edible oil that has been a staple for millions of people for centuries, and is also one of the most remarkable treatments for dry, cracked skin. It contains naturally antibacterial and antifungal properties, has a long shelf-life, and only a small amount is needed to create a protective, long-lasting barrier for skin – even in the most intense sun.
“Our brand has a really authentic home-grown quality,” says Debbie Guardian, president and founder of OPIE & DIXIE. “It’s as far removed from mass market as you can imagine. We have a higher-end look and feel that is a good fit for our premium, cruelty-free products, all of which contain certified organic ingredients and no sulfates, parabens, synthetics, or chemicals. What we’re trying to convey is a more apothecary, holistic-healing feel.”
For more information and to check out the new website design please visit www.opieanddixie.com
US Track-by-Track Review: KARNEY “NO MERCY”
| Karney
No Mercy Review by Gary Hill This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound. |
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| Track by Track Review | ||||
| No Mercy This comes in with a classic hard edged progressive rock sound. It shifts down to a more stripped back arrangement for the vocals. The chorus powers up to some soaring material. The verse feels a bit awkward, but the chorus really redeems the track with plenty to spare. The guitar solo is hard rocking and particularly cool. |
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| Wild Green A fairly mellow movement opens this cut with some middle Eastern elements at play. It powers out to harder rocking sounds that lean toward metal. The balance between the hard-edged and less crunchy here works really well. There are male spoken vocals almost more as sound bites on this. The whole cut is a lot more effective than the opener was. Somehow the guitar soloing makes me think of Huw Lloyd Langton’s work in Hawkwind to a large degree. |
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| Restless Wind Starting with a mellower, intricate musical motif, there is a lot of folk in the mix here. This cut is not as proggy as the previous numbers were. It has more of a folk rock (with even some country in the mix) sound to it. It’s a solid number, though. It’s quite effective. The rocking guitar solo is noteworthy. When it starts rocking out more it’s along the lines of electric folk rock. |
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| Same Song While there is a lot of folk rock in the mix here, too, this works more into the prog end of the spectrum. When it soars out to the more powerful stuff, that prog aspect is clearer yet. Again the guitar solo is so strong. |
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| I Got Mine There is a real punky vibe to this stomper. It feels a lot like Blondie to me. The mid-track section still has that same element, but it does get a bit more prog-like. This is screaming hot and topical. |
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| Speed of a Bullet The basis of this is hard rocking, but there are these crazed prog sections built into it. I suppose that I’d consider the song proper to be sort of an AOR prog sound. The breaks are so cool. They remind me a bit of Frank Zappa. The second part of this is more based on that crazed section, but it drops to more melodic stuff at the end. |
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| Not Lost Coming in mellower and more folk music based, this works out gradually. It gets a bit more rocking and prog based as it does so. |
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| Hold On A faster paced rocker, this also makes me think of Blondie. It is definitely not the proggiest thing here, but there are some hints of prog in the mix at times. |
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| Beautiful Day I dig this tasty rocker. It has a lot of folk music in the mix along with some prog and other rocking elements. The closing section is really powerful. |
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| I Got the Light A fairly fast paced, but melodic, jam opens this. Horns come across as the song is moved into decidedly progressive rock (albeit jazz based) territory. The guitar soloing really dances all over the place in some killer patterns. I love the fact that there are still guitar fills underway during some of the vocal sections. The horn section gets control of a breakout movement, too. This might be my favorite piece here. It’s just so cool. |
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| Manifest Destiny A fast paced tune, this one has the progressive rock tendencies wrapped all around it. It’s another highlight of the disc. There is a short excursion into space rock mid track. |
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| 9 Lines – In the 21st Century A hard edged tune, this slower than the previous cut. To some degree this cut makes me think of Nico and the Velvet Underground. A male vocal later in the piece brings hints of hip hop, but the piece is clearly hard rock based. There are definitely leanings toward space rock and psychedelia. This is another standout. Given the intensity of it, it’s a great choice for closing shot. |
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For more information please visit Karney’s website at www.karney.org
To order “NO MERCY” on iTunes and Other Digital Retailers please visit:
http://smarturl.it/KarneyNoMercy
To order “NO MERCY” from Bandcamp please visit:
https://karney.bandcamp.com/album/no-mercy
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