Album Spotlight: ZZ Ward - The Storm

The new album from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, better known as ZZ Ward is an amalgam of all things blues, alt-rock, R&B, Americana, smokiness, and swamp. The Storm brings all that together in an 11 song album that works.

If you're a regular reader, you know I prefer interesting and unique. Starting with Ward's voice, this whole album encompasses both interesting and unique.

It's not hard to tell when an artist is making music they want to make and when an artist is going through the motions. The Storm is the former, bringing in all of Ward's influences in which every song feels like she means what she's singing and the instrumentation backs it up, whether sparse or layered or anywhere in between.

The 11th song, a bonus track from "Cars 3", is a fun song featuring Gary Clark, Jr. How can that be bad?

All in all, The Storm is a complete album. There's some fun, there's some heavy, there's some heartbreak, there's some snark and sass. And there is lots of ZZ Ward.

Album Spotlight: Caroline Reese and the Drifting Fifth - Tenderfoot

Photo by Lisa Boehm

Tenderfoot is the fourth release from Pennsylvania native and independent artist Caroline Reese, either as a solo artist or with her band the Drifting Fifth. To be quite honest, I had never heard of her until a week ago. I'm sorry I have missed out.

Ranging from hook-laden pop rock to introspective acoustic singer/songwriter songs, Tenderfoot is a great listen from start to finish. From the atmospheric "Stormchasers" to the stripped down acoustic "Unlocked" to the catchy "Airshow" to the swampiness at the end of "Beast", Reese and her band deliver an interesting journey through and amongst genres that all flows and never seems disjointed.

Fans of pop rock, Americana, and country can all find something to like, but the real winners fans of good music, because Tenderfoot is chock full of good music.

Check out some music:

Artist Spotlight: Aaron Lee Tasjan

I've been hearing some buzz around Aaron Lee Tasjan and his new album, Silver Tears, coming out October 28. Tasjan has released two singles in advance of the full album. I will not listen to them because I want the full album experience.

However, I did delve into his previous releases, 2015's album In The Blazes and 2014's five-song EP Crooked River Burning.

What did I find? Excellent songwriting, first of all. But what intrigued me more was the growth between to the two releases. While the EP had all the the signs of a first release of an artist finding his way, In The Blazes found the singer/songwriter settling into a comfortable groove.

The songs are better. Crooked River Burning was steeped in Americana yet In The Blazes skews more towards the roots rock of Butch Walker and Ryan Adams. And it just sounds like someone coming into their own as an artist.

I could be burned by the new album, but even so, that doesn't take away from what came before. And In The Blazes is worth your time.

Here is a live acoustic version of "E.N.S.A.A.T." For those that need prompts, that comes from the line in the chorus, "Move out to East Nashville and write a Song About A Train".

Album Spotlight: The Dead Deads: For Your Obliteration...

Weaving in and out of and around and through punk, metal, pop, rock, bubblegum, grunge, Americana and all things in between, sometimes in the same song, sometimes in the same verse or chorus, The Dead Deads refuse to be pigeonholed into anything.

The Dead Deads' latest release, For Your Obliteration... is one of the most interesting albums I've heard this year.

Lead vocalist Meta Dead (Leticia Wolf) can go from a sweet bubblegum voice to heavy metal growling to punk attitude to melodic hard rock seamlessly and often. I have no doubt that she could sing in any genre she wanted.

For Your Obliteration... is bottom heavy much of the way through. This is to be attributed to the the heavy pounding of drummer Billy Dead (Angie Lese) and the bass playing of Daisy Dead (Mavis Turner). They lock in together form a formidable foundation for the soundscapes of Hella (Mandy Wolf) and Betty Dead's (Erica Sellers) keys and guitars.

Want a label? Rock. They rock, unabashedly and unashamedly. Enough words, here is some music. "Animals", which is my favorite song on the album:

Artist Spotlight: John Hiatt

After a recent conversation with a couple of other bloggers who also look for stuff outside of the mainstream, I took a deep dive into the music of John Hiatt. Now, I had always been a fan of Hiatt's, I just never realized how underrated his music is until now.

I was very familiar with the album Slow Turning because it has my favorite Hiatt song on it, "Paper Thin". At that time, I was not into digging for stuff like I have been the past few years, so I never really got into his entire catalog.

Little did I know that Bonnie Raitt's hit song "Thing Called Love" was a John Hiatt song. Or that his songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as Three Dog Night, Ronnie Milsap, Iggy Pop, Conway Twitty and the Neville Brothers.

What kind of music does John Hiatt make? Mostly just good music, but if you want reference, look above at who has recorded his songs. Country, Americana, blues, soul, heartland rock, roots. The thing is, Hiatt can't really be pigeonholed into one genre. That may have hurt him commercially, but we, as listeners, get a treat.

If you're reading this blog, you're going to find something in the John Hiatt catalog that you like. He's been at the game for a long time, so for a starting point, go with 1988's Slow Turning and then progress forward or backward. Or if you like what you hear, jump around and explore. You won't be disappointed.

This is the song that introduced me to John Hiatt, "Paper Thin":



And another one of my favorites, "Perfectly Good Guitar":

Album Spotlight: The Wild Feathers: Lonely Is A Lifetime

Sometimes I'll hear a new album that inspires me so that I have to get an "Album Spotlight" out as soon as possible. Sometimes it takes time for an album to grow on me. Sometimes I find something a few months after its releases. And sometimes life just happens and you forget.

The latter was what happened with the Wild Feathers' Lonely Is A Lifetime, released in March of 2016. I fully expected to have a piece written three plus months ago, then life happened and then I forgot out it (I don't take very good notes).

Nashville's The Wild Feathers is... a rock band? Probably, but when I think rock, I think AC/DC. Pop? Pop tendencies, sure, but you can't have an eight minute song and be pop. Americana? Not really, though you could make an argument for that on some songs. And those of you who read regularly know I really don't care about genre anyway.

Lonely Is A Lifetime is a collection of eleven really good, fairly diverse songs. While you can hear influences ranging from Tom Petty to Pink Floyd, The Wild Feathers definitely have their own distinct sound highlighted by three vocalists, each taking their turn on lead with Eagles-inspired harmonies. Oh, and there is the definite Gram Parsons vibe on a few songs.

Lonely Is A Lifetime seems like a natural progression from The Wild Feathers self-titled 2013 debut album. While the debut record is good, it's more in the straight up Southern Rock/Country/Americana vein. The new album is more experimental in nature. And the experiments turned out well.

Here is "Overnight" from Lonely Is A Lifetime:



And because there is a shortage of good eight-plus minute songs in the world right now, here is "Goodbye Song":

Album Spotlight: Lindi Ortega - Faded Gloryville

Lindi Ortega's latest album Faded Gloryville is good. Just Google "Lindi Ortega Faded Gloryville Album Review" and you can read all the words you want on how good.

I'm just going to leave you with a couple of my favorite songs from the record.

Q and A With Singer/Songwriter Kate Lynne Logan

Photo By George Bentley

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a long distance interview with singer/songwriter Kate Lynne Logan. The tagline under her name on her website is "Americana In The Emerald City". She says about Americana "it means a ‘modernized version of Old Country.’ I think it means the contemporary version of artists like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. I would love nothing more than to be compared to such artists."

Kate grew up among the wheat fields of western Washington. She now resides in the emerald city of Seattle and has released five studio projects including her most recent full length album, 2014's Animal Dreams.

She is currently finishing up another project which includes the song "Roosey Roads" which Kate says is "the true (love) story of how/when my parents met in the 1980's. We all think the perfect love story doesn't exist, but my parents will celebrate 33 years this October. That kind of love happens in real life."

Q and A with Jenni Dale Lord

Photo by Victor Mosqueda

If you read my blog regularly, you know I dig for good music because I'm not going to hear it on the radio.

Then, sometimes, while on vacation, I randomly stumble onto something great.

The latter is how I found the Jenni Dale Lord Band. A working band. A full bar set. With lots of covers. But the originals were what drew me in.

Jenni Dale Lord was gracious enough to do a Q and A session with me. Here are the results.

Q and A With Singer/Songwriter Kate Vargas

Photo by Brett Lindell

My first introduction to Kate Vargas was through the independent alternative to SXSW known as Couch by Couchwest.

Initially, I was enamored with her voice, but after digging into her music, there is a depth and maturity to her songs that belie her years.

Kate's 2014 album Down To My Soul will take you on a musical journey.

I had the opportunity to conduct a Q&A with Kate recently. Here are the results.

Album Spotlight: The Coal Creek Boys: Out West

The Coal Creek Boys hail from western Canada and offer up a righteous dish of country/Americana that is as real as it gets on their latest record Out West.

I am in no way comparing the two, but The Coal Creek Boys have a lot of Johnny Cash-like qualities in their songs.

Definitely not beer-drinking and party music, but just really good, down-to-earth, quality tunes.

Check out this live version of the title track.

Good Stuff Found: Houndmouth

Sometimes you stumble upon things that are good. That's what I did recently with Houndmouth.

Houndmouth is an Americana-type band out of Indiana right across the river from Louisville, KY. Other than that, I don't know much about them besides the fact that they play some good music.

Their debut album is "From the Hills Below" and has quite a few good tunes. Hope you enjoy.