The Belle Brigade

There seems to be a resurgence of the California sound of the 70's of late.  The Decemberists have channeled the Laurel Canyon sound on their latest and now The Belle Brigade have released this self-titled album.  This one is a little less Neil Young (circa Harvest) and a whole lot more Fleetwood Mac.

The Belle Brigade is a brother-sister duo and they have that whole late-70's vibe going strong.  Loads of crisp harmonies and some stellar production make this an enjoyable listen.  While Fleetwood Mac immediately springs to mind sound wise, the lyrics themselves lack the emotional weight of anything off of Rumours.  Even so I have to say I like this quite a bit.  "Where Not To Look for Freedom" in particular impresses me as does "Losers".

All told a solid release that has that wonderful, breezy sound that you don't get to hear too often anymore.

Losers


Where Not To Look For Freedom

Robyn Ludwick - Out of These Blues

This record is one of the reasons I so enjoy being on the ReviewShine website.  I get tons of new music submitted to me...some of it good, some of it not so good, but every once in a while there is a gem that appears in my inbox.  Robyn Ludwick's Out of These Blues is one of those gems.  This is simply a fantastic listen from beginning to end. 

Ms. Ludwick is the sister of Bruce and Charlie Robison so she is part of the Texas music scence, but Out of These Blues is not cut from the same Red Dirt.  Comparisons to Lucinda Williams are inevitable, but miss the mark.  Robyn Ludwick sounds at once familiar and at the same time strikingly different.  For whatever reason I tend to not gravitate towards female artists that often, but when I do I am usually hooked and that is the case with this album.

From the opening duo Hollywood and the title track Out of These Blues, straight through to the last this is a great album full of emotion and wonderful songwriting.  There is a great mix of styles here; one song is reflective singer-songwriter, the next is pure county bliss.  This is not only the best record I have heard on ReviewShine this year, it is one of my favorites so far.  For sure this gets the OldRockr1 Seal of Approval.

Axe - Rock & Roll Party in the Street

Way back when I was a younger rocker I really loved this song. It was the perfect top down, music turned up, drive around town song. No socially redeeming values, just some good time rock & roll. Loved it then...still do.



I miss those nights cruising around listing to KZOZ or 99X!

Ian Hunter - Central Park & West

The great Ian Hunter and a love song for NYC.  England's loss was our gain.

It's Playoff Hockey Time!

Let's Go Rangers!!!

Nothing more needs to be said.