New Release from Amo Jr ‘Emotions’ Independent Ever heard a song sung with such feeling you feel your heart swell? Put this on and experience the gorgeous tones of Amo Jr on ‘Emotions,’ the forward release preluding his album’ Good Quality’ to be released later this year. Amo Jr’s release has elements of gospel, …
Album Review: “Electric Soul Machine” – The Heavy North.
The Heavy North album just dropped! Let’s do this. The Genie It starts off with feedback to open it up, then drops into a blues jam, nothing less than what you’d expect from this band, it’s very 70s influenced – but what you don’t expect is the muted trumpet solo at around 2:38, it’s absolutely …
Album Review: “The Great Jamaican Songbook, Vol.1” – Cleveland Watkiss. Words: Sammy Stein
Multidisciplinary artist Cleveland Watkiss’s energy and drive are behind many music projects, and he has proved inspirational for upcoming talent on the music scene. He has worked with Wynton Marsalis, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Art Blakey, and countless others. His new album ‘The Great Jamaican Songbook’ is released, coinciding with a …
Album Review: “Maximise” – Perry. Words: Sammy Stein
Perry is the alias of instrumental smooth jazz/experimentalist Max Clemmons Jr. As Max Clemmons, he played piano on a disco recording called ‘Billy Who’ with the late drummer and studio musician Yogi Horton. He released ‘Dancing For Your Love’ on Spider Records, a number written for his cousin, Joe. Perry’s latest album is independently released. …
Single Review: “Forgive Yourself” – Caitlyn Scarlett, Her Ensemble
Caitlyn Scarlett – Forgive Yourself This is a track Kwame Kwaten sent to me, and…. Wow. So, where do I start? It’s piano led, strings, and Caitlyn’s vocals just really give me goosebumps. I like goosebumps. This is beautiful, it just reminds me that the ability to write an emotional song is never going away. …
The Extraordinary Journey Of Jason Miles: A Musical Biography. Interview with Sammy Stein.
The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles A Musical Biography Jason Miles has been behind some iconic recordings. He is in the process of releasing his book, and it promises to be as iconic as some of the musicians he has worked with. I was privileged to see a copy a few weeks back and I …
Single Review: “Please Go Gently” – Amelia Coburn
This song is acoustic guitar led, very much a lullaby, but written in a letter form… Amelia Coburn’s vocals are very soft and breathy, and that’s what catches my ear straight away. I closed my eyes and just listened, and she’s got a voice that could calm a soul. I’m no ukulele aficionado by any …
Blog interview: Thirsty Curses
Congratulations on the release of “To The Ends of The Earth” how does it feel? Thanks! It feels great to be finished with it for sure. We started tracking drums in April 2021. We were mostly finished with recording by September, but we made a couple last minute revisions/additions in December. It was definitely …
Album Review: “The Things In The Past”- Ikumi Koyama. Words: Sammy Stein
The Things In The Past Ikumi Koyama Ikumi Koyama is a Japanese pianist and singer from Yokahama, Japan. This debut recording introduces Koyama to a wider audience. Koyama began learning piano aged just two and later studied jazz piano at Shobi University, enrolling as an exchange student at New York City College for a semester, …
Album Review: “Motherland Journey” Blue Lab Beats. Words: Del Osei-Owusu
Blue Lab Beats – Motherland Journey Sky Reflections The first track on this opens with with an instrumental, you could just imagine this as a concert entry music… The way that this starts off is uplifting, and I love it. I love the the synth chords start out, and I really need to find out …