CD Review: The Armory's 'Rediscover'

The Armory
Rediscover
Self-Release

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The Armory is an Atlanta-based indie rock band comprised of Sean Wheeler and Marc Harris on lead vocals, Ben Harris on bass and vocals, as well as guitarists, John Patton and Ricky Free. Together, the group forms a compelling and entertaining form of rock music with a pop vein and alternative leanings led by crunchy and symphonic guitar arrangements. The static-driven rock vocals of "If I Ever" prove the band has what it takes to bring a song to life. "Stay" contains a heady mix of crunchy rock guitar arrangements and great vocals not too unlike Three Days Grace and Splender. "Peter Piper" adds a heavier mix of rock vocals and guitars that are not as cohesive and enjoyable as other tunes on the album. "Rediscover" opens with a plaintive, acoustic guitar melody and clear, emotive vocals. Half-way through the song, heavier rock arrangements and vocals take over and end the song on a solid note. The nine-track release is a solid effort with a generous dose of rock riffs and melodies that are not too dissimilar from Three Days Grace and Splender. 4.5 Stars (out of 5) ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: The ConSoulTant's 'New Year, New You'

The ConSoulTant
New Year, New You
Raging Sky

Selita Boyd (aka The ConSoulTant) breaks through with another hit that leads us into the new year with great vocals, great beats, and dance-inspired, R&B grooves. The lack of many songs does not detract from the few songs on the album. New Year, New You contains one of the past hits, "Hit It Out The Park." The new year is celebrated with two very similar songs: "New Year, New You" and "New Year, New You Countdown". Both songs are amped-up dance tracks with electronic, industrial, and hip-hop-focused tunes that are anything but boring. Of course, the holiday season would not be complete without a song devoted to Black Friday, which is poignantly-titled, "Black Friday." The dance tune contains a bit of industrial electronics and hip-hop vocals with scattered bells and Santa "ho ho ho's". The song is a bit faster than the other tunes, but that only makes the song different. The Georgia-based singer brings together a fabulous set of songs for the new year. The songs are relatively short and few in number, but the musicianship is above-average and worth a listen, or two, or three... ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Passafire's 'Vines'

Passafire
Vines
Easy Star

The Savannah, Georgia-based quartet, Passafire, presents a new album with surf-rock and reggae-tinged songs with chart-topping qualities and catchy characteristics. Passafire is Ted Bowne on guitar/vocals, Will Kubley on bass/vocals, Mike DeGuzman on keys/guitar, and Nick Kubley on drums. The up-beat songs are rock, pop, and reggae-based without any clear genre distinctions. The vocals take on a little reggae influences, but there is some dance, electronica, rock, and pop concoctions that help the music move in different ways. There are some extended instrumentals that are especially engaging and diverse. In addition, there seems to be a fluid transition between rock, folk, and reggae throughout. Just when you think you've put your finger on the specific genre in question, they surprise us with something seemingly indefinable. At any rate, Passafire is on fire with this catchy release. ~ Matthew Forss

Song Review: The ConSoulTant's "Hit It Out The Park"

The ConSoulTant
"Hit It Out The Park"
Raging Sky

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Selita Boyd (aka The ConSoulTant), cooks up a lyrical storm with the baseball-themed, "Hit It Out The Park." The song opens with swishy percussion and hip hop instrumental embellishments that contain blurby sounds, electronic buzzes, and whistles. Selita's vocals are rather fluid with an R&B delivery. There are electronic bells, cinematic orchestrations, and punchy keyboard sounds with mechanical whirrs and repetitive lyrical displays. The song is about three-and-a-half-minutes long with a family-friendly message and upbeat instrumentation. The tune is rather catchy and it's made for playback over and over. The ConSoulTant 'hits it out the park' with this one! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Mark Lassiter's 'Endlessly'

Mark Lassiter
Endlessly
Self-Release

Georgia-native and North Carolina-based, Mark Lassiter, brings us an exciting and upbeat EP that promises to be enthralling, refreshing, and contemporary. The opener, "Endlessly," is a crooner's special with heady pop/folk/rock confections that is simply great overall. The remix to the title track provides a little more diversity with down-tempo, electronic, and dance-type elements that are anything but boring. "Life's Like That" opens with a pensive piano melody, atmospheric washes, and a female back-up singer. Mark's pop vocals are slightly husky, but generally clear throughout. The influence is not particularly rock or country. "You're My Favorite" contains throbbing B3 sounds, rock percussion, and scintillating guitars with vocals to match. Vocally, Mark is in a category all his own. However, Mark tends to resemble Sister Hazel with a bit of Venice. At any rate, the four-track release is much too short, but thankfully, we can replay each song over and over - guaranteed, you will. ~ Matthew Forss    

CD Review: 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra's 'Abdul The Rabbi'

4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra
Abdul The Rabbi
Self-Release

The whirling dervish melodies of 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra are not your typical musical fanfare. For example, the instrumental group combines heady, brass-inflected rhythms with a slight Afro-beat repertoire. The music is distinctly Klezmer and Balkan with light jazz, rock, psych, and avant-garde elements to boot. The group plays trumpet, reeds, sax, trombone, guitar, bass, and drums. The writhing mix of sounds is very entrancing and delightful with little room for complaints. The Atlanta-based group combines funk, jazz, rock, big band, and experimental sounds for a good dose of melody and rhythm. The truly pan-world sound is contemporary and traditional. The punchy rhythms and funkadelic jams are akin to Dengue Fever's arrangements--if they came in contact with some Balkan brilliance. Anyone familiar with instrumental Balkan music will love the Klezmer connotations and West African connections. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Zedashe's 'Intangible Pearls'

Zedashe
Intangible Pearls
Multiflora/Electric Cowbell Records

The polyphonic singing traditions of the Caucasus, especially from Georgia, stem from centuries of religious devotional chants and folklore. The amazing vocal chants are steeped in rich traditions and local cultures. The vocals are accompanied by chonguri, panduri, doli drum, garmoni, and chiboni. As a mostly vocal album, Intangible Pearls touches on the beauty of the human voice amidst different melodies, harmonies, and textures. Founded in the 1990's, Zedashe largely was created to transmit vocal songs originally lost during the Communist era. The group's name comes from special earthenware jugs made for wine. The entire album consists of twenty-five different songs spanning many generations, centuries, and social origins. Anyone interested in vocal polyphony and Caucasus music will want Zedashe to be a part of any collection. Discover it today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Lassine Kouyate (Adam Klein) and 'Dugu Wolo'

Lassine Kouyate (Adam Klein)
Dugu Wolo
Cowboy Angel Music

Athens, Georgia has produced a number of chart-topping musicians that don't sound like they're from the South, including R.E.M., B-52's, Indigo Girls, Matthew Sweet, Neutral Milk Hotel, and others. Never before has a world music act entered the musical community in Athens. Maybe not a chart-topper yet, Dugu Wolo is slowly gaining ground. Created by Lassine Kouyate (aka Adam Klein) after a trip to Mali, Africa, Dugu Wolo contains guitar songs with kora, ngoni, calabash, tama, djembe, njarka, and karagnan instrumental accompaniment. Lassine writes songs in the Bambara language for the most part, but English is also present. The entire album was recorded in Bamako, Mali in February 2010. Guest musicians include Solo Tounkara, Djelimady Tounkara, Adama Dembele, Drissa Diabate, and Zoumana Tereta. Anyone interested in the guitar and blues sounds of Boubacar Traore, Lobi Traore, Ali Farka Toure, Salif Keita, and Toumani Diabate, among others, will find joy and solace in this amazing collection of songs written by American singer/songwriter, Lassine Kouyate. Twelve tracks in total. Liner notes included. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Georgian/English Singer Katie Melua

Katie Melua

The House

Dramatico

As a follow-up to Katie's second release, Pictures, The House stand out as an artistic marvel for the ears. Katie's voice takes on Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer fame, former Cardigans lead singer, Nina Persson, and Geike Arnaert of Belgium's Hooverphonic fame. The music is not folk, rock or pop, but a combination of each style. Lyrically, the songs are fun and funny, as in "Tiny Alien" and "God On Drums, Devil On The Bass". There is a hint of nostalgia in Katie's vocal style and some of the instrumentation follows in that vein, as in "A Moment Of Madness". The poetically-inclined art-pop song, "Red Balloons", is something Shawn Colvin might have composed, especially since her last album was titled after a house (These Four Walls, Nonesuch). However, all the songs are written or co-written by Katie and represent a style all her own. All the songs are playful, catchy, intelligent, and coherent from a lyrical, vocal, and instrumental point of view. If you like good music, then you are cordially invited into 'The House' by Katie Melua. Vocals and liner notes in English. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Georgian-born, U.K. Singer/Songwriter Katie Melua

Katie Melua
Pictures
Dramatico

Singer/songwriter, Katie Melua, grew up in the present-day country of Georgia in eastern Europe. After a short stint in Northern Ireland and current relocation in the U.K., Katie began her musical career. Pictures is a simple guitar/bass/drum-driven musical experience that shares the sounds of Western pop/folk rhythms. All the songs are sung in English and Katie's voice should have no problem drawing in youth listeners. The music is not electronica in nature. It is authentic, organic and sweetly-soulful. However, adults will be equally content with Katie's musical exploits. There is a classic, bluesy feel to some of the moments on the album. In general, it is easy to imagine the lyrical wordplay in filmic 'pictures'. Though, Pictures is about living life in motion, and struggling with snap-shots of history's memory lane. Regardless of the reason, Pictures is an album worth a listen. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Voices of Georgia

Iveroni
Heroic and Love Songs of Georgia
Beauty Saloon Music

Most listeners familiar with the music of Georgia readily recognize the characteristic polyphonic singing ensembles of the region. Positioned near the Caspian Sea, Georgia is a country of musical influences from neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan. Though, Georgia's musical position in the region may not be as popular with Westerners. Thankfully, Nathaniel Berndt of Beauty Saloon Music, brings to life the music of Iveroni. Typical vocal ensembles from this region do not include instrumentation. However, Iveroni is the exception. On a few tracks, they incorporate a handful of string (lute-like) instruments, including the bass panduri, panduri, salamuri, and changuri. Iveroni's melodic and powerful vocal performances are haunting and mesmerizing. Perfect for world music fans of vocal music and chant. More information can be found at Beauty Saloon Music. ~ Matthew Forss