Digital Review: War Poets' 'Hot And Cold: American Relationships'

War Poets
Hot And Cold: American Relationships
Self-Release

Minneapolis-based duo, War Poets, is the result of Rex Haberman and Jenny Case forming a voice and guitar group with lyrically-relevant and catchy pop-rock songs. Jenny's vocals are akin to Michelle Branch and Nina Gordon (ex-Veruca Salt), while Rex's vocals are equally-intriguing and reminiscent of Springsteen, The Wallflowers, and R.E.M. The basic pop-rock structures are here on the new six-track, digital EP release, Hot And Cold: American Relationships. "Ones Who Love" is more of a rock-based song with an R.E.M.-type beat and vocalizations with a hint of Bruce Springsteen and The Wallflowers. "Perfect One" contains a classic pop-rock beat with influences from the 1960's, but Rex's voice is timeless and backed by an incredible, catchy melody. "Bits And Pieces" is the only song on the release that features Jenny's lead vocals. The melody is catchy and the vocals very similar to a cross between Michelle Branch and Nina Gordon. Overall, the new release explores some catchy songs with great lyrics and memorable hooks without sounding forced or on-the-nose. Check out Sound Cloud for more info and downloads. 5 Stars (out of 5). ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: War Poets' 'American Police State'

War Poets
American Police State
Self-Release

Minnneapolis, MN-based and socially-aware, War Poets take the world by storm with creative, roots-rock-inspired tunes on their latest five-track release. Members include Jenny Case, Rex Haberman, Maureen Koenig McFarlane, Jonny James, Whelan Q Keenan, and Park Evans. Influenced vocally by Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Jakob Dylan, War Poets bring together a great set of songs that are all different and represent different topics, too. "Closing In" is a perfect roots-rock song with great vocals throughout. "8:05 On A Saturday" is a laidback, folk song with a slight country twang to the instrumental accompaniment. This is a nice example of American roots at its best. "Where Has Love Gone" begins with an upbeat, rock beat somewhat indicative of American music during the early 1990's. "Red Lake" is a similar tune with a grungy guitar set-up, but the track is reminiscent of something R.E.M. would probably produce. Even though the cover art suggests a more sinister recording, American Police State is rather tame from melodic point-of-view. Overall, War Poets receives high marks for lyrical content and melodic flow without any missteps. ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: 1987 Talking Drums' Reissue For 'Some Day Catch Some Day Down'

Talking Drums
Some Day Catch Some Day Down
Innova

Originally released in 1987, Talking Drums' Some Day Catch Some Day Down is a rhythmic romp into Ghana's Afro-beat legacy with lively horns, immense percussion, rippling guitars, and great vocal harmonies. About a dozen musicians comprised the 1987 group, which provided various instrumental accompaniment, including the more popularly-known congas, sax, flute, bass, keyboards, guitar, timbales, bells, flugelhorn, and trumpet. However, there are numerous Ghanaian and West African percussion instruments used throughout the recording that are too numerous to mention. At any rate, the result is Afro-beat heaven with lively vocals. There are liner notes for each song, too. In addition, this is an enhanced CD, which provides nine MP3 bonus tracks after placement in a computer. These are groovy grooves with upbeat percussion and happy vocals. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Gao Hong's 'Quiet Forest, Flowing Stream'

Gao Hong
Quiet Forest, Flowing Stream
Innova

Pipa master, Gao Hong, is a Chinese lute player with a knack for creating beautiful melodies and scintillating songs. On Quiet Forest, Flowing Stream, Gao enlists the help of acclaimed-veena player and vocalist, Nirmala Rajasekar, Michelle Kinney on cello, Biplab Bhattacharya on table, David Hagedorn on percussion, Shubhendra Rao on sitar, Joseph Schad on piano, and Kenny Endo on taiko drum. The galloping melodies are steeped in an Indo-China medley of song elements that work quite well together. The instrumental work is full of spritely melodies that represent a little Inner Asian influences, such as Mongolian folk songs. There are some vocals on "Butterfly" and "Celebration," but they are primarily used for an aural accompaniment. Fans of South Asian, Chinese, and Central Asian folk music should add Gao Hong to their collection. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Pooja Goswami Pavan's 'How Shall I Say?'

Pooja Goswami Pavan
How Shall I Say?
Innova

A prominent educator, composer, and scholar of Hindustani classical music in Minnesota, USA, Pooja Goswami Pavan present us with seven long vocal tracks. Each track is rich with North Indian classical influences and instrumentation that includes tabla, harmonium, sarangi, and tanpura. The strings are dreamy, trance-inducing, and highly-textured. The vocals reverberate with classical veins and a commanding voice. The tabla blurts out thuds that are fast and precise. The droning harmonium and sarangi fill in the melodies with a brighter tone overall. The vocals nor instrumentation are particularly catchy, but that is not the point of Hindustani music. The music should be enjoyed for its arrangements, vocals, and sounds that represent hundreds of years of practice and performance. The album runs over one-hour, which is perfect for anyone trying to immerse oneself in Hindustani musical culture. Give yourself a dose of Hindustani reality with Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan's How Shall I Say?. ~ Matthew Forss