Bloggerhythms

I've always been leery of albums where singer-songwriters cover classic songs of bygone eras.  It usually signifies a reluctant contractual obligation to their record company or the artist is in a phase of his or her career where artistic ventures are no longer a priority and the commercial ones have taken over.  Frequently these works are recorded after the musicians have passed their prime, and are on the downward slide, as a way to keep the gravy train running with minimal effort.  A case in point is Rod Stewart who unfortunately has released four CDs of generic standards. Cover albums also reveal the quality of a singer's voice.  Most composers who write for themselves make sure all of their songs are written in their vocal range so the singer's liabilities either go unnoticed or are minimized.  A true sign of vocal excellence comes when a singer nails somebody else's song.  If the work is out of reach of the vocalist's capabilities the listener knows...

Twenty-seven year old Diane Birch is an up-and-coming, gospel-tinged, rhythm and blues loving rocker with a very soulful voice, some cool piano chops, and the ability to write meaningful songs without straying outside of the mainstream. Her recent concert at WXPN's Xponential Music Festival paved the way for my purchase of her debut CD, Bible Belt , released last year. First, some biographical information is necessary. Birch's parents were Seventh Day Adventist missionaries who only allowed classical and sacred music in their home. Her father preached around the world in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Australia before returning home and settling in Portland, Oregon when she was ten years old. Birch began taking piano lessons at age seven and when she was old enough she moved to Los Angeles where Prince heard her perform. She quickly accepted his invitation to jam with him. After her future manager heard the singer's work on her MySpace page the keyboardist moved...

Where has D. B. Rielly been all of our musical lives? It isn't fair that he has been holding out on us all of these years because I can say without a doubt that Love Potions and Snake Oil is one of the best debut CDs I've heard in quite awhile. Rielly is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, various percussion instruments, and even accordion on five tracks. His music can be heard on more than forty independent recordings and films and his work has been praised by the likes of B. B. King, Phil Ramone, and many others. He has played The Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, and The Montreaux Jazz Festival. While Rielly is a resident of New York City his taste in music makes him a fish out of water. All ten self-penned tunes are pure Americana and are heavily influenced by zydeco, blues, and any other American roots music that seeps into his brain. Rielly is a modern man making new music from our past. It's alt-country for rock ...