Bloggerhythms

Billy Joel's second Columbia album, and third overall, is among his least remembered records. It was inevitable that Streetlife Serenade , the followup to Piano Man , wouldn’t have the same impact as his major label debut because the earlier platter was such a huge success. While Streetlife will never make any list of Joel's masterworks it definitely doesn't deserve its fate of completely falling off the musical radar. Here, he still presents himself more as a singer-songwriter than the rocker and showman he became during his major hit making years. Joel, who hasn't recorded a new studio album since 1993's mediocre River of Dreams , still performs Piano Man ’s most popular songs in concert today. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," the arena rock anthem "Captain Jack," and the title track are all staples of classic rock radio. What Streetlife lacks are those kind of songs, the ones that embed themselves in your head for eternity. Easil...

US Rails may have sowed their seeds in Philadelphia but they are currently living all over the globe. Their second CD, Southern Canon , was just completed in Germany where acoustic guitarist Joseph Parsons currently resides. Bassist Scott Bricklin lives in Paris. Ben Arnold (keyboards) still makes The City of Brotherly Love his home as does drummer Matt Muir. Tom Gillam (lead and slide guitar), the only member not from the town where America was born, hails from another, even better musical locale, Austin, TX. These no nonsense roots rockers have an interesting back story. About ten years ago local college radio station WXPN, 88.5 FM , licensed to the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania, asked a couple of local singer-songwriters who had already released their own CDs to put a band together for a music festival they were hosting. Parsons, Arnold, and Bricklin teamed up with a fourth member, Jim Boggia, to form the harmony laden, adult-oriented rock band, 4 Way Street,...

Austin's The Band of Heathens often sound like The Grateful Dead. They can improvise with the best of the jam bands but they also manage to avoid the interminable extended solos of The Dead because their rock 'n roll is more structured and more song oriented. They can harmonize as well as Jerry Garcia and his buddies did and, as a bonus, when they play with a horn section you can also hear traces of The Band in their arrangements. The Band of Heathens were born after the core of the sextet, Gordi Quist, Colin Brooks, and Ed Jurdi, all lead vocalists, multi-instrumentalists, and solo singer-songwriters, decided they liked working together as a group after sitting in with each other on stage back in Austin. Both of TBOH's first two CDs were recordings of live shows, a daring move almost unheard of from a new band. Live from Momo's (2006) and Live at Antone's (2008), were both recorded in their home town. It took them until their eponymous third release (al...

The mighty fine but little known Southern rock outfit, Edgehill Avenue, are back with Just Out of Sight , another workmanlike effort worthy of your consideration. After Rambler , their excellent full-length debut, showed off their musical chops and songwriting capabilities they followed it with a brief live CD, Off the Edge , that proved they're also a great stage band. As with all of Dixie's best rockers this Kentucky quintet functions as a complete unit. They put the band and the music ahead of personality or stardom. Their new release is an honest, six-song EP that relies on heartfelt lyrics, an appropriately earthy lead singer (Drew Perkins) who complements the songs perfectly, and good musicianship from everyone involved. Even though this mid-tempo disc is not as eclectic as their debut you will still find a lot to like about it, right down to the pleasing cover art. While Southern rock was extremely popular in the 70s, and it never completely went away, the days w...