Bloggerhythms

One of the great lyrical conquests of the Classic Rock era is The Kinks "Celluloid Heroes," a single from their 1972 LP, Everybody's In Show-Biz . It wasn't a hit, but album oriented stations sometimes played the longer, superior LP version that runs 6:19, approximately two minutes longer than the 45 RPM. Neither composer Ray Davies nor The Kinks ever put a better song on vinyl. Davies was inspired to write "Celluloid Heroes" by the many stars embedded on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. His thoughtful lyrics generate a lot of emotions that complement a gentle, pleasing melody and arrangement. The lyrical centerpiece of the song is the line "Celluloid heroes never feel any pain and celluloid heroes never really die." Those words hit me hard every time I see an old movie star still so vibrant and alive on film who is no longer with us. The line "Don't tread on dearest Marilyn because she's not very strong" is the ...

Cesar Rosas, the "other" singer and guitarist for Los Lobos, the great Los Angeles quintet, is not as well known as frontman David Hidalgo and he is a less prolific composer than either Hidalgo or bandmate Louis Perez. However, he shouldn't have to take a back seat to them because Rosas is a better vocalist than his legendary group's lead singer and his original songs are just as rewarding as those written by the Hidalgo/Perez team. Rosas' one and only solo CD, Soul Disguise (1999), rocks just as hard as his band did in their early years and stylistically it is reminiscent of their debut, How Will the Wolf Survive . The guitarist is also a versatile singer who can handle horn-fueled R & B ("E. Los Ballad #13"), traditional Mexican folk music ("Angelito" and "Adios Mi Vida"), and even a soulful ballad ("Better Way"). Much of the rest is straight ahead rock highlighted by "Little Heaven," the blues influence...

One of the great things about the Internet is that it gives everyone exposure to news, information, and entertainment that they would not have normally been exposed to without it. The web is why a recording artist who has only acquired a local following can have his music heard at anytime, worldwide, at little or no cost. Such is the case with Irish-American guitarist, Seamus Kelleher , who just released his second solo CD, Another Side of Town . Kelleher has a cult following from New York City to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore but to anyone living out of the area he’s quite unknown. I always liked his lead guitar work with Blackthorn , a Celtic-rock band from Philadelphia that he was an important member of for around fifteen years. Another Side of Town is even better than Kelleher's debut, Four Cups of Coffee , because it's more stylistically unified while avoiding all of the traps that make everything on an album sound redundant. Kelleher can rock hard when the ...

Saxophonist Kenny Solderblom and his wife, Leah, are seasoned jazz veterans who make music for a specific audience: fans of the great American songbook. That's not to say others won't like what they hear but for those listeners who have a special affinity for the genre the couple’s fifth CD should prove to be quite impressive. All About Love is an aptly named collection because love is the subject of almost every song. Most of the tunes pre-date the rock era but they are spiced up with Kenny's modern sax playing that helps make the whole affair more appealing than it would otherwise be to a younger audience. Leah's strong vocals prove she would have made a fine big band singer. The Solderbloms' excellent studio hands make sure everything is humming along smoothly, especially veteran Jay Leonhardt on bass and all-star Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar. There is nothing remotely progressive or alternative about the music but every arrangement is so well-crafted and...