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JAZZ PROMO SERVICES
CYNTHIA FELTON/Afro Blue: As a young singer just starting out, doing everything on her own and trying to make all the right moves, you have to give Felton a major pat on the back. Rather than just go down the road all the other jazz singers seem to be going down, her debut work is a tribute to Oscar Brown, and the stellar backing crew that showed up to make the sound right is playing like they mean it throughout. With first-rate interpretations of many of Brown’s forgotten or overlooked classics, Felton makes a great first impression and certainly sets herself apart from the pack. Clearly a winning set from start to finish, anyone should most certainly check out.
1 (Felton Entertainment)
LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS
RITA EDMOND/Sketches of a Dream: While there are a lot of ladies that want to be jazz singers these days, there’s not enough of them flying at the top of their game to call this buffet and embarrassment of riches. When a swinging singer like Edmond comes along, you have more than enough reason to cock your ear in her direction. Serving up a generous set of oldies with enough familiar favorites on board to she makes it feel like a safe bet to jump in. With accomplished players like Ricky Woodard on board you know Edmund isn’t just someone throwing it against the wall and hoping it sticks. Jazz vocal fans should have a good time enjoying these new spins on old favorites.
137672513 (T.O.T.I.)
MASSIVE MUSIC
FABLE/Weathered: A bunch of Baltimore folkies that have been at it for over 30 years still think the 70s are with us. In their hands it’s not such a bad thing. Their original songs have a deeply personal edge and sometimes you even think the hippies are trying to drive Nixon from office one more time. Way before the dawn of disco, you could hear sounds like this coming out of college coffee houses everywhere. With Starbucks phasing out of the music business, maybe this is the shelter from the storm misty eyed soccer moms are looking for.
10801 (Softwind)
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
CHRISTOPHER HEDGE/Andrew Jackson The Atrocious Saint: This is certainly one of the deeper soundtracks are going to come across for a while. They just scored a cleffer about President Jackson, a man of the dichotomies that normally aren’t taught in history books. Keeping with the spirit of the times, Hedge is helped out by David Grisman, Carlos Nakai and others that normally probably wouldn’t be in the same studio at the same time. Focusing on the spirit of the times, Hedge wants you to hear things in the music that you probably didn’t hear when you were first exposed to stuff like this in grade school. Since this is an interesting time of change for America, this is an interesting time to look back at change that was always there beneath the surface. Because this was intended as the score for a PBS documentary, we can certainly get away with saying this is certainly one for PBS ears.
12272 (That’s That)
TERESA CONBOY P.R.
BERNIE PEARL/Old School Blues: If you aren’t familiar with blues around Los Angeles, you might wonder how Pearl can be celebrating 50 years of making music and you’ve probably never heard of him. Weather in nightclubs, on radio or behind the control board in a recording studio, Pearl has indeed been making music all the time. In the blues grooves are his life’s passion and work on this double CD; one disc is acoustic, one disc is electric and he shares his passions with you. Because of the heartfelt nature of the work, you get drawn in and enjoy the blues along with him. When someone has spent a lifetime in the blues, you can tell from the first few licks whether he’s the real deal or not. All told, this is a highly entertaining diversion coming from a very personal place. Give it a spin.
8 (Bee Bump)
Volume 31/Number 261
July 18, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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