Firmly established as an icon & leading member of the rumba &  Nouveau flamenco brand of world music, Jesse Cook brought forth The Rumba Foundation. Released last year the cd continues Jesse Cook’s journey across time, space and sound.  Jesse melds his trademark rumba flamenco style with the music of Cuba, Haiti and Columbia, among others. With all of the dazzling instrumental pyrotechnics he employs, Jesse’s emphasis is always on the melody and the infectious rhythms that make him an airplay favorite. The album sounds very South American in style as Cuban & African music mixes with exotic Spanish guitar of Mediterranean, rumba flamenco, pop and world tones.

Let’s get things rolling, as you listen to Bogota By Bus, you get the image of a fun & energetic journey by bus with the travelers singing & playing their instruments and dancing to the beat. Compared to the flirty & cheerful opening track, Santa Marta is a lot more melancholic; visions of longing for a seaside town with family & friends waiting for us float through my mind as the melodic guitar licks fill the air. Tuesday’s Child starts off with sounds of a toddler in the background and then the moody music picks off.

Manolo’s Lament is the next track; again brings us the Latin world of fish boats and sea side towns. After flexing his guitar strings in the 27 second Improv 1, come the mid-tempo La Rumba De’el Jefe, a wonderful piece of musical restraint.  After the brief 16 second Improv 2, we waltz into Gaita with it’s strong rhythm section and lovely melody. We slow things down for the ethereal Rain Day and it’s feeling of loneliness.

The last three songs  – a middle eastern sounding Bombay Diner that creates images of a bustling neighbourhood with people mingling about, Afternoon At Satie’s which is a gentle intimate affair & the totally fun & sing-a-long version of Paul Simon’s Cecilia – are probably the best tracks on the album with the exception of the opening song. Great way to end the album and you’ll be hitting the play button many times over.

The cd features Juan Alberto Fernandez Polo, Jeremy Fisher (vocals); Chris Church (violin); Jonathan Tortolano, Kevin Fox (cello); Juan De Sedas (accordion); Drew Birston (double bass); Rafael Antonio Rodriguez, Jairo Rafael Herrera, Gabriel Eduardo Torregrosa, Dionisio Jose Yepes (percussion).

I’ve been a fan of Anthony Gomes since 2006, when I just happened to google him based on the advice of a blues-rock enthusiast. The search led me to his official homepage where I streamed his 2006 release Music Is The Medicine (and which I reviewed in January 2007 here). The New Soul Cowboys is his side venture, a power trio that dwells into the Southern blues-rock scene.

So let’s dish up the fried chicken shall we! Painted Horse is about the freedom of the road, travelling on choppers aka painted horses and living the adventurous lifestyle. Following on similar themes, thought a much more lighter sounding, is Rebel Highway. Once again it’s about guitars, travelling the American south, following in the footsteps of their heroes and playing in bars to enthusiastic audiences. Gamblin’ Man follows the lines of the outlaw life and take a chance when making your fortunes.

What’s It All About is a clap along, sing along cheerful bar dance of a song. It’s about falling in love and letting the object of your affection know about your feelings. Somebody’s Missing is a ballad about being alone and reminiscing about the one that got away. Purple Whiskey Sack is a 2006 song, off Gomes’ solo album Long Road Home. It’srspray download is a down & dirty blues-rock song about fending for yourself and having no one to trust. The purple sack in the song is about Crown Whiskey, a Canadian brand.

Born To Ride once again follows the central biker theme and outlaw lifestyle. Carolina is about a a special & beautiful girl, who the singer falls for. Your Are Amazing is a song about dedication & affection to the woman in your life. The sorta autobiographical song about the trio is the title track; New Soul Cowboys is a funky song. A little southern voodoo rocks up Chicken Cross Bones and the band ends the cd on the ballad Losing You.

Backspacer is the 9th studio album from Seattle’s finest. It’s also their first in 13 years to debut on the #1 spot on the Billboard charts. This is also their first record with producer Brendan O’ Brien since 1998’s Yield.  The album is a concise & tight power pop, new wave & rock record that has Pearl Jam’s signature all over it and delights the old fans and new ones alike.

The cd starts off with Gonna See My Friend, a straightforward riff rocker with a punk edge. Got Some is some people’s favourite song off the record, especially those who caught the live rendition on the inaugural Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian. And yes true it’s a wonderful song, blazing through about a drug pusher pushing music lyrically. I could be convinced by that and yes the song itself carries it’s arguments.

But my fav is the uptempo and most happy song that I can remember being sung by Pearl Jam – The Fixxer. Lyrically it’s more about the state of the world in a global community kind of feeling. It can also be about confessing your love to someone. So take it for either meaning, this song is just infectious. It’s also the first single off this cd.

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Singer Eddie Vedder noticed the album cover for Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s 1979 album, What the Hell Is This?, and imagined a man who becomes attracted to one of the various women on the cover and then wonders why this woman would rather be one of Watson’s many girlfriends instead of his only one. Thus was born Johnny Guitar! Just Breath is about as close to a love song as the band has ever got.

Amongst The Waves follows the theme of the ocean (Eddie is a surfer) but the lyrics connect the waves & the water to the highs & lows of a person’s personal journey. The band dwell into the human pysche for Unthought Known. Supersonic features a a fun trade-off between Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, the guitarists blending a heavy jam under a solo. Things slow down for Speed Of Sound, about a lost generation.

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Drummer Matt Cameron sets the beat for Force Of Nature, a song describing personalities and the strength of belief. It’s a truly great track. And finally we come to the apologetic The End, a plea for understanding and a promise of better times. 11 tracks, a bit too short in length for my taste but I do love this album. Enjoy the video for The Fixxer directed by Cameron Crowe.

Released on July 21st Burn, Burn is the 7th album put out by Our Lady Peace. It’s too long a time between albums (4 years) and it’s also the first album not to have involved collaboration with an outside producer, having instead been produced by band vocalist Raine Maida. The one that I have is the deluxe version with 2 extra songs.

Ok so the cd stars off nicely with the first single All You Did Was Save My Life. It’s a mid-tempo song with Maida singing, in a lower tone, about gratitude.  Dreamland features some good drumming by Jeremy Taggart. Lyrically it’s about working hard & struggling and dreaming about better times when things are going good for you (In this dreamland the kids are alright, And the sky is blue.. ).

Monkey Brains sounds a lot like Brit pop except for the chorus part. The song’s foundation is set by the tandem rhythm section of Duncan Coutts’ bass work and Taggart’s drum. Towards the end the song’s time signature changes drastically; extremely experimental for the band. The End Is Where We Begin is up next, another mid-tempo track about taking more chances and not giving up. A little atmospheric feeling (reminds me of a cold, autumn night) haunts Escape Artist, helped no doubt by the keyboards.

Refuge is a semi-ballad and probably the weakest song on the album. Never Get Over You, the second single, is the song about a breakup and the feeling of loss after that. The song was praised by Billboard as being a ‘killer ballad’. White Flags compares a relationship fight with the state of the world and it’s wars (And this whole world is gone crazy, God’s gone a little lazy). Signs Of Life is another intimate & personal struggles song.

Paper Moon is one of my favs of this album, calm laments of aging in the guise of a wonderful song. Steve Mazur’s guitars shine on this one. Bonus track #1 is Time Bomb, about being stuck in a rut of life. While bonus track #2 is the very different The Right Stuff, which I humbly state, should be a single. It’s a great track and very cool. Overall I like this album better than the previous one, Healthy In Paranoid Times, but I sure hope they don’t take 4 years before the next one.

In 2004, country singer/songwriter Paul Brandt released his 4th album titled This Time Around. The cd was released on Orange Music Canada, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

The album starts off with a cover version of J W McCall’s huge hit Convoy. Paul does a bang up job of creating his own version and the video features fellow Canadian country singers Jason McCoy, Aaron Lines & Calgary Flames defenceman Rhett Warrener & former Flames defenceman Mike Commodore as fellow truckers. George Canyon also appears as a state trooper. Brandt’s version of the song peaked at #9 on the Canadian Country Singles chart.

From there we go to another hit single off the cd; a semi-ballad called Leavin featuring Australian country singer Keith Urban on guitar. A look back on your life that was is the song Home, reminiscing about his family. In the song it’s about the singer wanting to get away from his strict father and now he’s wishing that his father was still alive and see him when he gets home. Speaking of home, the Calgary native then moves onto Alberta Bound as a tribute to his home province and sings it’s praises.

Run To Me is a song about offering courage & love to the woman in your heart. King is a funny look at a wish to always be the right one after having lost an argument with his wife. It’s about wondering how it would be to be the boss and coming back to reality and the fact that you are not! Live Now is about the fragile nature of life and how precious it is and how we never get a second chance once we die. Rich Man is about being thankful for the wonderful family that you have and being ‘rich’ even if money is short because you have things that matter.

In I Still Do Brandt sings about the love he still has for his wife & partner even after they years have passed. The title track, This Time Around, is about doing things right once you realize that you were wrong and that you have a second chance. We shall forgive Brandt for the next song That’s What I Love About Jesus. And finally there’s Hope – a bonus track on the Album of the year award winner at the CCMA.

Asking For Flowers is Canadian alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards’s 3rd album, which was described as her finest work yet. I tend to agree. The 11 songs that she has crafted & sung for us on the album is some fine work by the Ottawa native indeed!

We start off with a song about being down on your luck in Buffalo, a song of going across the border to the US with your lover and then getting stuck and needing to get back. The Cheapest Key is Kathleen’s attempt at a pop-rock song and she does it better than most. An uptempo number about musicians and worshipping a rocker, it’s a crowd favourite.

Asking For Flowers, the title track, is a bitter look back at a relationship that was never on equal terms and has reached it’s end. The singer is bitter that her spouse/partner hadn’t been more engaged in their life and appreciative of her. Alicia Ross is about a girl, who was killed by her next dooor neighbour, and her case was well known in the media. Edwards sings the song from the perspective of the young woman during the last moments of her life and it’s mostly address to her mother.

Edwards best song ever, not just on this album, is the wonderful I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory – a song about friendship between two band mates. However one friend shines in the spotlight yet the other does a lot of the dirty work but gets very little credit. Edwards compares this duo with many things including the Great one, Wayne Gretsky, an NHL demi-god and his teammate Marty McSorley who was an enforcer assigned to protect the star.

Oil Man’s War is about a draft dodger who doesn’t want to go to Iraq and who leaves for Canada with his girlfriend. Sure As Shit is about a relationship.  Run is about a mother singing to her daughter on the eve of her wedding and giving a little warning about life. Oh Canada is a bitter song to Edwards’s countrymen to not look into the race or colour of a person before caring for them. Scared Of The Dark and Goodnight, California close out this mostly sombre record.

Since I’ve already posted the video for the song much earlier, here’s a live rendition of I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory!

The Big Thrill was an album I bought way back in 1993 based solely on the recommendations of a friendly music store owner. And I have never regretted the purchase as it’s one of the strongest albums that I can remember listening to.

The band Axxis are based in Dortmund, Germany and for a while they outsold the Scorpions! The Big Thrill is probably their best album (based on other fans’ opinions – I’ve only heard the one album). So let’s take a look at why this is such a good album.

I’ve downloaded the album thru torrent and bang! Better World/Living In The Dark hits through my speakers like a hammer. It’s about the changing world and keeping an optimistic view on the changes. Against A Brick Wall starts with an Angus Youngish guitar riff and the thumping rhythm of bassist Markus Gfeller & Richard Michaelski’s drums hits you in the gut. Stay Don’t Leave Me is a love ballad which makes good use of Harry Oellers’s piano skills.

Every relationship between lovers is a little bit of love and war, right? The Germans agree and this uptempo number, Little War, is just about that. No Advice is an in your face, thumbing your nose at athourity and society. Another power ballad, Love Doesn’t Know Any Distance is melancholic and melodic. Probably the best song on the record, the ominous sounding Heaven’s Seventh Train, is mysterious and foreboding. I haven’t found any video for this track but if they had made one, it should be on a train, traveling at night through a snowy German forest.

Brother Moon is a call to the wild nature of humans, as is The Wolf. The Road To Never NeverLand is a war cry of the rock n’roll lifestyle that any rocker will enjoy. Nestlled amongst them is a mostly acoustic gem – Waterdrop! A guitar philosophical look at comparing a human and mankind to a waterdrop and the body of water on the Earth, it’s a beautiful masterpiece. The 11 songs are aided by the skillful & tasteful guitar chops of Walter Pietsch and the unique vocals of Bernhard Weiß.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer Daniel Lanois, known for producing some of the greatest albums of the last two decades. He also has his own solo stuff that has got him much acclaim. His 6th studio album Here Is What Is was first released in December 2007 as a high-quality download, and later released on CD on March 18, 2008.

It is the result of the same project that lead to the 2007 documentary “Here Is What Is” that premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival in September. We start off with Chest Of Drawers, a voice recording of Brian Eno speaking (as in the documentary). The  first song is Where Will I Be followed by Here Is What Is. The atmospheric, world weary tone is apparent in them and it’s sets the mood for the rest of the album.

The almost apologetic Not Fighting Anymore is beautiful and melancholic. Eno is then asked about how beauty is created out of nothing. The instrumental Blue Bus is fleshed out by the beautiful pedal steel guitar work of Lanois. Lovechild is a haunting piano instrumental, with just some words, that reminds of snowy arctic life, which then segues into pedal guitar. Harry is about a guy who needs some salvation. Bells Of Oxacana offer an interlude before a surprise in This May Be My Last Time – which is a old time blues number. Smoke #6 is another lovely instrumental.

I Like That is a slow & mellow request for the things that the singer desires. Duo Glide starts off with a steady drum beat, the bass and guitar follow to create a nice intro. Bladesteel is another instrumental. Moondog reminds me of Native Canadians tribes music. And the name ‘Moondog’ sounds like it could be the name of a Native. Brian Eno speaks with Lanois about anti-romanticism in Sacred And Secular. Lanois then tells us about his love for the pedal steel guitar, which he describes as his ‘church in a suitcase’, before he serendes us with some guitar playing.

The pedal steel guitar continues for a bit in Joy, when a more cheerful sounding organ takes over. The album closes with Luna Samba, a lot more happier and jazzy sounding number. Here Is What Is was recorded in Toronto, Los Angeles and Shreveport, LA with drummer Brian Blade (Joshua Redman, Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones) and pianist Garth Hudson (The Band) and captures Lanois’ signature musical sensibilities and virtuosity.

The city of Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) has produced some of my favourite artists – Chantal Kreviazuk, Neil Young & Crash Test Dummies. Adding to that list is Holly McNarland, an artist I knew very little about except for a few of her songs, including her wonderful Beautiful Blue. Now, I’ve got the chance to get a full album of her material; 2007’s Chin Up Buttercup. The album starts off with the distinctive corrosive guitar riff that defines So Cold, the rush of cold biting wind that rushes at you. This, her 5th album, deals with lyrics of motherhood, loss & everyday. Fly is another great track that duets acoustic & electric riffs equally well.

We move on to the instantly catchy Dadada and then onto the beautiful & dreamy Sweet Lazy. Both of these songs seem to be inspired by family life and motherhood. Her voice in the latter is especially expressive and describes visions of bliss. Every Single Time starts off with a happy beat and lyrics of missing someone when the person is not around.

Back to her original angst, she hits back with Dear Pain, a lyrical letter to the thing that hurts her the most. The ballad Dry As A Bone deals with personal loss and the feelings that come once all the tears are dried up. Bye Bye Boy is one of her best songs that deals with breakup, addressed to a former lover. The melancholic Mermaid deals with devotion & needing to special to someone (could easily be about a child).

The slowed down The Waltz is a nostalgic look back and a decision to not let that change the future. Memory Of A Man is totally different from any song that I have heard, due to the repetitive, almost meowing words that litter the song. We end with Sad Songs, a perfect end to the album that’s probably the most personal that she has done till date.

There aren’t many Holly videos available except for her 5 or 6 hits & for some amateur shot live clips on Youtube. Here’s the video for Every Single Time.

As most alternative rock music fans from the 1990s will remember, Blind Melon went on a hiatus after the death of their charismatic singer Shannon Hoon in 1995. Since then they have released an album of back catalogue songs in Nico and a best of.

But what’s this? This little tidbit had escape my radar. An album of new songs was released in April, 2008. Joining hands with singer Travis Warren, the remainin 4 members of Blind Melon came out with For My Friends, which starts of with Warren sounding a lot like Hoon in the title track. The first single is about drinking with your friends and missing the good ole times. It is spoiled unnecessarily with a silly laughing fit on the part of Warren, that seems put on.

Musically the band sounds tight and I especially like the drums in With The Right Set Of Eyes. Wishing Well has got to be the best song on the album. It sounds lyrically like an anti-suicide song and has some great guitar playing on it. Sometimes comes off sounding like a Brit pop song; I think it’s the organ part that does it for me. It also has a lyrical tribute to Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain (you think this song is about you, don’t you). Tumbling Down sounds a lot like the old Blind Melon.

Down On The Pharmacy is an anti-drug song warning against abusing chemical substances that can catch up with you later. Make A Difference sounds Lennon-ish with political overtones. Harmful Belly is about the pain of love and the heartbreak when it dies. Folksy & jingle jangly acoustic guitars start of Last Laugh until the chorus break and more classic rock tinges take over. Hynotized is more 1970s retro rock and this shouldn’t come off a a surprise since the band has been influenced mostly by that period’s music.

Father Time does not sound much like the old Blind Melon but it’s an ok tune. So High is a mellow tune even with electric guitars. Album closer Chettum Street is a slowed down track about nostalgia.

There’s no No Rain on this album and I would have to place it as their 4th best record till date – but that’s ok. It’s still got plenty of tunes to please a rocker like me and appeal to my ballad side as well.

From the Canadian capital of Ottawa, comes JW Jones, a blues singer & guitarist of a more traditional Chicago blues sound. In the last decade, he has released five albums and played in 13 countries, 4 continents, over 200 cities and over 800 club and festival appearances. He plays with a no frills all feel approach to his guitar playing.

Alright, let the music hit me! A cool sounding Double Eyed Whammy comes rushing through your speakers. It’s a fun sounding tune about a terrific woman that the singer wants to make his own. Looking The World Straight In The Eye is a combination of funk & RnB with maturity showing in the vocals and great guitar playing. Can’t Play A Playboy reminds me of 1950s flicks of street fights & gangs (in musicals ofcourse). The song is basically a warning to not play around with the protagonist. Similarly Mad About You sounds like it could have been off the soundtrack of movies like Grease!

Wasted Life is a lament about times & opportunity gone by on which guest guitarist Little Charlie Baty noodles out his jazzy style. Somebody’s Got To Burn is a darker song on vengeance with some intense riffing. Heavy Dosage, a West Coast swing number, allows Jones & his guest guitarists Baty & Junior Watson and the rhythm section to just stretch out into a jazz & swing vibe and belt out an instrumental. That’s Wrong Little Mama is a cover of a BB King original. Waiting On You is about waiting & getting impatient for your woman to get ready to have fun.

The Doctor is a fun danceable track about falling in love with a …… you guessed it, a doctor! In Out Of Service harmonica support this song about the cell phone blues. Anyone who waited for a call from their lover can relate. Bogart Bounces Again is a good instrumental lead by guitar but amiably supported by the drums, keys & bass and you can hear a horn section here & there. Silent Treatment & Tickets On Yourself bring the rear section of the cd and prove that there’s not a weak link in the entire lot.

Thoroughly enjoyable blues record. Here’s Jones playing Double Eyed Whammy live on stage.

Them vs You vs Me is the 5th studio album from Burlington, Ontario based alternative rock band Finger Eleven. The band decided to wait 3 years before putting out the follow up to the success of their 2003 eponymous album. In the interim the band had lengthy tours across Canada & the US and ventured into Europe & Australia and that ended only in 2005, leaving the band time for a well deserved breather and time off before thinking about new songs and a new album. The album was initially rumoured to be titled Sense of a Spark and is more in the vain of Letters from Chutney than previous Finger Eleven records.

The first time I heard the opening song & huge hit single Paralyser, I was stunned – was this Finger Eleven? It’s a disco-rock song that will make you want to dance across your room, pick up the tennis racket or mop and shake your booty. It’s been played numerous times in tv shows, ads, dance floors and who knows where else. The second single & second track on the album is Falling On, which is about facing your fears. The song has reached #1 on the MuchMusic Countdown.

We then come to a song about heart break and moving on after a love affair sours. I’ll Keep Your Memory Vague is my favourite song on the record and probably one of their best overall. It has a melodic & bittersweet guitar riff. Lost My Way is harder edged but still catchy with cleaner guitar hooks than usual. So-So Suicide is still upbeat despite the lyrics being of the more depressing kind.

Window Song is a slower, mostly acoustic song. The ‘da dum dum’ of the guitar (or is it the bass) that is played after the lines ‘I never said’ is one of the most haunting that I have ever heard. Sense Of A Spark is one of the weaker songs in the cd; however the band had initially planned on naming the album after this song. Talking To The Walls is another great song about heartbreak. This was the fourth single and video released from the album.

The bass lines & piano playing really make Change The World, which is a plea for love. Gather & Give has a catchy chorus, solid drums beats that make this an easy listening number. Lyrically it’s about being true to oneself and to the one that you love. Easy Life has this snaky guitar riff that leads the song into a much slower bridge/chorus section. Them vs You vs Me is about a tumultuous relationship and the infighting that can happen.

It’s got several good songs and a couple of really memorable ones. I’d give it a 4 out of 5. Watch the video for I’ll Keep Your Memory Vague.

Long Way Home is a collection of songs that didn’t quite make it to the final list of Anthony Gomes’s 2006 hit album Music Is The Medicine. However there was no excuse in just leaving them hanging around, so later that same year, he released it as a companion cd. So let’s check it out.

The album starts off with guitar wails loud & in your face as Bring It hits your speakers. A wah-wah pedal drenched guitar lead breaks, it’s a kinda war cry of asking you to put your actions where your mouth is. Without You is more of the smoky bar kinds blues, with a backup singers and piano, telling a lover that the world isn’t right without her in his life. Gomes has said that this is one of his favrouite tracks.

A little bit of slide guitar introduces us to the next track Hard Line To Ride

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, which describes a tough woman to love. It’s almost a destructive relationship. Purple Whiskey Sack hairspray download is a down & dirty blues-rock song about fending for yourself and having no one to trust. I believe the purple sack is about Crown Whiskey. Long Way Home is a ballad about missing your loved one and knowing that it will take some doing to get back to them. It’s a gentle acoustic ballad with just guitars. Monday Salvation is another rock n’roll number with backup singers about getting redemption.

Mississippi Hurricane is a Southern Blues Rock number about a cheating woman who left a path of destruction in her wake. Morning Star starts off with a Middle Eastern/Indian intro before going to rock mode. Soul Power is a gospel number that screams ‘Memphis’ influences and features a killer piano riff from Dylan St.John. Tilt A Whirl is an ode to 60s & 70s rockabilly & rock n’roll numbers, almost surf rock (dare I say it). It doesn’t sound like leftovers, so blues fan – get yo ass out and guy it!

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Here’s a live performance by Anthony Gomes and his band The New Soul Cowboy. The second song is Purple Whiskey Sack.