SCHOOLTREE - Rise

SCHOOLTREE
" Rise "
( Self - released ) 2012.
CD
Art rock/progressive / medieval - USA










Schooltree is a band fronted by key author, vocalist and keyborder Lainey Schooltree.Some of the reviewers compare her authors views and methods of vocalization with Kate Bush and Tori Amos, but undoubtlly her entire carrear deserve respectation.
" Rise " is a actuelle album, a full-length with 9 tracks in, done in art rock/progressive/medieval mood, with serious, but theatrical lyrical exposures, and complexive musicianship. Many elements and genres variants Miss. Schooltree and her compagnions combines in performing and releasing signiture, so we can find here and there neo-classical includings, a 70-s progressive touches, celtic/medieval details, and some sort of conceptual variants too. Nice work, pretty listenable, but at the same time unpretencious and serious.


Rating : 8, 5 / 10
C / o : www.schooltreemusic.com
www.facebook.com/schooltreemusic

SILVER HORSES - Silver Horses

SILVER HORSES
" Silver Horses "
( 7 Hard/ 7 Us ) 2012.
CD
Hard rock / heavy metal / rock -  UK / ITALY








Silver Horses is a newer band of singer Tony Martin, formerly Black Sabbath frontman. A group is a quartet with 3 Italian established musicians in line-up, where important rola belong to guitarist Gianluca Galli. Their " s/t " album with 11 track in, looked the light of day during the last "hours" of October, previous 2012 year. A present materials should certainly satisfie a followers of old school variants, cos' the band has provided a lotta' 80's hard rock details, some bluesy Whitesnake and Zeppelin tricks, and pretty listenable songs acceptable also for radio usings. Nothing especially new, but  done with stylish and elegant aroma in general interpretations and releasing views. A production is expectinglly clear, and I have add that Gianluca Galli and Andrea Castelli did a solid job. A band receives mainly a good critics for still actuelle product, and promote materials on gigs in European cities.


Rating : 7 / 10
C/o : www.silver-horses.com

IRON KINGDOM - Curse Of The Voodoo Queen

IRON KINGDOM
" Curse Of The Voodoo Queen "
( Self - released ) 2011.
CD
Heavy metal / 80's metal - CANADA









Out of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, comes a quartet Iron Kingdom . Judging by their ages, they are pretty young, but its interesting sphere mainly touches one pretty older school of metal as a genre. They have released a debut during the December 2011 year, entitled " Course Of The Voodoo Queen". With 10 tracks in, a band has iintroduced themselves as act influental by the 80s' period, and what is more important 80's movement. Many influences comes out from the 80's British acts, as a White Spirit, Dark Star, Iron Maiden, but under the mentioned genres variants, they tried to offers own vision and views.A production of its album also capture a 80's psychology, and practically all of the songs posses 80's pastiche. But, that's not a bad, this is a group's choice, and under mentioned field, they have showed some interesting tricks and details, judging by arrangments offerings and includings. " Curse Of The Voodoo Queen " as a album satisfie if you are follower of the 80's metal tendencies, but also defines an expandier talents of members from band...


Rating : 7, 5 / 10
C / o : www.facebook.com/ironkingdom

MARA LEVINE - Jewels And Harmony

MARA LEVINE
" Jewels And Harmony "
( Mara Levine / Mara's Creations / Hemifran ) 2013.
CD
Folk / americana -  USA








Mara Levine is a folk singer and jewelry designer out of New Jersey, and during the years, her carrear as a harmony singer deserved respectations . Many of her collegues  used to say, that her voice is one of the most recognizable , pleasent and "brilliant", under the newer  folkie circulation and movement. She has also released with actuelle one a 2 solo albums, firstly " Mara's Gems" in 2009 year, and  newer product entitled " Jewels And Harmony ". Through 15 more or less well known  songs, recorded during the folk  and not only folk music history, she has given a vocal signiture, helped by artists, musicians  and colegues, such as a : Si Kahn, Brothers Sun, Joe Jencks, Terry Kitchen, Bob Harris . In the center of complete story is  Mara's voice, and her pleasent and colourful interpretation characterize a complete album materials in general. I would specially recomand her interpretations of  2 Paul Simon's songs - " Leaves That Are Green" and " April Come She Will ". But, " Jewels And Harmony" is undoubtely  fine travelling through mentioned folk history, with also clear signiture  that Mara's herself and complete team, has accepted a standards of our time. So, this is also a modern folk album.


Rating : 8 / 10
C / o : www.maralevine.com
www.hemifran.com

JEFF PEVAR - From The Core

JEFF  PEVAR
" From The Core "
( Pet Peev Music / Hemifran ) 2012.
CD
Acoustic / instrumental - USA







Guitarist and multiinstrumentalist Jeff Pevar is a musician with longest carrear behind. During the years, he has cooperated with the groups and acts such as : Ray Charles Band, Rickie Lee Jones Band, Crosby, Stills And Nash, Jefferson Starship,  Marc Cohn, Joe Cocker..His signiture is on many studio works and albums, and finally, on late December of previous 2012  year, his actuelle and also debut release, looked the light of day. " From The Core", a 12 tracks album , are consists of acoustic  materials, recorded inside the deep caverns of the Oregon Caves National Monument in Cave Junction, Oregon, during a three-hour improvisational session for a " PBS" documentary film about the caves. One song - " River Of Dreams" he has  recorded with Jon Anderson, frontman of progressive icons Yes, and Mr. Anderson co-wote a lyrics for mentioned track.
  Jeff Pevar has offered a really sophisticate portion of acoustic music, with expandier arrangments includings and more performing tricks. A present themes are enjoyable and listenable too, recomandable not only for so call acoustic purist.


Rating : 8, 5 / 10
C / o : www.pevar.com
www.hemifran.com

THE PLASTIC PALS - Turn The Tide

THE PLASTIC PALS
" Turn The Tide "
( Polythene Records / Hemifran ) 2013.
CD
Americana - SWEDEN



                       




Out of Stockholm, Sweden, comes a band with americana touches in its approaches. The Plastic Pals band are consists of experienced musicians, whose carrear posses a continious signiture. A group has released a first album in 2008 year, entitled  " Good Carma Cafe". Actuelle offering a band has released in 2013 year. " Turn The Tide" covers a groups interesting fields in realistic manners. A  present songs posses melodicity with some dark atmospheric details. A Swedish fellows are clearly influental by the USA wave from the 80's and the 90's period, and some comparabilities leads to acts such as : Green On Red, The Long Ryders,  and The Dream Syndicate among others. Their friend and established figure in mentioned music area, Chris Casavas has given personal signiture as a producer, and he certainly did a good job. All of 13 present songs from album are  more or less similiar among them, without leading tune, but also without less interesting or boring moments.



Rating : 7, 5 / 10
C / o : www.theplasticpals.se
www.hemifran.com

WALTER ROOTSIE AND HIS BLUE CONNECTION - Dark Water

WALTER ROOTSIE AND HIS BLUE CONNECTION
" Dark Water "
( WRAF Records / Hemifran ) 2013.
CD
Roots rock / blues / americana - HOLLAND









Walter Rootsie is a songwriter out of Holland, well-known person in roots music area. His actuelle album " Dark Water", he has  recorded with mainly Finnish musicians, and this is a undoubtelly one of the most convinceble product if we speak about mentioned genres forms, released in first months of 2013 year. " Dark Water" are consists of 14 tracks in, released in roots, rock, americana, blues manner, with evident southern emotionals, good singin', and  respectable playings.
One evidental narrative approach is present in his tunes, and each of the songs posses a strong arrangments includings,  and well-done production.    " Dark Water" is also a pretty listenable product, without a weacker places.


Rating : 9 / 10
C / o : www.wrafrecords.com
www.hemifran.com