All posts by Anastim Ducray

Gilbert Engle – 2016 Jazz Reggae

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Gilbert Engle continues to demonstrate his musical versatility with this Jazz Reggae release, which has a mellow and sometimes loungy vibe. The light guitar work blends nicely with a Farfisa-like organ tone to give the tracks their reggae flavor. The more organ heavy songs almost have a 70’s psychedelic quality to them. The bass component definitely adds to this. With his detail attentive performance on the saxophone front and center, co-writer Peter Fraise helps deliver on the jazz end. Melody wise, the 9th track is probably my favorite. It’s just the most colorful tune. I’m also very fond of the first song, which at a 1:51 run time left me wanted more. Once I heard the organ, I was hooked.

The production quality is flawless, basically what I’ve come to expect from Engle, given the level of professionalism in his other recordings. What’s impressive about this release though, is that in the process of creating great jazz reggae jams, he manages to obtain some authentic vintage tones, without having to artificially sacrifice any of the recording quality to get them.

For more info:
http://www.newjazz.net/artEngine/showMusic.php/musicIndex=45/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Engle

Jode Gannon – 3 Hours

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An Australian artist living in London, Jode Gannon has an album out called “3 Hours.” His style is mostly an indie acoustic, with the lyrics coming across as personal and heartfelt. The songs are mostly love songs but never venture into cheesy territory. Gannon maintains a slow and methodical pacing, and his voice seems to be tailor made for this genre of music. Even without drums, he manages to strum the guitar in a way that gives it a percussive quality that contrasts nicely with the softness of the songs. The best song on the album is probably “I Wanna Kiss You,” which is catchy and energetic.

For more info:
https://soundcloud.com/jodegannon

Jonathan Cavier – The Flame

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Based in Phoenix, experienced and well traveled Pop-rock singer Jonathan Cavier has just released a cover of the Cheap Trick classic, “The Flame.” The style of it is a bit lighter than the original and has more of a pop feel. Jonathan is a solid vocalist and manages gives the cover his own flair while still capturing the emotion of the original. I especially liked the backing instrumentals in this version. There are some great synth hooks, and the mix works well. “The Flame” is apparently the second entry in Jonathan’s “Cavier Covers” series. We’ll be anxious to find out what’s coming next from this guy.

For more info:
http://caviermusic.com/

Gilbert Engle – 2009 Supernatural Absence

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We reviewed Gilbert Engle’s Odd Time Jazz Fusion songs recently, giving them a favorable write up. As polished as those songs were, I have to say that on a personal level I find his Supernatural Absence just as impressive, if not better. One thing I noticed immediately is how much more rocking the songs are than I expected. Jazz fusion? This is rock n’roll!

There’s also a good deal of stylistic and creative variance between the songs, which is really saying something given that there are 16 of them. Each one is distinct and unique. For example: The opening track is terrific late night city driving music and has a hypnotic, almost vaporwave quality to it. The second track though kicks into high gear immediately with some guitar distortion, then injecting in some energetic keyboard work that achieves an authentic 60’s combo organ sound. It all blends together nicely with the sax and other instruments.

A lot of these songs have a psychedelic vibe to them. They are fast paced and several of them incorporate retro synth sounds into the music, which I hadn’t been anticipating. Track 9 is representative of this and has one of the best intros. I could actually picture many of these songs being utilized on a video game soundtrack for an older console. Many of the tracks would work well for racing or driving type games, such as classics like Fzero. There’s a sense of action in this music, but still keeping enough mellow jazz flavor to keep from going off the rails. It’s not rugged action.

The guitar and keyboard combination manages to steal the show on many of the songs. Engle plays both, but Marc Capponi is also credited on keyboards as well. The saxophone (played by Peter Freize) accentuates and stabilizes the mood successfully, after the catchy intros grab your attention and draw you in. Engle doesn’t cut any corners either. Every single one of these songs is just as polished and professional as could be. Normally on an album, there will be some padding, a few filler songs thrown somewhere in the middle. Not here. There wasn’t a single track that I listened to and thought was shoddy or “B-side.” Having said that, my favorite song is probably the first one. I think it has a lot of crossover appeal across a wide spectrum of genres. My second choice would be the seventh song, which has a disco-like guitar intro that opens up to a surreal musical experience. Robert Fink on harmonica particularly shines on this song.

Gilbert Engle is an incredibly prolific musician, having released over 50 albums. This album is a fine example of his versatility and imagination as a songwriter and performer.

For more info:
Gilber Engle on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Engle

2009 Supernatual Absence

RaneRaps – Diamonds and Perils

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RaneRaps has a new EP titled “Diamonds and Perils.” It includes some flavorful jams like “You Thought Wrong,” and “Breaking the Ice.” The backing music is particularly good and probably could stand on it’s own even as an instrumental, though the rapping helps give it an identity. Raneraps describes Diamonds and Peril as “his most cathartic project to date, which captures the window of his life from Dec. 2015 – Feb. 2016 – a period of heavy loss.” The songs though come across upbeat rather than depressing, energetic as opposed to lifeless. My favorite track is probably “Memories,” which is a groovy tune that combines light hip hop with subtle elements of disco and has a very early 90s pop feel to it. RaneRaps EP, “Diamonds and Perils” is impressive on multiple levels.

For more info:

http://raneraps.com

http://www.soundcloud.com/raneraps

Destiny Palmer – We Don’t

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Destiny Palmer has a new single out titled “We Don’t.” She grew up in Houston, singing in the church choir and brings that experience to her music, which is as real as it gets. “We Don’t” is a heartfelt jam, and the gospel influence is apparent in her vocals, which are assertive but not overbearing. My favorite part of the song is the line, “We Don’t Mess With Your Kind,” which is catchy and melodic.

You can purchase the song here:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/-/id1154222649

Gilbert Engle – Odd Time Jazz Fusion

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Gilbert Engle is an established painter and musician who is impressively proficient in multiple instruments as well as a variety of musical genres. Recently he and a number of other talented individuals have completed some jazz fusion recordings. Gilbert plays guitar on the songs which instantly resonate as being of professional caliber. Performances are just incredible all around and the tracks are brimming with emotion and a smooth energy. Peter Fraize in particular stands out, with his tenor saxophone taking charge and setting the mood. The best way to describe the feeling Engle’s songs invoke, is that they feel as though they would fit well on a soundtrack to a 1980’s film set in New York(something like Arthur,) perhaps during a high society party scene. The music is too classy and upbeat for something like Zalman King’s Red Shoe Diaries or a 90’s erotic thriller.

It would actually be great if Gilbert were to release this on vinyl, as I get the sense this music would sound even better on some classic HiFi stereo. In fact, if I had a high end audio listening room at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I would consider using these recordings to demo my high end audio amplifiers to prospective buyers. The music is that good.

Fore more info:
Gilbert Engle 2016 Odd Time Jazz Fusion
Gilbert Engle on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Engle

Marwan Maurice – Contin

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Singer-songwriter Marwan Maurice has a new single and video out for his song, “Contin.” You might get the impression from his album art aesthetic and clothing style that Maurice is a hip hop artist. In fact, his music is more of an energetic, alternative pop-rock. Marwan’s vocals a kind of upbeat rock n’roll sound, reminiscent of a lot of 90’s rock, but without any of the depressed or misanthropic vibes. The pacing of the song is just right, and there is an interesting and strategically placed football interlude about halfway through the song which gives the jam a bit of character and shows off Marwan’s imaginative spirit. The video production keeps the viewer interested and makes good use of color to convey the mood and atmosphere.

For more info:
https://www.facebook.com/MarwanMauriceMusic

Cranky George – Nighttime

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Described as having folk influences, Cranky George is an indie rock band from Los Angeles. The band actually features famous actor Dermot Mulroney, (known from contemporary classic movies like Young Guns and My Best Friend’s Wedding.) They have a new single out called “Nighttime,” which will also be part of their upcoming full length album, “Fat Lot of Good.”

Nighttime is a well polished release, that doesn’t show any of the lo-fi, abrasive, acoustic quality production that’s often associated with the indie folk genre. The music is reminiscent of a late 90’s, early 2000s flavor of indie music, but blending in some newer twists. The tone comes across as striking an even balance between melancholy and uplifting, reaching a comfortable and elegant middle. The vocals and overall sound are easy to listen to, and I found the melody to be one that stuck in my head after only two listens. I predict that their full length album will worth checking out.

For more info visit:
https://www.facebook.com/CrankyGeorgeMusic/

Stori Brooks – Say Hi

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Atlanta based artist Stori Brooks has released a song “Say Hi” from her upcoming EP titled “Everything is Gr8 (in space.)” She describes her music as “alternative hip hop,” which is good way to put it. It has more of a artistic and melodic quality than most hip hop. I especially like the backing of “Say Hi” which is mellow and futuristic. Without the vocals, this song could easily just be classified as synthwave. Her lyrics are poetic and almost abstract. Stori Brooks’ singing style is eloquent and calming, matching the mood of the music perfectly. I would recommend this song even if you don’t like hip hop, as it doesn’t fall into the stereotypes or cliches of the genre. When one thinks of Atlanta hip hop, this isn’t what typically comes to mind, but it’s actually better.