As much as we cringe at the thought of cliches, they exist pretty much because they speak to universal truths about the human – and by extension, musical – condition. Two biggies come to mind when you experience the sheer exuberance, excitement and empowering, partly nostalgic but full throttle forward thinking energy of This Way Up! – Rob Mullins’ incredible 40th album in 40 years. First, “time flies when you’re having fun” (and anyone who’s seen him live can attest to the l

For many less bold, adventurous bands, it might seem a risk to follow a debut that received two San Diego Music Award nominations – including Best New Artist – with a set that include an exotic, soaring English/Spanish duet that takes them off their normal sonic path. But led by sultry and seductive, sometimes monotone and whisper voiced lead vocalist, lyricist and baritone uke master Phil Beaumont, The Color Forty Nine does just that on their engaging yet mostly sparse and a

Even if you’ve never previously gotten wind of Bay Area soul-jazz-blues bandleader and mainstay Chris Saunders or the previous three albums he recorded some years back as Big Skin, you’ll swear when you listen to his band’s alternately infectiously buoyant and deeply contemplative and though provoking album Dancing With The Widow St. James that there’s something invitingly familiar about his raw, dusky, ultra-soulful and easy drawling voice. Officially, the singer and cornet

If the struggles of earth seem to be too much, maybe it’s time to take a jaunt to the wild, eclectic side of the musical universe experience Jazz from Planet Flippo – the cleverly titled latest incarnation of pianist Dr. Dave Flippo’s longtime Chicago based ensemble so identifiable with its leader its moniker is suggestive of a subgenre unto itself: Flippomusic. The high spirited, wild melodies, muscular grooves and dynamic improvisations-for- everyone vibe of their latest al

With great reason and enthusiasm, much ado will be made of contemporary urban jazz guitarist and hitmaker extraordinaire Chris Standring sharing the soulful musical beauty of a Wonderful World on his transcendent new recording. Venturing boldly off the “smooth jazz” treadmill, he applies his exquisite, warmhearted tones and vibrantly soulful sense of romance and swing to some of the world’s best loved Songbook standards (“How Insensitive,” “Night and Day,” “Green Dolphin Str

Longtime fans of the brilliant, critically acclaimed Estonian duo of guitarist Robert Jürjendal and trumpet/corno da caccia player Aleksei Saks – collectively known as UMA – must have thrown a bunch of coins in a gift-giving fountain, hoping for a deeply soulful, playfully melodic, richly reflective and rhythmically eclectic new set of tunes. Because at a juncture where we collectively need it most after a most challenging, anxiety filled year, the two musicians have released

Sometimes the most crucial and telling praise for an incredibly compelling pop/rock band finally emerging with a debut album after several years of alternately blistering and jangling camaraderie is from a fan that was there since the beginning. In an insightful article on Athens-based foursome CLOUDLAND by Alexis Derickson in the local publication The Red & Black, student Susannah Kendrick – who graduated from the same high school as the band and attended their first ever b

In this age of streaming and digital music consumption, where album art is perhaps at less of a premium than in earlier generations, the cover of Brothers, a stunningly intimate and intricate collection by new age music veterans Will Ackerman (acoustic guitar), Jeff Oster (flugelhorn) and Tom Eaton (piano, keyboards, bass) says it all about the project’s timeless aesthetic. The names of the principals are stacked above a stark landscape photo of a prairie with several trees,

In decades of reviewing instrumental music, no album until Matias Bacoñsky’s sweeping, literally breathtaking (and perfectly titled) piano and orchestra work Epochal has gotten me off my feet cheering and waving my arms (to simulate a conductor’s wand), wishing I was watching an epic movie to go along with the powerful narrative journey of a man surviving doomsday looking for another soul to connect with. From the reflective, cautiously hopeful dramatic melody of the opener “

Teaming up for the first time with former Gap Band member and gospel/R&B artist Dorian Paul, Rebecca “DawgGoneDavis” delivers another high impact, supercharged rap/rock message for all times. Decrying the tragic return of random mass shootings as a regular part of and stain on American life, she draws on her own sharp wit, brilliant song craftsmanship and wild turns of phrase to acknowledge our tears and create a hope-filled mission for a better, more peaceful day on her late

The first thing you’ll wonder as you glide through Paul Rocha's quirky, eclectic but deeply heartfelt and emotional roll through adventurous fields of wit, hilarity, wisdom, heartache, soulful reflections, sorrow, hope, fantasies, romance, cabaret cool and lush retro, Beatlesque vibes and trippy harmonies is: what does the album title Apophenia mean and how does it connect to these relentlessly compelling ten tunes? Coined in 1958 by German neurologist Klaus Conrad, it refers