Category: Reviews

New Jersey-bred singer/songwriter/producer BRELAND has releases his brand-new single ‘Heartbreak & Alcohol’ following his 2022 debut album release ‘CROSS COUNTRY’ as well as previous singles ‘My Truck’ (Platinum-Certified), ‘Praise The Lord’ featuring Thomas Rhett (Gold-Certified) and more.

Jazz vocalist and songwriter Jo Harrop will release her new album ‘ The Path Of A Tear’ in June 2024. The first single to be taken from the album is called ‘Beautiful Fools’.

British blues-rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor has had a steady stream of single releases in 2023 “Sweet ‘Lil Lies’, “Black Magic” and “Wild Love” through Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records.

Hertfordshire-raised, London-based singer/songwriter RHODES first captured everyone’s attention with a series of EPs leading up to the release of his acclaimed 2015 debut album Wishes (via Sony Music).

Phoenix Lake are a melodic metal four-piece from Nottingham, United Kingdom and they have recently released their new single ‘Fractured Wings’.

Vocalist and musician Steve Balsamo has been very busy in 2023 with not only his his solo music and collaborative projects but also his work with Grand Ambition at the Swansea Grand Theatre in Swansea, South Wales.

Dion has been writing, recording and releasing music since the 1950s with hits such as ‘Runaround Sue’, ‘I Wonder Why’ (Dion and The Belmonts) and ‘The Wanderer’ dominating the radio airwaves and charts to name a few.

Miss Krystle is an artist that I first heard about through YouTube as she actively and posts a variety of videos on her channel including her original material, her versions of other tracks, music videos and more.

Newmoon are a five-piece shoegaze band from Antwerp, Belgium. They will release their third studio album ‘Temporary Light’ in March 2024 and have shared the album’s first single ‘Fading Phase’.

British slide guitarist Troy Redfern has been gradually building up his fanbase with extensive touring especially on festivals and support slots alongside a fairly consistent output of new music.

South Wales, United Kingdom based songwriter, musician and producer Dai Griff has accrued at least five years of experience in the world of digital arts of sound and composition at university since 2016.

Sunjay is an award-winning blues and folk musician who was initially taught to play guitar by his father which is where his love of blues music began.

Starting initially as a solo project of the Italian guitarist and producer Gianluca Galli (already founder and former of Mantra, Time Machine and Silver Horses to name a few). Revelation is the follow-up to the January 2020 debut album Solar Warden.

Big Al and The Heavyweights have released six albums since 1998 with ‘Love One Another’ being their latest offering. Recorded at Suite Mix Studios in Slidel, Louisiana with George Currean on producer duties alongside the band.

Award-winning South-African blues rock guitarist Dan Patlansky has returned with his new record Shelter of Bones. The album was recorded over a three-year period from 2019 – 2021 with the global pandemic giving him not only time with his family but also time to think about the songs and how he wanted them to come across.

Born in Louisiana, raised in New York and now based in London, Kate Ellis has returned with her second album ‘Spirals’.

Cory Marks released his debut album ‘Who I Am’ in 2020 and received attention from the likes of Billboard, Toby Keith, Brantley Gilbert (both of whom asked Marks to tour with them) and accrued no less than 33 million streams worldwide with single ‘Outlaws and Outsiders. He has now released his ‘Nashville Mornings’ EP.

Australian singer-songwriter Harry Dean Lewis has released his new solo single ‘Damn’. Mixed by Chris Cornelius and mastered by Scape Mastering, the track opens with a heartbeat-sounding drumbeat provided by Gidon Carmel that creates a real atmosphere.

MarynCharlie is 22 years old, born and grew up in Amsterdam and is an indie-pop singer-songwriter who has released her latest single ‘Flight Mode’.

Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has performed all over the world in prestigious venues and 2021 is no different with the release of his new live album “Now Serving: Royal Tea – Live From The Ryman.”

Following on from the Americana offering with ‘Don’t Feel Like Love’, Steve Balsamo has released a new track ‘Armour of My Soul’. Produced by Tim Hamill at Sonic One Studio in Wales, it was written twenty years ago by Steve Balsamo and David Batteau.

Troy Redfern is no stranger to us here at JLTT and we have been following his career for many years. In 2021, Troy is releasing his brand new album entitled ‘…The Cosmic Fire!’ on Friday 6th August 2021 and has shared its first single ‘Waiting For Your Love’.

Duo Seafoam Green have released their second single ‘Mine All Mine’ from their forthcoming album ‘Martin’s Garden’.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Backer is an immensely talented individual who has worked with everybody from Julian Lennon to ABC amongst others. Backer has released a new solo album entitled ‘Backernalia’ and he was kind enough to send a copy to urselves at JLTT.

Singer-songwriter Lucy-May is no stranger to us at JLTT, having previously covered her second album ‘Little By Little’. She has a brand new single called ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me’ and has opted to give it the acoustic treatment.

Kim Izzard is a singer-songwriter from the Midands and she has released her new single ‘One Way To Live’ which is taken from her debut album ‘Life’s Journey’ scheduled for a September 2021 release.

Singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti is a man who has an ability to make people smile, think and even cry with his emotionally-charged material. With 2021 putting a pause on live gigs and festivals, Jack Savoretti hunkered down to record a new LP.

Swiss blues rock outfit Ellis Mano Band have released their second single ‘The Question’ which is taken from their forthcoming album ‘AMBEDO’. However, the new track features Mr Lachy Doley who has worked with the likes of Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Jimmy Barnes as well as being a successful solo artist in his own right.

Originally hailing from the West coast of Wales, Danielle Lewis is a singer-songwriter who has released her latest single ‘My Youth’.

I was first made aware of Andreas Moe when he opened for American singer-songwriter and musician John Mayer at The O2 Arena in London a couple of years ago. I remember him being well-received by the crowd as he performed accompanied by a live band.

Malone Sibun is the work of UK based soulful blues-rock artist Marcus Malone and British blues rock guitarist Innes Sibun. Such is the way with many band origin tales; a chance meeting between the pair uncovered a surprising amount of musical common ground and the outfit was born.

If there is one thing you cannot call Mr Michael Ball it is lazy. Stepping in to host the late Sir Terry Wogan’s BBC Radio 2, Ball has entertained millions of listeners every Sunday morning as well as appearing in musicals such as Hairspray not to mention his steady output with Alfie Boe and the touring that comes with it.

Ivory Layne is a woman who started the art of songwriting at the age of six and learnt the art of music production in her teenage years. As her career grew, she supported the likes of Andy Grammar and The Script amongst others and was then signed to Justin Timberlake’s artist development company Villa40.

Heavyman are a four-piece London-based hard rock band Their debut EP ‘Beautiful Place’ opens with ‘Baby Jean’ with a punchy rock electric guitar riff from Nick Burns as a pulsating drumbeat pours out the speakers. A solid start gentleman.

Dynamyte is a vocalist, songwriter, drummer and Tae Kwon Do black belt born in Boston, Massachtes. Securing a degree in Social Psychology from Brown University, DYNAMYTE is fascinated by what makes people tick and has embraced that thought process in her songwriting.

Vocalist Margo Buchanan has a career spanning thirty years including the ‘Celebrating Jon Lord’ event where she performed a stunning take on ‘One From The Meadow’ recorded at The Royal Albert Hall in London.

Angélique Kidjo’s new single ‘Dignity’ is the perfect upbeat song for Spring/Summer 2021 as the UNICEF Ambassador and GRAMMY-Award winner offers a glimpse of her forthcoming album with a piece of music influenced by the Nigerian Youth Movement.

Vultures’ is the new single from London based singer-songwriter Drew Thomas. Enlisting the talents of producer Nat Webb (The Struts, Kelsey Carter), Thomas has decided to analyse themes of bad friendships and negativity.

The track starts with memorable mumbling surrounded by upbeat acoustic guitar and for the most part sticks with that for the duration of the song. However, it seems that George Eve has taken a leaf out of Crash Test Dummies’ book who had a hit song with the uncomplicated ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’ to create a quirky yet memorable piece of music.

The Jujubes are an upcoming blues trio based in London who have released their debut album. ‘Where Are We Now’ opens with the Fred Mac Dowell tune ‘You’re Gonna Be Sorry’ complete with an upbeat harmonica solo by Pete Sim

Celebrating 16 years of a musical partnership that began in 2005, Victor Wainwright and Stephen Dees have released a new Wildroots record ‘Wildroots Sessions Volume 1’

London-based quintet Louis & The Shakes have a new single, ‘Losing My Mind’ which is taken from their forthcoming album ‘How Badly Do You Want It’.

Tally Koren – Magical Powers EP I remember when Dad had returned from a busy day in London a...

2021 has seen Olly Alexander showcase his acting talents with a role in Russell T Davies’s ‘It’s A Sin’ which has received both critical and public acclaim for the emotionally-charged subject matter of the Aids crisis between 1981 to 1991.

Here at JLTT we have followed the releases from The RAH Band closely as over their career they have secured two Top 10 UK chart hits, numerous international club smashes and a stellar production credit list with artists such as The Beatles, Chris Rea, Fleetwood Mac and Herbie Hancock (to name but a few).

It still seems hard to believe that Prince passed away in April 2016. However, since that time several compositions and whole albums’ worth of unreleased material has been unearthed from Prince’s vaults.

As some of the Coronavirus restrictions are lifted in the UK to allow people to visit non-essential shops such as record stores as well as pre-book to get a pint in a pub, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger has joined forces with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for a brand new song called ‘Easy Sleazy’ (which would look great on some clothing apparel in my humble opinion).

Here at JLTT we are truly honoured to be able to listen to a variety of new music from a wide-range of genres and styles. We really appreciate it when people take the time to reach out to us with the music they have worked on so when we received a kind email from Luiz Faria we were intrigued about his new single ‘Angel’.

Singaporean singer-songwriter Jonny Ong has been releasing singles over the past year as a taste of what audio delight is to come with his forthcoming full-length album. Continuing with this approach, Ong has shared the release of his latest single ‘The Ballad of J and J (Are We Over)’.

Swiss-based four-piece blues rock band the Ellis Mano Band will release their second album entitled ‘Ambedo’ on Friday 25th June 2021 on Jazzhaus Records. The first single ‘Keep It Simple’ begins with a fluid keyboard tone provided by Manuel Halter and soft drumming courtesy of Nico Looser that creates thoughts of traveling along.

The steady stream of new music over 2020 and 2021 has been immensely welcome during the global pandemic as more people are isolated, shielding, working from home or classed as key workers.

Seafoam Green is Irish songwriting duo Dave O’Grady and Muireann McDermott Long and they have been specialising in the Americana sound. Having worked with Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes on their debut album, the pair is gearing up for the release of their second studio record – ‘Martin’s Garden’ which is produced Tyler Greenwell – founding member of Grammy-Award winning Tedeschi Trucks Band.

The Damn Truth is a four-piece band from Montreal, Canada that blends that rock ‘n’ roll sound with Psychedelia thus allowing them to delve into themes of love, togetherness and hope but on their terms.

Paul Carrack’s talents as a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter are all over popular music – writing and singing the 1975 Ace hit single ‘How Long’, joining the band Squeeze in 1981 with the successful ‘East Side Story’ album that included the radio hit ‘Tempted’, joining Mike Rutherford’s new project Mike + The Mechanics and having several hit songs including ‘Over My Shoulder’, ‘The Living Years’ amongst others as well as his solo career which has seen Carrack release music independently on his own label Carrack-UK.

Garbage have toured the world, were responsible for the theme of James Bond film ‘The World Is Not Enough’, have released six studio albums and are scheduled (pandemic and Government guidelines permitting) to join Blondie on a live UK arena tour in late 2021.

It is very hard to try and be ‘Mr Cool’ when you have ZZ Top vocalist and guitarist Billy F Gibbons in the same room. I remember when I was fortunate enough to attend an album signing for his 2018 solo record ‘The Big Bad Blues’ at HMV in London and the capacity crowd was just in sheer awe at his presence.

The Julian Taylor Band are based in Toronto, Canada built around a collective of versatile musicians and friendships. The album is named after a flower that grows in some of the planet’s harshest terrain as West Indian and Indigenous Canadian frontman Julian Taylor felt that it was the perfect symbol for his music.

The Cold Stares are a duo from North America and formed in 2010 after Chris Tapp (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and Brian Mullins (Drums) simply wanted to get together to jam.

Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May has steadily built a loyal global fanbase with her velvety vocals and powerful material. As a result she has headlined The Royal Albert Hall, performed with the likes of Jeff Beck, Jools Holland, The Dubliners and Ronnie Wood to name but a few and has six albums to name with her latest ’11 Past The Hour’ scheduled for release in April 2021.

During these uncertain times, it is important for people to have something to enjoy whether it is cooking a home-made meal, having an online chat with friends and loved ones, binge-watching a new television series or just listening to some music. One real important thing is that whilst the world of live music is in a state of flux, musicians and artists across the globe are still releasing new material and versions of well-known hits.

This is Ace Records fifth Smokey Hogg CD and has been released to tie-in with the release of a book of the same title which has been written by Guido Van Rijn. Rijn has penned the compilation sleeve notes detailing each of the twenty-four tracks; thirteen of these come from 78s and 45s that have not been reissued before, seven are from LPs and are making their first appearance on CD, and four tracks are previously unissued in any form.

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band is well-known for their electric live performances across the globe performing to sold-out venues and packed music festivals. Following people requesting a live DVD release for decades, the band decided that the time was right to release an audio/visual delight.

Let’s Go is the seventh release from Canada’s hillbilly trio Cousin Harley and was recorded in early Spring 2020 at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver. Led by Gretsch endorsee Paul Pigat who not only wrote every song on the record but also produced, we begin with ‘Right Back At Blues’ that just swings with Keith Picot’s double bass and Jesse Cahill’s drum tone as the fluid rhythm section.

Opener ‘Going To London’ features a horn section which was built around US saxophone virtuoso Sax Gordon and whilst it has a rich full sound it is more Las Vegas than London. The drum intro from Alex Lex on the title track sets the scene for this swinging tune that would not be out of place in a late night jazz club atmosphere.

Andy Cohen With Moira Meltzer-Cohen — Small But Mighty Songs For Growing People Andy Cohen is a...

This is the second album from Aris Paul Band following their 2018 debut Drive All Night. This record focuses on Aris’ friends, family and hometown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and kicks off Astray complete with an impactful rhythm section consisting of Matt Scott on bass and Aaron Wagner.

Finnish blues-rock guitarist Erja Lyytinen is a hardworking singer-songwriter and musician who has released several albums and toured the world for several years with her signature fiery guitar and thoughtful songs.

I’m going to be completely honest here – I am not familiar with the work of songwriter duo Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham but that has changed with this charming twenty-four track compilation compiled by Ace Records complete with detailed linear notes by Tony Rounce.

The McKee Brothers is led by producer and multi-instrumentalist Denis McKee who is backed by a collection first-class musicians and vocalists for the third release including Maxayn Lewis (Ike & Tina Turner), Bobby Watson (Michael Jackson) on bass, Steve Stephens (Glenn Hughes) and Vincent Fosset Jr. (Kirk Fletcher) on drums, Chris Stevens adding percussion, Bobby West (Keyboards) Lee Thornburg (Supertramp) on horn arrangements and brass, Doug Webb (Stanley Clark) on reeds AND guitar contributions from Larry McCray, Joey Delgado and Stan Budzynski adding some fluid slide guitar!

Marty Wilde MBE has been making music and performing since 1958 in his own right and has also penned songs for the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Adam Faith and Lulu to name a few. His latest offering, ‘Running Together’ is actually his first-ever album of all-original self-penned or co-written and he has even made it a thoroughly family affair.

French guitarist Félix Rabin has been steadily building his fanbase since he was fifteen having played in jam sessions across France and Switzerland. Rabin now has a six-track debut EP entitled Pogboy which was coined by recording engineer Ross Hogarth, who noticed his frequent use of a guitar effects pedal called Pog.

Formed in 1965, Savoy Brown have been credited as being instrumental in the blues rock movement with a staggering forty-one album releases between 1967 and 2019. Still packing venues and making music, the aptly titled Ain’t Done Yet proves just that.

Cathy Grier has released her fourteenth album ‘I’m All Burn’ in which she enlisted the musical talent of her new home Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin having moved there in 2016. This sixteen-track offering opens with the title track which deals with the subject of gender equality covering issues of imagery and pay.

Singer-songwriter and musician Lucius Parr was born in the small country town of Yoakum, Texas and went from playing trombone in fifth grade to majoring in music at college and then being deployed to the Vietnam War after being drafted into the United States Army.

Formed in 1996, The Smoke Wagon Blues Band are a seven-piece outfit with seven independent album releases and three Independent Blues Awards for their previous record Cigar Store. The title track kicks things off with Corey Lueck (vocals, harmonica) providing a punchy harp solo whilst Memphis Soul is driven by Jason Colavecchia funky bass riff with a Stevie Ray Vaughan Double Trouble influenced organ solo.

What is uncountably good about this fab fivesome is their commitment to their aesthetic and their craft. However, their zaniness leads more to the side of “what the actual f**k” then parody.