Tag: 2018

  • interview by Michael McCarthy Congolese-born Baloji’s new LP, 137 Avenue Kaniama, was released on March 23rd, 2018 via Bella Union. Prior to when the label approached me about the album, I’d never heard of Baloji, but then I suppose very few people here in the States would’ve heard of him. That’s exactly why I wanted…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy It’s been roughly 12 years since the release of The Fratellis’ universally loved debut album, Costello Music. Their newly released album, In Your Own Sweet Time, is their fifth and certainly one of their best. I was, honestly, blown away from the first time I heard it. I wouldn’t bother trying…

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  • by Michael McCarthy Yes, it may be hard to believe, but this is my fourth interview with Stryper frontman/co-lead guitarist Michael Sweet already. What can I say, he keeps putting out fantastic albums and I love to ask him questions about them. Between making records with Stryper, his solo projects and Sweet & Lynch, Michael…

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  • “I wear my war face,” proudly proclaims captivating singer/songwriter Lowell on “War Face,”  the first single from her mind-blowing new album entitled Lone Wolf.  The album is her second and was released today on 4/6/18 and my jaw is still on the floor after it dropped as I listened in awe of her evocative music.  

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy You may be familiar with Louis Torre because you’ve heard his popular, stripped-back covers of songs like “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes, “Don’t Take The Money” by Bleachers and “Toxic” by Britney Spears. He’s released roughly two dozen covers already, and we discuss those at length, but we…

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  • Today we have “Helium,” the excellent second single from the artist simply known as Salt.    I love the way the track blends synthesizers and snappy beats with her sometimes ethereal vocals.  The artist she most reminds me of is the great Florence Welch (a.k.a. Florence + The Machine), especially in terms of the production, which…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy I’ve heard lots of different things about BulletBoys frontman Marq Torien over the years. Whether it was people accusing him of having LSD (lead singer disease) or other things, it seemed like he had a larger than life personality. I was even a bit intimidated going into this one, afraid that…

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  • Baloji’s “Peau de Chagrin/ Bleu de Nuit” is one of the most stimulating videos I’ve ever seen.  Lots of beautiful colors and spell-binding imagery that could only come from Africa.  There are also quite a few disturbing images in this video that you won’t be able to get out of your head for a while.  It…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Ruth Koleva might be from Bulgaria, but after doing this interview I feel confident in saying that she speaks English better than I do. That’s the God’s honest truth. She makes better music, too! In other words, she’s quite the talented person, which you can discover by listening to any of…

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  • I imagine this would work splendidly as score in a movie.  Perhaps in a suspense thriller that takes place during the winter.  I imagine the protagonist fleeing from her captors, and she comes to the edge of a frozen lake, and her only chance of survival is to run across it and hope that the large…

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  • Sweet, subtle and sultry are the words that immediately spring to mind when I listen to Louis Torre’s new song “Love is Blind,” which was just released on the date of this posting, 3/14/18.  To my ears, the track is nothing shy of a roasted to perfection blend of pop and R&B with notes of…

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  • W.A.S.P., the brainchild of the always controversial vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Blackie Lawless, released the album Reidolized: The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol on February 2, 2018.  The album came with The Crimson Idol movie on DVD and Blu-ray along with six tracks that were intended for the original album The Crimson Idol but didn’t make it for…

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  • First, Stryper utilized a little death metal style vocals on “Take It It The Cross,” now they’re doing thrash riffs during the verses on their new single, “Sorry.”  These are good things, though!  I know some fans just want a To Hell with The Devil sequel, but I admire the guys for trying new things…

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  • review and photos by Michael McCarthy This past Saturday night, 2/24/18, I had the opportunity to check out the English pop/folk singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin in concert for the first time at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA. Simply put, she was fabulous. The same can be said of her opening acts, Hudson Taylor and…

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