In A Room was recorded by Jordyn Shellhart in her manager's office where the up-and-coming singer/songwriter sang lead and overdubbed backing vocals as well as playing the piano and guitar on this fifteen-track album. The angle, besides the unconventional recording location? Jordyn is a 15-year-old girl. I listened to this album without any knowledge of Shellhart, and would not have guessed she was a teenager until, through the course of my research, I came across her website with photos of her youthful smiling face.
When you hear "teenage country singer" thoughts will inevitably spring to Taylor Swift, but Shellhart is so much more than a Swift imitator. Her voice is sharper in all the right places recalling, besides the youthful confessional tones of Swift, twangs of her much more adult contemporary Martina McBride. Her songwriting is mature for her years with more than a little echoing of the sweet yet knowledgeable style of Colbie Caillat. It... Read More »
You might not recognize the name but if you were a fan of country music in the 90s, you will remember the songs "Someone Else's Star," "Rebecca Lynn," "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore," and a duet with Shania Twain, "From This Moment On." Bryan White was a staple voice in country music in the 90s but he has been absent for much of the last decade.
After charting 17 singles on Billboard's Country Charts, White realized he needed to step away from the music industry. He did just that by getting married and starting a family. In 2001, he released a country album and a greatest hits album. In 2006, he had another Christmas project. However, in 2009, he released Dustbowl Dreams, an album that encourages people to never forget their roots. A native Oklahoman, White wrote the song "Dustbowl Dreams" about his roots and heritage. His hopes for this new album? Modest in... Read More »
Ami Saraiya sings with a beautiful, mystical, smoky voice that makes one feel like he or she is sitting in a night club across from a Humphrey Bogart character in a Film Noir movie.
A sensational singing voice alone, however, does not distinguish a young female artist from the thousands of other hungry, young artists out there. The reason Ami Saraiya is more deserving of this article is because of her intangibles.
Saraiya makes herself more than just a young woman with a gifted voice. She does more than just exercise a skill; she opens her creative mind, and she effectively uses her vocals in a myriad of ways to maximize her ability to emote precisely what feeling she intends to convey. Saraiya's most effective style is blues, but she proves on "Memphis Train" that she can belt out a gritty rock vocal if she feels like it. So many modern artists have tremendous voices, but they... Read More »
This is the start of a new feature here at Frequency Magazine. This album was reviewed by two authors with different opinions. The goal of Frequency Face-Off is to offer two takes on certain albums so readers have a wider range of opinions from different, but equally well-argued perspectives.
Fuschiag's Review
When I heard the excited whisperings among the masses that a new John Mayer record was coming out, I struggled to remember who this guy actually was – and then it dawned; he was the one who’d been all over the radio with "Your Body’s a Wonderland." He certainly had fans, so I thought why not indoctrinate myself with what seemed like his most highly anticipated release yet?
Battle Studies’ tracklisting entails a series of military references and metaphors in an endeavour to encapsulate his apparent recent heartbreak. Unfortunately, the opening track, "Heartbreak Warfare," fails to set the stage for not only a bold emotional statement, but... Read More »
Ernie Halter, a previous Under the Radar artist here at Frequency Magazine has just entered the studio to start recording his next album. Ernie took the time out of his busy recording schedule to give our readers some insight into the recording process!
FM: What are the preparation stages when recording an album? Do you go into the studio with a pre-plan?
Yes! I'm in "pre-production" in my mind, as soon as a song is done, but officially I spend several full days devoted entirely to mapping arrangements, keys, tempos, figuring out which instrumentation for which songs…the overall feel of the record and the best recording plan.
FM: Describe a typical day in the studio. Is there one?
Not really a typical day. It depends on what needs to get done. This week we're laying guitar and vocal parts to a click track so that when we call the other session musicians, they have... Read More »
**The following awards came solely from the mind of me, Max Neibaur. Obviously, no one else could have come up with such brilliant, or, depending on your point of view, idiotic opinions and validations.**
Most Prolific Artist of the Decade: Regina Spektor
Spektor wrote well over 100 songs this decade without a clunker in the bunch. Spektor’s brilliant originality gets slightly watered-down on her big label releases Begin to Hope (2006) and Far (2009), but not too much for one to recognize how special she truly is. Critics and music fans will disagree on how good Spektor is, but fellow musicians nearly unanimously credit the Russian-born, Bronx-raised, anti-folk artist as one of the most gifted singer/songwriter/musicians ever.
Best Debut Album of the Decade: Get Away from Me (2004) – Nellie McKay
The album title is a play on words of Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. With Get Away from Me, McKay wanted to reclaim jazz as a genre... Read More »
If you’re slightly oblivious like I am you might not recognize the name Jessica Harp; a new artist making big waves on the country scene. Jessica is best known as the “not Michelle Branch girl” from the duo The Wreckers. It pains me to admit that although I am a fan of The Wreckers I had no idea who she was until I read her bio. Well, Jessica is poised to burst out from underneath Michelle Branch’s shadow with her new single "A Woman Needs." The single from the similarly titled album is climbing up the country charts and marks a significant departure from the tear-jerker and introspective songs of The Wreckers. The song starts out strong with a quick pounding tempo and the faint background strum of a banjo. Her voice is light and almost airy bouncing along with the strumming of guitar (reminiscent of Carrie Underwood), and when she bursts in with uplifting... Read More »
Patrick Wolf came onto my radar a few years ago with The Magic Position, a delightfully catchy, somewhat indie release evocative of early Human League, so my initial reaction upon first hearing The Bachelor was utter shock – in the best possible way. Indie-pop melodies had been abandoned in favour of a reckless but entirely ambitious venture into a dark, extravagant territory. Traditional Celtic, almost medieval folk music intermingles with sinister, simultaneously futuristic and retro sounds. Additionally, we find stripped down, emotionally raw ballads, which are enhanced by awe-inspiring string arrangements, heart-wrenching lyrics and Wolf’s chilling voice, reminiscent of both Phil Oakey and Antony Hegarty.
The Bachelor is the first half of a double release, with The Conqueror to follow later in 2010. So far, it is perhaps the most extraordinary and wonderfully artistic undertaking of recent years. Wolf appears to defy genre, combining a sort of post-new wave electronica with an abundance of strings, choirs,... Read More »
Bobby Long’s music is the backdrop to a loner sitting in a coffee shop on a rainy night. At least that’s what his latest effort, Dirty Pond Songs, sounds like. Long calls it “a big EP” of ten original songs that were recorded in his bedroom.
In "A Passing Tale," Long channels his folk inspirations such as Bob Dylan and Elliott Smith with lyrics, "I don’t know where I’m headed to, but at least I know where I’ve been." The raw sounds of the record contribute to the melancholic theme it possesses.
Dirty Pond Songs opens with “Who Have You Been Loving,” a Jeff Buckley-esque song with chords and lyrics that are dreary but addicting -- a smart choice for a first track to a debut record.
“The Bounty of Mary Jane” melds his influences of Tom Waits balladry and the bluesy chords of Dylan. Long shows off his guitar playing skills with the intricate chords of “So Tear... Read More »
We reviewed their EP Sing What You Want in February and wanted to follow up with The Ugly Club. The band hails from Jersey and is comprised of six members. Their influences are... Read More »
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