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Music Review: Jennifer Dixon, the Face of Alternative Country’s Uncompromising Future

treadmarkz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:31:54 +0000

Guest post: Treadmarkz is my brother-in-law, a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and the author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com.

Some Country music purists would probably say that anything that warrants the name “Alternative Country” is not really Country. But ultimately it is the domain of the fan to judge what an artist is or is not, to them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Jennifer Dixon.

A little country sensibility with a style that hovers along the cusp of blues, pop, jazz owing to a stint on Memphis’ legendary Beale Street, and nearly a decade in Nashville, her new CD, “2 Years” is the fruit of experience. She did not come out of nowhere.

Which makes it all the more uncanny that she has been labeled “un-Nashville.”

The intro to “A Little You For Me” sounds like a nod to “I Lie Around” by Paul McCartney and Wings. But this Norah Jones-like tune comes from the heart of a woman who has given all she can give to the world, yet she finds she’s got a little more left for her man if he’ll meet her halfway. Like “I Lie Around” it never really takes off. It threatens to, repeatedly. But when it comes down to it, it’s just right.

“Too Tired To Care” is Dixon, having been there, done that and not doing it again regarding love. When she starts to hear the same old lines, she is just that, too tired to care. It is a mellow funk romp with a lyric delivered in focused rapid fire, highlighted with some sultry vocal inflections.

“Easy Goodbye” seems to be a follow up on the same theme in that, having heard it all before, its easy to let go and move on. These two tracks are the most un-Nashville of the bunch. One can picture many of today’s top female vocalists flagrantly over-doing “Easy Goodbye”, robbing it of its symbolic ease. One of its greatest features is that the musicians, while doing some top-notch work, back off and let the vocals shine.

With these tracks what you get is a many-tiered cynical view of love. In that respect, “If You’re Looking For An Angel” is refreshing. Just when you are expecting something like “Strong Enough” by Cheryl Crow, it turns into something closer to “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt in its vulnerability. For instance, in the chorus, Dixon sings “If you’re looking for an angel…” Having heard a couple of these songs, one may be surprised to hear her continue with “here I am.” It’s sweet, its comforting, and it demonstrates that with a few gentle, sincere words, yes, women can make men, dare I say it, swoon.

Love Me Back” delivers the very subtlest hints of the smoky vocals of Natalie Merchant or Melissa Etheridge, yet tips the scales with those well-executed vocal inflections again.

Dixon finally brings the thunder with “I Need a Man.” It’s gritty, harkening back to Tanya Tucker, matching the vocal strength of Carrie Underwood. Here Dixon is laying it all out on the line as if to say “This is what I need, damn you!”

Four of these tracks can be heard on her homepage www.jenniferdixon.net, and one is featured in the indie film “Shattered”.

Music Review: Stoner Metal Grunge, Some Outlaw Country and the Record Label that Pimps Them

Corey Koehler — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:28:26 +0000

I normally don’t review multiple bands from the same record label but when I stopped by the Small Stone Recordings website, I was side tracked for a few hours and ended up burning up about thirty bucks on downloads, so I figured why the hell not. Here’s a word or two about a label and a few of the bands that you should check out.

The Label

Based out of Detroit, Small Stone – for the most part – represent bands that are of the stoner rock ilk, but, they aren’t afraid to mix it up – one of my favorite finds, happens to be country.

They have stood the test of time and have been putting out their brand of music since 1995. In an April 2008 article on Metromix, the founder Scott Hamilton explained that he wanted to model the label after Sub Pop. He also defined stoner rock as being “just a really amped up version of classic rock” with “a bunch of fat guys with beards in the crowd.” You gotta love the honesty.

The Bands

Here are some of the bands that caught my attention. And, to give you sort of a jumping off point, I’ve listed a tune or two from each (which by the way have made it into heavy rotation on my iPod).

Oh and just so you know, you can buy the cd’s on Small Stones site and if you are the mp3 type, everyone of these artists – and the tunes listed – are available for immediate download on emusic (which means you can get them for free if you don’t have an emusic account).

Anyway, check these bands out;

Roadsaw - If you are fan of early Soundgarden circa “Louder Than Love” – or just grunge in general – you need to check these guys out. I love vocals and the smooth grind that is present throughout.

I think your best bet to get a feel for what these guys can do is to get started with “Up To You” and “It’s Your Move”.

Whitey Morgan and the 78′s – WARNING: When combined with good weather, good booze and good friends, the music of Whitey Ford could leave you with a splitting headache and a pissed off boss.

This band takes a well needed and refreshing approach to old school country. They easily slip into all of the elements of 70′s era outlaw and all of their tunes will make Waylon, Wille and Bosephus fans very, very happy (and a little jagged).

I recommend that you download the whole album but if you are only going to stick your toe in the water, make sure you check out “Crazy” and “If It Ain’t Broke”.

Mos Generator – The riff heavy tunes that these guys are laying down are immediately addictive. The tune “Acapulco Gold” – which could easily be the love child of Steely Dan and Monster Magnet – documents a love affair of the smokin kind. And “Wizards of the Prophecy Pen” is a well produced tune that could very easily be an early Sabbath tune. Grab them!

There, now you have some stuff too listen to as we all wait for summer. Remember, all of this stuff is on eMusic for immediate download and if you are still doin the CD thang, check out the Small Stone online store.

Music Review: The Talented Lubriphonic and Their “Soul Solution”

Corey Koehler — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:18:52 +0000

If you are anything like me, then you know that there is nothing like the feeling – a small buzz even – that you get when you pop in a new CD and realize immediately that you have stumbled onto to something that you just have to share with everyone. That is what happened to me today.

Early this morning, like any other morning lately, I reluctantly drug my ass out of a warm bed, shuffled my son through our pre-dawn sleepwalk and then headed out the door to what was looking like a long day at work.

I was tired, it was freakin cold and the snow was falling (again). I turned the key in the ignition, backed out of my driveway and this began to play…

Pssst…press play

Song is: Lubriphonic – “Walls”

…Out from the speakers came this mental massage and the feeling of “everything my friend…is gonna be alright.” That massage and that reassurance were provided by a band called, Lubriphonic on their release entitled “Soul Solution.” Like an old freind sitting next to me in the car, that CD hung out with me for the remainder of that day – and the next – and then made its way to these pages.

The band – based out of Chicago – is loaded with road tested musicians who have toured with the likes of Koko Taylor, Buddy Miles, The Ohio Players and Lenny Kravitz.

These pros have put together a disc that has a little bit of everything. If you dig soul, blues, classic rock, great guitar, a little bit of funk and a soaring horn section, you will lap this up.

Oh and I can’t forget to mention the soulful “i’ve been there” vocals, the ultra-nimble fingers that make the guitar and bass flow and groove, and man, the acoustic tunes on this disc are about as honest, as comfy and as real as it gets.

I like almost all of the tunes but make sure you check out “Rain Keep Falling”, “Walls”, “Chalk Talk, “Mexico City Blues”, and “Soul Solution.” I would also recommend ordering the CD so that you can hear the bonus live tunes. They are well worth the wait!

So there you have it, a music review for you and a great start to the day for me. Thanks Lubriphonic!

Now, do yourself a favor, go download ALL of the tunes on “Soul Solution.

Music Review: Extreme is Back With a Guitar Lovers Feast

Corey Koehler — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:30:28 +0000

I was flipping through eMusic the other day when I noticed a new release by an old favorite of mine, Extreme. I was a little apprehensive at first but figured what the hell, I’ll download it. Boy am I glad I did. Here is a quick review.

The title of the release is “Saudades De Rock“. In the opening line on the track “Slide” Gary Cherone sings “Find a groove and then drop the hammer.” That pretty much sums up most of the tunes on the release.

One of the reason i was a fan of Extemes music was because I am a sucker for good guitar. I always loved Nuno’s guitar work and this release did not do anything to change that. He is one of a seemingly dieing breed of guitarists who can dance over the fretboard, navigating a path of tasty grooves throughout every song.

The whole CD is about what you would expect from Extreme if you were a fan of some of the their popular stuff like “Pornograffitti” and/or “Three Sides to Every Story” but they do venture into new territory and pull it off well.

Bottom line, if you love active guitar, meaty grooves and solid songwriting, this is a no-brainer.

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