Randall's Blog - Music

My Song Review of Gonna Need My Help by The Muggs

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 06:46:32 -0700

This song has a heavy and gritty riff that brings it to life. The guitarist did a great good of developing a riff that can support an entire song with out sounding cheesy. The lyrics are good and this song has been produced very well. The guitar solos are tasteful and exciting and fit right in with the song. This is a sweet little tune and its just what you would expect from a Motor City Band. I can recommend listening to this song.

The Muggs' Official Website

The Muggs' MySpace

My Song Review of Lonely Hearts by Funky Mustard

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 06:42:57 -0700

This song starts off with a slow groove then becomes a jazzy fusion of rock, reggae and Latin influences. The lyrics are honest and natural, the vocals and harmonies are good and this song has a comfortable acoustic sound with just a little electric guitar thrown in at the right spots. This is a very good recording and a good song. I like it and I can recommend this song.

Funky Mustard's Official Website

Funky Mustard's MySpace

My Song Reivew of Julia Fields So Nice to Finally Meet You

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 07:36:42 -0700

Here is another artist I found on MySpace.

Julia has a sultry and soulful voice that is well suited to her honest and thoughtful lyrics and her acoustic guitar fills out the sonic palette nicely. This girl is worth listening to and I recommend that you do so.

Julia's MySpace

Her Official Website

My Review of Salvation by Reactavox

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 08:26:16 -0700

This band has the now classic White Stripes line up: one drummer and one guitarist. Thats all these guys need. I didnt even notice the lack of a bass. This song is in your face and kick in the crotch punk. Lots of energy, thats what I like. The vocals are good. They remind me of the B-52s, but much edgier. This just proves once again that girls that play Telecasters are cool.

Reactavox's Official Website

Reactavox on MySpace

My Review of Last Chance Heaven by Danny Tate

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 08:05:54 -0700

Danny has a great voice and this is a professional recording and the production and the mixing are both excellent. This song also features a good guitar solo. The lyrics are good and the tune is very reminiscent of Bow Wow Wows 80s rendition of I Want Candy by Strangegloves. All in all it has a nice modern Nashville sound, and in my opinion Dannys lyrics are a good fit.

Danny's Official Website

Danny's MySpace

Danny's Official Website

My Song Review of SOS by Crash Landing

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 08:40:11 -0700

My first impression: Stevie Ray Vaughan fronts Pink Floyd.

This song is a fine example of pure Texas Blues Rock. The lead tone is hot, but crystal clear. Also, these guys get an A+ for excellent use of wah. This is definitely a professional recording, and the mixing is perfect. The sound is pristine and has lots of head room.

I like this song, its kicks butt. I highly recommend listening to this song.

Official Website

Crash Landings MySpace

My Song Review of Arabian Sand 1105 by City Dreams

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 08:35:26 -0700

This song has a nice slow Robin Trowery groove. The lead guitar tone is awesome, A+ for getting the right amount of echo and not overdoing it. The rhythm guitar does a nice job with the wah, Im a big fan of wah by the way. The only thing that disappointed me: The bass was too far down in the mix. To get the real Robin Trower sound, you need to bring the bass up in the mix.

Great song, I recommend that everyone listen to this song.

Official Website

City Dreams MySpace

My Review of Kylie Rae Harris

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:34:33 -0700

I saw this young woman performing at Love and War in Texas (Plano, Texas), she performs there every Tuesday. She has a strong and mature voice that belies her young age. Her voice and singing style reminds me very much of Sheryl Crows soulfulness and lyrical clarity. This night she was performing solo with her trusty Ibanez acoustic/electric plugged into the house PA. I didnt recognize all the songs she played, so I think some off them may have been originals. In either case, I enjoyed her renditions. She put together a really nice set list. I particularly liked her covers of Traveling Soldier and Landslide.

I was very impressed her guitar playing. The tone coming from her Ibanez was full and well balanced. The guitars body was thin and the sound hole was covered, but it still sounded like a concert-size Gibson to me. She has a rhythmic style that complements her singing instead of just filling up space. Im always impressed when someone can sing and play guitar well all at the same time.

Another thing that impressed me is her relaxed style on stage and her friendliness off-stage. I hope she retains that friendliness after she hits the big time. I highly recommend that you go she this girl perform, its well worth the few dollars that she would like you to place in her tip jar. Its a good feeling to give the money directly to the artist.

Kylie Rae Harris' official website

Kylie Rae Harris' MySpace

P.S.

Oh, about Love and War in Texas. This is a family friendly place, at the performances start at a reasonable time for working folks. I had a 31oz Shiner and it only cost $5 at happy hour. The staff is friendly and the food is alright. I had the $11 cheese burger on their special Jalapeno Cheese bun. The burger wouldve been great except that the bun got very soggy and fell apart instantly. I was graciously provided a knife and fork, so every thing turned out OK. Their home fries were very good.

Love and War in Texas

My Song Review of Ftoxi Kardia Mou and Fyge by Antistres

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:59:09 -0700

Here is another band I found while surfing in MySpace. This one happens to be from Greece. I am part Greek, and I love all things Greek. Ill tell you though, except for the lyrics being Greek, you wouldnt think this was Greek music. It sounds very much like modern American pop music, and it is very reminiscent of 90s alt rock. I must say that I like 90s alt rock. Ftoxi Kardia Mou is a nice bright tune and Fyge is a hard rocking number. I liked both songs. I don't understand Greek, so I can't talk about the lyrics, but the singing was good-the vocals were clear and fit perfectly into the mix. The guitar playing is very good. The guitar player has a nice tone and his rhythm style is uncluttered. He put together a very tasteful solo in Fyge, it was melodic and fit into the song perfectly.

Antistres' Official Website

Antistres' MySpace

My Song Review of Not Included by the artist named Coloured Section

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:51:52 -0700

I found the artist named Coloured Section in MySpace. I listened to his song Not Included and I recommend that you listen to it as well.

The song starts of with the percussion section laying down cool beat. Then one by one the other elements are added very gracefully. The Electric piano gives a nice jazzy vibe, then some very tasteful guitar is added. Since I am a guitarist, I appreciate the inclusion of the guitar in any song. This guitar playing is very clean and beautifully melodic, very much like George Bensons or Wes Montgomerys playing. Overall, this song if very rhythmic and melodic--this is a good song.

Artist named Coloured Section at MySpace

Rolling Stones'--Monkey Man

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:06:16 -0700

Today, for the first time, I noticed the xylophone in the Rolling Stones Monkey Man? Ive heard this song a hundred times. I dont know why I never heard it before. Its down in the mix and easy to miss, but now Ill be listening for it each time I hear this song from now on.

However, now I have a million questions:

--Who played the xylophone on this track?

--Do the Stones still employ a xylophone player?

--I wonder if most cover bands include a xylophone (or an adequate substitute) when they play this song live?

--Do you suppose the Stones asked their producer to add a xylophone or did the producer add it because he thought: It needs more xylophone?

Click here to see this Topic at the Guitar Player Forum.

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Song Review: Love On by Robyn Harris

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 09:02:57 -0700

I found this artist and this song on MySpace-Music.

I think this is a good song. I was struck by how much Robyn sounds like Chrissy Hynde of the Pretenders. I read Robyns sounds like comments and see that she thought the exact same thing. So if you like Chrissy Hynde or the Pretenders, there is absolutely no reason why you wouldnt like this song. The acoustic guitar playing is good, the lyrics are good, the singing is good. This song couldve been on a Pretenders album. The only thing missing is a Fender Telecaster.

I like this song.

Robyn Harris Official Website

Robyn Harris MySpace

Song Review: Sexto Sol's You Know I Love You

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 07:52:33 -0700

My Review of: You Know I Love You

I found this band on MySpace, they are from Austin, TX. I highly recommend listening to this song.

Now if I try real hard, I can hear all the influences they listed in their profile. However, these guys have thier own identifiable sound.

I really liked this song, this is one I would load onto my mp3 player. I can tell this is a totally professional recording. The mixing is flawless and the sound is pristine.

You know, I love all the orchestration added to this production. But it's the main elements that make this song rock for me.

The lead guitar at the beginning and end is bluesy and tasty. The solo at the end was right on! The electric piano was funk-a-licious. The percussion section tied it all together perfectly. The lyrics are perfect, and the vocal are awesome.

Click the link below to visit thier Website, and click the picture to go to thier MySpace site:

Sexto Sol

Nancy Wilson

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:34:40 -0700

This morning I heard a phone interview with Nancy Wilson on my favorite radio station, KZPS, what a way to start the day. Bo and Jim always do a great job with thier interviews.

I have to say that Nancy is one of my top guitar idols. One of the first songs I learned to play was the intro to Crazy on You. I don't know if I every thanked my guitar teacher for having the paitence to work on that with me. Nancy's playing and her music have had a big influence on my music.

Actually, I saw Heart do a Led Zeppelin tune on PBS's Sound Stage. They did an awesome job. I found out that they have always been big Zep fans. The best thing about their performance was that they played the song like someone who loves Zep and not like the super group Heart. You could tell they loved the song and were having fun playing it.

Also I saw that Nancy really was playing an Epiphone Les Paul. I'm glad, because I've compared the Epis to the Gibson LPs and I always favor the Epiphone LP. I plan to buy one myself some day.

What's my favorite music?

pappasclan@msn.com (Randall) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 19:45:10 -0700

Currently, I listen to a lot of Robin Trower, Rolling Stones and Velvet Revolver. But I have been greatly influence by many great musicians.