The Feels

I am fresh out of stones so I'll throw one post at two birds. Or something like that. I've wanted to review this album for a while and since I had the privilege of catching Sean McConnell open for a band Called NeedToBreath the other night, I decided to tack on a concert review. I will admit I went specifically to see Sean and knew next to nothing about the headliner. My appreciation for Sean McConnell began in 2012 with the release of his album Midland . The Fox Theater in Riverside, California is a nice venue with comfortable seating and ample leg room. One of those places that doesn’t offer a bad seat. Capacity is 1600, but   the space feels much more intimate than that.  There is power in a talented singer/songwriter standing below the lights with only his guitar. McConnell wielded this power well. The emotion and history of every lyric floated straight from the stage into the listening crowd. Despite the sold out show, I suspect very few attendees ha...

Tom Russell does not get the credit he deserves. One of the true pioneers of Americana, Russell can flat out write, and his latest album, October in the Railroad Earth , carries an emotional punch that most songwriters can only aspire to deliver. Released on March 15th, 2019, October in the Railroad Earth opens with a nod to Jack Kerouac in the title track. From there, the album takes you on a 45 minute journey that never jumps the rails. Tom Russell's gravel voice sounds more like Johnny Cash than it once did, but how much of that is time, and how much intentional for this album is hard to tell with a master like Russell. The genius of Russell's songwriting shines in Small Engine Repair as he turns what could be the mundane, into a truly emotional look at life. My personal favorite track off the album is T-Bone Steak and Spanish Wine. Time of course marches on for us all, but who among us doesn’t long to hit that rewind button now and again? Both Isadore Gon...

Good music is about emotion. The simplicity of a good beat can be enough to put a little bounce in your step, but it takes more to dig deep into the psyche. Music is the art that distills feelings into bite-sized chunks, and at its very best, music transcends beyond the simple mirroring of emotions by revealing things we've never quite understood before. Musical greatness reveals something new. It teaches, enlightens, and allows people to empathize by offering a glimpse into the soul of others. Often music can do this unobtrusively through the power of melody and words, as well as the universal truths of humanity. Such is the case with Hemingway , an album by Dan Johnson on State Fair Records . The album is a contemporary masterpiece that pays homage to humanity, as well as Johnson’s musical and literary influences. Hemingway unfurls over a mere five songs. Such projects can feel incomplete, but not this one. And while the interwoven stories do leave you wantin...