CD Reviews

A Charlie Brown Christmas remains everyone’s favorite Christmas album. Slightly expanded from the soundtrack of the Peanuts cartoon television feature of the 1960s, the work of Vince Guaraldi and his sidemen is simple, profound, and sublime. The music takes the listener through a sonic landscape from pure joy to quietude, and even to reverence. The […]

The long-anticipated debut CD from singer/songwriter/guitarist Ron Steven Houston, A Long Road Home, is a winner from start to finish on many levels throughout this 17-track project, beautifully recorded, mixed, and produced by Jeff Berkley at his Ohm Grown Studio in Oceanside. Houston takes us on a kaleidoscope of his life’s journey of substance abuse, […]

Only Just a Man is the debut solo CD from singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, JT Moring. It’s just what the doctor ordered in today’s complex world, 13 delightful original vocal tracks of entertaining stories and humorous social commentary on the human condition through his life’s diary of experiences and adventures. A marvelous wordsmith, he sings and […]

Wonderful World is Los Angeles guitarist Chris Standring’s fourteenth release as a leader. On this disc, the English-born jazz guitarist features a 19-piece orchestra, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, under the direction of Geoff Gascoyne to embellish the sound behind Standring’s trio of guitar, bass, and drums, recorded in Studio City, California. The […]

Serve It to Me Hot is Chickenbone Slim’s fourth CD release as guitarist/vocalist/bandleader since his debut CD, Gone, in 2015. It’s a blues lover’s delight throughout the 13 tracks of original tunes, spanning a variety of blues grooves that all showcase Slim’s authentic blues-tinged lead vocals and clever lyrical songwriting sense. He’s complemented by a […]

What do you get when you bring together an ace guitarist, veteran sound engineer, and a 60-something band guy breaking away to record a debut album of all original tunes? The answer is Got Nothing to Lose, an impressive album from singer/songwriter/guitarist Geza Keller, showcasing his songs that lean heavily on his life’s nostalgic journey […]

If, as Marx said, religion is the opiate of the masses, it might be said that pop music is a slightly caffeinated soda beverage along the lines of Coca Cola or Mountain Dew of the masses; it’s not there to cloud the mind but only something sweet that offers a pick-me-up during the day. Your […]

Singer/songwriter Mary Karlzen is back in the spotlight once again with her 2020 CD, Shine. After an initial splash in 1995 with her CD Yelling at Mary on Atlantic Records, followed by two releases in 2000 and 2007 on Y&T and Dualtone labels respectively, the Chicago native took a musical hiatus to spend more time […]

There is a sensation you get when you take your first bite of fresh-from-the-oven peach cobbler à la mode—the kind with vanilla ice cream served warm—the delightful feel of hot and cool, the sweet crust and ice cream melt deliciously in your mouth and soothe your soul. You know you’ll be back for more. This […]