Any New Music capture your fancy ?

Funny you should ask as I was thinking of asking the same question. Since I am in this hobby for the music, I am always ecstatic to find new music I like especially since it seems to happen less and less these days.

The other day my buddy Kevin Tellekamp from Silent Running Audio e-mailed me with a link and said "BUY THIS CD NOW!" Boy was he right! The performer's name is Raul Midon and he is a singer and guitar player extraordinaire. He is a jazzy, folksie, R&B-ish blend of George Benson, Stevie Wonder and his own style and his music is fresh, vibrant, rythmic and melodic all at the same time. He even uses his voice to mimic a trumpet while duetting with his guitar solos on some cuts. This guy is fantastic in my book!!

Check him out and his new CD "State of Mind"!! I think many of you will really enjoy his stuff!

As a "Rocker" you might check some of these more straight forward recent 'rock' LPs:

Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (loud - all females)
SPOON - Gimme Fiction (new classic)
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (very different than Elephant)

With your jazz bend:

Sam Prekop - Who's Your New Professor
Keren Ann - Nolita

For some great 'sounding' alternative/ Lo-Fi/ new-folk **:

Antony & The Johnson - I am A Bird Now (haunting voice if you can get away from thinking about Tiny Tim ! and aren't put off 'bout gender bending etc.)
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Iron & Wine - Woman King (Jezebel sings out on my Kharmas - beautiful Lo-Fi sound !)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (real indie - a new Arcade Fire ? - Talking Heads influence to say the least)
Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Decemberists - Picaresque
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses (its no Heartbreaker and should have been edited to one CD, but there are some alt.country songs among the 2 discs -- If you don't know Ryan, you definitey should pick up the Mobile Fidelity SACD version of 'Heartbreaker' -- Makes me realize how good SACD can be and why I bought my emmlabs gear)
Over the Rhine - Drunkard's Prayer
Elliott Smith (posthumous release From a Basement on the Hill)
Dears - No Cities Left (another famous Montreal band (besides Arcade Fire etc. -esp if you're a Smiths or Morrisey fan !!)

** Buy at your own risk ! Some you may either love or hate !!! All are critically acclaimed (if that means anything ???) And, they all to various degrees sound good or excellent on my system.

For some great exposure to the next IT alternative band etc. : Check out:

www.pitchforkmedia.com
www.cokemachineglow.com
www.metacritic.com (overall summary of print and 'net reviews of virtually all recent releases)
http://kcrw.com/show/mb (Nic Harcourt's Morning Becomes Eclectic -- with streaming video of in-studio concerts)

By the way, if you don't know The Arcade Fire, this is a band you should try to see live before they really get big (or die). David Byrne is one of their biggest fans and they are similarly big Talking Heads fans and heavily influenced by them. They have two CD's (demo EP and their only LP - Funeral). Neither are superb soundwise but listenable. More importantly, neither captures their sound live, when 6 of them plus friends start playing and swapping instruments (accordian, drums, violins etc.) Very theatrical ... alternative rock version of say watching the Blue Man Group.

Hope you find something here.

Regards,

Lawrence

BTW Good to see your back Fmpnd.

Kelly Joe Phelps, "Tap The Red Cane Whirlwind".

I just came across this artist, he is kinda of a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Keb Mo. Very nice acoustic blues.

The above live recording seems to very well made too.

Regards,

Thanks for all of the suggestions posted. My submission is for the new Nora Jean Bruso cd "Going back to Missisippi." A 2004 Severn Records release.

Nora Jean is a steaming, red hot blues machine. She possesses incredible power, finesse, and baby she owns the blues. If your an Etta James fan, then you must buy this cd. What a talent!

Mmaudio

Lately I've been listening to/liking Old School Soul music done by new artists

Sugarman 3
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
The Soul Inheritance

Even went so far as to go out and buy a James Brown T-shirt

I think a lot of 'Goners might enjoy the Greencards, a band that is reminiscent of Nickel Creek or even Alison Krauss and Union Station. I believe the record is named Weather and Water: content good, sonics good, playing superb...in short, a very enjoyable new release.

Recently ran into Barb Jungr SACD's. Wow, what a great singer!

C.C.Adcock/Lafayette Marquis
This Louisianna blues/swamp rockers new cd has been a big hit with me.Check it out.
Bigbry

The Hacienda Brothers eponymous release on Koch records. Just saw them live and ended up buying the album. Country with a rock-a-billy twang and a dash of soul. It's not on the album, but live they do a killer version of the Intruder's "Cowboys To Girls".

'Famous Chinese Instrumentals', on the 'First Impressions Music' label. While definately not new music, it is new to me. Stunning, the strike and decay of these traditional instruments is something amazing, the percussion is in a class of its own. Eerie ambience, great recording, just put it in your cd player and float.....
Hell, even my non audiophile brother who at 25 and with a 6" mohawk and every punk cd in the world was open jawed when I forced it upon him. He now owns a copy.
I stumbled upon this cd when Ken from Signature Audio (in Vancouver B.C.) recommended it to me. I love this disc and I'm not even Chinese!

Interpol - Antics
Low - The Great Destroyer
Pedro the Lion - Control