Marianne Allison
From the Water
Featured Download: "This World" MP3

It’s hard to believe From the Water is Gulf Coast singer-songwriter Marianne Allison’s debut CD. Her smoky, yet clear and enticing, vocal brings to mind Lucinda Williams or Sheryl Crow, and this eclectic mix of radio-ready, well-crafted pop songs demonstrates the musicianship of a seasoned vet.

The record is strung together by a generally upbeat tempo and lighthearted melodies that belie a deeper lyrical insight. From the jaded perspective of “Blink of an Eye” (“The past seems to sparkle in today’s shadows”), to the album’s cathartic crowning jewel “This World,” to a final message of faith on “It’s Not Too Late” (“Trust in time and only believe”), Allison expertly explores and puts to music the human condition. —BW

marianneallison.net

Erik Balkey
Deadpan Alley
Featured Download: "Maria" MP3

Most of the 12 songs on Erik Balkey’s Deadpan Alley share one emotion: longing. It is a unifying thread in these meandering story songs penned or co-written by Balkey. Be it nostalgic longing (“I look for the thrill but the thrill is gone,” he sings in “She Sleeps”), longing for impact in the grand scheme of things (“Nowhere Fast”) or longing for recognition and intimacy (“I’m Lonely Tonight”), Balkey frames the ache with precise, spare arrangements and gentle vocals. The acoustic-based Alley rarely strays from slow or mid-tempo tracks, but the mellow vibe is a perfect fit for Balkey’s thoughtful ruminations. A 33-minute bonus track, culled from a radio interview, includes live performances and insightful stories behind the songs. —LCB

erickbalkey.com

Ashleigh Flynn
American Dream
Featured Download: "Mystery" MP3

Possessing vocals graced with an otherworldly clarity, it’s tempting to call Ashleigh Flynn Americana’s answer to Norah Jones. That comparison, however, hardly describes Flynn’s genuinely compelling storytelling. Begun with her hushed invocation “Don’t hear nothin’ on my radio,” Dream is a recognition of something lost yet somehow kept. Every melodic turn bears wondrous touches, from old-fashioned typewriter percussion (“Knock on Wood”) to her title track’s slow-mo banjo and boozy trumpet solo. Whether basking playfully (“Mystery”), rocking on a pop sparkler (“Evangeline”) or issuing a jaunty farewell (“The 7th Sea”), Dream finds Flynn joyously awake in her essential truth. —GG

ashleighflynn.net

Holly Long
Leaving Kansas
Featured Download: "Sunday Redemption" MP3

Although singer-songwriter Holly Long hails from Chicago, her sophomore release Leaving Kansas proves she’s a Delta queen at heart.

Long blends traditional gospel arrangements with a driving blues rhythm, creating a perfect vehicle for her sometimes soft, always soulful vocals. Well-placed piano, lap steel, harmonica and a backing gospel choir highlight her joyful and lyrical portrait of faith.

Throughout the album, Long demonstrates her prowess for executing a masterful crescendo. “Brokedown” opens quietly with reflections of a woman done wrong. “Simply” quickly moves into a more free state of mind where she finds peace in letting go. Mixtures of stumbling through life and finding faith grow as the record progresses, climaxing with the feel-good “Sunday Redemption,” and winding down to the ending title track where Long is Leaving—and taking us with her. —BW

hollylong.com

The Newbees
Amsterdam
Featured Download: "Right On" MP3

With almost two albums worth of songs on one CD, the quirky, Cincinnati-based Newbees give more bang for the buck with their third release, Amsterdam. It’s the Turtles meet the B-52’s with an assortment of retro pop, jazz and rock tunes that will either have you totally digging this idiosyncratic mixed bag or leave you wondering if you’ve been side-swiped by a double-decker bus carrying the Wiggles.

Originally formed in 2004, this self-described “acoustic/electric ensemble” of five songwriter/musicians offers up just enough multiplicity—via cuts such as the album’s Beatle-esque title track and the jazz-infused “Molly”—to practically dare you to check out their merger of inspired folly live. —SH

thenewbees.com

David Newbould
Big Red Sun
Featured Download: "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" MP3

If Dan Wilson and Pete Yorn had a folkier kid brother, he’d be David Newbould. Wielding a voice as wearily distinctive as Shawn Mullins, Newbould sings every word with a dusty radiance. Though his adeptness with hazy sketches predominates, Newbould blazes brightest when blurring alternate hues of exhaustion and exuberance—a talent especially evident on “Empty Arms” (whose stretched-out phrases evoke Wilson’s trademark vocal elasticity), the graceful “Family Man” and rollicking stomper “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” fueled by Cindy Cashdollar’s dobro adrenaline rush. When he sings “I’d rather be a man with a broken dream / than one who never had one” under the title track’s simmering desert sheen, he’s not kidding. —GG

davidnewbould.com

Pat McGee Band
These Days (The Virginia Sessions)
Featured Download: "Come Back Home" MP3

These Days brings the newly independent Pat McGee Band full circle. Frontman McGee joined creative forces with former bandmate and producer Todd Wright to piece together music and lyrics McGee had been collecting since the untimely and unexpected loss of PMB drummer Chris Williams last fall.
Songs “End of October” and “Come Back Home” memorialize Williams; the piano-driven, down-tempo sound of the latter is truly affecting. Even if the listener isn’t aware of the history behind the song, the poignant melody speaks of something sobering, commanding more than one listen.

On the remaining pop-rock tunes, McGee’s pleasing vocals and the band’s road-tested harmonies are sharp and rooted in a commercial sound that’s all their own. —LCB

patmcgeeband.com

Rachael Sage
Chandelier
Featured Download: "My Word " MP3

True to its title, Chandelier is singer/pianist Rachael Sage’s most illuminating effort yet. Following seven previous albums, this New York chanteuse shows an uncanny ability to shift from a playful, provocative stance similar to Kate Bush or Tori Amos, to torch songs of unbridled sing-along potential. While the effect sometimes seems schizophrenic—soaring ballads, swelling crescendos and cinematic soundscapes all occupy her pop palette—Sage’s way with a melody never ceases to impress.

That’s appropriate considering her own label is dubbed MPress. Fortunately, she justifies all accolades through the grace and passion imbued in such songs as “Mexico,” “Moonlight” and the title track. Likewise, “Hunger in John,” an emotional narrative lamenting a lover’s spoils of success, finds a connection that’s genuinely touching. —LZ

rachaelsage.com

Tori Sparks
Under This Yellow Sun
Featured Download: “Caged Bird” MP3

Under This Yellow Sun, the second offering from songbird Tori Sparks, is drenched in drama, featuring Sparks’ torrid vocals splashed over self-penned, alternative roots-rock numbers that sizzle with authenticity. Produced by David Henry (R.E.M., Ben Folds), Yellow Sun spotlights Sparks’ powerful voice—tender, weighted with remorse and backed solely by finger-picked guitars on “Providence RI,” and later firing full cylinder on torch burners like “Caged Bird” (fueled by deft production and a really funky horn track). The album is lyrically focused on male/female relationships, while Sparks’ style sometimes evokes early Jewel, with that ragged catch in her voice that makes the delivery so believable. —LCB

torisparks.com

Jo Kelly Stephenson
I See Flowers, You See Cars
Featured Download: “Deep End” MP3

If this little gem was quietly slipped into the CD changer at a party, one could be forgiven for assuming it was the latest offering from Scottish songstress KT Tunstall. But upon closer listen, the distinctive vocal stylings and songwriting dexterity of Australian Jo Kelly Stephenson set her apart and deserve much more than “If you like ... then you’ll love ... ” consideration. Featuring members of legendary Melbourne progressive rock band Spectrum, and co-produced with her father Ken Stephenson, the Aussie’s self-penned debut is an eclectic infusion of blues and country. I See Flowers heralds the arrival of someone with the potential to blaze a trail far beyond home territory, where Stephenson’s already made a dent with songs like the album’s rock-solid opener, “Deep End.” —SH

jokellystephenson.com

Erica Wheeler
Good Summer Rain
Featured Download: “Good Summer Rain” MP3

Erica Wheeler explores the connection between man and the natural world on her new release, Good Summer Rain. Eleven precisely crafted tracks capture the tension that progress creates between the earth and her keepers. Wheeler says the recording is a response to the changes she’s witnessed over the years as a touring singer-songwriter.

“There are so many places I’ve come across and fallen in love with, only to return and see them forever changed or vanished under the pavement,” she says. A quick glance at the song titles (“Endless Pines,” “Muddy Waters,” “Elk Song”) tells the listener what’s to come in the content of this inspired disc.

Sonically, Wheeler keeps it understated—a bed of acoustic guitars, dobros, mandolin and bass allows the lyrics to dominate. The melodies on Rain, penned mostly by Wheeler, are as fetching as her words.
The title track finds the singer pining for the old home place: “There’s more people moving in / They all need a home / They put up stores and houses / In the fields I’ve known / Your children won’t know it the way I did.” “Apache Motel” continues the cycle and digs deeper, lamenting the absence of wildlife as sprawl spreads and “views come tumbling down.”

The few songs about human relationships, “Brand New Starts,” “As the Crow Flies” and “The First Sunset,” aren’t out of place on this record. “This time the relationship is more about one I have with the land,” says Wheeler, “where even my songs about personal love and loss are entwined with landscapes.”
If this CD doesn’t compel you to get outside and enjoy what little green space we have left, put it on for a mental break while you’re stuck in the concrete gridlock of rush hour. —LCB

ericawheeler.com

David Wilcox
Airstream
Featured Download: “Three Brothers” MP3

David Wilcox has always been a steadfast troubadour, but his true folk finesse is expressed on Airstream, a collection of musical lessons and reflections that recalls such like-minded compatriots as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and John Gorka. Wilcox proves he’s a steady voice for turbulent times; with the earnest strum of acoustic guitar and the melodious strains of his nuanced vocals, he uses the analogy of his Airstream trailer as safe haven from prevailing political turmoil.

Beyond his broadsides against fear and intimidation (“Reaper Sweepstakes,” “Falling for It,” “To Love”), the sentimental strains of “This Old Car” and his insistent odes to optimism, “Right on Time” and “The Crossings,” assure an emotional embrace. Bearing both beauty and insight, Airstream serves Wilcox well. —LZ

davidwilcox.com