Release date: May 4, 2010 Label: INO Records Producer: Brown Bannister & Dan Muckala   Style: Christian Rock, Modern Rock, Rock, Adult Contemporary Related bands: Switchfoot, U2, The Calling

[voto: 4.5][EN]

Intro
Sesto album in studio per la INO Records, "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" dei MercyMe spazza in un sol colpo l'intera discografia precedente della band texana. L'album ha debuttato al numero 3 della classifica di Billobard.

Best tracks
This Life, The Generous Mr. Lovewell, Move, All Of Creation, Free

Notes
I christian rockers MercyMe sfornano un album decisamente più solare, fresco e accattivante di quanto prodotto fino ad ora. Se nella produzione passata si erano dedicati ad un rock ben fatto ma piuttosto standardizzato, questo "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" inizia (spero) un percorso di distinzione dalla massa di rock band del panorama cristiano.

Il trittico di canzoni iniziale è rappresentativo del nuovo sound e dell'alto valore qualitativo dell'intero album: si parte con la bellissima e ballabile electro-rock "This Life", si prosegue con la Beach Boys flavoured title track per finire con "Move" altro pop anthem ballabile.
La quarta canzone, la lenta "Crazy Enough", ci fa prendere un attimo di respiro ma con le sue atmosfere "desertiche" e quasi pulp rimane comunque lontana dallo stile canonico della band.
Con la successiva parte dell'album, i MercyMe tornano a melodie più classiche: "Only You Remain", "Beautiful" ma soprattutto "All Of Creation", primo singolo, un bel brano in crescendo che conduce l'ascoltatore ad un finale dal pathos coinvolgente.

L'album intero è pervaso di vibrazioni positive sia nei brani più rock che in quelli lenti e il messaggio che la band vuole lanciare è che piccole buone azioni possono cambiare il mondo. Se siete curiosi, visitate il sito di Mr. Lovewell per maggiori info.

Band

• Bart Millard – vocals
• Nathan Cochran – bass guitar
• Michael John Scheuchzer – guitars
• Robin Troy Shaffer – drums
• James Philip Bryson – keyboards
• Barry Graul - guitars

Tracklist

• 01. This Life   3:34
• 02. The Generous Mr. Lovewell   4:10
• 03. Move   2:58
• 04. Crazy Enough   4:06
• 05. All Of Creation   3:56
• 06. Beautiful   4:21
• 07. Back To You   4:11
• 08. Only You Remain   4:50
• 09. Free   4:09
• 10. Won't You Be My Love   5:16
• 11. This So Called Love   1:36

Discography

• Pleased To Meet You (1995 independent)
• Traces Of Rain vol. 1 (1997 independent)
• Traces Of Rain vol. 2 (1997 independent)
• The Need (1998 independent)
• The Worship Project (1999 independent)
• Look (2000 independent)
• Almost There (2001 INO Records)
• Spoken For (2002 INO Records)
• Undone (2004 INO Records)
• The Christmas Sessions (2005 INO Records)
• Coming Up To Breath (2006 INO Records)
• All That Is Within Me (2007 INO Records)
• MM 10 – Greatest Hits (2009 INO Records)
• The Generous Mr. Lovewell (2010 INO Records)

Suggested links

• MercyMe on myspace
• MercyMe Official Site
• MercyMe on Facebook
• MercyMe on YouTube
• The Generous Mr. Lovewell Official Site

Release date: May 4, 2010 Label: INO Records Producer: Brown Bannister & Dan Muckala   Style: Christian Rock, Modern Rock, Rock, Adult Contemporary Related bands: Switchfoot, U2, The Calling

[voto: 4.5]

Intro
"The Generous Mr. Lovewell" is the sixth MercyMe's studio album released by INO Records and it wipes out the whole previous discography of this Texan band. It has debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Best tracks
This Life, The Generous Mr. Lovewell, Move, All Of Creation, Free

Notes
The Christian rockers MercyMe bring out a definitely more sunny, fresh and catchy album than the ones released until now. If in the past they were mainly focused on a well-done but pretty canonical rock, "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" opens (I hope) a path of distinction from the mass of the other Christian rock bands.

The three opening songs well represent both the new sound and the high quality of the whole album: it starts with "This Life" a wonderful electro-disco-rock track, then there is the Beach Boys' flavoured title track and finally "Move", another disco pop anthem.
The ballad "Crazy Enough" is the fourth song and it gives the time to breath for a while but with its desertic and almost pulp atmosphere is anyway unusual for the band's typical style.
With the next part of the album, MercyMe go back to their roots: "Only You Remain", "Beautiful" and above all "All Of Creation", the first single, a beautiful crescendo song that brings the listener to the end with captivating pathos.

The whole album is filled with good vibes, both the rock songs and the ballads, and the message the band would like to spread is that the little things can add up to a big change. If you are curious about this, visit Mr. Lovewell website to get more info.

Band

• Bart Millard – vocals
• Nathan Cochran – bass guitar
• Michael John Scheuchzer – guitars
• Robin Troy Shaffer – drums
• James Philip Bryson – keyboards
• Barry Graul - guitars

Tracklist

• 01. This Life   3:34
• 02. The Generous Mr. Lovewell   4:10
• 03. Move   2:58
• 04. Crazy Enough   4:06
• 05. All Of Creation   3:56
• 06. Beautiful   4:21
• 07. Back To You   4:11
• 08. Only You Remain   4:50
• 09. Free   4:09
• 10. Won't You Be My Love   5:16
• 11. This So Called Love   1:36

Discography

• Pleased To Meet You (1995 independent)
• Traces Of Rain vol. 1 (1997 independent)
• Traces Of Rain vol. 2 (1997 independent)
• The Need (1998 independent)
• The Worship Project (1999 independent)
• Look (2000 independent)
• Almost There (2001 INO Records)
• Spoken For (2002 INO Records)
• Undone (2004 INO Records)
• The Christmas Sessions (2005 INO Records)
• Coming Up To Breath (2006 INO Records)
• All That Is Within Me (2007 INO Records)
• MM 10 – Greatest Hits (2009 INO Records)
• The Generous Mr. Lovewell (2010 INO Records)

Suggested links

• MercyMe on myspace
• MercyMe Official Site
• MercyMe on Facebook
• MercyMe on YouTube
• The Generous Mr. Lovewell Official Site

• Release Date: April 6, 2010
• Label: Razor & Tie
• Producer: Ed Cash
• Engineered by: Paul Moak
• Mixed by: Tom Laune
• Mastered by: Bob Ludwig

• Style: Adult Contemporary, Acoustic Pop, Soul, Fusion, Westcoast
• Related bands: Hall & Oates, Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, Train, Chicago, Toto, Steely Dan

[voto: 4.5]

Intro
Dave Barnes is a 34 year-old singer-songwriter (and stand-up comedian) based in Nasvhille, he is one of those artists that make me wonder why radio stations must broadcast always the same four songs.
This is his second major album and the fourth counting his first two self-produced albums.

Best tracks
Little Lies, What I Need, What We Want What We Get, Chameleon, Someone's Somebody

Notes
The album, even if influenced by different genres, has continuity. This variety was desired by the same Dave, who declares his intention to focus on individual songs instead of thinking on the whole CD.
In that way, the light-hearted acoustic pop tracks like "Look So Easy" and, especially, the opener "Little Lies" (impossible to avoid sing along since the first time you listen to it) alternate with the adult contemporary rock songs "God Gave Me You", released as the first single, and "My Love, My Enemy".
The central part of WWW,WWG is dedicated to more refined sounds that embrace several styles, ranging from soul to fusion, and these are the songs where one may hear a major work of arrangement and production. The title track is a slow sexual song ala Hall&Oates, in which Dave's warm and charming voice is the absolute protagonist. "Chameleon", instead, is the song that Donald Fagen would have written if he had collaborated with Chicago, while "Someone's Somebody" sounds like his personal version of "Georgy Porgy" by Toto, a favorite of Dave.
Long time friend Jonny Lang, renowned guitarist and singer with growing fame in Europe, borrows his voice to the precious "What I Need", the meeting point between 80s Eric Clapton and H&O.
The only undertone song is "Amen", it is the closure song, reserved only for the heartfelt interpretation of Dave Barnes, a singer who deserves more airplay here in Italy.

Band

• Dave Barnes – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Drew Ramsey – electric guitar, background vocals
• Akil Thompson – electric guitar
• Ben Shive – keyboards
• David Labruyere – bass
• Paul Mabury – drums
• background vocals: Ed Cash, Annie Barnes, Matt Wertz, Scott Cash, Jason Eskridge, Shannon Sanders
• bdditional guitars: Paul Moak, Dan Dugmore, David Johnson
• horns: Max Abrams, Steve Patrick, Roy Agee

Tracklist

• 01. Little Lies   (D. Barnes) 2:47
• 02. God Gave Me You   (D. Barnes) 3:49
• 03. What I Need (ft. Jonny Lang)   (D. Barnes, G. Dixon) 4:02
• 04. What We Want, What We Get   (D. Barnes) 3:40
• 05. Chameleon   (D. Barnes) 3:42
• 06. Someone’s Somebody   (D. Barnes) 4:19
• 07. Look So Easy   (D. Barnes, T. Dabbs) 3:43
• 08. You Do The Same For Me   (D. Barnes) 5:21
• 09. My Love, My Enemy   (D. Barnes) 4:01
• 10. Amen   (D. Barnes) 4:17

Discography

• Three, Then Four EP (2002 self produced)
• Brother, Bring The Sun (2004 Aware)
• Chasing Mississippi (2006 Aware)
• Me And You And The World (2008 Razor & Tie)
• You, The Night, & Candlelight EP (2009 Razor & Tie)
• What We Want, What We Get (2010 Razor & Tie)

Suggested links

• Dave Barnes on myspace
• Dave Barnes Official Site

• Release Date: April 6, 2010
• Label: Razor & Tie
• Producer: Ed Cash
• Engineered by: Paul Moak
• Mixed by: Tom Laune
• Mastered by: Bob Ludwig

• Style: Adult Contemporary, Acoustic Pop, Soul, Fusion, Westcoast
• Related bands: Hall & Oates, Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, Train, Chicago, Toto, Steely Dan

[voto: 4.5][EN]
Intro
Dave Barnes è un cantautore (e comico) trentaquattrenne con base a Nashville, uno di quegli artisti che mi fan chiedere perché alla radio devono trasmettere sempre e solo le stesse quattro canzoni. Questo è il suo secondo album per una major e il quarto contando i primi due autoprodotti.

Best tracks
Little Lies, What I Need, What We Want What We Get, Chameleon, Someone’s Somebody

Notes
L’album, pur essendo influenzato da diversi stili, ha continuità d’ascolto. Questa varietà è voluta dallo stesso Dave che dichiara di volersi concentrare sulle singole canzoni piuttosto che pensare all’insieme del cd.
Così brani di acoustic pop scanzonato come “Look So Easy” e, soprattutto, l’opener “Little Lies” (impossibile evitare di canticchiarla fin dal primo ascolto) si alternano alle adult contemporary rock “God Gave Me You”, primo singolo, e “My Love, My Enemy”.
La parte centrale di WWW, WWG è dedicata a sonorità raffinate che abbracciano più generi, dal soul alla fusion ed è in questi brani che il lavoro di arrangiamento e produzione risalta maggiormente. La title track è uno slow sensuale alla Hall & Oates in cui la voce calda e avvolgente di Dave è protagonista assoluta. “Chameleon” è invece la canzone che avrebbe scritto Donald Fagen se avesse collaborato con i Chicago, mentre “Someone’s Somebody” sembra la sua personalissima versione di “Georgy Porgy” dei Toto, tra i preferiti di Dave.
L’amico di lunga data Jonny Lang, chitarrista e cantante di fama crescente anche in Europa, presta la voce nel gioiello “What I Need”, un incrocio tra l’Eric Clapton degli 80s e ancora H&O.
L’unica canzone sottotono è “Amen”, posta in chiusura e salvata solo dall’interpretazione sentita di Barnes, un cantante che meriterebbe air play anche in Italia.

Band

• Dave Barnes – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Drew Ramsey – electric guitar, background vocals
• Akil Thompson – electric guitar
• Ben Shive – keyboards
• David Labruyere – bass
• Paul Mabury – drums
• background vocals: Ed Cash, Annie Barnes, Matt Wertz, Scott Cash, Jason Eskridge, Shannon Sanders
• bdditional guitars: Paul Moak, Dan Dugmore, David Johnson
• horns: Max Abrams, Steve Patrick, Roy Agee

Tracklist

• 01. Little Lies   (D. Barnes) 2:47
• 02. God Gave Me You   (D. Barnes) 3:49
• 03. What I Need (ft. Jonny Lang)   (D. Barnes, G. Dixon) 4:02
• 04. What We Want, What We Get   (D. Barnes) 3:40
• 05. Chameleon   (D. Barnes) 3:42
• 06. Someone’s Somebody   (D. Barnes) 4:19
• 07. Look So Easy   (D. Barnes, T. Dabbs) 3:43
• 08. You Do The Same For Me   (D. Barnes) 5:21
• 09. My Love, My Enemy   (D. Barnes) 4:01
• 10. Amen   (D. Barnes) 4:17

Discography

• Three, Then Four EP (2002 self produced)
• Brother, Bring The Sun (2004 Aware)
• Chasing Mississippi (2006 Aware)
• Me And You And The World (2008 Razor & Tie)
• You, The Night, & Candlelight EP (2009 Razor & Tie)
• What We Want, What We Get (2010 Razor & Tie)

Suggested links

• Dave Barnes on myspace
• Dave Barnes Official Site

• Release Date: 4 February 2010
• Label: Carlos Media Corp
• Producer: Ethan Kaufmann

• David Amezcua - vocals, guitars, bass, drums

[Voto: 4.5]

I don't know how many of you have had the chance to listen to the excellent major debut album by Under The Influence Of Giants, a band from Los Angeles often compared to the Scissor Sisters; with that CD they reached the top of the Heatseekers Billboard chart in 2006.

Well, the bassist of that brilliant pop/rock/soul/funk/blues band is none other than our David Amezcua from Hollywood , deus-ex-machina of this new band called Hotstreets, where the bearded artist sings, plays guitars, drums, writes music and lyrics and, obviously, plays bass guitar.

David boasts different important collaborations in his curriculum vitae, besides UtIoG he played live with Hoobastank, Ryan Cabrera and others and he declares to be influenced by a plethora of artists of different genres like pop, soul, rock and funk.

The versatility of his tastes is clearly reflected in his compositions. Starting from the funky westcoast sound that pervades the opener "Dr. Doctor" to the concluding easy listening "SNL", it is a sequence of beautiful and wonderfully arranged pop songs, where the 70/80s sound of legends like Chicago, Toto, Prince, Steely Dan, Bee Gees, Survivor, George Michael, Supertramp and ELO is skilfully melted with a more contemporary sound like the one of Maroon 5, Mika, Jamiroquai, The Feeling, Orson and Donkeyboy. Everything is driven by the thin voice of David, a crossover of Michael Jackson, Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

If we would like to compare Hotstreets' sound with his mother-band, we may notice that UtIoG had a more sharpened dance beat and a more theatrical vein of insanity than Amezcua's compositions, while the Hotstreets' leader is focused to reach an audience who mainly loves classic, smooth and adult oriented sounds.

Anyway, with Under The Influence Of Giants or by himself, David Amezcua is a first-class artist and if you indentify yourself with the references of my review, buy his music pronto. 

Tracklist of Hotstreets

• 01. Dr. Doctor   3:45
• 02. Complicated   3:14
• 03. Hush   3:05
• 04. She's A Sleep Machine   3:19
• 05. Just A Little Bit   2:57
• 06. The Last Call   3:02
• 07. Aim To Lose   3:49
• 08. Condescending Paradise   3:05
• 09. Something To Belong   2:32
• 10. SNL   3:33

Discography of Hotstreets

• Hotstreets (2010 Carlos Media Corp)

Links

• Hotstreets official site
  
• Hotstreets on myspace
• Hotstreets on ReverbNation
• Video of "Complicated" on Youtube

• Release Date: 4 Febbraio 2010
• Etichetta: Carlos Media Corp
• Produttore: Ethan Kaufmann

• David Amezcua - vocals, guitars, bass, drums

[Voto: 4.5][EN]

Non so quanti di voi abbiano avuto occasione di ascoltare l'ottimo disco di debutto su major degli Under the Influence of Giants, una band di Los Angeles, spesso paragonata agli Scissor Sisters, che arrivò con quell'album in vetta alla Top Heatseekers chart di Billboard nel 2006.
Bene, il bassista di quella geniale band di pop/rock/soul/funk/blues altri non è che il nostro David Amezcua da Hollywood, deus-ex-machina di questi nuovi Hotstreets, in cui il barbuto artista ricopre il ruolo di cantante, chitarrista, batterista, autore di musica e testi oltre a quello, ovviamente, di bass player.

David vanta nel suo curriculum, oltre agli UtIoG, importanti collaborazioni con Hoobastank e Ryan Cabrera (tra gli altri), per i quali ha suonato il basso in tour, e si dichiara influenzato da una pletora di artisti che svariano tra il pop e il soul, tra il rock e il funk.

La poliedricità dei suoi gusti si riflette evidentemente nelle sue composizioni. A partire dal funky westcoast sound che permea l'opener "Dr. Doctor", per finire con l'easy listening di "SNL", è un susseguirsi di belle canzoni pop mirabilmente arrangiate, in cui il sound di icone degli anni 70/80 come Chicago, Toto, Prince, Steely Dan, Bee Gees, Survivor, George Michael, Supertramp ed ELO viene fuso sapientemente con quello di protagonisti delle classifiche di oggi come Maroon 5, Mika, Jamiroquai, The Feeling, Orson e Donkeyboy. Il tutto guidato dall'esile voce di David, un incrocio tra Michael Jackson, Jake Shears dei Scissor Sisters e Adam Levine dei Maroon 5.

Se vogliamo fare una comparazione con il sound della band madre, possiamo notare come gli UtIoG abbiano un dance beat ben più marcato rispetto a quello delle composizioni di Amezcua e una vena di follia generale più plateale, mentre il leader degli Hotstreets sembra puntare ad un audience che ama suoni maggiormente classici, levigati ed adult oriented.

Comunque sia, da solo o con gli Under, David Amezcua si rivela un artista di prim'ordine e se vi ritrovate tra i riferimenti del mio commento, affrettatevi a conoscere la sua musica.

Tracklist di Hotstreets

• 01. Dr. Doctor   3:45
• 02. Complicated   3:14
• 03. Hush   3:05
• 04. She's A Sleep Machine   3:19
• 05. Just A Little Bit   2:57
• 06. The Last Call   3:02
• 07. Aim To Lose   3:49
• 08. Condescending Paradise   3:05
• 09. Something To Belong   2:32
• 10. SNL   3:33

Discografia degli Hotstreets

• Hotstreets (2010 Carlos Media Corp)

Link suggeriti

• Sito ufficiale degli Hotstreets
• Hotstreets su myspace
• Hotstreets su ReverbNation
• Il Video di "Complicated" su Youtube