Music Review: West Indian Girl - 4th & Wall

Once a pop duo, West Indian Girl is now complete as a rock sextet. Named after a strain of LSD, original members Robert James (vocals/guitar) and Francis Ten (bass) are joined by Mariqueen Maandig (vocals/percussion), Mark Lewis (drums/backing vocals), Nathan Van Hala (keyboard), and Amy White (keyboard/backing vocals) and the six-piece rock outfit has the sophomore West Indian Girl album, 4th & Wall, ready for an October 23, 2007 release. If you just cannot wait, don’t fret too much as the first single, “Blue Wave,” is already available on iTunes. The band also has a few tracks up on their MySpace page.

The album is named after the corner where the band’s studio is. The warehouse is in a part of Los Angeles that isn’t really a tourist destination, in fact it is the type of neighborhood your mother told you to avoid, as influencing the beachy sounds of the album -- they are surrounded by a community of homeless people, rats, and excrement. However, being aware of their surroundings is also the only inspiration the sound needs as they dream up visions of a better place. To that end, West Indian Girl succeeds.

The catchy guitar riffs and synth that caught our attention with their first single, “What Are You Afraid Of,” are back yet fleshed out with the additional personalities the band has picked up along the way. And don’t worry, there are still references to mind altering substances present throughout the new album. 4th & Wall will definitely make you long to have the days of summer back as the ocean seems to be a main character of the album.

“Get Up” certainly has potential to pop through the airwaves with brilliant harmonies and solid orchestration. “To Die in LA” is a rocker strengthened by the great synth we’ve come to expect from West Indian Girl. With the howling harmonies, “Sofia” may very well be my favorite track on the album. The enthralling hook in “Blue Wave’ makes it a perfect choice to be the first single. “All My Friends” is a foot-tapping trippy tune that further makes the point that 4th & Wall is the antithesis to the surroundings in which it was created. The CD is certainly worth a listen.

The complete track listing for West Indian Girl’s 4th & Wall is:
1. To Die in LA
2. Sofia
3. Blue Wave
4. All My Friends
5. Indian Ocean
6. Up The Coast
7. Solar Eyes
8. Lost Children
9. Back to You
10. Rise From the Dead
11. Get Up

West Indian Girl also has a few upcoming tour dates. Those of you on the West Coast are lucky dogs. Let me know if you catch a show, I’d love to hear about it.
October 19 at Winstons in San Diego, CA
October 20 at Spaceland in Los Angeles, CA
October 21 at the Monterey Fairgrounds in Monterey, CA as part of the Monterey Music Summit
November 1 at the Billboard Conference in Lost Angeles, CA
November 10 at The Independent in San Francisco, CA

Elton John - Rocket Man: Number Ones

No matter what your musical taste prefers, chances are you’ve heard of Elton John. A multiple Grammy winner, humanitarian, and flamboyant superstar, Elton John has been a huge success on the music scene since 1970. His first release was Empty Sky in 1969 with his most recent being Rocket Man: Number Ones, a collection of 17 of his biggest hits. Wisely, the CD isn’t a compilation of only his Number One Singles, but also includes several of his more well known songs that didn’t quite make it into that number one spot ("Rocket Man" only made it to sixth spot on US pop charts). Instead, Rocket Man adds those few songs that most people have heard and think of when Elton John is mentioned; the CD just wouldn’t feel complete without them. And it certainly wouldn’t be fitting for the eccentric 60-year-old to leave his audience wanting. But of course, 17 songs fall short of being able to be truly comprehensive of Elton John’s great songs of the past 40 years.

Is it worth buying another album of greatest hits from Elton John? He has already released such collections on Greatest Hits (1974), Greatest Hits Vol. 2(1986), The Very Best of Elton John (1990), One Night Only (2000), Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (2002), with many having a separate release in other countries and other compilation albums such as Love Songs and Duets. If you don’t own any of those, then the question is most assuredly you should purchase it. While Greatest Hits 1970-2002 is probably the most in depth greatest hits release, sometimes having a single disc with music spanning his career really is better than two discs. In that instance, Rocket Man is also worth purchasing. Then, you could be like me and simply be obsessed with Elton John when there is no question in your mind on if you will buy it. It is also a great collection of songs for someone unsure of which Elton John to purchase.

I honestly only have two complaints about Rocket Man: Number Ones. The first is my favorite song, "I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues", isn’t included. The real complaint is the version of "Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me". It is a live recording, which is never my personal preference unless I am actually watching it live. Not only is it live, but George Michael sings most of it and not Elton John.

I do enjoy the cover art a great deal and it is truly representative of Elton’s career. Perhaps it is an homage to the Sgt Pepper cover, but it shows Elton John throughout the four decades of his musical career. The liner notes also give you information about the songs, which albums they were first a part of and when they reached their hit status.

Track Listing:
1.Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (3:14) - Cash Box Pop, 1973
2.Bennie & The Jets (5:23) - Billboard Pop, 1973
3.Daniel (3:54) - Billboard A/C*, 1973
4.Crocodile Rock (3:55) - Billboard Pop, 1973
5.Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (5:56) - Billboard, 1974
6.Philadelphia Freedom (5:20) - Billboard Pop, 1975
7.Island Girl (3:43) - Billboard Pop, 1975
8.Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (w/Kiki Dee) (4:35) - Billboard Pop & A/C, 1976
9.Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (3:50) - Billboard A/C, 1976
10.Sacrifice (5:06) - U.K. Pop, 1990
11.Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (w/George Michael) (5:38) - Billboard Pop & A/C, 1992
12.Can You Feel The Love Tonight (4:01) - Billboard, 1994
13.Your Song (4:05)
14.Tiny Dancer (6:18)
15.Rocket Man (4:41)
16.Candle In the Wind (3:50)
17.Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (4:54)

*A/C is the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Music Documentary: Kenny Wayne Shepherd - 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads

The beauty of the landscape, along with the harsh heat and humidity make it easy to see why the South was the natural birthplace of the Blues. The difficult life encompassed by the wonder of nature was a stepping-stone for the ability of blues musicians to sing about their lives without creating negative music. That is what Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s CD/DVD 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads is about. It documents the birthplace of the Blues with none other than the men and women who started it.


On the documentary, Kenny Wayne Shepherd says, “Blues has been around this long, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.” But the artists who started the Blues are aging and Kenny Wayne Shepherd wanted to capture their influence and play with them before it was too late. So he set out with a portable recording studio and a film crew on a ten-day journey through the South culminating in a concert with the Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters’ bands at the Church at Blue Heaven Studios.

Along his journey he recorded in juke joints and kitchens, in the woods and on front porches; he recorded the Blues where it was meant to be played and where it was born. He caught up with artists who are household names like B.B. King but he also met up with musicians who were satisfied just getting by and therefore never became famous, but everyone he played with helped shape the Blues and give it heart. Each track on 10 Days Out was recorded as you see it on the DVD. There are no fancy tricks or editing but real artists recording the Blues as it has always been played, and for some that was before music was written down.


Matching the rawness of the music is the intimacy of the documentary. We’re given a glimpse inside their homes and into their pasts. The beautiful shots are balanced with fuzzier ones showing the realness to the grit. Everything about 10 Days Out is real and that is what makes it so important.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd declares he’s “just another soul searching for the answers.” Hopefully he found them on his fifth album, taking it back to the roots with some impressive guests like B.B. King, Henry Townsend, Etta Baker, Big Daddy Pattman, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Buddy Flett, Bryan Lee, and more. Honoring the Blues, Kenny Wayne Shepherd captured some amazing tracks without crowding the talents of the original bluesmen. 10 Days Out is a piece of history, documenting the Blues in an unrepeatable way as six of the Blues veterans he visited passed away before the album’s release.

Check out the trailer for the documentary and hear Kenny Wayne Shepherd play with B.B. King on “The Thrill Is Gone” and you, too, will understand why you need to buy 10 Days Out. Partial proceeds are being donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization helping impoverished blues artists. More information about the artists involved and the project itself can be found at the Official Website.

Joshua Radin - We Were Here

Joshua Radin is one of the artists that should be glad he’s a friend of Zach Braff. Zach Braff likes music, as can be seen by putting together the soundtrack for films like Garden State and The Last Kiss as well as his TV show Scrubs. I’m not sure if Scrubs or Zach Braff’s blog is what tipped me off on Joshua Radin first, but I am glad it did. Even then, Joshua Radin would have been able to find his way to the limelight without a leg up.

We Were Here was initially available exclusively on iTunes where it easily because the Number 1 bestselling folk album and was in the Top 30 overall. Not bad considering it is Joshua Radin’s first full-length CD; 2004’s EP First Between 3rd & 4th contained only six songs.

Radin wrote ten of the eleven songs on We Were Here, with Vince Clarke’s “Only You” being the only cover. Yaz or Enrique Iglesias fans will recognize “Only You,” no it isn’t the song John Lennon and Elvis sing of the same name. I’d never heard it sung without a thick accent and it really is a gem when Radin sings it.

Which is really the point of the whole CD, Radin is truly a diamond in the rough. His voice is unique, almost a whisper, making it seem more intimate. The breathiness to his voice is the perfect match to the airy songs he writes. Centering on love, both new and lost, his voice contains a sort of romanticism that seduces you to join his journey.

Not only is his voice exquisite, but Radin really does have a talent for songwriting. The Singer-Songwriter genre is full of people who can’t sing, can’t write, or both. But he is the light in the distance, the beacon for which the others must strive. With a few words he can entice you, inciting emotions so strong you would think they were your own instead of his. Add moving cello arrangements on top of the beautiful words and you have the recipe for a great CD.

The opening track, “Sundrenched World,” beautifully explains insecurities in love. Yet his vulnerability lacks the in-your face heart-on-your-sleeve feeling of the likes of James Blunt. Although hailed as the new Elliot Smith, Joshua Radin maintains his individuality.

“Star Mile” has a more ditty-like feel to it with more obvious rhyming but it isn’t so sing-songy as to beat you over the head with it. The song also beautifully showcases how well Priscilla Hartranft and Radin harmonize.

“These Photographs” is more upbeat and demonstrates the intelligence behind his songs. I mean, how many artists mention Sylvia Plath, Simone de Beauvoir, Nina Simone, and Mary Cassat in one song? And what fitting people to connect to the images he keeps in his mind of his loved one.

While “Only You” is great for being recognizable, “Winter” is my favorite song on the album. With lyrics like “your voice is the splinter inside me,” how can you not feel the pain and longing Joshua Radin is singing about?

The airiness to his voice makes ballads a great match for Joshua Radin. Personally, I love the ballads. However, I can understand where some would find it repetitive and wish for some variety. Either way, Joshua Radin’s music speaks to that place in your heart where you know you are home and everything is at peace.

And if you can’t tell, I really like Joshua Radin's CD.

Joshua Radin - We Were Here

Joshua Radin is one of the artists that should be glad he’s a friend of Zach Braff. Zach Braff likes music, as can be seen by putting together the soundtrack for films like Garden State and The Last Kiss as well as his TV show Scrubs. I’m not sure if Scrubs or Zach Braff’s blog is what tipped me off on Joshua Radin first, but I am glad it did. Even then, Joshua Radin would have been able to find his way to the limelight without a leg up.

We Were Here was initially available exclusively on iTunes where it easily because the Number 1 bestselling folk album and was in the Top 30 overall. Not bad considering it is Joshua Radin’s first full-length CD; 2004’s EP First Between 3rd & 4th contained only six songs.

Radin wrote ten of the eleven songs on We Were Here, with Vince Clarke’s “Only You” being the only cover. Yaz or Enrique Iglesias fans will recognize “Only You,” no it isn’t the song John Lennon and Elvis sing of the same name. I’d never heard it sung without a thick accent and it really is a gem when Joshua Radin sings it.

Which is really the point of the whole CD, Joshua Radin is truly a jewel in the rough. His voice is unique, almost a whisper, making it seem more intimate. The breathiness to his voice is the perfect match to the airy songs he writes. Centering on love, both new and lost, his voice contains a sort of romanticism that seduces you to join his journey.

Not only is his voice exquisite, but Radin really does have a talent for songwriting. The Singer-Songwriter genre is full of people who can’t sing, can’t write, or both. But Joshua Radin is the light in the distance, the beacon for which the others must strive. With a few words he can entice you, inciting emotions so strong you would think they were your own instead of his. Add moving cello arrangements on top of the beautiful words and you have the recipe for a great CD.

The opening track, “Sundrenched World,” beautifully explains insecurities in love. Yet his vulnerability lacks the in-your face heart-on-your-sleeve feeling of the likes of James Blunt. Although hailed as the new Elliot Smith, Joshua Radin maintains his individuality.

“Star Mile” has a more ditty-like feel to it with more obvious rhyming. But it isn’t so sing-songy as to beat you over the head with it. The song also beautifully showcases how well Priscilla Hartranft and Joshua Radin harmonize.

“These Photographs” is more upbeat and demonstrates the intelligence behind his songs. I mean, how many artists mention Sylvia Plath, Simone de Beauvoir, Nina Simone, and Mary Cassat in one song? And what fitting people to connect to the images he keeps in his mind of his loved one.

While “Only You” is great for being recognizable, “Winter” is my favorite song on the album. With lyrics like “your voice is the splinter inside me,” how can you not feel the pain and longing Joshua Radin is singing about?

The airiness to his voice makes ballads a great match for Joshua Radin. Personally, I love the ballads. However, I can understand where some would find it repetitive and wish for some variety. Either way, Joshua Radin’s music speaks to that place in your heart where you know you are home and everything is at peace.

And if you can’t tell, I really like Joshua Radin's CD.