Excellent is my highest rating for an album. Basically it has 3 criteria that must be met. It has to do something musically that impresses me, it has to have variety from track to track (they can't all sound the same) and I have to like every track. If there's one that I always skip or don't particularly like, then it doesn't take top honors. Plus I have to want to give it to it. So far, only 3 albums have truely earned it. And here they are.
Say hello to GrooveLily. They're a 3 piece band out of NYC consisting of drums, keys and electric violin,
plus they sing 3 part harmony at the same time. Their music is a combination of
pop, jazz, rock, and something else that I can't quite place a finger on. Think (mostly) happy, quirky,
intelligent, musically sophisticated pop rock, centered around strong lyrics that tell stories
and have points, all delivered with enough drive to move a mountain.
GrooveLily is a band that knows who they are and aren't afraid to sound like it. They do stunning live concerts, as well as theater style shows. They recently put out a cd out of their musical 'Striking 12', which is based around the Hans Christian Anderson story 'The Little Match Girl'. Picture a show where the pit musicians are the actors. They're on the stage, they say the lines, they set the scenes and they play the songs. That show was my first exposure to GrooveLily, and I've been a fan ever since.
Where to get it. iTunes now has it, for $9.99. Or CD Baby for $14.99
Gaelic Storm is the group that I know the least about. According to the album cover, there's 5 of them.
They're a celtic band who mixes their Irish roots and musical traditions with a more western sound.
If GrooveLily were Irish, this is what they would sound like. Their songs are fun to listen to, happy
bounch, but not so syrupy sweet that you need to reach for the insulin.
What sold it for me was the variety that this album has. Not only does it easily pass the musically impressive test (the fiddle player and whoever's on the penny whistle is enough right there), as well as the not wanting to skip any tracks test, but each track sounds different from the one before it. It's either a different style or feel, or a different singer, or both.
Bottom line, if you like people singing with Irish accents, and songs with a Celtic lilt to them, but don't want to hear traditional tunes done on a harp and bodhran, check this album out. iTunes, $11.99, Amazon.com for $13.99
Cheryl is a singer-songwriter of the highest caliber. Her lyrics are perfect, and her voice is calm. She can paint a picture in your head that's so vivid it makes you want to sell your house and move there. There's nothing flashy or showy about this one, but it's as solid as the diamond that it is.
Musically speaking there are a few little guitar fills that are tasteful enough to impress me (plus the one done on harmonics. That one's pretty hot). And there's actually one track that I sometimes skip, depending on my mood (Don't forget the guns. It's funny, it's saterical, it's sarcastic, and it's sometimes too peppy for how I'm feeling). So why is it Excellent? You need to hear it. It has some of the best songs you will ever hear. Be warned, it has a lot of broken relationship songs that are right on the edge of being really depressing. This isn't an overwhelmingly happy cd. It's something to listen to if it's been a hard day, you're feeling reflective and you want to sit quietly and turn the lights out.
