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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Kathleen Haskard Where the Land Meets the Sky Review by Gary Hill This is a very unique and very effective disc. The music has a pretty wide range and yet it seems to fit together well. I love the modern yet retro feeling of the sound. Kathleen Haskard’s voice is what really sells the disc, though. She has a genuine charm to her voice. She’s bluesy and soulful and yet sultry and somewhat understated. It all works really well together, creating an album that’s extremely strong. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

I'll Be Your Fool Soul, jazz, folk and more combine on this great track. I love the sultry, understated vocals. It’s a great tune. It’s classic sounding, but modern at the same time. The closing section even has some progressive rock sprinkled in.

Untangle This Thing Here we get a lot more of a bluesy rocker. While the mix here might not be as inventive, it makes up for it in terms of sheer charm. This is a smoking hot number.

Drama in the Dark This is such a cool tune. It’s slower with retro Americana in the mix. Add in some jazz and psychedelia and you’ll be on the right track. It’s just so classy. It seems this disc just keeps getting better track by track. It wanders towards proggy space rock later in the piece.

All Your Glory Both retro and modern, the arrangement here is a bit stripped back compared to some of the rest. Still, this is a classy tune that works quite well. I really like the bass on this thing.

Where the Land Meets the Sky There is definitely some country music and some psychedelia built into this slow moving piece. It’s got some great textures.

Flyin' Blind I love the blend of pop, rock, blues and jazz on this number. It’s one of the most readily accessible pieces here and just a great tune.

When I'm Gone This is more of a pure adult contemporary kind of groove. It’s got some jazz in the mix, too. It’s a classy piece that brings some variety.

Mother of Earth Bluesy roots music is merged with classic rock on this tune. It’s another with a lot of charm. The fuzz guitar is great the lyrics seem to have a Native American theme.

Maquina 501 With country and symphonic elements in the mix, this is traditional Mexican music. The lyrics are in Spanish and it’s another nice piece of variety.

Please Delete Me Slow moving and gradually building, this starts dreamy and atmospheric. It’s a unique song that I would almost consider modern prog. While it’s an understated way to end the disc, and I might have gone a different route in terms of the flow, it works well.

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