Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

Looking just to the album proper, this is nearly perfect.

This fairly short hip hop EP is solid and entertaining. There is a decent range of sound, but it all leans toward the electronic, dance oriented zone.

There was a time when pretty much all music coming out of Nashville, Tennessee was country, or at least heavily country leaning. Those days are gone, and this album is an example of that.

This set is a bit uneven. Personally, I tend to think that opener is the weakest cut here.

This is the newest EP from Paul Maged, and it falls under the alternative rock category. Within that general label, despite the fact that there are only a few songs, there is quite a bit of sonic range.

This new single from Paul Maged is a bit rough around the edges in some ways, but that's one of its charms. This is definitely an indie type release.

I've reviewed quite a few releases from Paul Maged so far. He always manages to deliver.

Paul Maged always delivers. It seems to me that he keeps putting out better and better music, too.

These guys really manage to bring the classic kind of hard rocking sound and make it their own.

There has been a big movement toward roots music in the last decade or so. I have to wonder if it's a response to the over-production of so much modern pop music.

These guys are definitely tied to the modern roots music trend. That means they land somewhere in the neighborhood occupied by things like folk, bluegrass and more.

I like this a lot. It’s pretty solid pop rock music, but there are other things going on here.

I suppose you could call this alternative rock, but there is quite a bit going on here.

This is quite an intriguing set. One thing that makes this stand out from a lot of modern music is the fact that this is really a cohesive set of music rather than a bunch of songs just sort of put together.

The three songs here all fit under the "fun" category. This is best described as "good times pop rock."

This is a massive set.

There are only four songs on this EP, but there is a lot of variety.

Roy Rogers is a slide guitar expert and Ray Manzarek was the keyboard genius behind the Doors.

I have to admit to never hearing this band before. This collection is an intriguing introduction to an unusual group.

"MARG" is the stage name of Margarita Landry, and this is her new album. Fans of modern female pop singers will like this a lot.

I absolutely love this EP. My only complaint is that I wish there was more of it.

There is not a weak song here. However, this set would probably be a case where less is more.

I have never heard of this Madison, Wisconsin band before. Well, I am definitely glad they are on my radar now.

This is quite an interesting album. It sits firmly in the alternative rock zone, but there is a good range within.

With Jerry Marotta as part of this (and Tony Levin as a guest) I had been expecting something along the prog or fusion lines of sound.

This album is a classic example of less being more. There is not a weak song on the disc.

There is a real retro, classic soul element to this. That works really well.

This is the kind of set that gets into your ear and just won't let go. It's a roots music based excursion that's very effective.

This is a good album. It’s got some cool songs.

Nathan Mathes, a Wisconsin based singer/songwriter with a handful of self-released collections to his credit, has released his latest effort, Anajune Rival.

This album covers ground ranging from folk rock to blues based stuff and psychedelia.

This is an intriguing hip hop album. The musical backdrops are always interesting.

This three CD set is a great value and allows fans to get three killer John Mayall albums in one place.

I really like the retro sounds on this release. The album covers quite a bit of range within that basic concept. .

This collection of music from Charlie McCoy covers a lot of territory. I really like parts of this a lot, particularly the more rocking stuff.

Have you heard of Jimmy McCracklin? Well, he was a musician plying his trade for decades.

Julia McDonald is talented. There is nothing in this set that I would call "weak."

Chantel McGregor, who I have covered in the past, did a lot of musical performances during Covid lockdown.

I've reviewed a couple things from Chantel McGregor before. That includes the first "Shed Sessions" disc.

If you like guitar music, you really should give this a try.

Gus McKay's sound is gritty and down to earth. He calls to mind people like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Lou Reed.

This short EP contains some effective music. There is a real mainstream pop rock vibe to all of it, but there is a decent range within that heading.

I have two reviews of this duo in this issue of Music Street Journal. The other one, the newer of the two, is definitely the better release.

This duo previously released a couple EPs that I reviewed. Fernando Perdomo is a frequently covered artist at MSJ.

On the one hand, I feel it does the music here a disservice to focus on the health adversities that Ali McManus has faced (and is still living through).

This album is a classy set. I'm not blown away by everything here, but it works reasonably well.

This is a two-disc set. Still, it's basically in the range of 41 minutes.

As you can probably tell from the title, Big Jay McNeely's new set turns the attention to the blues. This is quite an effective disc with several standout tunes.

While the name "M. CRANE" might make one think that this is a solo artist, that is actually the band name. Over the years the one constant in the band has been singer, song-writer Nick Maskill.

This is such a great EP. I had no idea what to expect going in, and I was completely blown away. I think that this will probably make my "best of 2022" list.

There is a definite link between hardcore punk and metal.

The Members are a punk band dating back to the original days of the 1970s. This new album includes their covers of a lot of great music.

There is a fairly wide range of sounds here from roots music to jazz, alternative and more. It's all delivered with a maturity and proficiency that is admirable.

Metaspion is a Norwegian electronic artist. This song features vocals from hip hop artist Skam R' Tist.

There are definitely hints of heavy metal at times here, but more often industrial music. That said, the electronic elements are one of the largest driving factors, leaning it toward EDM.

This music is something called "Psycho Billy." To me that means a blending of old school rock and roll, surf music, punk rock and frequent horror and science fiction themes.

This is a pretty cool set. It has a lot of folk in the mix, but there is more here, too – from jazz to alternative rock and more..

I dig the blend of classic sounds on this beast.

The easiest description here is to say that this is punk rock. Everything you love and everything you don't like about punk rock is present on this set.

I have to say that I really like this release a lot. The musical genre is hard to pin down, and that's just one of the appeals to this.

Mimo is an intriguing artist, with an emphasis on the "art" portion of that equation.

This is a collection of music from an outfit that went by a number of different names. They seemed to touch on as many types of different 1960s music, too.

I always liked Missing Persons.

Ohio-based songwriter and musician Damon Mitchell has released a fine album with Like You're In A Dream.

This set is probably best described as alternative rock. There is quite a range within that heading as presented here, though.

I previously reviewed the EP from which this single comes at Music Street Journal.

This is a good album with some moments that are much better than that.

This is a Russian duo, and they play some pretty great music.

This is not the usual folk music collection. These songs were recorded in 1981.

Joey Molland’s greatest claim to fame is arguably his tenure as the guitarist in Badfinger.

First off, this album is actually released under the name “Joe Molland.”

Joey Molland is probably best known for his work in Badfinger.

This four CD set captures Molly Hatchet in a period of time where they seemed to be struggling to find their identity.

So, if you liked a lot of the music of the 1960s, you will probably like this outfit.

I like MonaLisa Twins a lot. So, I was looking forward to this set of covers.

This album is a mostly acoustic set that has plenty of roots music at its core.

This EP definitely borders on progressive rock.

When I reviewed their previous EP in the last issue of Music Street Journal I remarked that I’d like to hear more from these guys.

These guys have done a very smart thing.

This is a new single for an act that goes by the name of "Monsters and Miracles." It's set in the vein of Electronic Dance Music (EDM).

Kristian Montgomery is billed as an alt-country act.

This is quite a strong album. The brand of blues here is decidedly electric.

I’ve always been a big fan of Gary Moore’s brand of rocking blues (or bluesy rock, depending on the song).

If you like artistic, creative folk music, there is plenty here that should please. There are no particularly weak songs here.

I reviewed a previous set from this artist. I liked that one a lot, but thought that perhaps a few songs could have been pulled from the disc to make it stronger.

I previously reviewed another disc from this artist. In that review I said that it needed some more variety to keep it more interesting throughout the release.

This instrumental set has a lot of blues edge to it.

This album has a good mix of sounds, but since Vinnie Moore is the guitarist, you know it's going to be guitar forward and strong.

Moors & McCumber is a duo, and they land in the territory of mellow music.

I previously reviewed another set from this act. That was a strong album, and this continues that trend.

The blend of sounds on here is quite cool.

This set leans well toward the country music end of the spectrum. The main selling point here is the vocal delivery.

This EP is quite cool. I really wish there was more music here.

Be careful what you wish for they say. When I reviewed Bobbie Morrone's three-song EP previously I wished that there had been more music.

There is a lot of great music here. That said, this isn’t an entirely successful disc.

We’ve all heard the stories of cancelled gigs.

This might not be an obvious choice, but for me 1916 is one of the better Motorhead albums.

This is a reissue of the 1992 album.

Apparently I'm in the minority as someone who loved this album from the day I bought it, and that was the day it was released.

I didn't realize it at the time, but a lot of people didn't like this album when it came out. Guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clark was out of the band, and his replacement was Brian "Robbo" Robertson.

This CD from Mourning Noise gathers up a number of recordings from the early to mid 1980s. The general concept here is hardcore punk, but there are some twists and angles at play.

This new single from Erich Mrak is the first single of six to be released from the act. The plan is that the six will be assembled into an EP that is currently untitled.

This the second single to come as part of an EP from Erich Mrak. I reviewed the first one, "Navigate" in this issue, too.

Erich Mrak is working toward an ambitious goal. He's releasing a new single every month.

The latest in a string of singles being released as a seven-month project, ultimately to be assembled into an EP, this has merits. It's also stumbles a bit by getting into the over-produced zone.

Erich Mrak has been releasing quite a stream of singles. His music tends to be high quality with a pop and soul sound.

Country music, folk, blues and more combine on this disc.

This new 10-inch vinyl disc is cool. It's on red vinyl and has two songs on each side. That makes it land in the 20-minute range.

This is an intriguing set. Probably half the songs are just vocals and upright bass. The other half have more instrumentation in the mix.

The long awaited Mumford and Sons CD finds that the group dropped their original banjo sound we all know and went all electric.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who know Mungo Jerry for one tune, "In the Summertime." As this five CD box set shows, there is a lot to this act beyond that song.

There is a lot of roots music in the mix here, country, folk and more.

I like Chris Murphy. I've reviewed a number of his albums in the past. I like this set, too, but not as much.

Chris Murphy puts out consistently solid releases. His musical styles tend to vary quite a bit, from Celtic music to things like this.

I've reviewed quite a few releases from Chris Murphy over the years. You can always count on him for quality.

There’s a big movement toward roots music right now. It’s not quite what you’d call “the thing,” but it’s certainly trendy.

The main man behind My Silent Bravery is Matthew Wade. With this new single he has produced an energetic cut that belongs on pop radio.

There are quite a few elements of progressive rock that show up on this set.

First, it has to be stated that this outfit should get some bonus points for that band name.

You could say that this is a solid pop rock album.

A lot of times electronic music is strictly keyboard based. This set makes good use of guitar, too.

There is a lot of electronic music in the mix here.

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