“By All Means.”

No, really. By all means, listen to this tune from National Product’s LUNA (2007 R&M Artist Records). This is good rock because it has that something extra. Yes, it is a cliché, but there is something…. In this case, it might be the crisp changes in rhythm. It might be those vocals. Of course, production helps. But this listener is inclined to believe that National Product has something well in hand with their choice of songs and the writing that goes into good stories. Playing for four years before putting out a debut CD will do that.

National Product was named one of the “TOP 100 BANDS TO WATCH IN 2008″ in Alternative Press Magazine (April 2008) www.alternativepress.com. Give a listen to “Love Me” from the LUNA collection. Again, this is some nice ballad work. Apparently many listeners are in agreement with the Alternative Press Magazine assessment. National Product also does some cover/tribute work with a nod to Smashing Pumpkins. That’s OK, I guess. The Disarm cover track is well done.

These guys take their talent to Albuquerque, Bakersfield and Fresno in California, as well as across the Pacific to Honolulu. My guess is music fans in those locations will be well pleased.

National Product on MySpace

[tags]National Product[/tags]

Perky music, right?

Well, first impressions can be accurate. This young lady from Chugiak, Alaska and Los Angeles puts together some music that is easy to listen to. It’s certainly upbeat, for the most part.

But what’s the story behind the dreams of this pop singer? Apparently she did what so many other talented but dissatisfied people do. She picked up her guitar, bought a ticket that would get her to L.A. and left home.

“Dreams” (Universal Republic 2008) stays on the upside, along with “Melody.” Both these tunes are from Kate Earl’s demo CD. The mix of musical styles, from 50′s pop to something like reggae, give the tunes strength they wouldn’t have based just on lyrics.

None other than Tommy Mottola has planted the seed for success for this woman. She calls him the “architect of dreams.” That may be so. This writer knows the Mottola name because of Tony Mottola, from the previous generation. The elder gentleman put together a nice beginning guitar book about four decades ago, one that helped numerous youngsters learn the basics of guitar chords.

Look for a full-length CD from this singer in the summer. She might find that “Golden St.” will be a favorite among the lyrical music on the collection.

Kate Earl on MySpace
[tags]Kate Earl[/tags]

It may be that not too many people outside of the St. Louis area know about FolknBluesGrass, but a growing cadre of avid fans believes this will change. The four-piece group that offers an interesting blend of musical styles features guitar work by Brian Curran, mandolin by Steve Bauer, the bass support of Travis King. “Fred Altiere joined the band in 2006 with his friend Gig the frog,” according to the group’s Web site.

That quick listing of the players says very little about the musicianship of this gathering of fun guys. Curran is an extremely talented six-string man, doing an excellent job on lead and recreating a couple of Chet Atkins tunes nearly note for note. As the old boy in the crowd said, “That ain’t easy!”

Bauer’s mandolin serves as a rhythm instrument occasionally, but it is Bauer’s lead-playing that sometimes takes your breath away. With King handling the upright bass with equal ability and Altiere playing every percussion instrument (including the kitchen sink) the crowd is in for a musical treat whenever FolknBluesGrass appears. Curran and Bauer do a fine job on both cover tunes and original songs, with Altiere and King joining in for backup vocals and a lead vocal now and then.

Curran has a couple of CDs of his own, while the band recently started offering an independently produced collection.

[tags]FolknBluesGrass[/tags]

First of all, gasoline is so damned expensive, I wouldn’t take a chance combining it with cigarettes. But Emerson Hart has done that, putting his dapper appearance (most of the time) on the table with “I Wish The Best For You” (Cigarettes and Gasoline 2007 EMI Manhattan). Nice listening ballad, with this one. In fact the timbre of his voice and the melody line sort of reminds me of the now ancient “Gorky Park” from the Scorpions, I believe.

But Hart isn’t an 80s/90s foreign, hair band. He’s in Nashville, Tennessee, first of all. He’ll be around, playing a few select clubs. But you may want to take a cruise with him and others in 2009. He will be part of the entertainment on Cayamo Cruise 2009, leaving from Miami.

Hart was frontman for a group called Tonic, according to bio information on the Web site. Now he is singing, soulfully, on such tunes as “Flyin’” and “If You’re Gonna Leave” from the same collection. This CD, released almost a year ago (July 2007) caused something of a stir when people saw it in such stores as Barnes & Noble etc. It’s almost a certain thing that many have heard this performer on various television show sound tracks, without realizing who it was.

Enjoy this pop!!

Emerson Hart on MySpace
[tags]Emerson Hart[/tags]

It seems the Dangerbird record label has captured a band that reproduces a touch of The Beatles and Mood Blues, what with the group’s Sergeant Pepper atmosphere on “Blue Day” (2008). Wait, just wait a minute…maybe that’s some of Guess Who….I don’t know.

This is some nice music. It’s beyond what most current groups are putting out. Band members Tim Presley (guitar/vocals), Rob Barbato (bass/vocals), Jared Everett (guitar), Will Canzoneri (organ/clavinet), and Andrew Granelli (drums) are now on a tour, beginning in L.A. and moving on to a couple of venues in San Francisco. It seems there will be a date or two outside the Golden State, maybe in Washington state and in Colorado. The latter date is at Red Rocks for the festival there in September.

Those who aren’t convinced by Darker My Love’s newest efforts might want to experience the Big Brother and the Holding Company, psychedelic sounds of “Helium Heels” (2006). From the same collection comes “Summer Is Here.” Listeners will get a bit quicker rhythm with this tune, but the feel is the same. The song takes this writer back to his youthful days trying to be like John, Paul and George, or maybe like Paul Revere and The Raiders.

Anyway, check ‘em out.

Darker My Love on MySpace
[tags]Darker My Love[/tags]