Richard Marx - Songwriter (Album Review)

September 30, 2022 by David Vousden in 80s, Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

From his self-titled, triple platinum-selling debut album in 1987 to ‘Limitless’ in 2020, Richard Marx has had an unerring knack for a melody (not to mention a pretty wonderful voice). Marx's songwriting skills have enabled him to stay relevant throughout his nearly forty-year career. His sound has evolved over time, with the punchy guitars of the late 80s replaced by a smoother, more R&B/pop sound tailored to radio and streaming services. Along the way, his song craft has been in high demand, co-writing and/or contributing songs to a startling array of artists from Kenny Rogers to Keith Urban via NSYNC, Luther Vandross and Vixen. An impressive CV, but where does that chameleon-like ability to pen hit songs come from? How does he do it? Hopefully, ‘Songwriter’ might give us a bit of a clue as we take a journey through twenty tracks encompassing four genres; pop, rock, country and ballads.

Silent Running - Follow The Light (Album Review)

July 21, 2022 by David Vousden in 80s, Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Pop

Silent Running is a name that might be familiar to readers with a long memory. The Northern Irish rockers released their debut record ‘Shades Of Liberty’ on EMI in 1984 before moving to Atlantic for two further albums. The guys maintained a busy touring schedule that included shows with Talk Talk, Simple Minds, John Foxx and Robert Palmer and even appeared on The Tube (an iconic TV show that was incredibly influential at the time). Unfortunately, major success eluded them and the band called it a day in 1989. It looked like the Silent Running story was over, but after a thirty-year hiatus, the guys thought it might be fun to play a few songs at a band member’s wife’s birthday party. The birthday party would lead to a sold-out show at Belfast’s Voodoo, and now Silent Running are back with a fourth album, ‘Follow The Light’ to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the band.

Emily Wolfe - Outlier (Album Review)

August 02, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Alternative Rock, Blues, Pop

Imagine for a moment you have your career path mapped out. You can see the road ahead; you know where you’re going, or at least where people expect you to go. Do you drop into cruise control and take the highway or throw a hard left and take that unpaved back road? It will be an adventure, and you might initially lose a few followers along the way, but the rewards could well be worth the risk.

Morgan Wade - Reckless (Album Review)

March 19, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Americana, Country, Country Rock, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

For some artists timing is everything. Sometimes it’s because your face suddenly fits and your take on a chosen genre finds a home, but for others, it’s a little more complicated. Raised in Floyd, a small town in Virginia, Morgan Wade was surrounded by the sounds of country, predominantly bluegrass, from an early age. In later years as she began to progress as a singer and a songwriter, Wade struggled to picture her voice alongside the likes of Shania Twain and Faith Hill on the radio “Alright, well, I’m not going to sing for anybody else - but I’m singing for myself”. Wade played publicly for the first time at 19 with a band picked up via Craigslist (probably not something that I would advise all things considered) and the ball started rolling.

League Of Lights - Dreamers Don't Come Down (Album Review)

March 12, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Electronic, Pop, Progressive Rock

Farrah and Richard West (Threshold/AudioPlastik) aka League Of Lights refused to let the pandemic stunt their musical growth. Their 2019 album ‘In The In Between’ had received positive reviews and they planned to tour the record in 2020…Needless to say, a rethink was required and the unexpected result is ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ a terrific record that artfully blends elements of 80s pop-rock, electronica and progressive/art rock without missing a beat. The reason I say unexpected is ‘In The In Between’ emerged eight years after their debut album, a gap of Def Leppardian proportions, so League of Lights are seemingly on a creative roll and keen to make up for lost time.

Downes Braide Association (DBA) - Halcyon Hymns (Album Review)

February 04, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, AOR, Classic Rock, DVD, Melodic Rock, Pop, Progressive Rock, Rock

Downes Braide Association aka DBA originally started as a collaborative studio project in 2012 between Christopher Braide a Brit working in the USA writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and with a host of rock and pop artists (Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears, Marc Almond) and keyboardist Geoffrey Downes of YES, Buggles and Asia fame. Eight years later and the duo had three albums under their belt while tentative forays into live performance in 2018 (resulting in a live record) and again in 2020 had proved successful. After the live shows in early 2020, Braide found himself in a bit of a funk when Marc Almond called and suggested he look at the possibility of a new DBA record to get the creative juices flowing. Braide delved into some musical ideas from Downes and inspiration struck immediately. Compositional ideas and snatches of melody quickly began to take shape and resulted is Halcyon Hymns, a record that perfectly captures feelings and memories of a time and a place when everything seemed so much simpler.

World Goes Round - S.T. (Album Review)

January 21, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, 80s, Pop

If you have a healthy obsession with all things music, then I’m pretty sure you will have been drawn into conversations on the subject of the unreleased album (music fans love to obsess about what might have been). Musical history is awash with lost sessions, lost tapes and probably the odd lost mind, as fans debate the existence of some unheard masterpiece. Some “lost” albums do eventually appear as artists and labels raid the vaults (Neil Young) while others are probably figments of a fertile imagination relating to recording sessions that might have produced an album if completed successfully (who wouldn’t want to hear Jeff Beck’s Motown sessions from 1970?). Others have crept out via other means (KISS/Wicked Lester). Whatever the reason, music fans love to talk about music almost as much as they like to listen to it, which brings us to a late 80s band going by the name of World Goes Round.

JuBillee - You And I (Album Review)

November 24, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Country, Pop

Over the last few years, as the UK public has slowly reembraced country music with an ardour not seen in decades, the previously underground UK country scene has stepped into the light with marked success for the likes of Ward Thomas and The Shires. The latest UK hopefuls to come to the attention of RGM are JuBillee featuring Justine Wilson and Billy Warren whose debut album You And I is available now via new label Vacancy Records who put out the excellent Ashley Campbell album.

The Explorers Club - S.T. / To Sing And Be Born Again (Album Review)

October 22, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Pop

As the modern world seemingly goes from bad to worse, wouldn’t it be fantastic to fire up the DeLorean and disappear to some other time and place? I’m not naive enough to expect things to be all sweetness and light in my chosen destination, but a change is as good as a rest, or so they say. In the meantime - while I’m inventing my take on a flux capacitor - I’ll let The Explorers Club aka Jason Brewer magically transport me back to the classic pop sounds of the sixties/seventies via two albums that luxuriate in the sweet, summery sounds of yesteryear. Two albums that should put a smile on the face of those in need of a little pick me up as the nights draw in and, for many of us; hibernation is starting to look like a sensible option.

Jake Allen - Affirmation Day (Album Review)

October 01, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Pop

There are some people in this world who are so multitalented that it’s just plain rude and accomplished American fingerstyle guitarist, singer and songwriter Jake Allen is one of these preposterously blessed human beings. Where so many others have failed, Allen’s new album succeeds in keeping the guitar right at the centre of things without compromising any sonic vision. And, on Affirmation Day there is sonic vision in abundance.

Evangeline Gentle - Evangeline Gentle (Album Review)

August 24, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Pop

Scottish-born singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle moved to Canada at the age of 11 and was winning awards by the age of 18. This debut - which follows the acapella EP You And I, released earlier in the year - has been three years in the making and is assured and mature, brimming with the kind of lyrical clarity and songwriting skill that many artists spend a career chasing. Lovingly produced by Jim Bryson, it is as comforting and spacious as a velvet-curtained ballroom that you and your significant other find you have all to yourselves.

Nichole Wagner - Dance Songs For The Apocalypse EP (Album Review)

May 20, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Americana, Folk, Pop

It’s been said many times before, but the covers record is a fickle beast and incredibly hard to get right. Do you slavishly replicate every note of the original or take a more daring approach? The replication route can prove a little dull, while the opposite route can lead to disaster, upsetting fans of the original and alienating fans hungry for original material. Both options can be considered a pointless exercise best reserved for the contractual obligation release - if you’ve not recorded a live show. Luckily Nichole Wagner didn’t listen to this advice or seemingly worry about any of these issues, and the result is an impressive release with a foot in both camps.

The RGM Review Roundup May 2020

May 15, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Singer-Songwriter, Americana, Pop

Welcome to the return of an occasional RGM feature where we corral a quartet of upcoming and/or recent releases that we believe should be on your musical wish list. From bigger names to those on the first rung of the career ladder all of the artists featured here are well worth your time. From a singer-songwriter we discovered via a well-chosen support slot at a live show (you do remember live shows?) to more high profile acts with a proven pedigree the RGM team are always on the lookout for new music. So please join us on the search.

Jamie Lawson - Moving Images EP (Album Review)

May 05, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Folk, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

A hardworking but relatively under-the-radar troubadour since the early 2000s, Jamie Lawson released a string of EPs and two LPs before coming to fame in 2015 as the first signing to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records label. Since then, Lawson has supported the megastar on stadium tours, released three albums (including a UK number 1) and won an Ivor Novello. You’ll agree that there are crappier ways in which to start your forties but, following the whirlwind, it seems that Lawson - who’s recently become a father - is now ready for a somewhat quieter life.

Richard Marx - Limitless (Album Review)

March 26, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

When Richard Marx burst onto the scene with his self-titled debut album in 1987 he enjoyed almost unprecedented success. The album sold more than four million copies propelled by four hit singles which showed Marx was equally adept at penning a hard-rockin' tune as he was a ballad. ‘Repeat Offender’ followed in 1989 repeating (no pun intended) and even eclipsing the success of the debut from a sales point of view. Third album ‘Rush Street’ spawned probably Marx’s best-known song ‘Hazard’ which topped many international charts in 1992. His fourth album ‘Paid Vacation’ was again successful, but Marx’s star was beginning to fade and his sound was becoming increasingly more influenced by soul, R&B and pop which alienated many fans of those early records. Marx has continued to release albums sporadically since his commercial heyday and has become a songwriter in demand penning hits for artists as diverse as Keith Urban, Josh Groban, NSYNC and the wonderfully poignant ‘Dance With My Father’ with Luther Vandross.

King Calaway - Rivers (Album Review)

March 06, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Country, Pop

Multinational sextet King Calaway have been making waves stateside for a few months now and the UK is the next target for the band with the official release of their debut record and a string of appearances at C2C. The UK seems to have embraced country music in the mainstream for the first time in many years but is the UK really ready for a country music boyband? RGM takes a listen.

Karine Polwart's Scottish Songbook (Album Review)

July 29, 2019 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Folk, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

You probably never noticed, but a lot of the pop music you grew up on was born in Scotland. You can’t have been raised in the 80s without escaping Simple Minds; in the 90s without strumming along to Del Amitri, or in the noughties without tapping your toes to KT Tunstall. And now, multi-award-winning folk singer-songwriter Karine Polwart has drawn on these decades, among others, to bring you her latest release: Scottish Songbook. This celebration of the history of Scot-pop began when Karine gathered two dozen songs together for a live show she took to the 2018 Edinburgh Festival. A year on, eleven of those songs coalesce on an album that is reverent, revealing and - above all - rewarding.

Fiat Lux - Saved Symmetry (Album Review)

March 01, 2019 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Pop, 80s

If they’d had a crystal ball would Steve Wright and David P. Crickmore - who formed Fiat Lux in the early 80s - have still embarked on a musical journey that would see the duo finally release their debut full-length album in 2019? I get the feeling they would as ‘Saved Symmetry’ has the feel and sound of an album that encompasses everything the duo were trying to achieve back in the day. The Latin phrase Fiat Lux translates as Let There Be Light, with light as a metaphor for wisdom. This seems fitting as ‘Saved Symmetry’ finally sees the light of day and I’m pretty sure Steve and David have learnt a few things along the way.

Only Yours - Overrun (Album Review)

February 01, 2019 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

Ever feel like bands peddling soaring, epic pop just pass you by like buses in a big city? You hop on, you hop off and you don’t give much thought to where they’re going next. Well, Only Yours is one bus that you should definitely be catching. In fact, if you can bear to keep running alongside the clumsy public transport metaphor, Overrun is a record you simply must not miss.

The Boy Least Likely To - The Greatest Hits (Album Review)

November 30, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Pop, Alternative, Indie

Even if you’ve never heard of The Boy Least Likely To, you most probably have one or two of their songs already lodged in your subconscious. Since releasing their debut album back in 2005, the duo have had tracks placed in more films, TV shows and commercials than most groups could wish for and this seventeen song best-of collection makes it easy to see why the band have such universal appeal. Musically, TBLLT are the sound of childhood, innocence and optimism in a world where a thirty second news broadcast can quite easily toss even the chirpiest among us into an abyss of depression.