Free song from Ellis Paul / New Album, co-written with Kristian Bush of Sugarland‏

Courtesy of Ralph Jaccodine Management
"I’ve been singer-songwriter Ellis Paul's friend and manager since 1992 and his music, words and friendship are jewels in my life. Upon examining the state of the music industry, Ellis and I have realized that far and away the most important connections that we have are not at all on the business side of the equation – it’s the people that love Ellis' music, and music in general. They’re more important than the biggest retailer or the most powerful radio station - so we’re starting a campaign to empower the people.


"Ellis' new album, “The Day After Everything Changed”, has 5 songs on the album co-written by Kristian Bush from the Grammy Award winning country duo Sugarland. Additionally, this album was completely funded by his fans, and is truly one of the finest Ellis has ever recorded. Many of Ellis' fans and folks passionate about great songwriting don’t even know that it’s been released. So if you’d like to help support a truly independent artist – here’s how. The lead single track on TDAEC is “Annalee”, and if visit you can download “Annalee” for free. Unlike so many other free song offers – you don’t have to give us your email, sign up or register for anything at all. It’s free for the taking. The small favor we would ask? Please share it with any and all of your friends that would enjoy Ellis’ music. This would help our efforts and help spread the music. This truly is a campaign about the power of the people in the support of independent music and artists."

Album Review: Derek Toomey - Kiss on the Wind

Kiss on the Wind is the debut album from the very talented Derek Toomey. Toomey grew up in central Louisiana, and describes his album as a "pinch of pop, folk rock and swamp thrown in". The musician's that feature are all great players and really lend something special to the album, helping to create something Toomey should most definitely be proud of. Below is a track-by-track guide to the album.

The first track immediately jumps out of the speakers; 'Oh Yea! (Beautiful Day)' is a happy, folky fiddle-driven record of good times and big dreams. I love the female backing vocals on the choruses; they sit brilliantly behind Toomey's great tone and really add something special to the mix. The drums are busy, demonstrating a really tight funky groove which feels almost latin in places. There's a great country feel on the electric guitar, and the whole track reminds me of Sugarland; a really happy and positive outset to the record.

Second out of the blocks is 'Alice Jane', with it's immediately infectious driving acoustic guitar and drum pattern giving way to down and dirty low vocals telling a cool story, reminding me of Jace Everett. The chorus is simple yet memorable, cementing the track in a real dingy blues club. The underlaid electric guitar work is subtely brilliant, and I love the call and response solos between the fiddle and the acoustic guitar.

The title track, Kiss on the Wind, is definitely a stand-out of the album and rightly deserves it's title-track status. "Happiness is just a kiss on the wind, pass it on and it will find you again" tells us all we need to know about this grooving track; I'm used to the cool fiddles and slide guitar by now and the drums sound great on this track. I felt the track lacked slightly at the end - finishing on a low rather than a high - as I felt the whole track was building and building towards a big finish but don't let that take anything away from the song.

'On and On and On' dims the lights and changes course, taking a much needed step in a slower and gentler direction. This track is just really nice, there's no other way to describe it; the passion in Cindi Hall's voice is perfect and the composition is wonderful with Toomey sharing the vocals. The verses establish themselves with a rim-shot and really careful acoustic guitar work; the candles are most definitely lit now and I'm really listening to this song. It has presented itself to me as a great love song with a really cool ballad feel and the layered vocals at the end with the shaker cap it off beautifully. A real treat.

'Stuff' doesn't let me sit back for too long, but doesn't hit me like a freight train which is perfect; you don't go from lying down into a sprint and it's slowly helping me to my feet with a really great tempo for a track after a ballad. If you're not digging this song there can't be much feeling inside of you; my head is really getting into this one, nodding away as I type. I love Toomey's song-writing and this track shows it off in all it's greatness.

Tribal drums greet me at the beginning to 'Footprints in the Water' and, although the vocals feel a little weaker in this song, again it's all about the feel and Toomey has got this nailed to a tee. He's really captured the essence of the song and bottled a whole load of feeling. The drums are the stand-out performance of this track; they're different to what we've heard up to now and drive the track in a really lazy way. I wanted a really huge wheeling guitar solo and so was a little disappointed when I felt I was being led into one, and think this would have really added the much-needed finishing touch to this track.

'Jesse' is an interesting and quirky song in the latter stage of the album. I find myself really listening to the lyrics; the vocals have got a lot of space at the beginning and I want to hear the story unfold. As soon as the electric guitar comes in in verse two I'm sold; the scratchy chug is a tease at the beginning and I almost feel like that's all I'm getting until the licks come out and really show us what we've been missing. This song lifts me back up and leads the listener into a faster-countrified tempo with a great marriage of blues-rock guitar, although it does end a little abruptly.

'In God's Eyes and Mine' is, on it's own, quite a nice song, but feel it is the weakest within the context of an album. There are some great passages of playing; I like the gentle approach each instrument has taken when performing it's respective part but the track didn't strike me much whilst embedded by stronger songs.

No faith is lost yet though, as 'Paupers Grave' promises another busy country-rock sound. The drums really know when to play and, more importantly, when not to be smacking the snare and instead sitting back waiting for the right moment, demonstrating a really cool knowledge of the building of a song. Toomey's vocals are almost Springsteen-esque; I'm thinking of his acoustic record 'Devils and Dust' and I love Hall's harmonies on this song. The fiddle shouts 'remember me' and I certainly do; it's once again the icing on the cake.

'Evangeline' is something different once again which is what's great about this album in general; it's unpredictable and doesn't pigeon-hole itself. The blues are only remembered perhaps in the vocals and with the most subtle of guitar licks rarely in the background, but folk's taking centre stage here with the extrememly cool and underrated accordion. It fits the feel of the song perfectly and I'd challenge anyone to listen to this song without stamping their foot.

Reading the sleeve notes, I get the feeling that 'Happy Cry' strikes a chord with Toomey, a nod to someone close loved and lost, but never forgotten. The track itself crawls along nicely, showing off the talent of the musician's enlisted on this record. I love the slide guitar and the highs and lows of this track; it's a rollercoaster in more ways than one, rising and falling at a great pace. And as the distant drones of slide guitar and cymbal hang on for as long as they dare before fading into the abyss, the album ends. And it couldn't have been more beautifully.

To find out more about Derek Toomey or to purchase the CD (besides on iTunes, CD Baby, Digstation and more), please visit his website or Myspace page.

New Tattoo/New Listenings

Hi ya'll. Well my first week of uni is over, it's amazing how quickly you settle back into a routine; feels like I've never been gone!

Yesterday I had a new tattoo which you can see a picture of above. If it looks perhaps a little strange on its own, I plan to encorporate it into a sleeve over time. What do you think?

With all the new music I recieved for Christmas, I've devised a short list of essential songs. Who knows, maybe you'll discover a new favourite artist!

1.) Mumford & Sons. Album: 'Sigh No More'. Track 11; Dust Bowl Dance.
This track adds a new dimension to the already great foot-stomping folk on this album. The album is very much noticably lacking in drums, and relies on the lead singer's feet; left foot strikes a tambourine with a foot-pedal and the right-foot strikes a kick drum, all whilst singing and playing the guitar. The energy in the final third of this track is massive; a huge drum pattern emerges which is soaked in reverb and just shits on everything else in the mix but is completely what the song needs. If you listen to it and don't nod your head, you best check your pulse.

2.) Jace Everett. Album: 'Old New Borrowed Blues'. Track 7; Greatest Story Never Told.
I discovered Jace Everett as he did the sound track for sexy vampire-flick True Blood and this album is a little different. It's recorded in his front room with two other guys; and together they make up two acoustic guitars, an acoustic bass, harmonica, howling, shouting and general acoustic-greatness. This track is a lighter touch on the album; a haunting ballad which oozes raw emotion and is an undeniable hidden gem.

3.) Sugarland. Album: 'Live on the Inside'. Track 4; Sex on Fire.
As a live album, this encorporates more covers than originals, but when I saw that these included Sex on Fire and Nightswimming I had to hear for myself. Sex on Fire is a huge, somewhat over-played rock anthem that propelled the Kings of Leon to the dizzying heights of Radio 1 superstardom and turned them into a household name. I'm not a fan of their older stuff but love Only by the Night. However, hearing the deep Southern Nashville female drawl on this vocal is a highlight for me on the album; Kings are themselves from the deep South and Jennifer Nettles' wicked country vocals provide a cool left-turn.

4.) John Mayer. Album: 'Battle Studies'. Track 5; Perfectly Lonely.
Unfortunately Battle Studies doesn't in any way live up to its predecessor Continuum, but it would have had to have been one hell of an album. Perfectly Lonely is, I think, one of the better songs on the album; an easy-listening blues-pop number on an album that really acts more as background listening than something which really grabs your attention. The backing vocals are great and guitar work is, as always with John Mayer, sublime, but I'd have to loved for him to have gone to town more, epsecially on the solos. I hope he's not running out of ideas, but the first single, Who Says, sounds far too much like Stop This Train; so much so that he started playing one live, intending to play the other!

So hopefully you might decide to Youtube/Spotify a song or two here, or you might have your own opinion, in which case, leave me a comment below!

Seal/Imelda May/Sugarland

Abbey Road Studio Sessions

I'm currently watching the fantastic Abbey Road Studio sessions with three brilliant artists. Seal is the main performer, and I adore his incredibly soulful voice complete with fab band and large sting orchestra.

I'd never heard Imelda May but my foot was tapping right from the off to her eclectic blend of Irish folk/blues/jazz. I love the touch of the 50s-esque rock and roll guitar with the jazziness of the trumpet and upright bass; a real stomping performance.

For me though, the show was stolen by country duo Sugarland. I was first introduced to them back in 2006 when Jennifer Nettles did a country version of Bon Jovi's Who Says You Can't Go Home with the band, and it was thanks to her that made Bon Jovi the first rock band to top the Country charts in America and even win a CMA. She was today performing though with Sugarland and her voice grabs you tight and just does not let go; it's so Southern and just how you might imitate Dolly Parton et al. All three pieces were very much country ballads with mandolin and acoustic guitar but so very heartfelt and enjoyable; the feeling and passion is so raw and true and I totally urge you to check them out.