- Details
- Written by Bluebird
Sunnyside Records. January, 2012.
From the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied voice and contemporary improvisation, Graham found her inspiration in the classic 1960's folk rock of Neil Young, Nick Drake, and Bob Dylan.
- Details
- Written by Bluebird
Released February 28, 2012 
Homeschool/Atlantic Records
Album Photo Credit: Daniel Jackson
Review by Bluebird
Estelle Swaray exploded onto the Hip Hop/R&B scene in 2008 with the song, "American Boy." This West London vocalist has a strong, sweet voice that was a crisp bold contrast to Jay-Z, who rapped alongside her in a stunning Grammy performance. Many of the songs on "SHINE" took a fresh look at R&B and the world fell in love with Estelle's elegant style. Her song, "You Are" with John Legend, stands out even still, as a great vocal for both artists, bringing true romance back to the music world.
Her new album, "All of Me," offers a wide range of sound for the listeners, some of them unexpected.
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- Written by Bluebird
Wooden Dinosaur | Spaces | Album Review
Released: Feb. 7, 2012
Michael Roberts leads the vocals on this mellow, yet edgy collection of folk image songs. Katie Trautz supports with harmonies and soft accents as the songs require. If you put this album into your sound system, you will swear you've heard it before. It is like a comfortable pair of jeans and seems to fit into any mood of the day. There are surprises in this group of musings. They come in the way of lyrics, purposefully flat notes and the occasional trumpet that just soars.
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- Written by Bluebird
Album Photos by Donna Portia Salvino 
This album shows up without much fanfare. In good blues, less is more. Ten tracks, three musician credits and a sleek, bold presentation makes for a record that slips right into blues history as if it's been there all along. There isn't even a date on the liner notes. This is a timeless blues production.
An advantage of current blues artists is this: Modern transportation and transmission of information means the regions of blues sounds are no longer separate. The Delta has been heard around the globe. Windy city Chicago blues are translated to other regions, tweaked and jived into jazz as contemporary sounds reflect these roots. Electric blues masters don't own this sound, but when they play it well, we hear its signature style. Musicians writing today have grown up on these tones and probably hear them in their sleep, or at least that's the case for Jonny Monster and his band from Kingston, NY.
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- Written by Bluebird
Etta James: Dreamer (Album Review)
Respectfully submitted to The Boston Blues Society Editor, Mr. Georgetown Fats, January 22, 2012.
Published with permission in the Blues Blog.
Just days after the legendary Jamesetta Hawkins died of long standing illness, it is with a heavy heart that I complete this review. Etta was only a few days shy of her 74th birthday.
Whether you are a pop music fan who only knows the iconic "At Last" for ceremonies, or the serious blues collector who has followed her career from Johnny Otis, to Chess, to RCA/Victor and other labels, Etta James is a core soul voice of music.
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- Written by Bluebird
"This is a revolution, just give in to the dream. Expect to play for keeps.
It's all within your reach !"
- Details
- Written by Bluebird
Matt Pryor: May Day 
Released January 24, 2012 (NightShoes Syndicate)
I have a theory, that indie punk rockers intuitively write great folk music. I've followed The Replacements to Paul Westerberg, had Grandpa Boy sneak up on me and then took in Folker among his other, more recent works. Langhorne Slim's drummer, Malachi Delorenzo is the son of the drummer from the Violent Femmes. The punk rockers have the advantage in creating folk music because they still have raw lyrics in their heads and the phrasing that they do changes things up because that is just how they hear music. So when Matt Pryor, from the Kansas City band, The Get Up Kids, gave his catalog a turn for the acoustic and the harp. I was curious to review it and test my hypothesis.