All Locksley. All of the Time.

The opening of Locksey’s “All of the Time” is an introduction to the song, starting off slow, with a simple guitar strum and lyrics that set up the remainder of the tune.

“You’ll never love her like I love her/Cause I try all of the time.”

For the next two minutes and thirty-one seconds, listeners are taken on a stroll down a pure retro lane set to a jangle pop, mid tempo tune.

Lead singer Jesse Laz who often sounds like a young John Lennon, tells the tale of being stuck in the middle of a love triangle, where he urges the other lover to remove himself from the picture

“So leave and you’ll be fine/You’ll tell another story, I’m drawing the line/I end up in the middle all of the time”

The simple instrumentation, is a pure throwback to the days of the British Invasion of the 1960′s. The song itself is akin to one of the Beatles earlier works “This Boy”.

A later recording of “All of the Time” adds more of a modern rock feel to the song, but it is the original that should be listened to all of the time.

Discography (L.P.’s): Don’t Make Me Wait (2007/2008), Be in Love (2010), Locksley (2011)

*Original version of “All of the Time” can be found on Locksley (2005) E.P.

 

Diane Birch is No “Fool”

 

Diane Birch’s “Fools” opens with a jazzy, bluesy feel and an unforgettable beat.

As soon as Birch’s voice cuts through the instrumentation, crooning honest lyrics that represent an independant single woman  it is hard not to make the comparison to another singer who earnestly wore her heart on her sleeve, and has gone down in music history as one of the most treasured singer/songwriters of our time.

Carole King.

Upon listening to “Fools” and Birch’s flawless piano driven melody combined with her rich, unique voice, singing “You tell me lies/Look me in the eyes/Honey I would rather stand out in the rain” the song easily can be placed musically on the same level as King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” or “It’s Too Late”

The main factor that brings Birch into King’s territory is the amount of raw soul heard in her music. It’s impossible to ignore.

Don’t be one of Birch’s fools. Check out the amazing musician.

Official Website: http://www.dianebirch.com

Discography: Bible Belt (2009). The Velveteen Age (2010).

Tags: carole king, diane birch, fools, i feel the earth move, it's too late

Lindi Ortega is On Fire

Nowadays, at the mention of the name Dolly Parton, one often conjures up a caricature image of the legendary country singer/songwriter. An image of big hair, bright red lips and glitzy outfits. But one must never forget that behind the exterior is a brilliant poet with a voice that is unlike any country singer to date.

Canadian native Lindi Ortega channels Parton throughout on her debut album Little Red Boots, but it here, covering Bruce Springsteen’s classic tune “I’m on Fire” that Ortega shines as a country superstar on the rise.

Ortega’s voice is pure, twangy and effortless, as she sings and plays her way through Springsteen’s hit song. It is reminiscent of Parton’s vocal masterpiece “Jolene.”

In an age where country teen melodramas are center stage on top 40 radio, it is refreshing to discover that a bit of the heart and soul of country music is alive and kicking

Discography: Little Red Boots (2011)

Official Website: http://lindiortega.ca/

Tags: bruce springsteen, dolly parton, I'm on fire, jolene, lindi ortega, little red boots

Music for a Winter Night

British based girl group The Pipettes song “A Winter’s Sky” is an ode to a shy girl who meets a boy underneath a winter’s moon. Though it is unclear whether this song is about love or death.

The lead vocals gently glides and shines smoothly over the mid tempo beat.

But it is the perfect harmonization the group delivers throughout out the track, especially on the chorus which makes “A Winter Night” a magical, lullaby.

It is easy to lose oneself in the angelic sounds of the pipettes, as the song capitalizes on the innocence of retro songs such as Shelly Fabraes “Johnny Angel.”

Crawl into bed, get underneath the covers and let The Pipettes sing you to sleep.

Discography: We are the Pipettes (2006). Earth vs. The Pipettes (2010).

Official Website: http://thepipettes.org/

Tags: a winter's night, johnny angel, shelly fabraes, the pipettes

It’s Only December

No current artist better filled the shoes of The Ronettes and The Shirelles than Amy Winehouse.

Her passing left a gaping hole in the music world.

But the spirit of Winehouse’s passionate sound is alive and kicking in Nikki (Leoni) and Rich (Velonski’s) song “December.”

The song takes listeners on lyrical journey of love through the seasons:

“We used to walk holding hands in the park in early September/We were back in the park making love by the end of November/Now I’m here by myself in the dark and it’s only December.”

Leonti’s rich, soft voice sails over the mid tempo song accentuating the simple melody which intentionally or not borrows from The Shirelles “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and the Ronettes” “Be My Baby.”

 The end result is  song that successfuly captures the emotion and soul of iconic girl groups, with one lone songstress.

Tags: amy winehouse, be my baby, december, nikki and rich, the ronettes, the shirelles, will you still love me tomorrow

Don’t Kiss The Pierces Goodbye

With a slow, almost mystic trance sisters Alison and Katherine Pierce, better known as The Pierces, dish out seduction, revenge, and naughtiness the only way they know how.

In song.

The odd mixture of lust and wickedness is stamped all over “Kissing You Goodbye”

Alison takes the helm on this track, providing the heavy vocal lifting, while Catherine joins in on the choruses and harmonies.

The 60’s psychedelic vibe, hypnotizes listeners as the instrumentation perfectly melds with the smoky vocals and sexually mischievous lyrics

“Young love waits out the window and I said go home,/Cause he don’t know it’s not his problem /And he don’t know I’m not at home/Clock strikes three in the morning and I lie sleepless, /Cause he don’t know I broke my promise /And he don’t know I’ve done this”

It is easy to compare the sisters to 60’s icon Nancy Sinatra, in particular her hit song “Bang Bang” which oozes danger and love.

With the perfect mix of sin and sensuality, with a retro twist, “Kissing You Goodbye” is one song you don’t want to kiss goodbye.

Discography: The Pierces (2000), Light of the Moon (2005), 13 Tales of Love and Revenge (2007), You and I (2011).

Website: http://www.thepiercesmusic.com

 

Tags: bang bang, kissing you goodbye, nancy sinatra, pretty little liars, the pierces

Say Hello to Mayer Hawthorne

The opening doo-wop/R &B harmonies of “When I Said Goodbye” by  Mayer Hawthorne, have convinced my own family members that it is a genuineundiscovered 60’s soul song, akin to Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, and The Drifters.

They are shocked to discover the song was released in in 2009.

In 4:08 Mayer Hawthorne delivers, both musically and vocally, what might be the most sincere, authentic retro R&B throwback I have heard.

Hawthorne’s voice is deep and strong, but most of all earnest. You believe he is truly experiencing the pain of a breakup.

Combined with superb back up vocals which smoothly sail in and out of the track, and simple, honest lyrics, “When I Said Goodbye” is a song which successfully ushers the past into the present by paying homage to the great R &B and Doo-Wop bands that are now long gone from the radio waves.

Discography: A Strange Arrangement (2009), How do you Do (2011)

Official Website: http://www.mayerhawthorne.com

Tags: doo-wop, mayer hawthorne, r&b, the drifters, the miracles, when i said goodbye