Song reviews

Casually paced at mid-tempo, “Hope” has enough in the way of layers to indicate that Blood Brothers are capable of moulding emotion, complexity and guitar solos into songs that people might want to hear.

At last, a lively one! Good old fashioned rock posturing gives “Youth Club” the energy it needs to keep your attention and Stone Dead John, refreshingly, prove themselves more than capable of making their musical point in under three minutes.

There is not much in the way of jollity to be found within the four and a half minutes that makes up “Nobody Knows” with Sophia Boro swirling through the shadows of introspection as if possessed by the ghost of melancholy.

Eminently tasteful, “Road of the Windows” has the polished eloquence that will ensure that Anya Hinkle gets a place both in the ears of discerning roots music fans and on the approved list for roots festival bookers everywhere.

Once more on to the dancefloor, my friends. Audiophunk provide the locked to the loop beats to get your feet moving while Demi McMahon gets her vocal focus on adding in enough emotion to stop your heart going cold.

Doing the heartfelt thing with more than the usual bounce is Maya Malkin with her song “Hostage” making her point while still remaining both radio friendly and friendly to every passing ear. Commercial but not lacking in substance.

Laidback and infused with a substantial amount of that neo soul vibe, “Coming Home To You” tells like it like it is, and how it always has been, with Andria Piperni having the voice to make it all seem so real. I feel a sigh coming on.

You can’t go wrong with reverb and Carmanah duly reverbrate with the steady groove that drives “Best Interests” forever forward echoing around inside your head as if to encourage you to go deep. I hear that.

Some singers have an almost indefinable quality that enchants and entrances. Jenny Banai is such a singer and, slight as “Couch Walker” is, her song nonetheless makes you hit that repeat button. Like it now for love is not far away.

Savannah Pope has a voice that would wake even those in the deepest of sleeps and seasoning her song “He Sees Me” with solid seventies blues rock musical moves provides more than enough evidence that she can also cross generational barriers.

Now, “Wings” is my kind of song. A subsonic bass line grinds away under the kind of sweet voice that is but a hairsbreadth away from sin to make this one into a permanent recollection in your musical memory. The Shacks are a band that sticks things in your head.

Full of retro groove moves, “All of the Feelings” triumphs over other songs of worship of the past by the sheer amount of energy that Kiesza manages to inject into her performance. She almost makes me feel like dancing. I am that uplifted.