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Bringing Soul Back – David Lee

21 Dec
David Lee with his mentor, Willie Mitchell

David Lee with his mentor, Willie Mitchell
Photo by Antoine Sanfuentes

Willie Mitchell knows soul music. In 1969, a little known R&B singer named Al Green came into contact with Mitchell after struggling with his first release. After hearing Green’s voice, Mitchell quickly scooped him up as a vocalist. His instrumental piece of advice? Find your own voice. Be unique.

David Lee is unique. Born in South Korea in 1986, Lee and his family moved to Virginia when he was eight. After voraciously diving into new music, Lee borrowed an acoustic guitar from a friend and played it until his fingertips were frayed and the guitar was worn. He devoted his time to writing and recording several songs, but, like Al Green, he had difficulty defining a sound after years in the studio. Enter Willie Mitchell, who almost 40 years after discovering Al Green, was inspired by Lee’s smooth voice and perspicacious sense of melody. Mitchell took Lee under his wing as one of his last projects before his death in 2010.

Without Any Guard, the culmination of five years of labor (three with Mitchell), will be released in February 2013.

David Lee’s endearing voice carries his tunes. In “Stay Away From You,” the last song on his 11-track debut, his sweet John Mayer-like croon washes over a tranquil blues rhythm. There is a coffee-shop quiescence to the track; a touching sentimentality best suited for a quiet venue. It’s an impressive song despite seeming so effortless. This is one of Lee’s best attributes. He makes good music seem so easy. And as any wise musician will tell you, this is not an effortless task.

“Happy Birthday” begins with a picked riff – comparable to a bit of a Pachelbel’s canon/Always on My Mind mixture – proceeding into the main rhythm, a toe-tapping beat. The vocals are laid-back, but they remain subtly powerful and delicate. Lee balances power and control. His singing is skillful. In the CD version of this song, Lee is joined by a chorus that echoes “don’t let your heart down” and adds even more power to the piece without ever seeming overdone.

Lee’s music is engaging, melodic, and bluesy. He is a soul singer with his roots now fully embedded into a soul culture that Willie Mitchell first thrived in more than 40 years ago. Lee is an exciting new artist, and I fully endorse his new album. Don’t miss out!

Pre-order Lee’s debut album at: www.davidleetunes.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

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The Wall of Boolfight

17 Dec

Boolfight - Album cover (cover art by Klara Domröse)We are crossing the Atlantic Ocean today to become acquainted with Boolfight, a French Indie-rock outfit that successfully blends beat-driven synthesizers with Killers-like rhythms and melodies. The band released their new album, Feral, in November, and the inventive spread of tunes benefits from a collaboration with Nicolas Fromageau, who many of you M83 fans might know as the musician that created the band’s first two albums with frontman Anthony Gonzalez. After leaving M83, Fromageau founded his current heavy-electronic group, Team Ghost, which will release its second album next year. Adding Fromageau’s proclivity for an effective electronic sound helps elevate Boolfight’s music in the new release, but Boolfight provides a far tamer sound than heavy shoegaze electronica.

“Deluxe” has a simple 80’s feel to the opening of the piece. It’s refreshing. This is one of Boolfight’s greatest attributes. The music is not cumbersome. It is electronic easy listening. The melody is clearly defined and refreshing. The vocals, too, are clean – reminding me of a subdued Brandon Flowers. The end employs a wall-of-sound technique, but the music remains composed. At no point does it fly off the handle. There is almost a subtlety to it, and I am a fan.

“Majesty” starts similarly. The buzzy synthesizer at the song’s inception reminds me a bit of M83. Enter in some percussion and concurrent synth and the song transforms into Keane on electronic steroids – an elegant combination of pop melody and synthesizers. “Majesty” is my favorite track, and I believe that it, if introduced to the American public, it could go far. I mentioned the Killers and M83 in this post, and Boolfight molds these influences into a graceful track.

Check out the rest of Boolfight’s album

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Merry Fitz.mas and Happy Caves

6 Dec
Fitz

Fitz

 “Twas the advent of Christmas,  And all through the land,  Not a creature was stirring,  but one festive band” – Fitz.mas

Fitz, a London-based collective of musicians led by Singer/Songwriter Sam Fitzpatrick, has brought new meaning to the Christmas advent calendar. Instead of a little pieces of candy, Fitz is providing listeners with a variety of song nuggets from popular Christmas movies. FOLLOW THE CALENDAR. The audio/visual tidbits are released every other day, with the other days of the month devoted to giving visual clues of the song that will be released next. It’s creative, different, and fun. It also just demonstrates the talent of Fitz.

Yes, Fitz is far more than an advent calendar. He is an uber-talented singer/songwriter with a penchant for sweet vocals and skillful acoustic melodies. His talent is only outweighed by his subtlety. Fitz’ music creeps up on you. It’s soft, even pastoral, and it is vast – a wide-open field of wonder and tenderness, like the bright green field depicted in the video for his song “Caves,” which was released back in October.

Fitz’ British Americana style – yes, I understand the contradiction in that sentiment – is that of a folk troubadour. The music is comfortable, low-key, and relaxing. But, at the same time, there is a vivacity in his tunes, a strength in his voice that calls out to listeners. Fitz understands how to mold a song, and he does so with wonderful precision.

The video of “Caves” tells the story of a young boy who leaves home to explore a verdant world. It is a true coming-of-age video, as the characters suggest. The boy in the video takes a picture of the “tallest tree” and then tosses it in a stream after he sees an even taller tree. In his exploration, he grows. It is a story of adventure and aging – with the universal color for growth, green, as a backdrop.

I want to provide you with one video from the advent calendar. Here is an enthusiastic, albeit self-deprecating version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Merry Fitz.mas!

Check out more about Fitz at the website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

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Follow the Wheel

19 Nov

Johnny5thWheel&thecowards

Where do I begin with Johnny5thWheel&thecowards? Well, first off, I guess I should alert you that the lack of spaces in the name is intentional. Beyond that, I’m not sure that words can describe their blend of music. I’m making it seem like the band combines bodily grunts with kitchen appliance percussion. It’s not that their instrumentation is completely unconventional. Johnny5thWheel&thecowards captures the ears of listeners by employing a unique style that can best be described as eccentric folk. And, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. They are damn good at it.

Johnny5thWheel&thecowards was formed in 2009 by two friends looking to shake the usual out of folk music. They found a consortium of individuals who shared a similar goal. After releasing their succesful debut EP in 2010, the band was signed by Sotones Records. They released their second album, Music To Shake’n’Shuffle To, in October of this year.

Perhaps my favorite part of the 12-track release is its unexpectedness. Most bands have a sound and their albums reflect that sound. While track one, seven, and nine will obviously be different songs, they do operate under the same genre. Not many bands tinker with smooth jazz and then transition to hardcore head-banging metal. While the difference between Johnny5thWheel&thecowards’s songs may not be so pronounced, the songs are different. The music doesn’t operate under any boundaries, and I applaud the band’s creativity and fearlessness.

It is also safe to say that you will be on your heels for the entire album. You simply will not know what is going to hit you next. Will it be macabre folk, jazz-infused pop, or a light-hearted sing-along. The versatility of the vocals, lyrics, and melody is striking. One minute you are listening to Arthur Brown and then you transition to Modest Mouse. The music is fun.

“Happy Clappy/Doom Jazz” is one of my favorite tracks off the release. It depicts a wide variety of styles in less than three minutes. Impressive. We begin with a taste of twangy surf guitar followed by a folksy riff (guitar and harmonica – nice job Ollie Mason). Try not to enjoy the chorus of this song. I did. It’s impossible. The kid-like string of sayings fly off the tongue as Biff Roxby – trombone and Garreth Knott – trumpet/tenor horn provide an upbeat staccato brass section.

“Spike” may be my favorite song from the album. I’m not sure if it is Frank Beaver’s piano, Richard Lomax’s infectious vocal, Andy Lyth’s talented drumming, or the semi-call-and-response background vocals. By the end of the song, I was singing:

“Don’t be mad with me Spike
If you knew what I was really like
You’d know I’m just messing around
Thinking about that smile”

I’m sure you will be to.

In order to get a full grasp of the album, you need to check out the entire thing here (obviously!)

You can also keep track of the band by following their Facebook, Twitter, or offficial Website.

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The Man With No Destination – Nicholas Burke

13 Nov

One of the reasons I love receiving coverage requests by exciting news bands and artists is that occasionally I come across a musician like Nicholas Burke. With your approval, I would like to shed my composed journalistic integrity for just one moment and resort to a brief outburst of inappropriate slang.

Holy Sh*t, this man can sing.

Well, now I have to back that up, right? Nick Burke is a California-born psychedelic/country musician. His music combines a sun-drenched acoustic guitar with an effortless baritone that emerges from the arid desert like a permanent mirage. Burke’s granular tone is oddly smooth (ignore the contradiction) and his voice features a subtle old-fashioned quiver much like one musician whom I will boldly compare Burke with in a few lines.

The Man With No Destination was released in September of 2012, a nine-track affair that Burke said was, “primarily recorded between the hours of 3 AM and 8 AM.” It “is a
cautionary tale of man living life after love.” On completion of the album, it is tempting to pick up the needle and delicately place it back on the initial groove, only to realize that the tracks are on the computer and to repeat the album double clicking the first song is all that is necessary. The temptation is there because the album itself sounds older than it actually is. Burke is able to capture the warm atmosphere of past country troubadours – most prominently Johnny Cash.

“The Man With No Destination,” the title track from the album, moves with the folksy, upbeat rhythm of acoustic guitars and chugging percussion. Burke comes in – his first line a restating of the song’s title – and instantaneously gathers the full attention of the listener. Johnny Cash was able to manipulate his croon and connect with listeners. Burke shares a similar quality.

“Adios, Goodbye” follows “The Man with No Destination.” It’s a short ditty, fit with a proficient whistle, that also features a neat echo drop and toe-tapping guitar strumming.

“It Ain’t Right” is a traditional country tune – with the twang and everything! But what remains most impressive, and I do not mean to belabor the point, is Burke’s rich, talented voice. It is just perfect for the type of music he is creating. While Burke may be The Man with No Destination, I know one place he should be – in your music library.

You can purchase his new album here.

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