Maybe a bit of a flat Release from Sister Hazel???

Ok I guess since I started blogging its all been really positive, apart from the French hip hop, electric guitarist idiot from a few weeks ago at the Road Trip that needs to be locked up for what he did. But tonight in this short blog, and I mean short, I'm going to break a bit with tradition and give something a cautious thumbs down and I feel really guilty for doing this because my depth of research shows that I am probably in no position to judge.

One of my favourite finds from last year was Florida Rock band Sister Hazel. I quickly acquired all their albums including their live acoustic set and fell in love with a lot of the tracks. They're a talented bunch of musicians with a nice sound and some great songs, a few "that cut just a little too deep" (that's a line from Mrs Potters Lullaby which is a Counting Crows song - as well as a line in my blog...awesome connection).

So for months they've been building up to their new album Release, I think I saw the first promos on Facebook and on their Myspace back in April, and well I got a bit excited as I guess my musical attention has been turned elsewhere over the past few months. So the album comes out this week and here's where the caveate lies...I heard 30 second samples of each track on the iTunes store and you know, I wasn't impressed. Before you judge my musical judgement, let me tell you why not. Each Sister Hazel album has been slightly different from their last (musically the sounds change so much between albums right the way through from their self-titled debut album through Fortress and Lift, etc). Every time there's been something that makes you think, wow that's a new direction, that's a bit different, that's fresh....sort of in the way that Counting Crows can produce an album like Recovering The Satellites which is quite heavy and electric musically and then throw out This Desert Life (musically in my opinion the best album they have ever produced) which has a very different sound to it.

Release just didn't give me that feeling and you can usually get that in a few seconds. It seems like a solid album and the songs could probably nicely fit into any of their other albums comfortably. That's not a bad thing but I guess I hoped they'd continue evolving and well maybe just maybe they've found their limit and I'm getting picky. As I said I heard 30 second clips and I will get hold of a copy but it's just a bit underwhelming. I wonder what other people think...

Shorter tonight as promised and after a marathon video uploading session last night, I am off to bed early....Ciao people xxxx

Major breakthrough's and minor miracles

The title of my forthcoming album...I think not!!! You'll never see one of those from me... on the basis that some things are best left to those with real talent.

Anyhoo (I've always wanted to say that out loud and never done it)...I've owned a guitar for 8 months and been trying to teach myself how to play it. I go through frustrating parts where I feel like giving it up but then I have little breakthroughs which make me want to keep working at it.

The first was when I learnt properly how to play my first song, Walkaways (not the official video but I just found this and it's really cool) by Counting Crows from Recovering the Satellites, which is a short song with quite repetitive chords but something I've really struggled with is singing albeit badly with the guitar. I've found the concept of this totally alien to the point I actually almost gave up.

Early in June I was lucky to grab an hour or so with Greg Holden after his gig at Monkey Chews and over a few beers I said to him that I tried to sing and play and simply couldn't and I was so shocked to learn he couldn't either for the first 6 months. It made me feel a little less retarded, even if he was bending the truth to make me feel normal, which is possible.

So wind the clock forward a month and I've been trying to master his song Bar On A. I've got the chorus sorted and I play the bridge from the chorus into the verses brilliantly (IMHO) although I find the chords in the verses quite tricky at the moment. But there I was playing the chorus and all of a sudden bang, I started singing and it worked, to the point I did it again, and again and again....significant breakthrough, even if it's a tiny part of the song....it's still a result.

Anyways that's not a review of anything but my lack of talent, and perhaps a bit self-indulgent but I just felt it needed sharing with the world...oh and no I won't be youtubing or making a CD so please no requests...it would make you very very unwell.