Chelsea Sinking, Dismal Creek - The Beat’s Record Roundup
Chelsea Sinking
Chelsea Sinking
Panama City Beach’s Chelsea Sinking lands squarely between alternative and pop-rock. The five-track EP showcases their upbeat songs with occasionally not-so-upbeat lyrics. Framed around the crystal clear voice of their lead singer, Chelsea Sinking are likely to be embraced by fans of bands like Third Eye Blind and All American Rejects.
- Nikki Hedrick
Dismal Creek
Traditional Bluegrass Favorites
A three-piece, no-frills bluegrass band from the Santa Rosa Beach area delivers on the album title by paying homage to 12 classic tunes. With a banjo front and center in this warm, echo-filled recording, the illusion of the band playing on your front porch as you kick back in an old-fashioned rocking chair is fulfilled. This is traditional music played with heart and authenticity.
- Nikki Hedrick
Medeski Martin & Wood
Free Magic
Indirecto Records
Free Magic is a five-track, 67-minute compilation of live concert recordings taken from MMW’s 2007 acoustic tour. The trio of keyboard, percussion and bass has been playing together for 21 years, and these selections—ranging in length from nine to 16 minutes—reflect their common wavelength. Listening to it might take you back to the feel-the-colors ‘70s jazz sound, and its obligatory leisurely jams, as heard in mom and dad’s basement. Tracks like “Doppler” (complete with toy piano) and “Where’s Sly?” add to that feeling. Still, there’s nothing self-indulgent here. These guys just read each other’s minds.
- Bruce Collier
The Wild Fruit
The Wild Fruit
www.reverbnation.com/thewildfruit
With foot-stomping lo-fi rock, a little Southern twang and country-style soul, the Wild Fruit’s sound is all their own. The guy-girl duo knows how to craft memorable songs at every tempo. The opener, “Gun Shy,” is addictive, from the openness of the drums to the reverb in the vocals—it’s a flawless execution that highlights everything that makes this band a fantastic find.
- Nikki Hedrick
Victor Wooten
Sword and Stone
Vix Records
This is one-half of a “double” release for bassist Wooten. The other, Words and Tones, offers most of the same compositions, but with vocals and different personnel. Sword and Stone is all instrumental, and nearly all original work. Wooten allows himself to range wide here, both instrumentally (he plays about 10 stringed instruments) and in subject matter, from “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” to contemporary jazz, romantic stuff, and Arthurian-themed songs like “Merlin” and the title track. Vix Records is Wooten’s own label, so he’s answering to no one here.
- Bruce Collier