The Band of Heathens
Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster’s Son
BOH Records
4.5 out of 5 stars
The Band of Heathens incorporate so many different sounds on Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster’s Son that the disc sometimes feels like a compilation more than a single release. From alt-country-esque rockers like “Medicine Man” and “Should Have Known” to uber soulful tracks like “I Ain’t Running” and “The Other Broadway,” The Band of Heathens pay subtle homage to a vast wealth of American artists, and end up with a timelessness in their sound that is as interesting as it is wide-ranging.
:: State Bridge :: June 16 ::
:: Cervantes’ Other Side :: June 17 ::
The David James Band
Street Performer
Independent
4 out of 5 stars
The sheer amount of notes played by the classically-trained pianist David James, is reason enough to pick up this piano pop rock album by the Denver four-piece. Simply put, James goes nuts all over the keys for nearly 40 minutes. Luckily, the rest of the band backs it up, including some dialed in guitar work by Justin Francoeur. Street Performers definitely bows down to today’s high water mark for piano pop, Ben Folds, but with chops like these, it won’t be long until the DJB can shed the comparisons and allow their obvious ample ability to be counted on its own merit.
Justin Roth
Now You Know
Independent
3.5 out of 5 stars
Justin Roth spent seven years on the road before coming home to Colorado to record this album. With a rabid fan base pre-ordering enough copies to fund his entire project, Roth locked himself in a small cabin with no cell service and no internet access, to write, record, engineer, produce, play and sing every single note on the album himself. It was an ambitious project that netted a beautiful album for a rainy day.
:: Walnut Room :: June 23 ::
Whitney Mann
The Western Sky
Independent
4 out of 5 stars
Whitney Mann is only 26, but the Madison, Wisc. singer/songwriter has a voice that is years beyond her age, and though still very early in her career, the singer captures elements of great female crooners before her, like Lucinda Williams and Dolly Parton. The Western Sky is simply gorgeous with tracks that range from bluegrass, to country to alt-country and rock.
