NEW MUSIC: reviews of Alicia Blue, Dogwood Tales, Ignea, and Temperance
Four album reviews: are they any good?
Two country reviews and two metal reviews, and yes I actually like them all. Read more to find out why!
Alicia Blue - Country Desire
Alicia Blue shows with her debut album what she has in store. It is a beautiful selection of country songs, which are also well produced. She is clearly influenced by the late Dolly Parton, which in itself is not wrong, but I would have liked less of a Dolly Parton imitation at times and more of her own style. Anyhow, it is really great country and the singing style fits the music well. The instrumentation is kept simple and the music has an easy pacing because of it. It also sounds more like authentic country, instead of the thick production in countrypop. Alicia knows how to use her voice with regards to dosing and let the music breathe. She clearly has the ‘lead role’ and her voice is in front of the mix. Then, it is the trick to not sing too much, but to sing accurately and well dosed, which she definitely knows how to do.
Dogwood Tales - Every Star in Rockingham County
Dogwood Tales is already becoming an established band with their third album, if you don’t count the collaboration with Euphoria Again released earlier this year. I think it is the perfect album for this time of year after August and it has, in a way, a 90’s vibe I really appreciate. There is some casual way of playing I associate with September and October. It’s a great guitar album with a basis in roots, country and alternative rock. It is comparable to Drive-by Truckers or to the country rock of Jason Isbell. It is clearly mostly a guitar album with a rock edge, but there are also really beautiful songs on there with acoustic and clean guitars. Additionally, the pedal steel is such a great addition to the sound. They created a memorable album, perfect for an October afternoon or a road trip.
Ignea - Monumental
On this album, Ignea explores nostalgic themes from Ukraine. On every album, they try to combine a specific influence with metal. On the previous they combined Asian influences, on the one before that Arabian. This time they chose industrial and retro 80’s influences, that help bring the themes from the Cold War and the industry to life. They used old and strange instruments they fished from basements, which certainly helped with the 80’s atmosphere.
Temperance - Arcani
The Italian power metal band comes with an album inspired on the Major Arcana tarot card deck. It is interesting how the concept album returned from the past, as it works so well for bands like Temperance. The appeal of Temperance is in the male/female vocal duets, with which they create unbelievable choruses. Also, there are some songs with one of the two vocalists in the spotlight. Overall, it is a typical Temperance album with strong riffs, symphonic influences and catchy choruses.