Indie CD Music Wave: Foundations
(Ramm/Moretti/Cunbliffe) + Micki Gonzales Moron Love + Lara MacMillan Miss
Mercury + Silveroot Big Difference + Kat Walker Jazz Skat Gumbo
Sound: B/B-/B-/B-/B Music: B/B-/B-/B-/B
Now for a
quick look at some recent Jazz/Rock/Americana CDs we received
.
Foundations
(Ramm/Moretti/Cunbliffe/2009) offers trumpeter Curt
Ramm, Tenor/Soprano Sax man Dan Moretti, pianist/keyboardist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Marty Ballou
and drummer Marty Richards in a solid set of 11 tracks of all original material
they penned. The all-instrumental set is
one of the better releases we have heard of late and is recommended.
Nicki Gonzales Moron Love (2006) is a good, if not strong
9-song set with Miss Gonzales showing off her singing and having a few good
moments. However, despite some good
humor, it did not stay with me.
Lara MacMillan Miss Mercury was a little better, but again,
it did not stay with me, though this 11-track set is not bad and I would have
liked it to be a little more varied.
Still, she can sing.
Silveroot Big Difference (2009) was my least favorite of
the set, though the 14-tracks offer more than most in these five releases and
the musicians are there to play, it should appeal to some listeners. Sometimes it felt flat, more so than any
other release here.
Kat Walker Jazz Skat Gumbo (2009) was the best of the vocal
releases as Miss Walker plays through 14 tracks including many standards (Fever, Lady Is A Tramp, Cry Me A
River) that she handles well, but Over
The Rainbow was a mistake and too obvious.
Otherwise, more impressive than youd think.
The PCM
16/44.1 Stereo across the CDs are not too far apart, yet I felt the majority
could have sounded better and had some compression that did not help their
presentations. For the most part, the
problems are either compression or some details sounding too digital.
- Nicholas Sheffo