Megan Rüger-Rockstar

Broad Horizon Records
2016

Serving as her first recording of all original compositions, "Rockstar" is a brand new studio release from  Nashville, Tennessee' singer/songwriter (and one-time American Idol and The Voice contestant!) Megan Rüger. This well-produced EP features seven diverse songs which range from country to guitar rock and it shows off the amazing range of this former TV star. These songs include the title track and the two singles, "Red" and "Hey! Hey! It's Okay". Recorded and mixed by guitarist/keyboardist/programmer Jamey Perrenot (Taylor Swift / Leann Rimes), "Rockstar" starts things off with some good old fashioned pop rock in "Sorry, I'm Not Sorry" and then moves from country (the solid title track) to the Halestorm-like rock of "(Why Does Your Bad) Feel So Good"! From there you'll experience some splendid modern alternative rock in the form of "Again" (think Paramore) and then Megan return's to her roots with the country rock "White Flag". The previously-mentioned singles ("Red" and "Hey! Hey! It's Okay") close out "Rockstar" in grand fashion while further showcasing just how talented this spunky singer is! On the first single, "Red", Megan Rüger ends up channeling the heart and soul of Joan Jett as well as the wild spirit of the artist Pink!! With it's great rock and roll guitars and sweet alternative rock vibe it's a fun song that should get plenty of airplay if it's marketed correctly. Even if it isn't quite as strong as "Red", the same thing can be said of  the EP's last song, "Hey! Hey! It's Okay". Picking up where "Red" left off, "Hey! Hey! It's Okay" also sounds as if it had Pink in mind...or at least quirky personality.  More pop than rock, "Hey! Hey! It's Okay" offers yet another (positive) angle by which to judge this highly-versatile singer and it ends things in such a upbeat manor that you can't help but want to hear more! Now out on Broad Horizon Records, "Rockstar" is the sound of one legitimate artist that is actively seeking proper recognition in a field full of imitators and flat-out fakes. With any luck Megan Rüger will find true success....

Double Experience-Unsaved Progress

Colfax Music
2016

Active since 2011,  Double Experience is a Canadian trio with three release to it's name thanks to the forthcoming "Unsaved Progress". Self-dubbed Nerdy Neo-Rock and featuring a solid line-up of Ian Nichols (vox, lyrics), Brock Tinsley (guitars, bass, lyrics), and Dafydd Cartwright (drums), Double Experience is also a band that answers one of life's oldest and most persistent questions. And of course that would be: "What would Fall Out Boy sound like if they were less emo and more rock?". What, you've never asked that question before? Am I the only one who has wondered that? Wow, who knew? Anyway, this is pretty much what you get when it comes to the quirky Double Experience and/or "Unsaved Progress". With eight original compositions and a fun cover of the B.O.C. classic "Godzilla", "Unsaved Progress" is an easy enough album to get into so long as you enjoy alternative rock & pop-infused heavy rock. Double Experience's new release has a due-date of April 8th and lest I forget, "Unsaved Progress" will be printed with classic video game-inspired packaging! That's rather righteous don't ya think? Well, at least it is to me. I grew up loving the video game culture and I now have the pleasure of watching my own children teenagers enjoy the same games that I did when I was there age! And speaking of my teens (or my family of three!), "Unsaved Progress" has a good chance at becoming a new family favorite thanks to it's catchy mash-up of pop rock, alternative rock, pop punk, power rock and heavy rock! While it might not appeal to all of our readers, "Unsaved Progress" still deserves a fair chance so if your musical tastes are a little more open why not give this one a shot? You've got nothing to lose....

Jupiter in Velvet-"The World Didn’t Start With U" Single

Free 2b Free Records
2015

With a release date of October 16th, "The World Didn’t Start With U" is the lead single from the forthcoming Jupiter in Velvet' album of the same name. At some point down the road I plan to cover that particular full-length feature in it's entirety, but for the moment we're just going to be discussing the album's title track and then by extension it's official video which can be previewed below. Now, for those of you who might be new to the name and/or wondering just what exactly a Jupiter in Velvet is supposed to be (which were two  separate train of thoughts that (until just recently) I was stuck on!), Jupiter in Velvet is a indie pop-rock/electro-rock singer- songwriter with four albums to his name. OK, "The World Didn’t Start With U" will actually be his forth album, but for this multi-talented singer-songwriter (who actually has a BA in marketing and an MBA in finance!) it's all good in the hood and it sure does look as if it is only going to get better for the main man himself with each new twist of the knob! With "The World Didn’t Start With U" we're talking about a guy who shares vocal similarities with David Bowie(!) and while that in and of itself is pretty righteous there is something even more positive in regards to actual structure of this single. On "The World Didn’t Start With U" we find Jupiter in Velvet playing gritty electronic guitar rock that falls somewhere between "Achtung Baby" U2 and the early punk/new wave-infused rock sound of Billy Idol! Of course those Bowie-ish vocals do give the whole affair a "spacey" vibe and it's not anywhere near as cut and dry as a U2 meets Billy Idol comparison would suggest, but stylistically this single is as cool as you can get  without breaking any local laws! We'll have to wait and see if the whole album flows as easily as this title track does, but from where I'm sitting I would have a hard time picturing Jupiter in Velvet as a one and done kind of solo artist!

Links:

www.jupiterinvelvet.com

www.twitter.com/jupiterisvelvet

www.facebook.com/jupiterinvelvet

www.reverbnation.com/jupiterinvelvet

www.soundcloud.com/jupiterinvelvet

www.jupiterinvelvet.tumblr.com

www.youtube.com/jupiterinvelvet