Eva & The Heartmaker - Let's Keep This Up Forever

Ah! Norwegian rock! Wait. Pop! How about pop rock? Pop rocks? Mm! If Eva and The Heartmaker are as good as pop rocks, then you can expect good things from them! I'm going to go so far as to say they are! This Norwegian Duo's new release has spread globally thanks to the hit single Superhero, which is a peppy and catchy tune. Most of the songs on this disc are, as a matter of fact.
This shows that E & the H follow a philosophy I like. Do something, and do it well. They are not making groundbreaking music, nor are they pushing the envelope in any way. Instead, they are taking Eva's great voice, and adding it to some strong guitar and drums (what did you expect, a zither?) to make some to tapping music.
This is one of those discs that you won't even realize you have listened to once it's over. The music sort of glides through you, without imposing. It doesn't demand to be noticed, it merely makes itself comfortable and works its way around you. It's like walking outside on a sunny day. The sun feels good, but you don't always pay attention to it. For a moment, you bask in it, and then you go about your business. This disc is much the same way. It grabs your attention, and then it does its thing while you do yours.
All in all, I'd say this would be a solid addition, with my favorite tracks being Superhero, Please!, Mississippi, and Life Still Goes On.

Give it a listen! I'm going to listen to it again, while giving a rating of 5 out of 7 partially licked pop rocks.

Brave Combo- The Exotic Rocking Life

It was years ago that I first heard the name "Brave Combo". I have no idea what song I played, but it was at WFHB in the middle of the night. Someone called me up and suggested them. I bought a disc or two, and thought they had an interesting sound. I don't know why hearing anglo english speaking guys playing spanish music is interesting, but it is. One listening turned me on to their unique sound. Tracking down a second disc was also entertaining, but a bit disappointing in that I heard the same basic sound that I had before. I must confess, if I were to profess (or confess!) a nit , it's repetition. I abhor it.
I enjoy many bands for different reasons. What I find I enjoy most is a band that can really mix it up. I wish I could be more specific. Maybe later. For now, I need to move on to the matter at hand!

The Exotic Rocking life is the bands 28th release. 28! That's staggering if you think about it. My personal collection consists of Polkatharsis on vinyl, and Box of Ghosts on CD. I highly recommend Box of Ghosts. To that end, I think I have to recommend The Exotic Rocking Life, too.  Listening to the first 3 tracks, I felt like I was once again listening to everything Brave Combo had ever done. I wasn't terribly excited about that. Even though I got a kick out of their Louie Louie cover, things just sounded terribly familiar.

What perked up my tired ears was The Tsamikos, which is a Greek war dance. If I'm not mistaken, this was also sung in Greek. Brave Combo, you have my attention!

From there on out, the disc pretty much had my full attention. They covered more than a few songs on here, but they did such a great job, I'm OK with that. The Undercover Medley was particularly fun for me.

All in all, once they got their groove on, Brave Combo showed they still have more than a few tricks up their sleeve. The guitars still rock, the horns still groove, and the voices are still silky smooth. I don't know how they've done it, but they have.  This disc is definitely worth a listen. Had I not had so much narrative to begin this post, I'd go on, but I need to write up my station review while the music is still bouncing around in my head. I have to give them their just dues!

My rating -- 11 out of 15 chili con carnes.

Bubba Beyond - Land of a Thousand Doses

Ahh... This is more like it. THIS is why I went back to reviewing music for good old FHB. I like all kinds of music, and over the last few months, have been a fan of some world music, particularly gypsy music. This is easily the best rock/funk album I've heard in a while. I'm only halfway through, and I'm already in love with the solid grooves this thing has. I'm reasonably sure they have a free download somewhere, too.

They do! Just click on the link to go to their facebook page.

Bubba Beyond has easily mastered funk, hands down. Fortunately for them, even when they gently venture into non-funky realms, they still do a great job. While this disc starts off with some great funk on What You Growin'? and Don't Make Me Get Funky On Ya, it hits a nice stride later on, starting with a solid instrumental, All About More. Then it kind of gets into some good solid mellow rock towards the end. To be honest, I'm not surprised when I see one name in the lineup. T-Bone Pickett!

Groovin' towards the end of the disc, there's a wonderful treat in store, Land of 1000 Dance. It's a pretty solid remake of an old classic. I like, I like!

Finally, we groove out to the synth and guitar of Elf Portrait. Of all the tracks, it's actually rather underwhelming by comparison, but maybe BB felt like after all the shakin and groovin, it was time to just mellow out and slide away...

All in all, this is a very solid disc, and is good for almost whatever mood you're in. Drop in those funky beats during the day, and slow it down at night, when you're primping and trying on your best "ladies man" outfits. No Brut.

Not much else to say about Land of a Thousand Doses. Then again, with those samples they offer, I don't really have to! I gotta give it a good 5 out of 7 tokes.