Son of William Add to Manchester’s Musical Dominance

Posted on June 4, 2018 by boozeandreviewsblog

Manchester – musically, forever entwined with Madchester, The Smiths, Elbow and seemingly a zillion other bands, it’s a place which cherishes its homegrown talent but isn’t afraid when someone new comes on the block to embrace them with open arms. As such, there can be any number of scenes existing in the city at any one time, all with their own gigs, labels and niches but with audiences who are happy to be entertained by all of them. Where is this going? Ah, yes, Son of William.

Son of William – so named as, though their surnames match, they are completely unrelated – are an acoustic duo who have already enjoyed a modest amount of success under their own steam. Hayley and Ben have the kind of acoustic sound which would happily see them being described as folk, country or sing-songwriters without fear of litigation being launched. Their craft is the old-fashioned art of song, with minimal instrumentation allowing the floor to be taken by involving lyrics which are conversational and meaningful, not just a collection of snappy rhymes. Colour of Love is their first release as a duo, an EP which leads with Dear Old Acquaintance, as delicious a song to listen to in a wood-lined bar as you could imagine.

To accompany your listening experience, we’ve shunned the obvious Boddingtons, and gone for something which is both classy and reflective of the environment. It costs a fortune, but try an Industrialist – bourbon, vermouth, mezcal, bitters, maple syrup and topped with candy floss. Chin chin!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzJkbWowXtI4ZCr6pqo7Mfw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonofWilliamMusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonofWilliam_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonofwilliammusic/

Three Cheers for Cholesterol Jones!

Posted on November 23, 2017 by boozeandreviewsblog

As we tremble in the corner of the pub, waiting for the inevitable nuclear apocalypse, it’s comforting to know that some brave souls are picking up their guitars and setting them to stun.

Splitting his time between the US and London, Cholesterol Jones is both an animator and a musician, using these skills to set the brains of sensible members of society whirring into thoughts of action, and the dumber elements a slap around the ears. Satan’s in Heaven, the lead track of a forthcoming EP of the same name, is a case in point: tricky to pigeon-hole musically (a bit country; a bit singer-songwriter; a bit gospel; a bit TV advert jingle), it uses the cleverness of the lyrics and outstanding animated video to convey a message which, although easy to understand, is in no way condescending or preachy to its audience.

Impressively, the song sticks in your head for days: the simplicity makes you realise exactly how hard many artists try to cram as much into three minutes as possible, yet by stripping away the flotsam and jetsam, the true genius can ring out. There’s a nagging feeling we should have been following Cholesterol way before we heard Satan’s in Heaven, but, as they say, it’s never too late. But what beverage to celebrate this discovery? We reckon something unassuming but deadly, so what better than the green fairy herself? Chin-Chin!

‘Shredded Jeans’ by Mark L. Oakes

Posted on February 2, 2017 by boozeandreviewsblog

‘Shredded Jeans’ is one of the latest singles from Belgian singer-songwriter Mark L. Oakes’ new album, Call Me The Moon. The record is a must listen for lovers of folk and americana who enjoy that classic throwback sound.

This isn’t to say that Oakes’ music is dated by any means; he has adopted an older sound akin to the likes of Neil Young and Van Morrison, but adapted and fine-tuned it through quality production to create a more modern version of music from this genre.

Mark states Neil Young as one of his main influences and the pair actually share a very similar vocal tone that’s both warm and emotive. As well as Young, Oakes looks up to the likes of Tucker Zimmerman, Ryan Adams and Tom Petty for musical inspiration.

‘Shredded Jeans’ is a beautifully piano-led track that builds from gentle chords and humming-organs to a chorus that really gives you goosebumps, in the best way possible – it must be the powerful combination of Mark’s voice and the screaming harmonica.

Mark himself has labelled Call Me The Moon the ideal soundtrack for a ‘karmic road trip’ and listening to the music immediately explains why. There is a very cinematic quality to his sound that would be easy to pair up with the visuals of a classic road trip film. The emotion is so strong, particularly in tracks like ‘Shredded Jeans’ and ‘Aloof Again’, that Mark’s music might just make you smile, or even cry.

The album was recorded at Mark’s home studio in the Ardennes with the help of cellist, Ben Trigg, and was mastered by Grammy award winner, Gavin Lurssen. Mark is a keen traveller, often voyaging between Europe and the US with a number of musical projects, but he believes that Call Me The Moon is a ‘silver thread out of the vague existential maze’.

What Drink?

The relaxing and easy-listening vibes at play within Mark’s music call for a quality single-malt with which you can begin to contemplate the ‘vague existential maze’ that is life.

Find out more on Mark L Oakes here:

https://soundcloud.com/mark-l-oakes

https://www.facebook.com/oakesmusic

https://twitter.com/markloakesmusic

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8pq-OE8Cknqw4FwMdfhMLA

www.oakesmusic.com

‘Three Faces of You’ by Corinna Jane

Posted on December 22, 2016 by boozeandreviewsblog

The highly talented Corinna Jane is restoring the lost ethics of quality pop music with her clever songwriting and catchy tunes, most evidently exhibited in her song ‘Three Faces of You’.

Having grown up in 90s MTV era, Corinna has always been surrounded by music and at the age of just five, she was already taking piano and singing lessons. Her discovered talents quickly bloomed and she began writing her own music during her teenage years.

‘Three Faces of You’ is an instantly catchy tune driven by an unusual, yet quirky violin melody and Corinna’s versatile vocals. It then takes a rocking turn as the electric guitar kicks in powering the memorable chorus lines.

Corinna’s song follows the fascinating story of her relationship with someone who lived in their own fantasy world with various personalities residing in them. The feisty feel to the song is mirrored in Corinna and her band’s performance in the video, which has a strong resemblance of the powerhouses of Fleetwood Mac and No Doubt.

What Drink?

There’s a cheekiness and edge to Corinna’s music that calls for a glass of red wine, make it a big one.

Links:

www.soundcloud.com/corinnajane

https://www.facebook.com/corinnajanemusic/

https://twitter.com/Corinna_Jane

https://www.youtube.com/user/Corinnajane

Best Enjoyed With…

Posted on November 8, 2016 by boozeandreviewsblog

Best enjoyed with an elegant glass of bubbly, preferably Moet… is the lovely Leat with ‘Wait For Me’.

The lead single off of the EP is ‘Wait For Me’ following in the style of the rest of the EP, it has an extremely vintage feel and transports you back to an era where music was pure and honest with a definite romantic feel, the single was influenced by the TV programme MadMen which is based in the 50s/60’s, most of the women were stay at home housewives and are at their husbands beck and call, her husband calls to say he will be home late but the wife actually knows he is cheating on her, she is too afraid to speak her mind, the song is upbeat and happy because Leat knows that in this day and age she can be a woman with her own mind and thoughts, just like a man. Leat raised money for the video off of Crowd Funding raising two thousand pounds to complete the visuals.

Olivia Shafique

Posted on July 16, 2015 by boozeandreviewsblog

Booze!? Cocktail!

She’s already been asked to go on reality shows like ‘Life on Marbs’, which will be shown on ITVBe. In the same way as The Only Way Is Essex, it would be following her life and her singing career.

It’s all very impressive for a first release, and fitting that the song itself is all about being positive, picking yourself up and starting again when things go wrong.

Watch the video here:

Links:

http://www.oliviashafique.com

https://www.facebook.com/oliviashafiquemusic

https://twitter.com/oliviashafique

https://instagram.com/oliviashafique

Vidal & Curma To Release EP August 10th

Posted on July 9, 2015 by boozeandreviewsblog

Currently splitting time between their Northern Italian hometown of Padova and the UK’s capital, songwriters Vidal & Curma are a duo making a name for themselves in London. Playing in some of the most prestigious independent music venues in the city, their reputation has already won them a residency at the revered Proud Camden, where they were invited for repeat showings by popular demand thanks to the innate energy and sense of fun in their songs.

Their music boasts a loose, anarchic freshness without compromising on quality, giving an acoustic twist on the indie likes of The Libertines, The Strokes, Mac Demarco, and Velvet Underground to name a few. But perhaps their closest comparison is less well known – both Vidal and Curma are huge fans of Django Reinhardt, a gypsy guitarist from Belgium who was active from the 30s to the 50s. Reinhardt single-handedly invented the gypsy-jazz genre, and both band members consider him the best guitarist of all time.

His brilliance has clearly rubbed off, and the new three track EP ‘Another Plane’ is a real, offbeat, acoustic treat.

See Vidal & Curma in action with this live Tradiio session: