New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness

New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness
2011, MPress Records

Singer/songwriter Rachael Sage launched MPress Records a decade ago as a platform for her own albums, but also as a means to help Indie artists get their music heard.  In 2006, Sage launched the New Arrivals charity compilation series.  Each volume benefits a different charity while featuring both established and Indie artists.  New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness, available June 7, 2011, features established artists Rachael Sage, Lucy Woodward and Michelle Malone, as well as coming stars Seth Glier, Caleb Hawley (American Idol), Lindsay Mac and Greta Gertler & The Extroverts.  Proceeds from the album will benefit The National Network For Youth.

The album opens with American Idol 10 semifinalist Caleb Hawley.  His "Other Side Of It All" is a song of hope for a harmonious world.  It's a solid effort, catchy-yet-mellow, even if Hawley sufficiently glosses over the history he references to lose meaning.  Seth Glier is next with "Lauralee", from his album The Next Right Thing.  It's an amazing piece of songwriting from a guy you're likely to hear a lot from over the next decade or two.  Michelle Citrin impresses with a jaunty, live acoustic version of "Coffee".  Her voice is exceedingly pleasant to the ear, and you may find yourself seeking out what else she has done.  Light In August is up next with the dreamy acoustic pop style of "Northern Lights".  If you're familiar with the solo work of Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn then you'll have an idea of where Light In August are headed here. 

Lindsay Mac's "Stop Thinking" is brilliant folk/pop blending sensuality and pathos, drawn from her album of the same name (See review here).  The Paper Raincoat's Amber Rubarth shows off an impressive voice on the atypical pop sounds of "Sympathetic Vibrations", but Rachel Davis might just steal the show.  Davis doesn't appear to have a powerful voice, but with a soulful and deeply nuanced tone, Davis will make a believer out of you on "Mark Of Cain".  Micah Dalton offers up a solid performance on "We Came Alive Tonight", and Avi Wisnia will grab your attention with his songwriting and unusual phrasing on "New Year".  Josh Schicker's "The Other Side" isn't overly memorable as a song, but his voice will make you forget about the song.

Michelle Malone grabs you by the shirt and shakes for all she's worth on "Miss Miss'ippi", raising the roof and dropping it on unsuspecting listeners in her signature style.  After a bit of a lull, including a less-than-inspiring entry from GRAMMY nominee Dave Eggar, Greta Gertler & The Extroverts  drops "Veselka" out of a clear blue sky.  This wonderfully quirky bit of cabaret-pop memorializes a Ukrainian soul food restaurant on the Lowest East Side of New York City with character, humor and a distinctive sense of melody.  Listeners will be reaching for their handhelds and signing on to Gertler's website before the song is over.  The album wraps with two Indie icons.  Rachael Sage contributes "Big Star", from her album Delancey Street.  It's an entertaining mix of reality and advice for all who would walk the path she's followed in the music business.  As a special bonus, listeners are treated to Lucy Woodward's frenetic performance of "He Got Away".  Done in a call and response style with her band, this song will remind you (or educate you, as the case may be) of just how wonderful Woodward's voice really is.

As with any various artists’ collection, different tracks will appear to different listeners for different reasons.  But of the Indie collections released in the last few years, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness has to be rated among the best for both songs and selection of artists.  So if you're looking for an opportunity to learn about some wonderful up-and-coming Indie artists and support a good cause in the process, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness comes highly recommended.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about the New Arrivals Series at www.newarrivalscd.com.  For more information about The National Network For Youth, head over to www.nn4youth.org.  New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness drops on June 7, 2011.  Keep checking your favorite retailer for availability.

Seth Glier - The Next Right Thing

Seth Glier – The Next Right Thing
2010, MPress Records

Boston-based singer/songwriter Seth Glier is all of twenty-one years old and is already preparing to release his second album on MPress Records.  Twenty-two in years alone, Glier shows a depth and maturity of songwriting that seems antithetical to his youth.  Glier’s next album, The Next Right Thing is due on January 11, 2011 and features a guest appearance from Edwin McCain.  Glier writes from a deep well of experiences both personal and observed, and certainly appears to have taken things to the next level with The Next Right Thing.  Seth Glier has appeared on the main stage at the Falcon Ridge Folk and Kerrville Folk Festivals, and has shared stages with the likes of McCain, Mark Knopfler, James Taylor and The Verve Pipe.

The Next Right Thing marks Glier as a rising star.  The title track is a dynamic soul/gospel tune with a beating heart of urgency.  “Walk Katie Home” is a song of devotion about the lengths we’ll go for love.  The song is beautiful in its unadorned love and purity of thought.   On “Lauralee” Glier provides us with a literate and mature view of love using wondrous imagery; sounding more than a bit like a young Billy Joel in the process.  “First” is poetic and romantic; capturing the moments or experiences that can make love feel like new again.  “Down With This Ship” makes ethical and sociological observations about the point of impact between faith and deceit.  It’s a dynamic bit of songwriting that is certain to capture younger and older fans, as Glier seems to phrase the sort of problems that hit many in midlife in terms that are universal and accessible.

“I Don’t Need You” takes a look inside the life of someone who sees all of her friends passing her by while she stands still.  The song expresses the mix of frustration and need in muted tones of resignation and is amazingly well written.  “What Others Have Done” follows a soul who seeks himself in the whims and fancies of others; through the brief highs and the lengths of emptiness that ensue.  The piano ballad style here is reminiscent of a cross of Billy Joel and Elton John.  “Beauty In the Breakdown”  seeks the silver lining in human pain.  Glier displays a quietly dramatic sense here, and the arrangement is among the most complete and beautiful on the album. 

“Book Of Matches” is simply brilliant.  Glier turns the tragedy of losing a home into opportunity, finding the sense of freedom of no longer being encumbered with possessions, burdens or expectations.  The imagery here is deep, and could have multiple interpretations (fire, divorce, death, etc.), but this proves the genius in the songwriting.  “No Place To Land” captures the loneliness and displacement of someone who has been on the road so long it’s become the only home he knows.  The extrapolation from what are Glier’s experiences playing 200 shows per year to a way of life is a logical leap that goes beyond your typical pop song.  Glier closes with “Soul, Skin & Bones”; an incredibly poetic memorial in song that’s stark in its imagery but ultimately deeply loving.  The palindrome simile Glier uses here is eye opening.  This is how you close an album with an utter “Wow” moment.

Seth Glier is the sort of singer/songwriter that allows you to throw in a CD and get lost for an hour.  Musically, he writes in subtle tones, crafting near-perfect settings for the stories he tells in song.  Lyrically, Glier is an old soul, writing well beyond his twenty-two years in both poetics and depth of human understanding.  The Next Right Thing is beautiful; brilliant; breathtaking.  Glier sets the bar high for 2011.  The Next Right Thing is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Seth Glier at www.sethglier.com or www.myspace.com/sethglier.  The Next Right Thing drops on January 11, 2011.  You can pre-order the CD and Download from Amazon.com.