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New Releases

Brian Culbertson - "XII"

XII kicks off with a blast as Brian drops down into a style of funk music indigenous to the Washington, D.C., area known as Go-Go music with the party starter “Feelin’ It.”  To do it up right, he called upon the king of Go-Go, Chuck Brown, leader of the band the Soul Searchers who are world-renowned for the ’70s smash “Bustin’ Loose,” the song that put Go-Go on the map.  “Feelin’ It” features Chuck playing guitar and singing, and comedian Sinbad (a one-time drummer) adding live hi-hat, a rhythm guitar lick…and a lil’ “funny business.”  The result plays like a sequel to the song “Funkin’ Like My Father” that Brian cut with Bootsy Collins on Bringin’ Back The Funk. The instrumentals on XII hold just as many wonderful musical moments as well.  On the soft side is the Suzanne Ciani-like “Waiting For You.”  The origin of this dreamscape ironically stems from Brian’s longtime collaborator Stephen Lu coming up with the initial idea, demoing it and sending it to Brian to get his opinion–all while waiting on phone-hold with his insurance company (a most productive use of time).  Brian’s friend Sheldon Reynolds, along with his wife, layered their vocals on this to sound like a choir.  Sheldon, also a guitarist, additionally co-wrote “Forever,” which opens as a solo piano meditation then blossoms into a soaring rhapsody featuring churchy organ and a guitar solo by Michael Thompson.

© 2010 brianculbertson.com

Alex Band - "We've All Been There"

The inspiring sound of Alex Band’s powerful, emotionally charged voice is immediately recognizable to millions of music lovers, thanks to modern-day classics like “Adrienne,” “Our Lives” and the chart-topping hit “Wherever You Will Go,” which Billboard recently named the #1 Adult Pop Song of the Decade. And though We’ve All Been There, Band’s solo debut (released June 29 on his own AMB label through EMI), contains the first new material we’ve heard from the former leader of The Calling in half a decade, “Wherever You Will Go” (which he wrote at 16 and released at 19, remarkably enough) remains a staple of the Adult Pop format, while “Our Lives” is a heavily used bumper on ESPN and other sports programming.  At its heart, We’ve All Been There charts the course of a distinctly human romantic relationship, from its first stirrings to its final moments. “A lot of these songs are drawn from personal experiences,” Band confirms. “I got married at the beginning of this process and got divorced at the end of the record. ‘Love’ was written in the early stages of that relationship, when my ex-wife was going through medical problems, which we dealt with throughout the years. And ‘Leave (Today Is the Day)’ was the last song I added to the record, after we’d gotten divorced. So a bunch of these songs are extemely personal.”

© 2010 alexband.net

Evan Taubenfeld - "Welcome To The Blacklist Club"

If you've listened to Avril Lavigne's multi-platinum albums, you're already familiar with the musical talent of Evan Taubenfeld. The 25-year-old Baltimore native was Lavigne's musical director and lead guitarist from 2001 to 2004. He co-wrote several tracks on her last two albums, including the gold single "Don't Tell Me" from Under My Skin and "Hot" from her latest release The Best Damn Thing, and toured the world with her in support of her 6x-platinum debut Let Go. Now Taubenfeld is stepping out to show the world what he can do on his own by releasing his debut solo album, Welcome to the Blacklist Club. Produced by John Fields (Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Lifehouse), the album is a self-assured set of thoroughly addictive, radio-ready pop-rock anthems that showcase Taubenfeld's melodic gifts, driving rhythmic sensibility, and engaging personality. Overall, Welcome to the Blacklist Club "is about being a hopeless romantic trapped under a cinnamon-coated shell that is L.A.," Taubenfeld says. "I think your outside hardens when you live out here. Most people don't express how much they want to fall in love. For me, half the album is about being able to expose that. The other half, on songs like "It's Like That," "Love/Hate," "Better Than You," and "Cheater Of the Year," is more about having fun. Like, 'Come hang out with me. I'm going to take over the world. You're all going to work for me one day but I'll take very good care of you.' That's just my personality."