Rogers & Butler “Brighter Day”
Edward Rogers and Stephen Butler are a great pairing of rock veterans who work seamlessly together on their second long-player. Influences range from Ray Davies to Tom Petty, but this pairing feels like a modern update to those classic artists and the music is both immediate and inviting. The duo also benefits from a terrific band; Don Piper on guitars, backing vocals, and percussion, Sal Maida on bass, Konrad Meissner on drums, Joe McGinty on keyboards, Joe Chiofalo on accordion, and Chris Carmichael on strings.
Many of the songs early on feel like a reaction to the world during the pandemic, as the title track opener wishes for a “Brighter Day” and the cabin fever restlessness of “Where Does the World Hide” impresses with its catchy chorus. “Last Reply” is a moving piano love ballad and the gentle jangle of “A Perfect Market Day” has Rogers gives us a nice slice of life, which has a Beatlesque touch. Another big standout is the dramatic midtempo “The Sun Won’t Shine” which flows beautifully, and the folky “Oh Romeo” has that lovely mandolin tremolo. Not a bad song here, although the weary “Cabaret,” feels like it belongs on a different album. Overall, a great album that’s highly recommended.
Kevin Robertson “Teaspoon of Time”
Scottish singer-songwriter Kevin Robertson(Vapour Trails) specializes in delightful 12-string jangle pop and psych-pop. Obviously, fans of the Byrds and CSNY will love this. The warm “Tough Times (Feel Like That)” and his double-tracked vocal harmony blend is so cool, that you could listen to it on a loop. Kevin also enlisted a contingent of expert sidemen like Nick Bertling, Andrew Taylor (Dropkick), Dave Morgan (The Loft / Weather Prophets), and many more. “Psychedelic Wedding Song” is exactly what you’d expect – wedding vows set to trippy backward guitar riffs. “Forty-Five Losing Street” starts to feel like the Byrds'”My Back Pages” until the break in the chorus changes the tempo completely. The next song “Rather Hide” also uses this technique to prevent predictability.
Robertson does his best to keep things fresh, “Sleepy Island Sound” has a bouncier tempo to prevent things from drifting too mellow. It starts to feel more influenced by Gerry Beckley (America) on “Magnify The Sun” and “Misty Dew Soaked Mountains.” Overall, an improvement over Kevin’s debut Sundown’s End, and it’s also highly recommended.