Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
Los Lobos Native Sons New West Besides their 2019 Christmas album, Llego Navidad, it’s been six years since we heard from the iconic band Los Lobos who return now with Native Sons. They are indeed native sons of Los Angeles, hence the album title and an album that pays homage to L.A.’s musical heritage and […]
Son Volt Electro Melodier Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers Electro Melodier is alt country pioneering Son Volt’s tenth studio album, a year after marking, sadly without touring, the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, Trace. Son Volt has always been defined by front man Jay Farrar’s weary, soulful, and inexplicably comforting voice as well his songwriting. […]
Mick Kolassa Wasted Youth Endless Blues The prolific, recently relocated to Memphis, resilient Mick Kolassa returns with a smile on his face after as devastating a year as any could endure. Kolassa lost his wife and many close friends but rather than sinking into maudlin self-pity, these losses inspire the album as Kolassa, in his […]
Andy Lindquist Stand Abide Endure This album is really special for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s the 75th album of Andy’s career an achievement in its self. Secondly it’s a return of another blues album which I have to say finds Andy in his natural musical habitat. Vocally Andy on this album has given […]
Blue Reality Quartet Blue Reality Quartet! Mahakala In another time the album cover would come across as daunting with four men, each with his face covered with a mask. Yet, in these times, we quickly realize that these four musicians have recorded an album during the height of the pandemic. That’s a blue reality itself […]
Keith Loftis Original State Long Tone Music Original State is saxophonist Keith Loftis’ fourth album as a leader. Loftis is the saxophonist for the three-time Grammy nominated Baylor Project, among his other pursuits. This is a new quartet for him in this lyrical, free blowing, mostly swinging session that features six originals in the nine […]
The Brothers March 10, 2020/Madison Square Garden/New York, NY Peach The Brothers is like having the Allman Brothers greatest hits performed live in one handy 4-CD package. Given that only one member of the original lineup, Jaimoe, is still alive, this is the second incarnation of The Allman Brothers Band (2001-2014) plus some guests who […]
Jackson Browne Downhill From Everywhere Inside Recordings This is Jackson Browne’s first album in six years and like many veteran musicians, he’s finding the studio conducive to songwriting. In other words, his songs often take new directions, once he begins to collaborate with bandmates, most of whom have cemented their chemistry with the iconic songwriter […]
Cassie and Mallory Life of a Ghost “Cassie and Mallory” are the two artists Cassie Spires and Mallory Tober who got together in 2019 to make music. Cassie takes on the part of the vocals and lyrics and is accompanied instrumentally by Mallory. Both have very different life stories. Cassie was a successful wedding photographer […]
Greg Ward, Rajiv Halim, Sharel Cassity Altoizm AFAR Music Usually any three-headed saxophone group comes together to honor a legend like Bird or Trane, notwithstanding bigger units such as the World Saxophone Quartet of Odean Pope’s Saxophone Choir. Yet this unit, self-dubbed Altoizm, is making their own music with all seven compositions composed by the […]
