Theresa Rose Riley - Hold On (2013)

 

Theresa Rose Riley is ready to tell her story…Her Independently produced debut album, "Hold On," will be released March 19th 2013. She considers the body of work, "A woman's life set to music." Her dynamic, powerful, soulful, and distinct vocals deliver her story with a dose of truth and grit that will leave listeners wanting more.
About the album, Riley says, "At different times in my life, I've felt it all. I have loved, left, won, lost, laughed, cried, changed my mind, and made mistakes over and over and over…Just like many women. So the tug-of-war of songs that I sing on this album is something that makes me who I am.”In the title track, penned by Riley and manager/producer Jerry Brightman, she sings about the experience of reaching a crossroads in a marriage. "It's about a tough situation, where you say, 'Hold on a minute, here. It's not time to give up and walk away…It's time to fight and hold on to what's important.' But in the same token,” Riley added, “Sometimes on a bad day we are ready to run away screaming! We're human, so it's hard to combat the urge of 'fight or flight!' I wrote, 'Miss Me' about that very situation when you realize that life keeps going when you cut your losses and move on." The songs are polar opposites, but Riley considers them both relevant to every woman. "At different times in our lives, we may feel both ways.”
Other stand outs on the album are, "I Am Love," a ballad delivered with sweetness and mature honesty, "I'm Only Lonely For You," and "Tell Your Story Walking" written by Toni Jolene Clay. One of Riley's favorites on the album is, "Scarecrow," by Eric Paslay and Nicolle Galyon. "When I initially heard the song, it reminded me of growing up and getting into trouble on the back roads in Medina County. Although I may be a grown up now, it makes me smile to think about those days. I had to record it!"
Writing 2 of the ten songs on her album, Theresa continues to write and is ready to continue that process. "I've finally found the confidence to do what I love and share it with the world. Up until recently, I was absolutely terrified to share anything I had written with a single soul." That fear held Riley back for several years. In fact, in her high school days, Theresa tells us that she was even afraid to sing alone in front of others. After solo performances in choir at Highland High School in rural Medina, Ohio, she would often become physically ill immediately following a performance. "It was awful…I knew I had talent, but I was crippled with fear,” she says about those times. “ I even gave up on going to college to become a music teacher because I ran out of the entrance audition." It wasn't until her early 20's, when she joined her first cover band that Theresa started to become confident enough to come out of her shell.
Fast forward a decade and anyone you ask that has seen her perform would never believe that Theresa Rose Riley ever struggled with a confidence issue. For the last few years, she has fronted Cleveland Ohio favorite country band, The Caliber Band. Her impulsive, fun, sometimes playful, yet stage-commanding performances have been entertaining audiences all over the state of Ohio. "Performing with the wonderful guys in the band has really brought me into my true self. I now feel more normal and more alive on stage than I do off stage. The only other thing that can top the feeling of singing in front of a crowd is the feeling of cuddling with my fabulous 4 year old daughter, Abbey." With an extremely supportive husband, group of family and friends on her side, a new chapter in this woman's life is about to begin. "I've been lucky enough to have doors continue to open for me in my life and I'm at the point now, where I'm finally not afraid to walk in each one as it opens."
So, Theresa Rose Riley is ready to share her story with you… and so it begins

Kevin Fowler - How Country Are Ya?

 

"It's COUNTRY that's rockin'. The kinda music makes you wanna crack a cold one...and put a good dip in." Those words are spoken on the "Intro" for How Country Are Ya?, the sixth album from Kevin Fowler, the Texas singer who made a specialty out of rocking hardcore country hard. His amplifiers are cranked and he drops references to Mötley Crüe, but Fowler is a dyed-in-the-wool Texas honky tonker, cranking out drinking songs and slower ones suited for inevitable hangovers. Fowler has two great gifts: first, he sounds like the guy you'd meet in your local bar, the kind who would coax a round or two out of your wallet; second, he has a gift for turning clichés into full-fledged songs. These two talents are intertwined, helping him feel like your favorite local singer, but Fowler always dodges the pedestrian thanks to his humor, eye for detail, and casual sense of adventure. He pretty much sticks to the straight and narrow here, blasting out an ode to "Guitars and Guns" and pleading that somebody "Beer Me," but he also effectively conjures mariachi on "Borracho Grande" and does a bit of a back-porch blues shuffle on "Chicken Wing," not to mention throwing in a rampaging instrumental worthy of Brad Paisley on "Mousturdonus." Fowler makes it seem easy, which, combined with his decidedly regional appeal, may be why he's underrated: he's not flashy and he stays within his wheelhouse, but he knocks out records as satisfying as How Country Are Ya? on a regular basis, and that's worth something. It could be argued it's worth a lot.

David Nail - I'm A Fire (2014)

 

This third album from sports-loving, Missouri-born country music star David Nail follows his 2011-released The Sound of a Million Dreams. Just as on that record, Texan Frank Liddell contributed to the production of I'm a Fire, and here he is assisted by Mark Knopfler collaborators Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf. The number one Billboard Country Airplay single "Whatever She's Got" opens the proceedings, while a duet with Lee Ann Womack on the classic Jimmy Webb-penned "Galveston" closes the album.

Jenna Torres - A Womans Touch (2014

Hailing from the Big Apple, you might not exactly have Jenna Torres that high atop a list of potential Country Music singers, but that’s the magic that sometimes comes from a place that you’re not expecting. Torres definitely delivers on her latest release, serving notice to the musical world that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Whether it be a power ballad or a up-tempo rocker, Torres succeeds quite often on A Woman’s Touch, with each cut showcasing a different layer or aspect to her vocal talents. Among the former, some of the strongest performances come on the evocative and passionate “That’s The Kind Of Love,” which describes in beautiful detail the kind of relationship we’d all like to have. She turns breathy and seductive on “One Good Outlaw,” and knocks one out of the ballpark on the appealing “Man In A Cage.”
But, Torres can also turn up the tempo, as well. She does this to nice effect on the exciting title cut, as well as recent single “22.” Al in all, she has assembled quite a collection on this album – one that we hope will garner some well-deserved attention. Write down the name, folks. You’re going to be hearing it a lot!