CD Review: First Impression of Danika Holmes' "Second Chances"

Singer/songwriter Danika Holmes was looking for a "normal career" before music pulled her back in the right direction. She has just released her debut album "Second Chances." The songs "Lock Me In Tonight," and the album's lead-off song "Half As Strong As You" carry a strong country sound with an even stronger, memorable chorus. Danika's voice floats between sounds of Jewel and Dolly Parton. The song "Unlit Match" is an interesting experiment in sound textures with some great lyrics, but does not carry enough of a punch. Her voice in the song "Pockets Full of Gold" flows perfectly with the piano keys as her strength lies in soft, gentle ballads. The storytelling in "Annie May" shows off Danika's folksier side to her song-writing. The meaningful album closer "Dear Friends" is a pop song that pays tribute to fans, friends and family. Danika's album is available on her website www.danikaholmes.com and she just released a video for the song Lock Me In Tonight.

Sheila Nicholls Sings "Songs from the Bardo"

Singer/songwriter Sheila Nicholls' newest release "Songs from the Bardo" displays her talents for song-writing. The album was produced and released on her own label. She currently has two songs on soundcloud.com for you to view. Her song "Bardo" is full of strumming acoustics while her voice sounds like a cross between Sarah McLachlan and Sheryl Crow. "Natural Law" is a bit more edgier, but it's Sheila's voice during the chorus that makes this song move. Her full album is available on iTunes and through her website sheilanicholls.com.

The Enthusiasts Bring You "In The City"

New York City rock trio, The Enthusiasts have just released a brand new 7" single for the song "In The City". The band's punk-style energy shines bright. The 2:34 song is high on guitar riffs and low on lyrics, but it works well. The b-side of the single is the song "My Two Worlds." While this song is not as strong as the "In The City" single, The Enthusiasts do show another dimension to their punk sound. For a copy of The Enthusiasts new single, visit their myspace page at www.myspace.com/enthusiastsny.

CD Review: The Book of Eli's Moody Soundscape

The soundtrack to the movie, The Book Of Eli, is a landscape in sound. Released back in January to coincide with the release of the film in theaters, the soundtrack performs its expected duties, capturing the mood and feelings from specific moments in the film.

Synthesizers become the main backdrop to capture the mood of the movie. The aptly titled opener "Panoramic" scans the talents of film composer Atticus Ross. The orchestra is almost undetectable until the 3rd song "The Journey". Ross does a fine job in making this soundtrack hold together as a solid piece of musical exploration. Musical excerpts "Solara Violated" and "Human" benefit with the use of headphones to really appreciate the stereo sounds flowing through the speakers. The tone of the soundtrack turns dark with "Den Of Vice" and "Gattling" before returning with the powerful "Convoy Destruct" and "Carnegie's Demise".

The soundtrack doesn't stray far from its moody overtone, but plays perfectly as an extension of the film. The soundtrack to The Book Of Eli is in stores now and look for the DVD to arrive on June 15.

CD Review: Airbourne's Glorious Sophomore Release

Australian rockers Airbourne are one of the bands that are carrying the torch for rock ‘n’ roll music. The band’s latest release, “No Guts. No Glory.” is full of AC/DC guitar riffs and screaming vocals. “Born to Kill” and “No Way But The Hard Way” are the rock anthems for this generation with Joel O’Keefe’s vocals driving the sound. Songs like “Blonde, Bad and Beautiful” and “Raise The Flag” get embedded in your mind with there repetitive chorus that keep you singing after just one listen. The band speeds things up with the songs, “It Ain’t Over, Till It’s Over” and the album closer “Back On The Bottle.” This album is so full of hard rock energy that you feel you can take on anything. As they say, this album is all killer and no filler.

Airbourne are currently on tour in Europe before returning to the US in August to join the Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival with Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed and others. “No Guts. No Glory.” is available now on Roadrunner Records. Visit the band’s website (airbournerock.com) for more information.