"How do you fancy doing a omni review of some singer-songwriter CD's, selected purely at random –- literally the first dozen from the top of the pile?" asked the editor. "OK" I said, and the 12 albums here are what duly arrived in the post. I know what you are thinking! Shouldn't there be 13 in a bakers dozen? Yes, but what the hell. On first inspection of the 12 CDs it was plain to see they really were a potpourri of different musical genres and styles, so I decided, purely as a bit of fun, (but it may also help you to make up your own mind as to whether or not to buy the album) to listen to each album and award it points from 1 to 5 for each facet I found. I must stress these are purely my view and should only be used as a guide. You of course may find what you hear as different.

The facets or categories are as follows: S: is for Song Content/lyrics O: is for Originality, "is the sound new & unique or is it copying another singer?" M: is for Musicical ability, and arrangement. E: is for Entertainment, "did the album hold my attention, entertain me and stop me from pressing the skip/FF button?" I awarded up to five points for each facet giving a possible top score of 20 points for a tip-top album. (for example: an album may score S1 + O3 + M2 + E4 = 10 points out of a possible 20) So let's see if the albums have S.O.M.E. content you might like. Most of these artists are virtually unknown in the U.K. and certainly this is the first time I have heard them, so I start with a blank canvas.

Dolorean, (Violence in the Snowy Fields) a band from Portland Oregon, is the first album to grace my hi-fi. Straight away I am impressed by some good vocal harmonies balanced by nice instrumentation. Initially they come across as a soft alt-country/folk rock band. The band are Al James, lead vocals and acoustic guitar; James Adair on bass; Ben Nugent on drums; and Jay Clark on piano. Guest musicians on this album are Emil Amos on electric guitar, and Timothy Horner on violin. The lead singer Al James has a superb voice which, when married with the harmony vocals supplied by Ben Nugent, result in magic. The band is very tight and plays well. Al James wrote all the songs; they are all good and often have deep meaningful lyrics. My only tiny criticism is that lyrics of one or two of the songs are a bit dark and filled with angst, - but oddly enough the overall sound works well. The songs have titles like 'The Search,' 'Put You to Sleep,' 'Dying in Time,' 'To Destruction,' leading up to the title track 'Violence in the Snowy Fields.' I think you might get an idea where they are coming from and I detected shades of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and even Springfield in the music. One of the best tracks on this album is 'The Righteous Shall Destroy the Precious,' which put me in mind of the late Johnny Cash singing 'Hurt,' which in my opinion can't be bad, as it was one of the best songs he ever recorded.

I believe this is only the band's second album, and I can recommend it as good listening. Dolorean is a band definitely on the way up. It will be interesting to see how the band develops after Al James' song-writing gets out of the sorrowful angst mode, as this bubble has now burst, but on this album he has demonstrated his ability to produce some great songs.

I score this one S3 O3 M4 E4 = 14

It is amazing that Ross Falzone's Radical Heart is a debut album, and comes from an otherwise unknown singer-songwriter, because although it's firmly in the rock/blues/soul genre it is bloody good, and it has some amazing tracks on it. I was even more amazed to discover it is not 'for sale' in record stores! Why not? Well the album was contrived to raise funds for a charity (the Nashville Youth Agency, Oasis Centre, Nashville.) For more than 30 years The Oasis Center has been operating locally, to give help and support to the youth of Nashville who have problems with crisis, homelessness, drugs, and alcohol, by providing a safe place for hope and healing.

There are 10 stellar tracks on this album with something for everyone. Ross produced the album and has brought together a large group of no less than 18 of the cream of Nashville musicians to provide the backing for his songs. A mixture of Pop, Rock, Soul, Blues, funky humour, and folk rock make up the songs, most with lyrics tinged with political, (or is it socially conscious?) -- what ever, they all make good listening. On one of the tracks he enlists the voice of Ami Mattison, (spoken word artist) with her poem ‘The Crapitalist' about the dark side of capitalism. Ami also adds a bit of rap on the second track 'Ain't it a shame.' My favourite tracks worthy of an extra mention are the title track 'Radical Heart' about standing up for what you believe, 'Call my Name,' about offering hope and undying love, and 'Father to Son, Man to Man' about offering advice on life. To obtain a copy of the album you will have to visit the Poet People web site. All the money from the CD will be donated to the Oasis Centre.

I score this one S4 O2 M4 E4 = 14

Satellite UFO Jet Plane or Star is the third CD to be put out by Chris Elliott, a singer/songwriter and poet from Boston, Mass. Chris sings and plays the acoustic guitar but has also enlisted the help of 11 guest musicians, so what you have here is the sound of a full band. On 4 of the 14 tracks the vocal harmonies are supplied by Lisa Austin, with whom Chris also performs as the duo Austin & Elliott. The title for the album is taken from a line in the second song on the album called 'Ginger & Ned' -- a song that proves drink and drive just don't mix. For the most part the songs are well written with themes based on love, war, death, heavy metal music, dishwasher in a restaurant, America, to name a few. Most are set in Americana folk rock mode, with good steady predictable tunes. Influences by Bob Dylan, Loudon Wainwright III, and Randy Newman can be detected, but there is nothing wrong with that. The songs are all recorded well, so you can hear all the lyrics. I wasn't surprised to find out that two of my three favourite tracks 'Rose for a Blue Jay' and 'Promises, Promises' have already won or have been a finalist in U.S.A. song-writing contests. One thing I liked most about this album is that the songs are all varied, demonstrating Chris's ability to pen different sorts of songs and the fact that he's not stuck in any one groove. Worthy of an extra mention is my other favourite track 'Raven on the Wire' which reminds me of something Show of Hands might have come up with. So there you have it, a nice album, any singer songwriter should be proud of.

I score this album S4 O3 M3 E4 = 14

Next up is Maia Sharp's Fine Upstanding Citizen. Sitting firmly in the pop/country rock mode is Maia Sharp from the San Fernando Valley with this her third solo CD. To say solo isn't strictly true, for Maia has a full band of stellar musicians accompanying her, who for me carried the songs and the arrangements. Maia Sharp is the daughter of Randy Sharp, a singer-songwriter whose work has been acknowledged and recorded by such luminaries as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Clay Walker. Maia is looking to carry on in the family business. Having a famous father can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand he will be able to open doors for her wand get the right promotion and air play for her albums and introduce her to top class musicians etc. But on the other hand she may have bigger hill to climb if people expect her to be as good as her father.

Maia has a nice voice and sings sweetly, but lacks any power or true grit to carry the more powerful songs. Unfortunately, she sounds like hundreds of other female singers. This is often the case with singer-songwriters, they have all this beautiful music flowing around in their heads, but lack the star quality in their own voice to do it justice.

On this album she is so near yet so far away from making an absolute diamond of an album. To be fair, the album has some great songs, some of which she has co-written with Imani Coppola, Kim Richey, Steve Poltz, and her father Randy.

Outstanding tracks for me are the opening song 'Red Dress' followed by 'Something Wild' and the title track 'Fine Upstanding Citizen' the latter about a shoplifter being caught, shopped by a fine upstanding citizen. You won't find many songs with this theme.

The pop and rock market is huge and Maia has chosen a hard road to travel. This a fine album with some good songs on it.

I score this one S3 O2 M4 E2 = 11

Pat Anderson is next with an EP entitled Wide Open Lonely. Whooa this is good! Originally from Oklahoma and brought up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, but now based in Nashville, Pat Anderson and his band are a testament to the great music that comes out of Nashville. Truly the home of country music, and also as in Pat Anderson's band, country/roots rock.

This is only a 6 track EP, and is the debut recording for Pat and the band, but it is superb. If you are a fan of Garth Brooks, Tom Petty, Jim Croce, or Van Morrison, you will love this band. I understand that all the songs are written by Pat and they're are very good with some great tunes and arrangements, if perhaps a little predicable. Pat and the band prove that they belt out a rocking tune and also mellow for a sensitive romantic ballad when needed.

My only regret that this is only an EP but I understand a full-length album is on the way in the autumn of this year.

This is a singer and band that is going to be BIG and will give some of the big names in country rock a run for their money. You will be hearing a lot more of Pat Anderson and the band -- believe you me!

Confetti is the debut album of Dave Boutette solo artist. Previously he spent ten years with the Detroit based alterna-rock band The Junk Monkeys. The album is a collection of songs written over the years with Dave drawing influence from life's environment and experiences on the road. Themes here include vanishing open spaces, left-field patriots, warm lonely summers, and bewildering love, danced around and finally claimed. There are ten tracks on the album, and Dave has opted for a bare or natural sound with little or no reverb added, the sort of thing more commonly found on traditional folk song artists CDs. Although Dave sings very well with strummed accompaniment of his acoustic guitar, and has enlisted friends Adam Druckman on Organ, bells, guitar, piano and backing vocals, and Jim Latini on percussion and backing vocals, I think the listening pleasure would have been enhanced with a little bass and reverb.

I am sure Dave's fans will enjoy the album, but unfortunately, the songs didn't light any candles for me and left me uninspired. Maybe it is hard for a member of a rock band to make the transition back to being a solo performer. It sounds as if recording was hurried with little forethought about arrangements, content, and/or whom the album is going to appeal to. I firmly believe every singer songwriter has at least one great song in him/her; Dave's is not on this album. What is there is sung well but on the whole it's an average album.

I score this album S2 O1 M2 E1 = 6

Howard Gladstone, is a singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. Candles on the River is his second album. Howard handles all the vocals to his songs and plays acoustic guitar. He is accompanied by some excellent musicians, namely: Tony Quarrington on acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel guitar, mandolin, backup vocals and percussion; Dennis Keldie on piano, Hammond organ, accordion, and mandolin; Russ Boswell on bass; and Al Cross on drums. Anne Lindsay adds violin; Eddie Baltimore plays slide guitar; Bruce Longman plays bass; with backing vocals supplied by Clela Errington and Allan Soberman. The musicians do a fine job and there are some good guitar solos and riffs keeping the songs alive.

If you are trying to put Howard and his band into any one category it's a bit of an odd ball this one. It's not folk music, it's not country, it's not rock or pop as such, it's just different. Most of Howard's songs have a bluesy / jazz arrangement to them with an almost lounge-lizard feel. Howard doesn't really sing the lyrics, but is very laid back and rather narrates them in tune to the music. Nothing wrong with this delivery, it's just different! He's what I call a singing poet! Some may find this delivery somewhat clinical, but one advantage is that you can hear every word clearly. Imagine if you can, a newsreader on the TV singing a folk song without any emotion. In truth you will either love it or hate it. However, after listening to the album a few times it does grow on you. After studying the song lyrics, I realised there are some quite good songs here that just need singing. For me, the measure of a great song is one that stays in your subconscious and you find yourself humming the tune after switching of the hi-fi. Sadly none of the songs on this album really did it for me, - but your response may be different.

Having said that, one or two of the songs did stay in my memory and are worthy of an extra mention. They are: 'Fishin' by the Book' a topical song about the over-fishing of the seas, the Spanish still do it, why? 'Down to the Delta' reflects the history of the blues and wonders where that music is going. The title track 'Candles on the River' has a slight Asiatic (Indian) feel to it -- is an eye for an eye the correct attitude to life?

I score this album S2 O3 M2 E2 = 9

Johan Eliason, Demo CD. Johan Eliason is a Swedish singer-songwriter, but the CD didn't have any real sleeve notes or information with it. He sings with an American accent.

A demo CD is usually a CD the artist sends out to all and sundry -- that is venues, etc., when the artist is touting for a booking. In theory it should demonstrate what the singer sounds like and what he/she does.

Johan has previously worked with several other soul / blues bands and is now embarking on a solo career. All but one of the songs on this album are gentle blues / soul / roots ballads. There are nine tracks on this album and I presume Johan has penned them all.

After listening to the album a few times it is clear that Johan is a very profound person and this evident in his songs. Although he plays guitar, he also has some guest musicians accompanying him. Johan has nice voice and sings extremely well in a laid back style putting a lot of feeling into the songs. The songs are quite nice and the arrangements are faultless. Unfortunately, for my taste they are all a little too much the same, and failed to hold my attention like they should have. All the songs have a mid album feel to them, which should have been pre-empted by something a bit more up-tempo.

I felt they were a bit like background music in a romantic restaurant. But this music is what Johan does, and have to say, Johan does it very, very well. Once again you have to be in the right mood to fully appreciate late night music.

I score this album S2 O1 M4 E2 = 9

Tim Booth, Bone. This is the first solo album from Tim Booth, one time front man with the band James, who had several hit records in the 1990's the most memorable being 'Laid' which since has become a classic amongst the rock band fraternity. Tim sings and wrote all the material on this album and has formed, as he puts it, 'a chance meeting' band to perform them. The band members are: Lee Muddy Baker on bass, drums, electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, tabla, percussion, and backing vocals; KK play bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals; Lisa Lindley-Jones on piano, Melodica, and backing vocals; Marjorie Ashenden on cello; with David Naylor on drums. Tim sings well with a voice that puts me in mind of David Bowie. All the songs are middle of the road indie pop with a feel good flavour to them. Shades of 'Moby' are here and 'Massive Attack' in more mellow parts of the tunes. The ideal material for festivals like Glastonbury. In short all you ‘pop' young things are going to love it. The album should sell in the thousands.

If you see it in the shops, immediately you'll know what to expect just from the design of the album cover.

Get this album if you think you're young enough, you will enjoy it.

Originally I thought Makrel were from Denmark, but after investigation I find they are Faroese as the album was recorded in Torshaven, Faroe Islands. Wonderland is their second album and all the songs are written and sung by Ari Rouch. The other band members are: Rolant Av Reyni on rhythm guitar, Hergeir Staksberg on bass, Magnus Hansen on drums, and Rasmus Rassmusen on lead guitar and keyboards.

Makrel are a band that sounds a bit like Evanesence but with a male singer. The words to the songs have strong political or social conscience to them but unfortunately it doesn't come through in the music well enough on this recording. I suspect the band might be much stronger live.

For a bland hard rock band, Makrel is making all the right sounds, but I have to say all the songs do sound very similar to each other and something I have heard before. But perhaps this is a good thing, I don't know. If you like hard rock I suggest you give this one an ear. It's got everything, even down to a recording of Adolf Hitler addressing his troops (I think!) at the end of the last song 'Differences,' but then leave the track running for about a minute or so of silence, and you will find the hidden song.

Hard rock fans, you know who you are -- again this album if given distribution world wide, will sell in the thousands.

I score this album S3 O1 M2 E2 = 8

Sound Proof, Jason & Friends by The Chicago Bus is best filed under Fringe Music. There are 19 tracks on this album. The players are Jason Handley, Victoria Pearson, Seth Fraiman, Ted Watkin, Jim Kovalick, Daniel Miller, Karl O'Niel, Marty Mets, Jay Durham, and Brian Shepper. I have no idea who does what because the album only comes in a cardboard sleeve and there are no details, but collectively they form The Chicago Bus. Fringe Music is a modern art form described by a musician friend of mine as "psychosomatic crap induced by drugs or alcohol." I don't know whether he is right or not, but modern art is very subjective. On this album it seems to be a fusion of bongo beating jazz and blues, tunes with no direction and lyrics with no purpose. An exercise in how many weird sounds can be extracted from a guitar or other instruments with the aid of electronics. It's mood music, often found on the soundtrack of films during the titles.

Perhaps I am being just a little unkind to them, but I find it hard to visualize just who wants to buy or listen to this sort of music on an album. I regret I can't be more positive about the album -- sorry guys but that's how it was for me.

I score this album, S0 O2 M2 E0 = 4

Stephen Cohen's Stephen & The Talk Talk Band should be filed under Fringe Music subtitled Singing Poet. Stephen Cohen is from Portland, Oregon. The Talk Talk band are: Alan Ames on lap steel guitar, Bill Chamberlain on mandolin, Christopher Sotola-Hardt on bouzouki, Susanne Shotola-Hardt accordion, John Twist on guitar & banjo, Allan Jones on drums, William Thomas on drums, Abe Cohen backing vocals & guitar, Mateo Bevington on guitar, with Kate Davis backing vocal. Many of the comments made about the Chicago Bus could apply to this album, but on this album it really is about modern poetry (the sort that doesn't rhyme), allied to the rhythm section of a band. Stephen narrates his words to the musical backing. Again it's an art form that either works for you, the listener, or it doesn't.

I am sorry to say but it left me cold. I would have thought, if you buy a music CD, it is with the intention of playing it over and over again for your enjoyment. I have to ask myself the question, "Would I want to hear this album more than once?" and the answer for me is, "NO! But, you may feel differently.

Sorry to have to say it, but I found this album self-indulgent and boring, but you on the other hand may not.

Again I regret I couldn't be more positive about the album -- sorry Stephen but that's how it was for me.

I have to score this album S0 O2 M2 E0 = 4