Noah Gundersen
Carry the Ghost/Dualtone Records
Carry the Ghost is an apt title for Noah Gundersen’s latest collection of songs: Some would give up the ghost, but he’d rather figure out why it’s there in the first place. And while this does not make for an overly pleasant record, there is beauty in the darkness. “Jealous Love” makes its point through soft rock harmonies, while “The Difference” takes an upbeat, ambient folk approach. Gundersen aims for his catharsis directly when God comes into question. He rails passionately against religion and Christians in “Show Me the Light,” and perhaps more than any other lines on the album, these words from “Empty from the Start” summarize his feelings: “Blood and bones / No Holy Ghost / Empty from the start.” Gundersen looks for solace in the here and now, wanting to love (“I Need a Woman”) and find purpose in self-expression (“Selfish Art”). Ghost may be a tough listen at times, but it’s direct from the artist’s soul.
Halie Loren
Butterfly Blue/Justin Time Records
She may be little known in the U.S., but in Japan Halie Loren is a star who consistently tops the jazz charts. Seductive and flirty in a straight-ahead jazz track one minute (“Our Love is here to Stay”), and quietly beautiful and fragile the next (“After the Fall”), Loren performs with effortless grace. Whether tossing in melodic scatting (“Yellow Bird”) or French lyrics (“I Wish You Love”), Loren also keeps you on your toes throughout. Loren’s strengths lie in her subtlety and her control—never resorting to powerhouse vocals just because she can. This is most evident on “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” where her voice hovers in a soulful moan that conveys the song’s painful, crushing feelings. Butterfly Blue is a beautiful entry point to Loren’s enormous talent.
Turnpike Troubadours
Turnpike Troubadours/Thirty Tigers
Equal parts country, bluegrass, folk and Americana, the Turnpike Troubadours’ latest is an upbeat good time. Evan Felker leads the way with swagger, whether crooning for a lover to be honest with him (“Doreen”) or waltzing through a hip-shaking roadhouse rocker about a woman whose presence is “going to wreck this town” (“The Mercury”). This record will grab you with its country melodies on tracks like “Down Here,” and the downtrodden electric guitar ballad “Fall Out of Love.” The Troubadours shed new light on the consequences be damned approach with tunes about living in the moment, drinking hard, driving fast and engaging in relationships with reckless passion—a complete recipe for rock ‘n’ roll.