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This Flesh I'm In
Artist: Blushing Well
www.blushingwell.net
Label: 800lb Productions
13 tracks, 53:36
 For a young band, Blushing Well has received much praise for their artistic hard rock.  This disc seems to dwell in a rather generic sound, more often Skillet than Saviour Machine; Kutless rather than King’s X.  The band show promise they fill a good niche in the market, but I hope for better songwriting next time out.  (Jonathan Nelson)

Photograph Records
Lipstick Pickup
Allan Douglas
www.myspace.com/allandouglas
 Allan Douglas evokes a lot of '60's iconography in his debut project, Lipstick Pickup. The cover is a photoshopped amalgamum of Warhol and Lichtenstein, the black and white photos on the inside owe everything to the Beatles. Even the Cd's title song is a tribute to the sleak, revolutionary guitar component behind so much of classic rock'n'roll. Unfortunately the shiny, sleak, hard-edges and design sensibility drop off considerably in the actual sound of the music. Douglas has his sights on a rich decade, a very worthy source of inspiration 40 years later, but it may take him another decade to really make it his own.  (Linda LaFianza)

Scientific Cricket 
Artist: Grampall Jookabox
www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com
Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
12 tracks, 38:04
 Take Daniel Johnston, Danielson Famile, Henry Rollins, & Blind Willie Johnson.  Put them in a blender and hit puree.  Add dashes of creativity.  Drain any strong sense of melody.  There you have a recipe for Granpall Jookabox's Scientific Cricket.  Oh, add some liver & seabass & strawberries.  While an interesting mix, it doesn't always work well together.  But keep an eye out for this creative group.  Like the Danielson Famile they may just grow on you.   (Jonathan Nelson)

Song of the Bride
Artist: Wendy Jepsen
Label: Independent
Length: 12 Tracks/54.31 Minutes
Song of the Bride by indie artist Wendy Jepsen is a lovely acoustic-based praise project featuring a classy batch of songs that will be loved by fans of their praise on the more mellow side.  Ms. Jepsen has a soothing voice, and the CD features graceful, soaring vocals and harmonies aplenty.  Many of the songs are original and based on favorite Scripture passages.  There is also a nice rendering of “Be Thou My Vision.”  Song of the Bride is full of well crafted songs and memorable orchestrated moments.   There is even a touch of Celtic-influences added to make for interesting listening! (  Barry Nothstine hosts Soul Frequency Radio, a weekly freeform FM radio show showcasing progressive rock, instrumental rock, power-pop, psychedelic rock, rock classics, blues, and more—great rock for the ages!) 

The Power (El Poder)
Artist: Kank
www.kankmusic.com
Label: Kank Music
14 tracks, 64:46
Kank delivers a pleasant, gentle gospel reggae disc with The Power (El Poder).  The reggae songs will remind you of early Christafari with additional female vocals.  The songs deliver some nice grooves & an enjoyable, Caribbean vibe.  The fault is that too often, Kank settle for mediocre praise, without any island style or substance.  (Jonathan Nelson)

New York
Artist: Kinion 
Label Indie
I wasn’t to excited about this group after loading the disc into my trust JVC in the car. The instrumentation was amazing…however the lyrics didn’t really fit the music at all. I wasn’t sure if I were listening to a rap-rock, or a reggae, or an activist rock group.  The Music itself was very well put together, they had great bass lines, good solid guitar riffs and a drum rhythm and backbeat that would absolutely kill on any dance floor. But then the vocals kicked in and they sounded disconnected and unmatched.  The lyrics seemed to be aimed at nearly everything and everyone in the world but the group themselves. I am not totally sure I was able to understand or “get” the whole project and its purpose. I am not sure that I will even finish listening to the album. But then again, there is always a second chance. But at this point I wasn’t too impressed with this particular album. (Rev MC)

City of Lights
Artist: Paris Luna  
Label: Indie
In the spirit of many earlier alternative pop sounding bands with female fronts, Paris Luna is a deep and melodic trek into the world of how a person thinks and feels. I love the smooth melancholic guitars, paired with the relaxed and somewhat jazzy sounding drum lines. The music was a pure pleasure to listen to separate from the vocals, but when coupled with Ms Luna’s sweet mellow voice, this album climbed right into my ears and relaxed there as I drifted off into a near dreamlike state. From first to last I was thoroughly impressed with this record. And yes I listened it to more than once in the same day. I would recommend this to any of my friends and to everyone of you out there reading this blurb. (Rev MC)

Sinners Have Souls Too
Tracy Randall
www.tracyrandallonline.com/
Mia Mind Music 
Lake Charles, Louisana native Tracy Randall continues the dream that looked so bright in 1996 when he was signed to a major label, only to be squeezed out a few years later in the mishmash of major label mergers that destroyed so many careers. But not Randall's career as the well produced smooth soul gospel project Sinners Have Souls Too allows him to make his mark once more on the industry he loves. (Linda LaFianza)

Fragile People
Artist: Sonsofday
URL www.redhammerrecords.com
Length: 11tracks / 40:07
In a time when monster vocal screamo bands and punky MXPX wannabes dominate he Christian market, Sonsofday provide a much-needed respite from repetitive thrash guitars, thunderous bass and unintelligible vocals. Their melodic, radio-friendly rock is polished (though not obnoxiously so) and easy on the palate, their lyrics Spiritually sound. The weakness of Fragile People is its overall tameness. “This Place,” an urgent opening track, and, later, “Why” show some potential for guitar-driven, harmony-rich rock, but laid-back, mid-tempo “safe” songs are the thread that stitches this album together.  RIYL: Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Fono, Rob Thomas  (Greg Adams)