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Sweet Root
By George Peden
 Louisiana-based
Americana and Southern-tinged rockers Sweet Root have released a
self-titled EP. With three choice tracks, these guys have a distinct
sound. It’s rough, raw and edgy – just like the subject matter
they sing about.
From the opening jangle of
rock-inspired guitars, these guys claim attention on the energized
"Half A Mile Away". It’s a catchy tune that could happen
if radio breaks with its formatted constraints. Telling of the
misery of losin’ and leavin’, all watched from a pick up cabin
on a gravel road, half a mile away, our hero’s gone and he can’t
come home, while his lady love is burning midnight candles.
The relationship whine doesn’t
become a male whinge, thanks in part to the bruised and honest
vocals of Kansas-born Dustin Powell. With the taut playing of his
band mates – Brett Smith (drums), David Wallace (guitar, vocals)
and Lance Dubroc (bass, vocals) –Powell handles hardship well with
a voice that aches with country sincerity.
The EP rounds out with more
heart-on-sleeve fare, the moody and tormented plight of
"Tuesday Night", and the realization that it’s later
than that on "Matter Of Time".
Check out the guys at their
Myspace site. There, they have a host of shows that’ll take them
from Colorado to Texas in 2007. If they make your neighborhood, do
yourself the favor – see the show, buy the album.
Official
Website
MySpace
Pam Ferens: An
Evolution
By George Peden
 Pam
Ferens is not a ready name you’d probably know. But that hasn’t
held her back. She’s currently grabbing pockets of local and
international radio interest with her four-track EP, An
Evolution. Produced in Nashville by Patty Parker and out on
Comstock Records, the album is a showcase for Ferens. The Canadian
songbird has writing credits on all tracks.
The EP is a mix of
edgy country, a sax-laced weeper and a moody over-the-shoulder look
at emotional disconnection. A look at Ferens’ website brands her
as a singer, songwriter and entertainer. All worthy labels as she’s
been honing her craft since winning a provincial singing competition
in 1983.
That obvious talent
rocks through on the drum-charged and piano-tickled "Opposites
Attract". Ferens, a humanitarian who supports many local
charities with her shows,
growls on a more rock
than country gender ode to mix and match possibilities. "Get
With The Program" is a toe-tapper fuelled by the love interest’s
liking for Friday night with the boys, rather than at home building
bridges. Love lows play out on "Newly Finished Broken
Home" and the probing honesty of "Sunday Chimes"
makes for a good close to the extended play release.
Pam Ferens is not a
ready name you’d probably know. But there is good news. An
evolution has begun.
Official
Site
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