CD REVIEWS
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Mark Stuart and the Bastard Sons
“Bend in the Road”
Texacali Records
For an artist whose music, soul and life are closely tied to the allure of the road — both realistically and metaphorically — it is fitting that talented singer-songwriter Mark Stuart delivers his finest album entitled “Bend in the Road.” Gone is The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash moniker that sometimes overshadowed his music as Stuart drives on with the Bastard Sons to deliver 11 poetic originals and a meaningful cover of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just An Old Chunk of Coal.” Though each track deserves mention, highlights include the bluegrass-tinged “Restless, Ramblin’ Man”; bar-room rockers “Power of A Woman” and “Seven Miles to Memphis”; and deep, dark ballads “Gone Like A Raven” and “Carolina.” CV
(Mark Stuart opens for Bruce Robison on Thursday, March 25 at the Temple for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. $26.50. He headlines a show on Friday, March 26 at Jasper Winery at 8 p.m. $10.)
kTop
“Freakshow Maggie”
Independent release
Nick Erickson (guitar, vocals), Nate Guess (bass, vocals) and Scott Erickson (drums) have two rock bands. The first is Kountertop, a cover band that began 14 years ago. The second is kTop (no, that’s not a typo), which plays original music. “Freakshow Maggie” is the trio’s fifth studio effort and finds kTop playing five original songs that blend acoustic pop and guitar-driven hard rock with soaring melodies and harmonies. Tunes like the straight-ahead rocker “Drying Out”; the grungy “Taken In”; the radio friendly “Faces”; and the metal-like “Push to Touch” suggest that the band has the potential to write and perform interesting material of its own, while mixing in enough styles to appeal to a wide range of music fans. CV
(kTop will host a CD release show at People’s Court on Friday, March 26. The first 100 fans will receive a copy of their new EP for free.)
