Music collective The Tibbs debuted its latest single and video this week.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Another Shot Fired‘ Wednesday, along with the single’s video. The song is the title track and second single from the group’s latest album, which was released in November through Record Kicks. The premiere of ‘Another Shot Fired’ and its video comes more than six months after the band debuted the video for the album’s lead single, ‘Damaged Heart.’
The video for ‘Another Shot Fired’ features front woman Roxanne Hartog performing the song in what is meant to reflect a live setting as the song plays over. The song in question features an infectious funk-infused stylistic sound, complete with horns and even some hip-hop style drumming.
The lyrical theme content that accompanies the song’s musical arrangement is clearly a song about two people flirting. In this case, the woman is the one really trying to seduce the man.
A statement from the band about the song confirms that interpretation.
“‘Another Shot Fired’ is a vibrant feel-good song about a woman, who with a wink explains how she’s going to beguile a man, leaving the target of her efforts unaware that he’s the hunted one – and not the hunter,” the statement reads. “The track kicks off with four ‘shots’ that re-echo in the prelude to the chorus, just where the words of the song title are belted out; A soulful, rocksteady-influenced and typical Tibbs’ tune.”
More information on The Tibbs’ new single, video, and album is available along with all of the group’s news at:
Independent record label Record Kicks is closing out 2020 in an intriguing fashion. The label released a new compilation record Friday to finish out the year. Dubbed Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals, the 12-song collection is composed of 48 minutes worth of instrumentals from some of the biggest hits of the acts signed to the label. The record’s makeup – in regards to its featured songs — is itself a key aspect to the compilation and will be discussed shortly. The sequencing of the record’s songs also plays into its interest. This aspect will be discussed a little later. The songs’ production rounds out the record’s most important elements. Alongside the noted aspects of the songs and their sequencing, the compilation in whole proves itself an interesting new presentation from Record Kicks that is worth the occasional play.
Record Kicks’ newly released compilation record Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals is an interesting new offering from the independent record label. It is a presentation that audiences will find well worth taking in at least once if not more. That is proven in part through its featured songs. The songs themselves are works from a handful of the more than 30 artists and acts who are signed to the label. Some of the featured artists and acts have released new material in the past year or so, too. That might be why they were featured here. Among those featured are the likes of Calibro 35, Hannah Williams and the Affirmations, Marta Ren, and The Tibbs, each of whom has released new music this year. Between those noted acts and the others featured in the record, what audiences really get here is not only a sampling of new music from many of the featured acts, but also an introduction to those acts for those audiences who might be less familiar with the noted acts. To that end, having so many acts and so much music to introduce to so many listeners forms a strong foundation for the compilation. With any luck, the introduction to all of that music will encourage listeners to discover even more music from those acts. This is just one aspect of what makes Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals such an interesting collection of songs. The sequencing of the record’s songs adds to that interest in its own right.
Thee sequencing of Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals is important because of the clear attention paid to the record’s energy exhibited in this aspect. The album starts off on a mid-tempo fashion in its first half before gradually starting to pick up just before its midway point. From there, the energy gradually pulls back in ‘Soul Run.’ It starts out higher energy but then starts to gradually ease back as the song progresses. From there, the compilation’s energy picks back up again gradually to a steady, mid-tempo feel right to the record’s end. The short and simple is that the compilation’s energy is well-balanced throughout even with the stylistic approach and sounds staying relatively similar from one song to the next. The changes in the energy are so subtle throughout, but just noticeable enough in that subtlety. The result is that the record will ensure listeners’ engagement and entertainment through its overall feel as much as for its content. Keeping all of this in mind, it still is not the last of the compilation’s most important elements. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements.
Funk as a genre typically presents arrangements that typically are very busy. Between guitars, drums, horns, (and vocals), most funk songs feature a wide range of instruments and lines. The songs that are featured in this compilation are no exception to that rule. Whether it be the combination of keyboards, drums, guitars and horns in Calibro 35’s aptly titled ‘CLBR 35,’ the more laid back but still rich mix of instruments in The Devonns’ ‘Tell Me’ or even the mix of instruments in The Liberators’ ‘Episco,’ the fact of the matter is that each of the songs featured in this compilation was precisely produced. No one instrument outdid the others at any point in any song. The dynamics overall were perfection, bringing about so much great emotion from listeners. To that end, this aesthetic element of Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals cements the engagement and enjoyment for the record. In turn, it will no doubt encourage plenty of listeners to discover even more music from the record’s featured acts. Considering that along with the compilation’s content and sequencing thereof, the whole of this compilation proves to be a positive presentation from Record Kicks that audiences will enjoy.
Record Kicks’ new compilation record Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals is an interesting new offering from the label. Usually, compilation sets are thrown out during the summer as mid-year space fillers rather than at year’s end. That aside, the record is still a presentation that will entertain and engage listeners. That is proven in part through its featured songs, which give audiences a nice introduction to just some of the label’s many acts. The sequencing of the compilation’s featured songs adds its own element of enjoyment and engagement to the record. The production presented in each song puts the final touch to the record’s presentation, bringing everything full circle. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the compilation. All things considered, they make Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals an enjoyable last offering from Record Kicks for 2020 and gives hope for what 2021 has to bring from the label. Breaks and Beats: Funk Breaks & Hot Instrumentals is available now digitally.
More information on this and other titles from Record Kicks is available online at:
The musical universe spawned so much great music this year. From rock to rap to pop to country, jazz, and even family music, the musical universe gave audiences a lot to like about 2020. For all of the entertaining and engaging music that was released this year some proved to be the best of its given categories. Not all of that music could be the best of the best though. Only certain records could obtain that title, and they come this year from a wide range of genres. The Okee Dokee Brothers and their new album Songs For Singin’ are here among the best of the best in Phil’s Picks 2020 Top 10 New Albums of the Year. They are joined by new albums from the likes of Sons of Apollo, Ricky Byrd, and The Devonns among others. Topping this year’s list of the best of the best is Jessie Wagner’s new album Shoes Droppin’.
As with every other list from Phil’s Picks, the Year’s top new albums list features the year’s Top 10 new albums and give honorable mentions for a total of 15 titles. Without any further ado, here is Phil’s Picks 2020 Top 10 New Albums of the Year.
PHIL’S PICKS 2020 TOP 10 NEW ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Jessie Wagner – Shoes Droppin’
Chris Stapleton — Starting Over
Sons of Apollo – MMXX
Yellowackets – Jackets XL
U.D.O. – We Are 1
Ricky Byrd – Sobering Times
Deep Purple – Whoosh!
The Devonns – The Devonns
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts V
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts VI
Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea
The Okee Dokee Brothers – Songs For Singin’
The Tibbs – Another Shot Fired
Ala.ni – ACCA
Ben Harper – Winter is for Lovers
Now that all the music lists are done, it is on to the DVD and Blu-ray releases. Up first in that side of things is the year’s Top 10 New Documentaries. Stay tuned for that.
The independent music community is the backbone of the music business in whole. Today’s struggling, independent act is tomorrow’s mainstream star. Every major superstar act that travels the world today and has legions around the globe was at one time independent. To that end, independent albums deserve just as much attention from critics as their more well-known counterparts. That is why this critic continues presenting a list of the year’s best new independent albums each year, this year being no exception to that rule.
This year’s list features albums from a wide range of musical genres. There’s some country/bluegrass. There’s pop, there’s rock and even some neo-folk/Americana. Topping this year’s list is up-and-coming pop/R&B singer Jessie Wagner and her debut album Shoes Droppin’. Independent southern rock band Faith & Scars is also featured in this year’s list, which includes albums not just from unsigned bands, but from those signed to independent labels, too. Pop rock act Kulick is even in this year’s list with his new album Yelling in a Quiet Neighborhood.
As with every past year’s list, this year’s list features the Top 10 albums and give honorable mentions for a total of 15 albums. Without any further ado, here is Phil’s Picks 2020 Top 10 New Independent albums.
PHIL’S PICKS 2020 TOP 10 NEW INDEPENDENT ALBUMS
Jessie Wagner – Shoes Droppin’
Nick Perri & The Underground Thieves – Sun Via
Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts – Nowhere To Go But Everywhere
Discrepancies – The Rise
Kulick – Yelling in a Quiet Neighborhood
The Devonns – The Devonns
Kurt Baker – After Party
The Tibbs – Another Shot Fired
Faith & Scars – Revolver
Jack The Radio – Creatures
Soraia – Dig Your Roots
Wyldlife – Year of the Snake
Julien K – Harmonic Disruptor
Gab De La Vega – Between Space and Time
Record Thieves — Wasting Time
Next up from Phil’s Picks is the list of this year’s top new Family Music albums. Stay tuned for that.
Music collective The Tibbs officially released its sophomore album Another Shot Fired Friday. The 13-song record is a presentation that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. From fans of vintage soul and R&B to The Tibbs’ own fan base, the 44-minute record proves itself to be an enjoyable record from start to end. One of the songs that makes the record so enjoyable is its lead single, ‘Damaged Heart.’ It will be discussed shortly. The album’s midpoint, ‘Mama Says’ does its own share to show what makes The Tibbs’ new album so enjoyable. It will be addressed a little later. ‘Circeo,’ which comes late in the record’s run, is yet another positive addition to Another Shot Fired. It will also be discussed later. When it is considered alongside the other two songs noted here and the rest of the album’s run, the album in whole finds itself leaving listeners anxious for The Tibbs’ next musical shot in the best way possible.
The Tibbs’ sophomore album Another Shot Fired is some strong musical firepower from the up-and-coming neo-soul/R&B outfit. That is proven in part early on through the album’s lead single, ‘ Damaged Heart.’ The musical arrangement featured in the song plays its own key part in supporting the noted statement. It is a throwback to the R&B sounds of the 1960s and 70s with its horns, funky guitar rhythms and drums. Roxanne Hartog’s vocal delivery here adds to that sense, too. Adding to the arrangement’s appeal is the way in which it was produced. There is something in the production that is so wonderful. From the raw sound of the snare drum to the smooth sound of Hartog’s vocal delivery and the richness in the horns makes the overall sound come across as if the whole had been bottled up in a time capsule since the end of the 1970s. It is such an infectious presentation in itself that will have listeners wanting to hit the dance floor Ironically, as upbeat as the song is in its musical arrangement, that positive nature is counter to the song’s lyrical theme.
According to a statement from The Tibbs, the song’s lyrical theme is actually very heavy yet accessible to audiences.
“‘Damaged Heart’ is about the uncertainty that one might bring from past experiences into a new relationship and the fear of not being able to give oneself completely,” the statement reads. “The bright spot being the openness with which this uncertainty is raised. Altogether, Damaged Heart could – despite the irreparable harm that is suggested is in the title – very well be interpreted as a love song …”
The statement is made clear as Hartog sings in the song’s lead verse, “My baby and I/We get by/But oh, sometimes/I can’t describe/This feeling creeps up on me/I wouldn’t say it’s a jealousy/But I can’t deny/I can’t deny/I can’t remember/When I last/Felt so deep longing/For someone in the past/This truth, it haunts me/In the night/Putting my heart…/I can’t deny/Couldn’t tell you why…” Some of this is a bit difficult to decipher without a lyrics sheet to reference, but what is clearly being mentioned here is someone who wants to have gone past a previous relationship, but can’t help but think of that past situation. This would seem to work in tandem with the statement about the song’s lyrical theme. From there, she mentions in the song’s second verse what sounds like she is saying, “My damaged heart/has to learn.” Again not having a lyrics sheet to reference makes deciphering precisely, the lyrics here difficult. That aside, the message is relatively clear. This is in fact someone who is trying to get over a past relationship, but is having some difficulty in doing so. Going back to the song’s musical arrangement, it is even more evident how stark the contrast is in the song’s musical arrangement and its lyrical content. It makes for quite the interesting presentation and just one example of what makes the album in whole so interesting. ‘Mama Says,’ which serves as the album’s midpoint, is another notable entry to this record.
‘Mama Says’ stands out in part because of its musical arrangement. This song’s arrangement is a catchy, mid-tempo blues-infused work. It starts off simple with just Hartog’s vocals alongside a simple bluesy guitar line and some clapping. As the song progresses, drums and a tambourine join in, but only subtly at best. It is not until more than a minute and a half into the song that the arrangement picks up, including the addition of the horns to add some more flash. The arrangement in whole lends itself easily to a comparison to works from The Tibbs’ label mates Hannah Williams & The Affirmations. The energy in the song’s arrangement pairs well with the song’s lyrical theme, which is a tribute to one of the band members’ moms on one level. On another, it is a song that echoes the appreciation that we all have for our mothers.
Hartog sings in the tribute’s lead verse, “My mama is the strongest girl I know/My mama is the strongest girl I know/She taught how to fly/She taught me how to sing/She taught me how to cry/She taught me everything I know/She said, “Don’t give up on yourself/She’s the strongest/She’s the sweetest/She’s the toughest/She’s the softest/She’s a goddess…” As the song progresses, Hartog even sings, that the mother told her to “keep your head up high.” The rest of the song follows much in the same vein, lyrically speaking. The whole becomes a lyrical presentation that will put a smile on every listener’s face. That is even more certain when this positive lyrical message is paired with the song’s equally uplifting musical arrangement. All things considered here, the song shows even more why Another Shot Fired is another power packed musical round from The Tibbs. It still is not the last of the record’s most notable tracks, either. ‘Circeo,’ which comes late in the record’s run, is one more of the many enjoyable entries in this record.
‘Circeo’ is a full-on instrumental composition. There are no vocals here. It is just the band putting its talents on full display. This three-minute, 42-second composition is a solid mix of vintage soul and R&B what with its horns, bolstered by the baritone sax, the solid, simple time keeping on the drums and the equally simple but strong guitar line. The groove that the group establishes in this opus is so infectious. It takes only a matter of moments for audiences to become wholly engaged in the song and entertained. The way in which the arrangement was composed, it would be so easy to add any lyrics. That is evident as the chorus and verse sections are that clear throughout the song’s nearly four-minute run. Nevermind that the arrangement is not exactly progressive. It is just so fun and engaging that it is so easy to overlook its simple approach. Keeping that in mind, it proves itself to be just as welcome an addition to Another Shot Fired as the other songs noted here and the rest of the album’s entries. When all of the album’s songs are considered together, they make Another Shot Fired a presentation that audiences will hope is not the last musical round to be fired off by The Tibbs.
The Tibbs’ sophomore album Another Shot Fired is an impressive new offering that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. That is proven from the album’s open to its end through its musical and lyrical content. That is proven through all three of the songs examined here. When these songs are considered along with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole of the album becomes a presentation that is without question, one more of this year’s top new independent albums at the very least and a work that vintage soul and R&B purists will enjoy hearing just as much as The Tibbs’ established fan base. The record is available now.
More information on The Tibbs’ new album is available along with all of the group’s news at:
Independent soul/funk artist Marta Ren debuted the video for her latest single this week.
Ren debuted the video for her new single ‘22:22‘ Thursday. The video’s debut comes less than a week after Ren debuted the single by itself on digital platforms for streaming and download.
The single’s new companion video features Ren and her band mates performing the song in what looks like a live setting. One can assume the performance was recent, as members of the audience were all wearing face coverings in response to COVID-19 restrictions.
The song’s musical arrangement is an up-tempo composition whose funky, soulful stylistic approach and sound will appeal to fans of works from Ren’s Record Kicks label mates Hannah Williams & The Affirmations, and The Tibbs.
According to information provided about the single, its lyrical theme is meant as a commentary about dealing with one’s inner struggles and balancing that with pleasing others.
The debut of Ren’s new single comes four years after the release of her debut album Stop Look Listen.
More information on Marta Ren’s new single and video is available along with all of her latest news at http://www.facebook.com/marta.ren.
Music collective The Tibbs debuted the video for its latest single this week. The band debuted the video for its new single ‘Damaged Heart‘ Friday. The song is the lead single from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album Another Shot Fired, which is scheduled for release Nov. 20 through Record Kicks.
The video features the band at work in the studio recording the song and other works that are featured in the group’s new record. The musical arrangement featured in the song is a throwback to the R&B sounds of the 1960s and 70s with its horns, funky guitar rhythms and drums. Roxanne Hartog’s vocal delivery here adds to that sense, too.
The lyrical content centers on the familiar topic of romantic relationships, according to a statement from the band.
“’Damaged Heart’ is about the uncertainty that one might bring from past experiences into a new relationship and the fear of not being able to give oneself completely,” the statement reads. “The bright spot being the openness with which this uncertainty is raised. Altogether, Damaged Heart could – despite the irreparable harm that is suggested is in the title – very well be interpreted as a love song …”
Another Shot Fired was recorded at Electric Monkey Studios in Amsterdam during the pandemic. The album was produced by Paul Willemsen (Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions).
The TIbbs debuted a teaser trailer Sept. 8 for the album, that takes audiences behind the scenes in the album’s creation. It also gives listeners a brief taste of what is to come in the group’s sophomore album.
Soul/funk band The Tibbs will release its new album this fall.
The group is scheduled to release its new album Another Shot Fired Nov. 20 through Record Kicks. The album is the debut for the band’s new singer Roxanne Hartog. Hartog replaces the band’s previous singer Elsa Bekman after Bekman left the group in 2018 to pursue a solo career
Hartog wrote much of the lyrical content featured in the record, which is the group’s sophomore studio recording. The album’s release will come four years after the release of the band’s debut album, Takin’ Over.
Another Shot Fired was recorded at Electric Monkey Studios in Amsterdam during the pandemic. The album was produced by Paul Willemsen (Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions).
The TIbbs debuted a teaser trailer Tuesday that takes audiences behind the scenes in the album’s creation. It also gives listeners a brief taste of what is to come in the group’s sophomore album.
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