Inside the Music August 2022
Hello Everyone!
I'm sorry that this month's article is late. I've had some things going on that just prohibited me from getting the article done on time. I did; however, want to get something out there for these deserving artists. Although this month's list is not as long as other months, it says nothing about the quality of these releases. We are going to review five new tunes that you will definitely want to add to your Beach Music collection!
So, with that being said, let's go Inside The Music shall we?
Redheaded Stepchild - Phil Wilson
Phil "Doc" Wilson has been a mainstay on the Beach Music scene for years. He has given us such solo hits as "I Believe", "Last Night", "Love Crazy", "Movin' and Groovin'", "Sunday Morning Woman" (My personal favorite), and "You Don't Say". Phil has also had tremendous success teaming up and collaborating with some of the biggest names in Beach Music. His duet with Rhonda McDaniel, "Who's Gonna Baby You", won The Carolina Beach Music Award for "Collaboration Of The Year" in 2021. Phil also won the award in 2012 for his collaboration with Jackie Gore entitled "Old Friends", and in 2019 for his collaboration with The Blackwater Band entitled "Don't Fight It". That's getting it done folks!
Phil is back at it with his latest release entitled "Redheaded Stepchild", a great bluesy number that is sure to work well for the dancers! Phil delivers a leave no doubt vocal performance and there is a Hammond B3 sprinkled in at just the right moments that give this tune a groove that delivers from start to finish! Already bubbling under the 94,9 The Surf Top 20, this tune should enter chart land in the very near future as Phil has another hit on his hands! Well done Phil!
Rock Out Virginia - Andy Swindell and The Tidewater Collection
Andy Swindell stamped his place in Beach Music history by being the keyboard player and vocalist for The Embers for many years; however, he has also given us numerous solo hits over the years as well. Those include "Extraordinary", "Love Falling", "Made Up My Mind", "Summertime Fun", and "Wait For The Thunder".
Andy is back at it with his latest solo effort "Rock Out Virginia" which is a tribute to legendary Virginia Beach group Bill Deal and The Rhondels. On his website Andy states "Bill Deal and The Rhondels just knocked me out as a young musician. What a band!!! Later in my career, I was privileged to play with Ammon Tharp (RIP) and Don Quisenberry....two fine folks and founding members of that band. Don was nice enough to play on this recording with me, along with several other dear friends I've met in my musical life. Special thanks to Mike Edwards (formerly with Steve Wariner, Delbert McClinton, and Steve Bassett) for letting me mic up his drum kit in his Wiliamsburg home. Also, to Don's son Lee Quisenberry for his engineering help on this song and a couple of others. He saved the day! Rock out, Virginia!!!!"
"Rock Out Virginia" starts out sounding just like Bill Deal and The Rhondels! Andy then takes us on a musical journey that pays tribute to this legendary Virginia Beach group! This is a high energy tune that will definitely get your toes tapping and your feet moving! Featuring Andy's distinctive vocal, killer horns, and tip of the spear production and instrumentation, this is a tune that you will definitely want to add to your Beach Music collection! You can download "Rock Out Virginia" at http://www.andyswindell.com Just be careful playing it while driving! This tune will definitely make you want to press that accelerator a little harder than normal! Great job Andy paying tribute to one of the greatest groups of all time!
She Don't Look Good On You - John G. Franklin
Speaking of Andy Swindell, the multi-talented artist did the mix and mastering for John G. Franklin's latest release "She Don't Look Good On You". From the one sheet release from Green Dot Records: "This upbeat soulful song will get 'em up on the dance floor at 115 BPM. Reminiscent of Aretha Franklin's work with a Stax horn section and an excellent tenor sax solo by Tim Gordon. At 3:13 in length with a hard ending, this song gets to the point and drives it home. Outstanding performances by Robyn Springer on background vocals and Chris Jennings on guitar."
Credits:
John G. Franklin - lead vocal, keys, organ, horns, bass, drum programming.
Chris Jennings - Guitar
Tim Gordon - Tenor Sax
Robyn Springer - Background Vocals
Andy Swindell - Mix/Mastering
Composers - John G. Franklin J. Mychals, B. Wilson
Folks that's a Who's Who among the Beach Music industry contributing to this project! "She Don't Look Good On You", and boy do they deliver the goods! This song checks all of the boxes: impeccable vocal performance from John G., an infectious groove that grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go, and tip of the spear instrumentation and production! This song is already making some noise on the charts as it is currently #19 on Eric Bowman's Wave New Beach Music Countdown! Look for it to get plenty of play at SOS and continue to move up the charts! Well done John G.!
Carolina's Beaches - Silk Groove Revue
Silk Groove has been on The Beach Music charts the last few years with songs such as "I Will Wait", "Last Chance", and "Lovers Lullaby". Well, they are back with in my opinion, their best effort to date entitled "Carolina's Beaches". Inspired by family vacations along "Carolina Beaches", this tune brings back all of those special memories we have from time spent at the beach with family and friends! This tune takes us on a magical journey from the sounds of crashing waves at the beginning, to the names of all of the great Carolina beaches at the end.
"Carolina's Beaches" debuted a few weeks ago with Jim Quick on 94.9 The Surf. The group followed that up with an outstanding live performance at Deckerz Bar and Grill in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. This group has a lot of momentum right now and I look for them to ride that momentum into chart land in short order! If you get a chance to see this group live, don't miss it! You will be glad you did!
Top Down - Nadia Shutkufsky
From the Spirit Records label of Bill Bradford and Sandy Bell comes "Top Down", the debut single for Nadia Shutkufsky. From Spirit Records: "Nothing defines Summer and its wide-open freedom more than hitting the road in the open air. Take a ride with Nadia Shutkufsky and her debut release on Spirit as she throws the hammer down on this driving ska - influenced single aimed directly at the dance floor".
Nadia Shutkufsky is a bright light on the Charlotte, N.C. music scene. In addition to her own gigs, she has performed with Jazzology and The Relics, two of Charlotte's top bands. She effortlessly covers the ground from jazz to pop and R/B and Soul. She is currently performing with Landslide - A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac.
Written by Bill Bradford, "Top Down" has an infectious groove that just grabs you from the very beginning of the song and never lets you go! It is a fun summertime tune that will definitely get the dancers to the floor! This is another tune that I expect will get a lot of play at SOS. Nadia delivers an epic vocal performance and I hope we hear more from this talented artist in the future!
Well, that's it for this month folks! I hope you have enjoyed your trip Inside The Music! While this month's list and article were short, it says nothing of the quality of these releases! Five great tunes that you will want to add to your Beach Music collection!
Coming next month, we will review new releases from the following:
The Holiday Band
Autumn Tyde
The Mighty Saints Of Soul
Jimmy Hall
And I'm sure there will be many more as we draw closer and closer to Fall SOS!
Until next time,
See ya at the beach!
Craig