X2: MATT ABTS & JOHNNY NEEL – X2: X2 is a collaboration of two busy brilliant musicians. Matt Abts is the drummer for Gov't Mule and Johnny Neel is a multi-talented artist involved in numerous projects. The two re-met through Blue Floyd a band that covers Pink Floyd music with a touch of improvisational blues. The positive experience of playing live together led to the idea of creating a rock and blues jam album. Neel provides piano, organ, Moog bass pedals, harp and vocals on this nine-track collection. Matt is the drummer and plays all percussion on this innovative CD. X2 is a musical gumbo of genres that includes roots rock, the blues, jazz, southern Delta Boogie, R&B and funk. Abts and Neel are able to create a full rich blend that is dynamic and dramatic. Spontaneity is the key ingredient as most of the songs are first takes with little or no enhancements. This CD is simple in format yet the flavors and sounds are complex. The recipe of impromptu jams works well as both artists are professional and passionate about their music. Rhythm and melodies meld on this collection which is delicious from start to finish.X2 is a winning combination!
• CD Info: [USA/TN 2002 - web] (2003 Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)

YA-NE-ZNIYOO – ALL IS NOT LOST: Ya-Ne-Zniyoo is a Russian phrase that means I don't know. A puzzling name for a puzzling band that does not fit into any one genre. Ya-Ne-Zniyoo is Eric Schmitz on acoustic guitar and vocals, Stephen Bailey on electric, Craig Meyer on bass and Doug Hammond on drums and percussion. This fifteen-track collection is self-produced and the fourth release for the latest lineup. Like many groups, Ya-Ne-Zniyoo, which formed in 1989, has been through a number of personnel and musical direction changes in their history. Ya-Ne-Zniyoo's latest CD is dark, harmonic rock with metal edges and classic rock riffs. The band states that they play their original compositions in a variety of forms from unplugged acoustic, to heavy electronics to more minimalist interpretations. All Is Not Lost utilizes the more heavy sound of a full band. The songs are diverse with disturbing lyrics, varied tempos and fluctuating moods. 'Razor Dog' is the opening track. It starts off with an acoustic lead and soon bristles up to a sharp up-tempo beat and biting, electric guitar riffs. It is followed by 'Black Cat' with its jagged tempo and guitar leads moving in a bunch of unexpected directions, complete with muffled almost screeching vocals to accent the tale. 'Grizzle Bear' features a slower more lumbering tempo with deep bass lines and more focused vocals before chasing a more dramatic beat and guitar leads. All Is Not Lost is an eclectic mix of music from a group of innovative players!
• Recommended Tracks: (1,2,7) [USA/NJ 2003 - web] (2004 Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)

YEARS OF STATIC – THIS IS NOT A TEST: This is not a Test is the debut album from the New Jersey rock quartet Years of Static. Formed in 1998, by two long time friends and other players, the band brings experiences and newness to This is not a Test. Literal lyrics that have deeper meanings add intensity and integrity to all their songs. This twelve-track collection features dynamic dueling guitars, fuzz tones, vocal harmonies and other subtle instrumentation such as the sax and old time piano. Their sound transcends genres, Years of Static melds rock, funk, jazz and folk into both traditional and modern rock formats. High-powered energy and high quality musicianship prevail on this CD. The opening track 'Let You Down' features complex beats, smoldering guitar chords, compelling vocal blends and a catchy hook. 'Finally' has an edgy tone with a decisive beat, textured tones and more first-rate harmonies. The closing 'Lo-Sci-Fi' is an attention grabber with its multifaceted percussion, funky bass lines, an energized piano solo, more cool guitar work and an almost fresh new wave vibe. Year of Static passes the test with flying colors on their diverse debut CD!
• Recommended Tracks: (1,7,12) [USA/NJ 2000 - web] (2003 Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)

YOHANY – 7 DIGITS: 7 Digits is a two version sampler of '7 Digits' the latest single from Yohany. Both the radio and club mixes have danceable beats and catchy instrumental accents. Yohany is a determined performer who brings passion to her craft. Yohany is able to sing in both English and Spanish and she hopes her forth coming full-length CD will convince a larger audiences that she is ready for the mainstream. Yohany's music is an interesting blend of pop, hip-hop, Latin and R & B. She creates music with a hopeful message geared towards getting a crowd on its feet and 7 Digits indicates that she will succeed!
• Recommended Tracks: () [USA 2003 - web] (2004 Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)

ZAK DANIELS AND THE O.E.S. - SNAKELAND: Snakeland is a place that slithers with salaciously sleazy songcraft that is firmly rooted in glam rock and punk tradition. Think of the formidable four-piece as Kiss meets Poison meets Iggy Pop with plenty of the Motley Crue attitude to go around. Tales of sexual conquest abound in tunes that relay Zak's experience with the ladies - be they silicon enhanced beauties, barely legal teens or chicks he has picked up on the rebound in a local bar. But Zak Daniels' latest release also provides a platform to prove he is more than your typical sex-obsessed rocker. On songs like "Cautiously Optimistic" and "Wheels of Justice" Daniels reveals some politically astute observations on the way the world really works - and that makes sense - most politicians are snakes after all. The opener "Pay" sets the tone with suggestive lyrics and smokin' riffs in a track that deals with the hidden costs of playing on the dark side. "Hearts Break Easy" provides more of the testosterone fueled aggressive rock that's not for the faint of heart. "Shy Girl" is the closest thing to a ballad on this 11-track collection that lures you in with an inviting guitar lick before exploding into the fast and furious bawdy ode that it is. Throughout the CD the band is playing in high gear running on pure octane rock that motors with many melodic guitar leads, tasty B3 fills and the occasional harmonica highlighting the top-notch musicianship that Zak is able to charm out of the O.E.S. Daniels seems to delight in the perverse musical paradise he has created along with his talented back-up band - The One-Eyed Snakes - and their sophomore offering is tempting and tasty.
• Recommended Tracks: (3,6,7,9) [USA/CA 2005 - web] (Reviewed by Richard J. Lynch for Kweevak.com - 2007/03/20)

ZIGGY MARLEY – LOVE IS MY RELIGION: Love Is My Religion expands upon the personal, social and political themes explored in his debut CD, Dragonfly, peppering a reggae core with African percussion and other flavors. Its tracks include the subversively danceable "Into the Groove," the political "Be Free" (which attacks the manipulating power of fear) and "Love Is My Religion" (a message Ziggy says that "people need to hear," a unifying devotion to love that "needs to be preached in churches and mosque and synagogues"). The album closes with a stripped-down acoustic guitar version of "Love Is My Religion" and a bass-heavy, trip-hop mix of "Be Free." Ziggy Marley's early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father. He later joined his siblings to front The Melody Makers, whose eight best-selling albums generated such chart-topping hits as "Tomorrow People" and "Tumbling Down." Ziggy's solo debut, Dragonfly, was released in 2003 and featured such artists as Flea and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Mike Einziger and DJ Kilmore (Incubus).
• Recommended Tracks: (7,8,9) [USA 2006 - web] (2006 CD Feature by Kweevak.com)