Having released their initial couple of albums in 1969, Free entered Trident Studios in London in 1970 to record what can become their breakthrough album. Thanks to the timeless single ‘All Right Now’, Fire and Water reached number 2 from the UK and 17 from the US. This success landed them a location at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and propelled these phones stardom.

While ‘All Right Now’ has been the standout single, the album all together elevates them over the standard ‘blues rock’ genre. This is really a band more comfortable with space is actually each other. The album is relaxed and care-free and there isn’t a overplaying by anyone. If you compare Free to Led Zeppelin one example is, you will observe the lack of drum fills, vocal gymnastics and exhibit guitar licks. Each track is usually a lesson in interaction and subtlety. The way that this band come together is in excess of the sum of the parts and yes it all depends upon simplicity.

For the complete album Simon Kirke simply lays on the groove with authority so when he does fill it’s almost exclusively eighth notes or quarter notes. There’s nothing unnecessary, it is just powerful and minimal. Even during his drum solo with the end of the title track ‘Fire and Water’ he refuses to display.

Paul Rodgers’ vocals are sublime. He doesn’t require to employ wailing vibrato or sing more notes than are needed. Again it is reasonably and soulful, perhaps most evident on ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’. Lyrically the songs are personal and intimate, deeply rooted inside blues.

Traditionally bass solos usually are marked through the rest of the band stopping, and letting the bassist reveals his licks ever since he can finally be heard. That’s not true here though. Listen to ‘Mr Big’ to see how Kossoff and Kirke relentlessly thrash out of the groove while Andy Fraser plays a number of the funkiest and the majority melodic bass playing ever, gradually developing tension for him to decrease down to the reduced octave just as the band overall reach the peak. It’s a perfect battle of tension and resolution leading us satisfyingly back into the chorus.

Free’s effective using space and restraint isn’t a better shown when compared to Paul Kossoff’s guitar work. His solos are sparse and melodic, with the exceptional chordal effort is interesting and powerful. Being really the only guitar player he fills up space by employing wide intervals within his chord voicings or by building an extra fifth into his power chords, sometimes both lower and better. He also makes effective utilization of the open strings. When he retreats into a solo, Andy Fraser jumps in so it helps to fill adequate of that new found space to offer Kossoff the freedom to learn with a sparseness rarely found amongst ‘rock’ guitarists.

The reaction to all of this is always that Free seem like more than just a typical guitar trio plus vocalist. They are constantly getting together with and supporting 1 another, never getting from the way. Everything is woven together in the shows a maturity way beyond their years on the time of recording. Free really are a band absolutely free of gimmicks. Their music is pure, soulful and exciting. In later albums their sound became more piano led as Kossoff’s drug habit got within the way, but Fire and Water could be the sound of Free at their peak, where everything clicked into place. If you want to learn how to learn in a band, tune in to this album.

Everyone’s heard Jepsen’s infectious No. 1 hit, “Call Me Maybe.” I bought, followed on repeat, along with tired of the one, such as a lot of people. I then received her album Kiss like a present, determined it was a crazy catchy album, great to exercise to. Honestly, I was a little sad because I thought there is more to her music than that. Like I always do, I into her determined out she had released another album, her debut album.

Fresh from Canadian Idol, Jepsen released her debut album, stuffed with songs she wrote by hand. With this record, Jepsen took influences from many genres of music, thus, making this album a collage of numerous types of music. She draws from typical pop rock, and adds some folk flair, and also brings in some country vibes at a few points. It makes her sound unique, which she lost after she decided to go mainstream with “Call Me Maybe.” This album seems like her personality, and sounds different.

The first song from the album is “Bucket”. In this song, Jepsen samples a children’s song and fuses acoustic pop, reggae and many sort of Hawaiian music. She uses the metaphor of creating a sand castle to dicuss of her troubles back with her boyfriend and life normally. This is the first look the listeners really enter Jepsen’s songwriting abilities. She’s able to take a children’s hobby making it to a suitable song for just a young couple. Another song about the album that in some way showcases Jepsen as being a songwriter is “Money as well as the Ego”. Along with “Bucket” and “Tug of War” Jepsen got nominated because the Juno Awards Songwriter in the Year on this track. Jepsen debates madness of life, but makes all the heavy topic more radio friendly with light acoustic production.

Two tracks with interesting production would be the title track and “Heavy Lifting”. The title track has several different parts on the song that will get played over the other person until the end where all of them are played simultaneously, making the track really challenging for you personally ears, looking to hear each part. It becomes an experience for the ears. “Lifting” is my personal favorite track about the record. It describes the tale of first love, and her first-time. It’s innocent and naive in songwriting, turning it into a truly joyful love track which the radio misses today. The song has heavy country pop influence with all the acoustic based production ad big bridge and chorus which fills out the track and helps it be a pleasurable listen.

The one below the knob on this album is “Sunshine on My Shoulders.” It’s a cover of John Denver’s classic song. A song this way is so tough to cover well because from the beauty in the original track. Jepsen attempts to make it more poppy also it doesn’t really work with her favor. This was her debut single to radio, and reflect her just as one artist, much like the rest of her album does.

Ending the review using a positive note, listed here is a song during which Jepsen really should have based her whole career and sound around. “Tell Me” is often a short acoustic folk influenced ballad, only clocking out at 2:21. It tells the storyplot of a breakup, as well as the need to have her lover tell her it straight, instead of try to dance around her feelings, because she can’t understand him. Jepsen’s vocals shine, using little imperfections becoming positive things on this revealing track.

It’s simple to grasp why Jepsen didn’t continue making these kind if records. This album failed to sell well, only selling 10,000 copies today and yes it came out in 2008. But this is actually the kind of music that creates Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen, instead of just another Katy Perry/Britney Spears clone. I hope together with her new album, Jepsen decides to return to her roots a tad and create another album as incredible because this one is.

Finnish metal band Ensiferum is now called true veterans in the genre. Ensiferum was founded in 1995 and they are generally still leaving headbangers with sore necks in 2015, probably a lot more than ever. The Fins who describes their type of metal as melodic folk metal has recorded their strongest album to date. The new album ‘One Man Army’ shows the group increasing their craft on every level.

Ensiferum’s sound is marked by combining death metal influences and harsh vocals with melodies and folk inspirations. On ‘One Man Army’ they have got perfected this blend further. The album depends on the 90-second intro ‘March Of War’ before it breaks into ‘Axe Of Judgement’, an antique opener with neck-breaking speed, many double-bass action and fast riffs. In true Ensiferum style they include references to Russian folk music, a choir plus a break within the middle from the song which doesn’t only groove but includes Accept-like choir sequences. Most metal fans will rejoice.

‘Heathen Horde’ follows and brings some metal parts, some guitar melodies even seem like Maiden. Arching over-all this may be the extensive use from the choir-like gang vocals, a recurring theme for the remainder in the album. The burglary the middle ventures into medieval folk music before this rock band picks up speed again. Ensiferum then enter fifth gear together with the title track ‘One Man Army’. Ultra-fast riffs, sharp melodies and again the choir would be the trademarks in this song. The 2-minute ballad ‘Burden Of The Fallen’ supplies a welcomed break.

The remaining six songs from the album remain on the same high-quality level. Ensiferum range between epic song structures (the 11-minute ‘Descendant, Defiance, Domination’) to fast up-beat tracks (‘Two Of Spades’) to late Maiden-like prog adventures (‘Warrior Without A War’). It is not easy to pick a highlight on the album. All songs have their own own little treasures to find out. The special of ‘One Man Army’ incorporates three bonus songs including a cover with the classic ‘Rawhide’ which really suits this rock band’s sound.

Ensiferum have not changed their style as compared to previous album. Neither have they been rewritten the storyline of rock. But what they’ve done should be to create a unique type of metal that’s recognisable and different from most mainstream metal bands currently. It is not scouting around for harder, faster and even more extreme metal you find for this album. Instead you will find well-crafted songs that will make for just a neck-breaking live concert.

Bottom line is that Ensiferum have released an extremely strong album which is to be on many top 10 lists at the end in the year. The metal veterans from Finland have perfected their sound a little more forward. Their six full-length album releases have cultivated stronger from record to record. ‘One Man Army’ would be the logical continuation with this row of strong releases. It seems this rock band has a lot more to present in the future years. Watch them live should they play in the area.