Customer Reviews

Brushfire Records Fall 2009 Sampler

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2 star:		(1)
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The BRUSHFIRE RECORDS FALL 2009 SAMPLER has a pretty good selection of songs on it. The only name I recognized on the list was Jack Johnson but the rest of the tracks are great if you're into alternative rock.

To me, alternative rock sounds a lot like the folk rock of the late 60s and early 70s where the songs are like little song-stories. Simple sounding but with an important message, heavy on guitar or keyboard, mellow, and with a minimal accompaniment from other instruments, it's the singer that takes center stage. Think Laura Nyro, Carol King, James Taylor or Arlo Guthrie type songs and that's what most of these tracks remind me of.

Tracks 1,3,4,6,7, and 8 exemplify the above, perfectly. They're mostly mellow rock songs that tell a story and have a strong message in them.

Track 2 is a wonderful up-tempo song with a fun message and uses a harmonica throughout. I've never heard of this group before but this track is one of my favs on this sampler. They remind me of "Canned Heat."

Track 5 is very reminiscent of 80s New Wave music. Listening to this track and I swear I'm hearing shades of "Erasure," "Pet Shop Boys," and "Sparks." I don't know if that was this group's intention but it really brought me back to the 80's and listening to radio station KROQ.

Track 9 is another favorite of mine. This song is funky and has a good beat and reminds me of a combination of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and "Superstition," so it's very funky.

Anyway, since this was a free download, I suggest that you give it a try. It really does show a good variety of what's available on the "Brushfire Records" label and you can play it on iTunes.

Wow, what a treat! Mostly a mellow vibe with some funk tracks thrown in (#2 & #9) to shake it up a little. There's one long (somewhat discordant) instrument driven tune in the middle I didn't care for as much (#5), though most people will probably like it. For some reason, it reminded me a little bit of E.L.O., maybe it will grow on me...

(#3) The pure simplicity of acoustic guitar and Matt's vocal (I think I hear faint harmony in the background), with a nice guitar and harmonica instrumental in the middle of the song.
(#4) Reminds me of a "reined in" U2 or Coldplay.
(#7) Zee's voice and musical style is very much like recent popular artists Corinne Bailey Rae, Adele and - agghhh I'm having a brain freeze and can't think of their names - but you'll recognize the style. It features acoustic guitar, with percussion.
(#8) Reminds me of Jason Mraz.

Bottom Line: Great intro to these artists. I was not familiar with any of them except Jack Johnson.
Take it for a test drive - can't beat the price! I'm sure I'll be playing this a lot.

I have found a lot of the record company samplers to be just OK. This one though is impressive. I don't think there is a single clunker on the entire album.

I started with Jack Johnson. . . did you know, Brushfire Records is almost 100% off the grid, providing their own solar power? Did you know, Brushfire strives for maximum recycle, minimum waste?

So you get GREAT music from this eco-friendly company. Quality recordings, awesome artists.

Of course I was familiar with Jack Johnson, which is why I downloaded this sampler album. And of course, I like the Jack Johnson track. The unexpected part is how much I enjoy the other tracks! I've just been introduced to several new artists that I can't wait to hear more from. Right now my favorite is Track 9 - ALO, but actually I like all of them. Can't beat this price, give it a try!

I was thrilled to find that Brushfire Records had a sampler out on amazon. The songs are amazing... I was already familiar with their artists, so I'm not learning to fall in love with them because I was already at that point! But this album is truly a treat. I think I already let all my friends know about it, because I love it so much.
The first song is from Jack Johnson's En Concert, which I already ordered. Thank you Brushfire Records & Amazon!!

I have found myself listening to the Matt Costa and Mason Jennings tracks over and over, but this collection is very consistent and can be listened to from beginning to end. There are few albums I can say that about and even fewer samplers. The bands are well matched for sound and style.

Since my college days are long past it is harder to find new music - we are all parents. So I download a lot of samplers looking for a gem or two. In this case, I have purchased several other tracks from the artists on this sampler. So I would call that a total success for everyone involved.

I love Amazon sampler albums. I've discovered many new talents that way. I thought this album would be the same but it came up short. Too often, new singers of Alternative Rock don't do their homework by learning about music and how to sing. The opening song by Jack Johnson is a perfect example. There is talent there but it needs polish. However, the second song, Peace, Love and Happiness is the diamond in this offering of clay. A catchy tune, well sung, with a solid rock base. Very nice. I also enjoyed Paint a Face, Darling, and Lady Loop. Each unique and very listenable. The rest I deleted after one listen. Still, I plan to check out G. Love and Special Sauce more.