Customer Reviews

Going Somewhere Soon

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's easy to sum up a review of the Jodie Manross Band's "going somewhere soon" in two words: "Buy this." Explaining my rave takes a few more than two words, but they're just as easy to write.
This album is as eclectic and emotionally diverse as life; the tracks range from haunting to angry to exultant, but all flex a tight, clear virtuosity rare in today's crap-saturated music market. Manross's rich vocals and thought-planting lyrics stir the innards of even this typically obtuse guy, the percussion induces head-bopping throughout, and though this is not a classic rock or old-metal band, the guitar carries the same power as some of Led Zeppelin's bluesier numbers. Most of the tracks feature surprising, unpredictable bridges and a quirky energy that can only be called original. These are obviously flexible musicians who are pushing and exploring - artists with versatility, and even something to "say."
The first track, "Manhattan," grabs your attention, and that's good because you're then prepared for more than an hour of the same. Two of my other favorites were track 9, "Hope Against History," a funky, tight stimulant of a song with a slightly hard taste, and track 14, "River Song," deceptively simple yet spiritually textured with classic blues feel. This last track has a sweet surprise after the "end," but it's not quite as sweet as the happy fluke of coming across this small but powerful collection of musicians. The Jodie Manross band is an honest band, and an honest find.

Prepare to be blown away by this CD. The songwriting is insightful and inspiring, and the musicianship is top-notch. Jodie's voice is amazing and powerful, and Laith's guitar work is simply - wow. I have no idea how to categorize their music, and that is part of what makes it great. I love "Still" and all of its great songs, but this CD surpasses it with its excellent quality and production (and even more songs!) "Going Somewhere Soon" is in heavy rotation on my stereo, and hopefully soon it will be on yours as well. Now if only they would record that swingin' version of "Summertime" that they do live...

The Jodie Manross Band has accomplished something extremely rare in the music business: their sophomore album "Going Somewhere Soon" shows that they have grown and matured musically, while they have still maintained their superb originality. In short: they still ROCK like no other band i've ever seen or heard. Jodie's powerhouse voice has a way of combining every music genre, and yet standing out in a class of its own. The same goes for Laith's amazing guitarwork (i have yet to see anyone play guitar as fast and as smoothe as this man), Andre's driving bass lines, and Nate's unbelievable percussion (he plays so fast and so hard, you can barely see his hands move when they play live). If I had to label their music, I would say "grassroots rock" - but, to be honest, I believe the Jodie Manross Band deserves their own category. If you have become disheartened with today's music, buy this album - I guarantee it will rock your world.

My only complaint about this album: it took far too long to arrive. But it has been in my possession for several weeks now and we have truly enjoyed it. I loved their first album, Still, but have to admit this one is better. It's just deeper and richer and, unlike many albums I own, there is not a single song I don't love. Was thrilled to see the band in concert earlier this year and was very happy to see several of the songs they did then on this album. It's wonderful. I will shut up now and let you go ahead and buy it. If you don't , you are really missing out.

Greetings all. Today is a great day in my musical life, as I have listened to the new Jodie Manross CD 8 times (going on my ninth as we speak). To begin in a random fashion, I must say that when the Jazz-club break came on in the middle of "To You," I about died. That event was by far the greatest thing I have heard in many months. Now, on to a more organized review...

1. Sonically, "Going Somewhere Soon" is fairly similar to "Still," although a generous dose of percussion joins the mix along with some nice electric guitar, piano, and perhaps a flute(?). The identifiable acoustic guitar talents of Laith are still readily apparent as is Dre's driving bass (slightly similar to "Dr. Dre" in a strange way... I'm just not sure how). While I enjoy these additions just as much as the instrumentation on Still, I feel that the layering and mid-song breakdowns provide an added level of musical interest. In essence, all the best parts of Still with some new instruments and chord progressions present. Oh, and how can we forget Jodie's voice! Jodie remains a strong, versatile singer with vocal alternations between silky sweet and powerfully passionate. The interspersed harmonies are very nice as well, and a certain blues influence is pleasantly prevalent in several of the songs as it adds even more texture.

2. Lyrically, "Going Somewhere Soon" matches the complexity and honesty of "Still." A very personal release, this CD just needs to be experienced, as I do not feel I could do justice to its emotional roots. Each song will connect with you in a very unique way, and I'm hesitant to attempt to pigeonhole any meanings that the songs might have for individual people.

3. Developmentally, this CD leaves you feeling like the Jodie Manross Band is "coming away stronger," to quotes Echoes. I love "Still," and I feel that "Going Somewhere Soon" is a natural evolution from the beautiful, occasionally minimalistic music of Still. Of course, two of my favorite songs from Still involve very little instrumentation (Penn. Song and Pull of the Moon, the latter of which is acapella), so this should not be construed as a bad thing. The production is handled wonderfully, and being a producer myself, I was overly impressed with the sound quality of the album. Knowing the challenges of home studio recording, I give mad props to JMB for pulling off such an excellent CD.

4. To conclude, I would just like to say that the members of the Jodie Manross Band are wonderful people as well as wonderful musicians, and I am eager to hear them in concert again--a real treat that you should not miss out on if you live in the Southeast. While I have only seen Jodie and Laith in concert, their musical passion on stage is moving and enchanting. Oh, and need I mention Laith's wicked oud (an Asian instrument similar to a sitar)? When I heard him break out into his oud jam, I definitely about overturned several coffee tables. Oh yes, and there is an oud section on this CD... just one more incentive to purchase it!

If you like good, honest, passionate music, purchase this CD, or at least go to a live show (check the website, which I would post except that the reason this review wasn't posted earlier is because I included the website address, which is illegal on Amazon, and they wouldn't display it). 'Nuff said. Oh yeah, and keep a lookout for the JMB tribute rap from DJ Decryption in the near future. Its tentative title is "Ridin' Through Knoxville Wit Ouds Blazin'" Just something to look forward to... =)

Greetings all. Today is a great day in my musical life, as I have listened to the new Jodie Manross CD 8 times (going on my ninth as we speak). To begin in a random fashion, I must say that when the Jazz-club break came on in the middle of "To You," I about died. That event was by far the greatest thing I have heard in many months. Now, on to a more organized review...

1. Sonically, "Going Somewhere Soon" is fairly similar to "Still," although a generous dose of percussion joins the mix along with some nice electric guitar, piano, and perhaps a flute(?). The identifiable acoustic guitar talents of Laith are still readily apparent as is Dre's driving bass (slightly similar to "Dr. Dre" in a strange way... I'm just not sure how). While I enjoy these additions just as much as the instrumentation on Still, I feel that the layering and mid-song breakdowns provide an added level of musical interest. In essence, all the best parts of Still with some new instruments and chord progressions present. Oh, and how can we forget Jodie's voice! Jodie remains a strong, versatile singer with vocal alternations between silky sweet and powerfully passionate. The interspersed harmonies are very nice as well, and a certain blues influence is pleasantly prevalent in several of the songs as it adds even more texture.

2. Lyrically, "Going Somewhere Soon" matches the complexity and honesty of "Still." A very personal release, this CD just needs to be experienced, as I do not feel I could do justice to its emotional roots. Each song will connect with you in a very unique way, and I'm hesitant to attempt to pigeonhole any meanings that the songs might have for individual people.

3. Developmentally, this CD leaves you feeling like the Jodie Manross Band is "coming away stronger," to quotes Echoes. I love "Still," and I feel that "Going Somewhere Soon" is a natural evolution from the beautiful, occasionally minimalistic music of Still. Of course, two of my favorite songs from Still involve very little instrumentation (Penn. Song and Pull of the Moon, the latter of which is acapella), so this should not be construed as a bad thing. The production is handled wonderfully, and being a producer myself, I was overly impressed with the sound quality of the album. Knowing the challenges of home studio recording, I give mad props to JMB for pulling off such an excellent CD.

4. To conclude, I would just like to say that the members of the Jodie Manross Band are wonderful people as well as wonderful musicians, and I am eager to hear them in concert again--a real treat that you should not miss out on if you live in the Southeast. While I have only seen Jodie and Laith in concert, their musical passion on stage is moving and enchanting. Oh, and need I mention Laith's wicked oud (an Asian instrument similar to a sitar)? When I heard him break out into his oud jam, I definitely about overturned several coffee tables. Oh yes, and there is an oud section on this CD... just one more incentive to purchase it!

If you like good, honest, passionate music, purchase this CD, or at least go to a live show 'Nuff said. Oh yeah, and keep a lookout for the JMB tribute rap from DJ Decryption in the near future. Its tentative title is "Ridin' Through Knoxville Wit Ouds Blazin'" Just something to look forward to... =)

Greetings all. Today is a great day in my musical life, as I have listened to the new Jodie Manross CD 8 times (going on my ninth as we speak). To begin in a random fashion, I must say that when the Jazz-club break came on in the middle of "To You," I about died. That event was by far the greatest thing I have heard in many months. Now, on to a more organized review...

1. Sonically, "Going Somewhere Soon" is fairly similar to "Still," although a generous dose of percussion joins the mix along with some nice electric guitar, piano, and perhaps a flute(?). The identifiable acoustic guitar talents of Laith are still readily apparent as is Dre's driving bass (slightly similar to "Dr. Dre" in a strange way... I'm just not sure how). While I enjoy these additions just as much as the instrumentation on Still, I feel that the layering and mid-song breakdowns provide an added level of musical interest. In essence, all the best parts of Still with some new instruments and chord progressions present. Oh, and how can we forget Jodie's voice! Jodie remains a strong, versatile singer with vocal alternations between silky sweet and powerfully passionate. The interspersed harmonies are very nice as well, and a certain blues influence is pleasantly prevalent in several of the songs as it adds even more texture.

2. Lyrically, "Going Somewhere Soon" matches the complexity and honesty of "Still." A very personal release, this CD just needs to be experienced, as I do not feel I could do justice to its emotional roots. Each song will connect with you in a very unique way, and I'm hesitant to attempt to pigeonhole any meanings that the songs might have for individual people.

3. Developmentally, this CD leaves you feeling like the Jodie Manross Band is "coming away stronger," to quotes Echoes. I love "Still," and I feel that "Going Somewhere Soon" is a natural evolution from the beautiful, occasionally minimalistic music of Still. Of course, two of my favorite songs from Still involve very little instrumentation (Penn. Song and Pull of the Moon, the latter of which is acapella), so this should not be construed as a bad thing. The production is handled wonderfully, and being a producer myself, I was overly impressed with the sound quality of the album. Knowing the challenges of home studio recording, I give mad props to JMB for pulling off such an excellent CD.

4. To conclude, I would just like to say that the members of the Jodie Manross Band are wonderful people as well as wonderful musicians, and I am eager to hear them in concert again--a real treat that you should not miss out on if you live in the Southeast. While I have only seen Jodie and Laith in concert, their musical passion on stage is moving and enchanting. Oh, and need I mention Laith's wicked oud (an Asian instrument similar to a sitar)? When I heard him break out into his oud jam, I definitely about overturned several coffee tables. Oh yes, and there is an oud section on this CD... just one more incentive to purchase it!

If you like good, honest, passionate music, purchase this CD, or at least go to a live show ... 'Nuff said. Oh yeah, and keep a lookout for the JMB tribute rap from DJ Decryption in the near future. Its tentative title is "Ridin' Through Knoxville Wit Ouds Blazin'" Just something to look forward to... =)

Going Somewhere Soon is yet another awesome CD from the Jodie Manross Band. I've been waiting for it to come out for a very long time, and its been worth the wait. If you've heard Still you'll know how great the Band is, and if you haven't, buy it too. Going Somewhere Soon, has better audio quality than Still, but both of them are filled with pure talent by all members of the Band. I especially like the contributions of the OUD. If you're looking for something truly relaxing, something to cry to, or celebrate to I suggest this CD.

The Jodie Manross Band has accomplished something extremely rare in the music business: their sophomore album "Going Somewhere Soon" shows that they have grown and matured musically, while they have still maintained their superb originality. In short: they still ROCK like no other band i've ever seen or heard. Jodie's powerhouse voice has a way of combining every music genre, and yet standing out in a class of its own. The same goes for Laith's amazing guitarwork (i have yet to see anyone play guitar as fast and as smoothe as this man), Andre's driving bass lines, and Nate's unbelievable percussion (he plays so fast and so hard, you can barely see his hands move when they play live). If I had to label their music, I would say "grassroots rock" - but, to be honest, I believe the Jodie Manross Band deserves their own category. If you have become disheartened with today's music, buy this album - I guarantee it will rock your world.