Urban Folk music reviews

The only thing better than owning the CD was being there live when it was recorded. A band of mulit-talented musicians and artists, Seed Is never fails to put on an awesome show whether you like rock, reggae, spoken word, hip-hop, jazz, or alternative they encompass it, hence the the name Seed Is.... This is a must have for the TRUE music lover and you to will be transformed into a Seedling!!!!

I got the CD for my parents and wound up getting a copy for myself. It is perfect for those who like soft rock. It has a lot of excellent past favourites.

Still trying to find his way through a variety of influences, Harding creates another likeable but ultimately forgettable collection of tunes. Elvis Costello's sound is here on songs like "The Movie of your Life" and "Long Dead Gone," (Pete Thomas of The Attractions is even the drummer.) "Save a Little Room for Me" has more than a touch of Van Morrison, and even Springsteen and Dylan seem to be present in spirit if not reality. The only problem is Harding gets lost in the mix. Every time I listen to Harding, I keep thinking there is an artist here who is trying to break free from his influences, as excellent as they are, but I never seem to get to the essence of what Harding is capable of.

Can't disagree much with the previous reviewer, alas, but "Epiphany in Brooklyn" wasn't Brenda's first album. That was "Goldfish Don't Talk Back," which if anything is a stronger album than "Epiphany."

i was completely enamoured with Brenda's Epiphany In Brooklyn album. a collection of spikey urban folk songs that were solid in their execution and direct in approach. after that record, poor Brenda suffered from various music biz woes. her label went under and her 2nd album was lost in limbo for years before finally being released to a yawn. and for good reason, it was simply a terrible record. but i gave this album a chance, even though i was prepared for the worst. thankfully, it's not too bad.
there are a few times when Brenda seems unable to keep a good lyrical idea... such as when she sings drab lines like "I've seen the writing on the wall. Looks like another bad day. And I'm going home." from "Door Locks"...was all her divine inspiration used up on the Epiphany album; whose lyrics were strong and had a deliciously clever and sarcastic appeal? not all of the words on Outside The Beauty Salon" are bad...but nowhere near as good as i would have hoped.
musically, this album rocks with a sort of generic rootsy alternative slant. some really bad guitar jamming hampers these tunes down a bit (such as on the uneventful album opener "Matador." Brenda really shines through when she strips away all the pretension and the goofy rock chick tendencies and just writes simple little stories with heart and feeling. "Wedding Ring" "Heather", "I Believe In You (Song For Thomas)", and "Guillotine" all excel with their quaint rootsy appeal and it doesn't sound like she's trying to hard to prove a point...sounds like she's just being herself and letting her personality take over. too bad that approach was applied to only a few songs and not the whole album. Outside The Beauty Salon is not a terrible record, but it makes me sad to think how great it could have been.