The Poison Oaks - Pine - Cortese Music – The Poison Oaks began as a studio experiment for fiddler and side-woman Laura Cortese. Originally she wanted to experiment with the process of making art, but The Poison Oaks have evolved into a full fledged collective including as few as four and as many as fifteen members. Raleigh based Matt Douglas is at the core of the group and the art-pop sound they come up with has roots as diverse as bluegrass and hillbilly deluxe. They combine banjo, fiddles, guitar and keyboards to develop this brand of big-band , jazz and swing style tunes to life. Title track “Pine” welds all these elements to a nature theme, and Laura’s vocals on “London Devil” bring a mellow touch to the song. At times, the feeling reminds me of the Cowboy Junkies mesmerizing ballads, but the variety of musicians and instruments makes this an orchestra, rather than a trio. The result is a highly effective debut for this diverse group and I highly recommend it. Find them at www.thepoisonoaks.com.

Cynthia Miller - Cynthia Miller - Cynsings Studios – A recent guest on our internet TV show, Cynthia brings an exciting new vision to the music scene. Cynthia is a singer/songwriter with incredible voice and has assembled a unique group of songs, most written or co-written by her into this delightful release. Well-produced, the vocals are easily heard without leaving the instrumentation behind, and the result is a group of exciting songs for our enjoyment. The theme is primarily one of faith without overtly pushing it in our faces.  Opening cut “Falling Up” is a song of tribute to “unconditional love” and “Take A Chance” urges us to follow our dreams, “take a chance to dance” and do what we need to be true to ourselves, while “Winners” expands on that thought with the promise to “keep keeping on”. She changes course on “Deny You” to have us see her “painting a picture” of her image of what we should be seeing in a vision of hope, and ”Can’t Live” is a moving tribute to her faith in the Lord. She finishes the album with a stirring rendition of “God Bless America”, a fitting finale to this glorious CD. The songs are well-written and her voice and enthusiasm is contagious. This is a beautiful collection of songs and a good listen. Check her out at www.cynthiamiller.net.

Deadstring Brothers - Starving Winter Report  – Bloodshot Records –  My first exposure to these Detroit rockers was a clip on the internet that blew me away. When Angie at Bloodshot sent me this, I flipped. Before reading the promo material I gave it a listen and was transported back to the 70’s. My first impression was “Exile On Main Street” and then I read the promo material, which mentions “Exile” a couple of times. If you’ve read this column for any length of time, you’ll remember that my top two rock albums were “Exile” and the Black Crowe’s “Shake Your Moneymaker”. So, this was like dying and going to musical heaven. Lead singer and guitarist Kurt Masschke sounds more like Mick Jagger in 1972 than Mick did, his vocals accentuating the fine musicians behind him, including Philip Skarich on bass, Masha Marjieh on vocals and percussion, E. Travis Harrett on drums and Ross Westerbur on keyboards. The songs, the arrangements and the backing instruments echo the Stones at their finest, but the music is all about these guy’s musical roots   They put in their personal touches, as these are almost all originals, but cuts like “Talkin’ Born Blues” is a retro blues-rocker that rocks the joint and ballads like “Blindfolded” show a mellower side, without taking the edge off. My only regret is that they aren’t coming to Houston on their current tour. You have got to hear this! It’s the best new rock album I’ve heard this year. Find out more about them at the web site, at www.bloodshotrecords.com.