Gorilla Conspiration - Hal

Advantages: Great songs, some of the best you will have heard in a long time.
Disadvantages: Could be a little bit too different and too soft for some people.

...Hal released this debut album in Spring 2005, rather quietly, there was none of the major promotion of other rock/pop bands out at the moment. But the critics loved it and now are proclaiming it to be one of the best albums of 2005.... Hal started off when Dave Allen and Stephen O'Brien both from Dublin met through a friend. Both had been bands since they were teenagers but those bands were going no where. So they decided to start writing songs together, so for the next two years they worked constantly compiling a stack of songs. All the work was done at night with both having to hold down their day jobs. David's younger brother Paul would hang about during these song writing sessions offering his input and so it was a natural progression for him to join the band. They settled on the name Hal because of their admiration of Hal David... Read review

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Advantages: Variety, Superior Material, Showmanship
Disadvantages: Will Country Radio Respond?

...The latest offering from Hal Ketchum is one of his best. Top songcrafting and performance have always been Ketchum hallmarks, sometimes at the expense of commercial viability. As an artist Ketchum has always felt free to share his influences, from blues and R&B to folk to thundering rock licks. This time, he's got it all---there are several prospects for hit singles on this CD. "The Alamo," ("That's a pretty good place to make a stand") released in the US as a duet with LeAnn Rimes, has tons of potential to become a country classic. The title track is already a line dance favorite, even prior to its official US release. "Save Tonight For Me" and "Moment" are power ballads that showcase Ketchum's vocal abilities, though "Travelin" Teardrop Blues" in its seemingly laid back, easy style is no less dynamic. The centerpiece of this disc... Read review

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Advantages: The breathtakingly beautiful U.K Top 5 hit, You Are Everything
Disadvantages: 1 or 2 tracks a little slushy

...fantastically together. Diana And Marvin (1973) hosted a string of singles in the U.S the first being the dazzling, You're A Special Part Of Me. Both singers sound so perfectly compatable putting in solid, assertive performances. You're A Special Part Of Me, written by Gregory Wright and Harold Johnson and produced by Motown boss Berry Gordy, sailed into the U.S Top 20 Charts, stopping at No.12. Another American single to be swiped from the album was the mid-tempo My Mistake Was To Love You. Contagious within its musical arrangements, the track also boasted strong performances from Ross and Gaye with Ross' refined vocal delivery blending wonderfully with Gayes' more aggressive and forceful performance. Produced by Hal Davis and written by Pam Sawyer and Gloria Jones, this aching ballad again cracked the American Top 20, peaking at No.19... Read review

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