JUST SAY THE WORD– Josh Kelley Rockin His Way Across the US ! LA Story Music Review

It’s time to take a music break from all the Oscar stuff- and actually it’s not really a break because Josh Kelley’s  racking up the mileage criss-crossing the US  touring to support his CD JUST SAY THE WORD. Recently — as in during Oscar week– Josh hit LA for a fast and furious visit to get some time in LA to hit FHM Magazines Haven House Oscar Lounge and Suite. One of the best parts about this lounge  was that the had musical entertainment that went WAY BEYOND the typical DJ spinning tunes. On Thursday of Oscar week, both Joshua Radin and Josh Kelley played back to back sets at Haven House high in the hills near Coldwater Canyon .. (for those who keep up with my blogs, in the exact same house where the Golden Globes Silver Spoon Suite was held). 

Unfortunately the PR for the event didn’t tell me about the  appearances of the musicians I would have gotten some podcast quotes. (You remember that I interviewed Radin six times while he was on the HOTEL CAFE TOUR and also covered the closing date). With Radin and Kelley there, it must have been a smokin’ hot performance day and I was sorry to have missed that. However  to the business of the day, it was part of what I do to stay on task and assignment for multiple print and online publications.

I don’t have too much to cry about because I have been listening to Josh Kelley tear it up on the JUST SAY THE WORD CD. It’s an interesting CD that grows on you. The first two tunes– "Opposite of Me" and " Pop Game" are fluffy pieces of fun music that have you tapping and  dancing along with the beat. Don’t let the  the music flow have you ignoring the words. Kelley’s very much aware of the game of music  and self promotion — and does what needs to be done to get his music out there. He’s a smart guy with wit, some street smarts and  savvy.

Kelley at the Grammys

The rest of the CD is a blend of many more styles– that initially I resisted but they eventually called to me and worked their way into my heart. "Cain and Able "– the most acoustic and country-fied tune in my opinion– is a sharp piece of analysis and really looks hard at what sibling relationships are all about.

Kelley’s Art work 

"How the Story Goes" and "Beautiful Goodbye" reveal some depth of the man that Kelley is and "Lady of Mine" talks all about a relatioinship (probably the current one.. and it’s an apt fit).   While Josh revels and reveals in different styles of musical presentation, that flexibility makes the CD grow and makes it last longer– much better than the chewing gum flavor of some cds where every song sounds the same and thus loses its flavor rather quickly.

Instead this one develops (maybe like a great glass of wine or  a movie) into something more insightful about the human character. Whether it’s his character or his " persona" is yet to be determined.

The CD paints a  story — much like his own art work about this life on the road and how hard it is to have and maintain relationships. It’s a CD that grows and grows and you will find meaning in more than one tune– as much as I like "Opposite of Me" and find it fits many aspects of my personal life, there are many more tunes on this CD that keep me scrolling through my Ipod and also popping it into the CD player in the car. It’s great traveling music if you are planning on that traffic battle that we Angelenos are very aware of.

While we don’t have much of a tour schedule for Kelley here in California, he has a substantial  schedule that includes touring with another favorite Keaton Simons — DEFINITELY WORTH CATCHING THESE SHOWS.. as they are going to be burning up the stage with these two guys.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Mar 12 2007 9:00P   afterHOURS Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 16 2007 8:00P   Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 18 2007 7:00P    Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
Mar 19 2007 8:00P    North Star Philidelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 21 2007 7:00P    Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, North Carolina
Mar 22 2007 8:00P     Ziggy’s Winston Salem, North Carolina
Mar 23 2007 8:00P     The Handlebar Greenville, South Carolina
Mar 24 2007 8:00P     The Workplay Theatre Birmingham, Alabama
Mar 26 2007 8:00P     12th and Porter Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 27 2007 8:00P     Rick’s Cafe Starkville, Mississippi
Mar 28 2007 8:00P     Smiths Olde Bar Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 29 2007 8:30P     Rhythm and Brews Chattanooga, Tennessee
Mar 30 2007 9:00P    Newby’s Memphis, Tennessee
Mar 31 2007 7:00P    The Dame Lexington, Kentucky
Apr 2 2007 9:30P      The Parish House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Apr 3 2007 7:00P       The Country Club Augusta, Georgia
Apr 10 2007 6:30P    The Stage Door Madison, Wisconsin
Apr 11 2007 8:00P    The Fine Line Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 20 2007 7:00P   Student Union Plaza @ Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas
Jun 1 2007 5:00P    Downtown Herndon Herndon, Virginia
Jun 29 2007 7:30P   Crystal Lake Festival Chicago, Illinois
Aug 25 2007 4:30P   The Morton Arboretum Lisle, Illinois
Jan 19 2008 8:00P    The Rock Boat Miami, Florida
Jan 20 2008 8:00P    The Rock Boat Miami, Florida
Jan 21 2008 8:00P     The Rock Boat Miami, Florida
Jan 22 2008 8:00P    The Rock Boat Miami, Florida
Jan 23 2008 8:00P    The Rock Boat Miami, Florida
Jan 24 2008 8:00P     The Rock Boat Miami, Florida 

As you can see Kelley is scattered across the US and will be scorching some serious musical tracks wherever he is Get out there and score yourself some tickets because this is a sizzling concert trail that will not be duplicated on this level again– the next round will  be considerably larger venues. These intimate dates are ones to be seen– and cherished because once they hit stadiums– it’s hard to get the same kind of energy and see them up close like you would in this smaller venues. (It’s my personal favorite way of seeing musicians play.. smaller venues .. make for a greater impact. ). This multi-faceted musician plays lots of instruments and has lots of "voices", tones and layers to his music. Don’t miss this!

Make sure that you do a download from Itunes of his CD or break down and get a hard copy — It’s definitely worth the time and the $$ because you will find it a tasty treat long after other CDs have lost their flavor.. he’s got the chops to make you come back for more.

Now here’s that "musical interlude" for you!

Just Say The Word Radio Remix

Now Josh.. when you hitting the studio to crank out more tunes for us?

Hopefully we can score a few minutes with Kelley to ask him about music, writing, touring and lots more questions for a podcast.

Stay tuned boys and girls. There’s MORE to the musical interlude. With luck I will be back with a video embed!

Stevie Wilson

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