Rural Free Delivery Come on Home (RFD Records, 2004) Rating: With their debut album, Come On Home, Rural Free Delivery proves that a little bit of everything adds up to a whole lot of great music. And by great music I mean: country, blues, jazz, Latin, rock, and then some. This unique blending of musical genres makes Come On Home an exceptional debut with something to offer every listener. Rural Free Delivery is a New York City-based band: Jeremy Beck on keyboards and lead vocals, Craig Graham on guitar, Kyle Esposito on bass guitar, and Patrick Carmichael on drums. Beck and Graham, the founding members of RFD, composed the eleven tracks on Come On Home. The themes addressed in these songs are as varied as the musical styles: from civil rights to the current state of our world, from enjoying life to the recurring homecoming theme. ìBillyís Bluesî tells of a Black manís struggle in the 50ís. From the furious pace of the piano keys at the start to Billyís last plea for the Lord to ëtake him home,í we get a mix of country, a gospel chorus, and the blues. Graham and Espositoís guitars take us on a psychedelic, dreamlike trip in ìBlack Cats in Love.î Their guitars are also quite commanding on the albumís rock tune, the Orwellian ìBig Brother.î A Spanish-flavored guitar rhythm with a catchy chorus tells the story of a troubled love affair in ìMeg & Al (The Picnic Song),î while ìWent to the Mountainî suggests we ëleave our worries behind and dance in the sunlight.í The contagious chant with the Caribbean beat makes us want to do just that. Beckís impressive piano and vocals on ìIn the Middle of the Nightî take us on a jazzy tour around the world: from the South of France to NYC, from eating sugarcane in the land of the delta blues to wearing blue suede shoes in the land of Elvis, but continuously reminding us that ëit would be so nice to be back home.í This CD concludes with the title track, making you want to come on home or at least call home, wherever that might be. Come On Home proves that the more you mix things up, the better theyíll get. Having seen Rural Free Delivery perform live in New York City on a few occasions, Iíve found that this four-man band sounds just as good live as they do on this record, sometimes even better. Rural Free Delivery is continuously working on new material, and from this debut effort, thereís great promise that more ìbluesy, funky, jazzy, country,î kind of music is surely on the way. -Adela M. Brito | (email)

Kaiser Chiefs at the Middle East Downstairs (3.26.05) I first heard about the Kaiser Chiefs and their rip-roaring new album just a couple of months ago, on the prescient You Ain't No Picasso music blog. Since then, they've all but exploded into the U.S. mainstream with a 4-star review in Rolling Stone, heavy airplay of their stateside single "I Predict a Riot", and perhaps indie rock's most (financially, at least) rewarding prize, a premiere on The O.C. So, with 'FNX jumping on board and promoting the hell out of their Saturday night show at the Middle East, it's fortunate I bought my tickets early. It sold out quickly and with good reason: these guys kicked my ass. I'm generally not a big fan of the Middle East DownstairsóI've seen some great bands absolutely ruined by the sound thereóand at points the vocals and guitar lines distorted into that familiar, drenching screech that leaves your head rattled for days to come; but for the most part the sound was spot on Saturday night. Plus the gritty atmosphere seemed to make the British quintet feel right at home. Kicking the set off with "Na Na Na Na Naa" and "Everyday I Love You Less and Less," the Chiefs brought us all back to a dingy, late 70's London rock club and kept us there. The big difference from some of their early punk brethren though is that lead singer Ricky Wilson (in his trademark orange and blue striped suit) is the real deal: an extremely talented vocalist and tireless performer. Belting, screaming, crooning and wailing, he didn't miss a single note all night, even after climbing 20 feet out into the audience during "Riot," hanging like a monkey (or a hooligan from Leeds) above us on the drain pipes of the old basement club. Omitting a couple slower songs off their LP, Employment, they managed to keep the momentum rolling with the appropriate "Saturday Night" and "Oh My God," one of the better jumping around songs you'll ever hear. Ending with the distinctly British "Time Honoured Tradition" ('And that is the end of that'), they answered our raucous request for an encore with one more song, saying they were told not to come back out but that they were "sticking it to the man." While this seemed unlikely, as they'd barely played for 40 minutes and it was only a quarter past midnight, I didn't mind them indulging in a little faux anarchy. Having been together for barely over a year, and with only one album of material to draw from, the Kaiser Chiefs still put on an engaging and downright fun showódefinitely worth the paltry 10 buck cover charge. If they're coming your way anytime soon, jump on the bandwagon before it's full. -Jason Holloway | (email)

Rich Deans - Blue City (2005) Rating: For folks who havenít gotten over Gram Parsons' passing, or think Steve Earle is never going back to small, human stories, Rich Deans may be the place to hear cool, country lyricism. This seasoned performer, a veteran of The New York New Wave scene, is getting airplay on Americana stations with his new CD Blue City, and after a few listens, youíll understand why the Parsons and Earle comparisons arenít far-fetched. Starting with ìOutlawís Sonî (oh, if only Waylon were here to record it), a story of a young, gun-toting buck drifting into lawlessness (ìFirst thing I remember/When I was a boy/I got a Springfield rifle/For my first toyî), right into minor-key rockers like ìHouse Of Stoneî (where the protagonist can live ìAll aloneî), a strong, fresh feeling of Donít Tread On Me rumbles through Deans' disc. Then thereís the emerging hit, ìDonít Dig My Grave Too Deep,î which has been recorded by alt-country cult artist Pat Wictor. Perhaps the first tune to mention the Confederate General Quantrille since Warren Zevonís ìFrank And Jesse Jamesî (a nice companion tune), this mid-tempo rocker will break your heart while it makes you groove. If the divide in this country between Liberals and Conservatives is as big as I think, "Dig" could be become some kind of anthem for all usóas well as a warning to not let the gap grow too much wider. For those listeners who like their songs are bit cosier, there is the lovely, singalong thing, ìYou Can Count On Me,î which has a chorus Woody Guthrie wouldíve been proud to call his own. At Deansí recent shows on the East Coast, this instantly hummable song has been jumping out of the sets. I hear Emmylou Harris singing it. With luck she will. Thereís a big space at this moment in pop music for the right sort of singing cowboy. A man with a combination of the tough and tender in his lyrics, and the sort of folk and country that doesnít rot your teeth with its exaggerated sweetness. If you're looking for a singer/songwriter with just the right amount of vengeance and mercy in his sound, Rich Deans and his Blue City might be just the place for you to dwell. -Peter Gerstenzang | (email)