Review: Jim Ivins Band "Songs Of Life"

The Jim Ivins Band are a positive pop rocking outfit that we've covered previously here at BMF (review here). They are back again with a good cause and some great music. Their three new songs on "Songs Of Life" are excellent and not to be missed. Check out the press release below and then go get the new tunes!

Richmond, VA’s The Jim Ivins Band are back just in time for the holidays with new music after last year’s acclaimed self-titled Ace Enders-produced EP.

RICHMOND, Dec. 2, 2010 -- This December, acoustic pop rockers THE JIM IVINS BAND offer three new songs on a brand new charity compilation close to the band’s heart. The project, entitled Songs of Life: The Kathy Ivins Project is a tribute to the mother of Jim and Jack Ivins, lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively, who passed away in July of this year from melanoma. After taking some time off in the summer, the band hit the studio with Bill Leverty, their cousin and guitar player of 90’s rock band FIREHOUSE, who agreed to engineer, mix, and master the project.

The band recorded two new songs inspired by their mother, “Moving” and “You Can Have It All,” and a full-band update of her favorite song from Jim’s 2007 solo album 99¢ Dreams, “Stages Of Your Life.” All three songs are classic power pop, with Ivins and co. channeling the sound of bands like The Goo Goo Dolls and The Fray to communicate the uplifting subject matter of the songs.

All proceeds from the album go towards the newly established KATHY IVINS FUND, a foundation started by the family in order to benefit fitness and wellness groups, as well as to promote healthy lifestyles, all things close to Kathy, an avid marathon runner.

In addition to the three songs from The Jim Ivins Band, the album includes songs from the guys’ father John Ivins and his JOHN IVINS WORSHIP BAND, as well as Virginia singer/songwriter sensation SUSAN GREENBAUM.

For more information on The Kathy Ivins Fund, head to www.kathyivinsfund.org, where you can also purchase a physical copy of the new album. Digitally, the album is available on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers.

Free mp3: 8mm "Bad Moon Rising"

Check out this stunning cover/reworking of CCR's classic, "Bad Moon Rising" by 8mm. The mp3 download is yours free, courtesy of Art of Broadcast - get it here.

Review: Creedence Clearwater Revival "The Singles Collection"

Below is a press release regarding the latest compilation from Creedence Clearwater Revival (a.k.a. CCR). This one is unique in featuring all of the singles from CCR - whether they charted or not. Spread across 2 CDs, this sprawling collection is the perfect way for new fans to get acquainted with CCR. For fans who have all their records already, the collection may still have appeal for you as it features a cool DVD with four music videos not previously available and a slick poster of artwork from the singles. Everything is included in a handsome slip case.

The new collection is a great way to honor and appreciate once again some of the finest work from a legendary American rock and roll band. Most CCR fans already have a comprehensive set of hits with "Chronicles, Vol 1"; if you are one of them, there are only a handful of additional tracks to appreciate on "The Singles Collection". "Revolutions Per Minute (parts 1 and 2)" are conversational pieces and in my opinion not worth going out of your way for...but other tracks like "Porterville", "Call It Pretending", and "Door To Door" are a few gems you'll find here and not on "Chronicles".

"Creedence Clearwater Revival's golden era of hit singles (fall of 1968 through spring of 1972) rivals that of any band in rock 'n' roll history. The Southern-flavored quartet from El Cerrito, Calif., turned out 17 hits in a 44-month stretch, nine of them in the Top 10, five of them in the Top 5.

On November 3, Fantasy Records will release "The Singles Collection", a two-CD, one-DVD box with a slip case, containing all of Creedence Clearwater Revival's U.S. singles -- 30 songs in all. Top 5 smashes like "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Run Through the Jungle," "Up Around the Bend," "Long As I Can See the Light" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" are joined by seldom-heard singles that never charted ("Porterville" and "Call It Pretending" on Fantasy's Scorpio subsidiary, and later singles "Tearin' Up the Country" and "45 Revolutions Per Minute [Parts 1 & 2]").

The 30 songs, (which are presented in their original single mixes, many of them in mono --- are making their CD debut), housed on two CDs, will be joined by a DVD containing four never-before-available, long-pre-MTV music videos: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "Bootleg," "I Put a Spell on You" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Also included in the package are a poster featuring the dozens of international single sleeves, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, who lived and wrote in the Bay Area during CCR's golden half-decade.

Fantasy will also manufacture a limited edition collectors' version of "The Singles Collection" featuring actual vinyl 45 rpm singles with reproductions of the original Fantasy label design and housed in their rare picture sleeves-- the ultimate holiday gift for Creedence fans. Forty years later, the music sounds as fresh and vital as ever."

Get it.