Latest Single From Fabulous Carousels Speaking of the World Wide Web, Tony, Erin, Henry and Ricky - those Fabulous Carousels - have their MySpace page up and running with plenty of good information about the revamped group. - Ms. DistinctivelyBeach
Just 'Too Hot to Handle'
(Posted April 6, 2008)
Visit the page for an opportunity to hear the band's brand-new tune, "Too Hot to Handle." You'll be pleasantly surprised when you do.
The song has a rhythm just rowdy enough to fill a beach club dance floor on a sultry night in Ocean Drive, and Tony Baker's vocal performance here is one of his best yet.
Don't be surprised when "Too Hot to Handle" gains ground as one of the defining songs of the Grand Strand Summer 2008 season.
On the Record
Shakers Throw Good Curve Ball I probably would have never thought to link disco to the traditional sounds of Soul, R&B or Motown. - Ms. DistinctivelyBeach
With `Heavy Love'
(Posted March 30, 2008)
The Fantastic Shakers, on the other hand, thought outsinde the box when they put "Heavy Love" together. The award-winning group combined notes from all four genres to come up with its latest single.
And it works.
Don't get me wrong here. Listening to the song isn't likely to have you brushing the dust off the strobe light in your attic - and I doubt there'll be a run on clothing from the Saturday Night Fever Collection - but Freddie Tripp and the guys have just enough instrumentation in this number to let us know the disco beat is still alive and still usable. It's woven into "Heavy Love" right from the opening bars of the song and serves surprisingly well as a backdrop to the more prevalent musical flavors of the project.
Look for "Heavy Love" on one of several Shakers CD projects to be released in the coming weeks by KHP Music.
On the Record
New Pat Carpenter Project Due Out Next Month
The latest project from the Pat Carpenter Band has me digging through my closet for the beach bag and sunscreen I reluctantly packed away last October. - Ms. DistinctivelyBeach |
Nobody's `Fool': Craver's Got Another Hit It's not available on CD yet, but Paul Craver's latest release is scaling radio charts so fast it'll make your head spin.
(Posted February 8, 2008)
Members of 94.9 The Surf's listening community cast online votes that gave "(I'm Just A) Fool For You" its debut spot on the Weekly Top 40 Beach and Boogie Countdown two weeks ago. The following week, the song moved up - get this - 18 notches to claim the #12 position.
And in case you're wondering, yeah...it's that good, and yeah...it's in the Ms. Distinctively Beach Top 20 this month.
The original recording, performed by Gene Chandler on the 1966 Constellation release, has that classic mixture of Motown and R&B that made the 1960's such a prominent era in music history.
"(I'm Just A) Fool For You" is already gaining momentum as a contender for Smoothie of the Year in the 2008 CBMA Awards and, I'm betting, will result in other Cammy nominations for Craver as well.
Visit The Surf on the web to learn how you can participate in its weekly voting activities
Ellis, Toney Jr. Having A Ball Over At Mary's Place; Cliff Ellis/Oscar Toney, Jr.; The vocal pairing of Cliff Ellis and Oscar Toney, Jr. is precisely the stuff Cammy nominations are made of, and the duo's first full-length CD project shows serious promise for a Vocal Event win in 2008. Track List
Over At Mary's Place
(Posted February 3, 2008)
2008; Ripete Records.
To purchase, visit Ripete Records.
Following closely behind the successful single, "Meet Me at Mary's Place", Ripete Records last month released Over At Mary's Place. The 11-song project is chock-full of hits and - not surprisingly - shows neither Ellis nor Toney Jr. to be lacking in the musical spunk they developed early in their careers.
These two deliver a well-rounded variety of material that has "fun" written all over it, and - best of all - the guys obviously "have a ball" in the process.
Their talents blend seamlessly to pack the CD with highlights like its title track and other party favorites like "Mercy Mercy," "Louie Louie," "Linda Lu" and "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (Like You're Treating Me)," the latter of which is already creating a buzz in beach clubs.
1. Meet Me At Mary’s Place.
2. I’ve Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)
3. Make It Easy On Yourself
4. Mercy Mercy
5. I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (Like You’re Treating Me).
6. Louie Louie
7. You Are My Sunshine.
8. Today I Started Loving You Again.
9. Be Sure
10. Loveland
11. Linda Lu
KHP Sets Tone for Summer This Is It! Beach & Shag Hits If I were leaving today for a vacation on the Grand Strand today, I'd use the This Is It! CD as a soundtrack for my itenirary. Track List
with This Is it!
IPosted January 27, 2008)
2008; KHP Music.
The KHP Music release features 15 well-chosen songs that take listeners close enough to Ocean Drive - in theory if nothing else - to practically feel the ocean breeze and smell the salt air.The project features some great traditional tunes like the Fabulous Hotdog Daddy-O's cover of "It's You" and the Legends of Beach edition of "I Ain't Got Nothing to Lose." Also included are a number of original songs performed by their own composers that give the project a refreshing twist, adding to the CD's "storyline."
Mike Stewart, for example, gets listeners started on their way toward the South Carolina coast with the project's first track, "Carolina's Callin' Me."
Doug Manning is - literally - all over this CD. He co-wrote "Piece of Your Heart" with daughter Taylor, whose voice fits the smooth tone of the song perfectly. The former Manning also wrote "Ocean Drive," performed well on the CD by Gary Brown, and does double-duty on the final track, "Can't Stop Thinkin' About Ya," which he not only composed but also performs himself with his usual talent.
Tiff Wheeler, backed by Big Time Party Band, asks "Do Ya Like?" on Track 9. This song should give you a grand entrance for the beach club leg of your trip. I had originally considered this composition to be more of a line dance rhythm, but some tweaking on the final cut makes it a great shag number as well.
Doug Winstead delivers an unmistakably fun, upbeat tune with just a hint of a disco sound in his composition, "Oo-I She's So Fine."
And Tommy Black gives all the couples a backdrop for their moonlit stroll along the shore with smooth lines and the haunting cha-cha beat of his creation, "Lalita."
A special salute also goes to members of the newly-formed Hip Pocket for delivering a great first recording effort in "S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight)." Like Wheeler's composit6ion, "S.O.S." lends a bit of mischievous fun to the mix.
When you add these numbers together with the others on this project, the result is clear: there simply are no bad tracks on this CD.
If you're looking for a day at the beach... This Is It!
1. Carolina's Callin' Me - Mike Stewart
2. Piece of Your Heart - Taylor Manning
3. Fresh Coat of Paint - Gary Bass
4. Fool (If You Think It's Over) - Holiday Band
5. I Ain't Got Nothing to Lose - Legands of Beach
6. Good Timin' Man - The Castaways
7. Ocean Drive - Gary Brown
8. It's You - The Fabulous Hotdog Daddy-O's
9. Do Ya' Like - Tiff Wheeler & Big Time Party Band
10. Oo-I She's So Fine - Doug Winstead
11. On the Beach Tonight - Bill Ballard & John Franklin
12. Lalita - Tommy Black
13. Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S) - Hip Pocket
14. Love Me or Let Me Go - Mighty Saints of Soul
15. Can't Stop Thinkin' About Ya - Doug Manning
New Music on tap for Tiff Wheer Tiff Wheeler was back in the KHP Studio this past week to record "Do Ya Like," a follow-up to her current single, "Wade in the Water."
(Posted October 27, 2007)
When it comes to explaining the background for "Do Ya Like", Wheeler describes it with humor and candid honesty.
"Ladies...have you gone to a club and the guys just can't keep their eyes off of you?" she asks. "As a club DJ, I saw this happen many times. That's what inspired me to write this fun song. After you hear it once, you will have a hard time getting it out of your head!"
She's right. Composed by Wheeler and still in its rough-draft stage, "Do Ya Like" already exhibits an up-tempo, sassy beat that will make it a definite line-dance hit at parties and dance clubs after its tentative release date next spring.
And beach music fans will be saying, "Yes, Tiff, we do like."
The bottom line... If Wheeler can give listeners an original single this good on her first try, I can't wait to see what she does next.
From 'Sun' to 'Suds', collection
The 2007 release comes from Ripete Records, a label firmly situated at the forefront of the beach music industry. The Sun Sand Surf & Suds compilation is one of Ripete’s best to date, serving up a full 24 songs that make the CD well worth it’s $14.98 price. |
Track List |
