Big Blue Hearts: Their self-titled disc came out in the mid to late 90's and was definitely one of the more compelling releases that came across my desk. The lead vocalist David Fasher has a Chris Isaak/Elvis Presley vocal delivery and the music is definitely in the Isaak arena. It's definitely got a retro-throwback country/pop feel and it's some of the best music in my catalog. Highly recommended. http://www.bigbluehearts.com http://www.myspace.com/bigbluehearts

Cowboy Mouth: Oh where do I start? For starters the name is from a Sam Shepherd play. That in and of itself is kick-ass. Then there's the live show, which needs to be seen and heard to be realized. Drummer Fred LeBlanc honestly puts on the most empassioned set of drumming, growling and sweating I have seen from a Southern rock band in a long time. These Louisiana boys arose from the same scene that Sister Hazel and Edwin McCain did but never seemed to notch the big one. What they do have though is a good catalog of rock albums. To be quite fair rock is a loose term. Each album has a good slice of country, punk, alt.rock, and everything else in the middle. Even some Louisiana flavor to boot. It's hard to recommend one Cowboy Mouth album. Are You With Me? and Mercyland are strong, as are the discs Easy and their latest Voodoo Shoppe. While the band has changed members over the years the operatic Fred LeBlanc remains a mainstay and as long as he's sticking around the band can do no wrong. http://www.cowboymouth.com

David Ford: If Damien Rice has made it big, I don't see why Ford will not. Much the same as Rice this British songsmith is actually more fuller and richer in both his voice and texture. His songs to that degree are also more fleshed out. Just as caustic and intricate in his songwriting, and compelling in vocal delivery and melody I will be shocked if you don't hear more from him.
http://www.davidford.co.uk

Danny Ross: It's hard to hear Danny Ross and not think Ben Folds. Armed wuth a high reedy voice and a wealth of piano pop sensibilities Ross is a new name on the New York music scene. Whereas Folds always seemed to segue into a literary, quirky, indie direction Ross goes more mainstream. Think Top 40 radio with a splash of classical piano, and lounge-singer soul. He seems to bridge the gap between Ben Jelen and Gaving DeGraw quite nicely and considering the success of those two, I'd be surprised if Ross doesn't make a splash soon. With movie-star good looks and a growing buzz in the Myspace world I expect big things from his next release. http://www.myspace.com/dannyrossmusic