Kathleen Edwards couldn't find a place to buy body paint in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Having lived here for nine years, I would've been more surprised had she found some--we are, after all, a Moravian-rooted people, known more for our love of music and fellowship (and many-pointed stars and Christmas) than body paint. So her prank on opener Hannah Georgas, to commemorate their last show together following a 4-month run, didn't go quite as planned.

But the crowd at the Musikfest Cafe, part of the Arts Quest Center at Steel Stacks, didn't seem to mind in the least.

What worked to near-perfection, however, was Edwards herself. She and her band stopped in Bethlehem in support of her most recent release, Voyageur, her first collaboration with Bon Iver frontman, and boyfriend, Justin Vernon. Her seventeen song set included a sampling of tracks from across her discography, tilting ever-so-slightly, as expected, towards her latest release. Acknowledging that her life as of late has gone through some significant changes and that she's "not high on the happy meter some days," Edwards's set both bared those vulnerabilities and still-fresh wounds, as heard in "House Full of Empty Rooms" and "A Soft Place to Land," as well as displayed her determination to rock out her way through them. That she is a singer-songwriter who revels playing with her full band and feeds off their energy is plain to see--her interplay with both keys/guitarist Jim Bryson and guitarist Gord Tough made it feel as if you were lucky enough to catch three very talented musicians in their own jam session, especially on "Mint," "Goodnight, California," and "Change the Sheets," the first single from Voyageur. With her humor, emotion, and energy, Edwards's show is simply not to be missed.

If you haven't yet heard of Hannah Georgas, who was also part of Edwards's band for the evening on vocal harmony, you should take a listen to her appropriately titled album, This Is Good. I really enjoyed Georgas's sound--think Feist meets Sarah Harmer--along with her bandmate for the tour, Ted Gowans. It was a little unfortunate that there were some sound issues, as I think that made Georgas a bit more restrained vocally and instrumentally than she otherwise would have been on songs like "Chit Chat," "The Deep End," and "Fantasize." From what I saw and heard, Georgas plays a mean electric guitar and has a vocal styling that can (and should be, in my opinion) heard as big as someone like Florence Welch. Be on the lookout--Georgas has a new album forthcoming soon.

Kathleen Edwards's tour resumes in the U.S. in June, including some festival stops. Canadian dates that also include festival stops start up in July. You can find her tour schedule here: http://www.kathleenedwards.com/w.htm

Voyageur is available now.

Set List: Empty Threat; Mint; Asking for Flowers; House Full of Empty Rooms; Goodnight, California; Going to Hell; 12 Bellevue; Hockey Skates; Chameleon/Comedian; Six O'Clock News; Sidecars; Back To Me; A Soft Place to Land; Change the Sheets // Encore: Pink Emerson Radio; In State; The Cheapest Key

  

This past Friday I saw Sarah Jaffe at The Parish. She was amazing, but the place was stifling hot, and since she didn’t go on until 11 we made use of being on 6th Street in Austin.  That concert was a small reprieve in a week that seems to have been ruled by testing any strength I had.  Her song “Vulnerable” has been on a steady stream in my car, and maybe I accidently sang the beginning part a little too loudly, because she had to joke about it from the stage. No shame? This girl.
 
That concert landed in the middle of two major things; the death of my Granddad and the death of my parent’s pastor/my Dad’s good friend.
 
I’m sure you’ve seen “The Notebook”, and if you haven’t, you need to.  Even just the songs from way back, which you sometimes forget about, make an amazing soundtrack.  The last time I watched it was with my grandparents. My Granddad told my Grandmother that he would do that for her, and being that they were high school sweethearts and married 60 years, I had no doubt about it. He didn’t sing much, but he loved singing “I’ll Be Seeing You” to my Grandmother.  This week I’ve lived on that song.
 
This may be left field for some, but I always save voicemails to listen to them again.
 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100857568807270
 
While I know few of us ‘know’ each other, I know that everyone has lost someone they’ve loved.  If you have a special song with a special person you’ve lost that takes you back to them, I’d love to hear it.  I will forever think of my sweet Granddad every time I hear “I’ll Be Seeing You”. I thank God for music being able to express what words fail to do.

  

Adorned in a unique sweater, oversized clear plastic glasses, and his signature curly blonde stringy hair, Allen Stone delivered one of the most energetic R&B, bluesy soul performances I’ve witnessed in years at One Eye Jack’s in New Orleans, LA on May 3, 2012.

Artists often do not like to be categorized, e.g. folk, blues, singer-songwriter. “Music is music,” we always hear proclaimed. Allen Stone’s soulful vocals don’t define him as much as his energetic performance, and ultimate audience-performer connection.

Part revival, an Allen Stone concert is pure soul. Expect to be on your feet, and in the next moment sighing, swaying, and singing along in your seat as Allen woos with a cover of “Killing Me Softly.”

Visit Allen Stone’s website to listen to a track or two. Best of all for those in the US, Allen is touring nationwide. He is in Philadelphia at one of The Buzz About’s favorite venues (World Cafe Live) on May 7, and makes his way cross country to the West Coast in early September.

Find tour dates and have a listen at: http://www.allenstone.com/

If music is known to heal, prepare to be cured at an Allen Stone concert. - The Buzz About

  

Turns out, you UKers and Aussies out there have been keeping Rebecca Ferguson, runner-up on 2010's seventh season of The X Factor, a bit of a secret now, haven't you?

Whether you watch The X Factor or American Idol or Britain's Got Talent, you more often than not find yourself excited by one or two contestants, and then after a couple months wonder where they've gone. You won't be wondering the same about Liverpool's very own Rebecca Ferguson. She made a splash on The X Factor, covering Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" for her audition piece, and then catapulted herself into the finals with a stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace." A soulful voice that reminds you of Aretha Franklin with the sensuality of Sade and the grovelly tones of Macy Gray (during the On How Life Is late-90s period), Ferguson has already hooked UK, Irish, European, and Australian listeners (Adele among them) and is poised to do the same for U.S. audiences when her forthcoming album Heaven debuts.

All songs on Heaven are co-written by Ferguson, with lyrics influenced by both her Liverpool roots and her family, as she is a mother of two. As a whole, the album is a mix of soul, pop, and blues that are filled delightfully by Ferguson's rich voice. Don't believe me? Take a listen to the first U.S. single, "Nothing's Real But Love," below.

Heaven is currently out in UK, European, and Australian markets, and is forthcoming May 29th in the U.S. Don't miss it!!

  

Several of our Contributors pick their favorite albums for Spring!

From Holly:

The Lumineers, The Lumineers

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leaving Eden

Fun.  Some Nights

From Kim:

Girlyman, Supernova

Bronze Radio Return, Shake! Shake! Shake!

Garrison Starr, Amateur

From Vincent:

Rufus Wainwright, Out of the Game

Grace Potter, The Lion The Beast The Beat

Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do