Guitar Music Action Heroes (Episode 2 Season 11 Bongo Boy Rock’n’Roll TV) – Various Artists (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

If you think that Bongo Boy Records are all about great compilation albums, and they are, then you are only seeing part of the picture. They are also about great compilation videos and if you think that their masterfully curated audio albums are the perfect tasters for what is new and great in the world of new, grassroots and under-the-radar music, then their video compilations are going to blow you away.

These take the form of a TV broadcast, imagine MTV for the modern world, only with cooler and more carefully selected artists featured. This show premiered on 1st of February this year on Channel 29 in Portland, Oregan, USA and was then followed by heavy rotation Nationwide on 72+ terrestrial TV channels in the USA.  You can also find all the informatio you need as to where to view the program at the labels TV guide at bongoboytv.com

This latest compilation starts with Cat Ridgeway’s effervescing Sweet Like Candy, a pop song that doesn’t realise that it is a rock classic in the making, wandering the best of both worlds, a fine line between infectiousness and groove. This is followed by something altogether more serious with Les Fradkin‘s take on Vivaldi’s Summer, a prog-infused rock and roll work out of epically deft and dexterous proportions.

RM47 brings us Needed U, a song more in the urban realms where R&B, dance and underground pop take centre stage and Janean Christine Mariani gives us Red Number 5, a gorgeous blend of country lilt and rock and roll kick, sitting somewhere between the glitz and glamour of Music City’s The Grand Ole Opry and the tougher music bars of East Nashville.

Summer Rain brings a more indie-pop vibe to the party and Let Me Tell You is light of touch and lingers long in the ear, and if you are not singing it for the rest of the day then I’m pretty sure that we can never truly be friends. Sorry, that is just the way it is gonna have to be.

It is back into the realms of modern pop with Baker Grace and her Midnight Thoughts, a skittering, dance-fuelled piece of pop for the modern age, cool, considered and so god damn infectious…and that is coming from someone who doesn’t really go for pop music as a first choice but if this is what is happening in those generic corners these days, it is something that I am going to have to put right.

You can’t beat a decent performance video and Monster from The Veer Union, Late Night Savior & Stealing Eden is great both visually and musically, wandering between accessible rock and devastating metal with ease. Sharon Hendrix wraps up this wonderful collection of videos and Hold Me Tight (Feels So Right) is the perfect way to round things off, neo-soul meets modern pop, it is light, infectious and gorgeous…what more could you ask for?

Bongo Boy Records have led the way in compilation albums for a long time, always first to the best new music being released, always right on the money with their choices of what to champion. Well, now you can follow these tastemakers, these movers and shakers into the video arena too and on the strength of this collection, it is safe to say that they show exactly the same discerning taste and eye for the next big thing as they always did.