Shadow & the Thrill - Sugarbowl
Shadow & the Thrill is the duo of Tony Cardenas-Montana of Great White fame and Brentt Arcement, augmented here only by an additional bass player and a pianist on one song each and a host of background vocalists. Tony handles the lead vocals and the record starts with "Lovesong," a boisterous rocker that recalls solo David Lee Roth. "Misery" tunes into a classic rock vibe, with hints of the blues as Cardenas-Montana plays some slide guitar and blows blues harp on the cut. "The Grind" is a pop cut flavored with funky R&B flourishes and title cut "Sugarbowl" gets really swampy as it foresees the end of a love relationship. The guys also offer a sublime take on the Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy."

Limousine Beach - Stealin' Wine + 2
This Pittsburgh-based five piece calls their music "sizzle rock," and you get an idea of what they mean by that on this three-song EP's title track, where a three guitar attack and Who-like drumming sets the scene for sweet, layered glamrock-ish vocals that'll have listeners singing along about stealing wine. "Hear You Calling" uses the KISS canon as inspiration while "Tiny Hunter" has a retro blues rock feel to it, recalling something that Foghat might have done. Only about seven minutes of music here but that's enough to jump on this band's fan wagon; hopefully there'll be a lot more from these guys coming soon.