If you like your singer/songwriter records to be raw, pure and rich in honest pure emotion then James Leblanc’s new release 'Nature of the Beast' is a must have for your music library. James combines the social conscience and primal messages of Steve Earle, the flair of Townes Van Zandt and the poetry of Guy Clark while still keeping it distinctly James Leblanc.

Even if you haven’t heard the name James Leblanc you’ve heard his songs, having racked up sales of over 25 million records with artists recording his tunes. The best known so far would be “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” by Travis Tritt although with a song on the new Tim McGraw /Faith Hill album that could change. Songs by Jason Aldean, “Relentless” and Gary Allen “Learning How To Bend” add to the list.

Terry Gomes is a University of Ottawa music graduate, having studied classical guitar and composition. He has released six recordings altogether. The last three marked a switch into instrumental music fusing World, Latin and Smooth Jazz genres. His newest and seventh recording, “The Tropical Dream”, is a concept album tracing the stages of a tropical vacation. Written while recovering from a slow-healing back injury, it pays homage to his childhood experiences growing up in a Guyanese culture, and to the memories of traveling with his family to the Caribbean.

Cashbox Canada recently had a chance to ask Terry Gomes some questions about his career and music.

Tell us about the concept/theme of the new album.

George Olliver is a Canadian musical institution. Audiences have been raving about his stage show for years. He has been described as a dynamic performer, great soulful voice and probably the best showman in Canada! What is often overlooked is that he is a prolific writer, producer, and successful recording artist. Olliver's career shot to stardom as the lead singer of the now legendary R&B band Mandala, with TOP TEN hits "Opportunity" and "Give and Take".

Nicknamed "The Blue-Eyed Prince of Soul" he has remained one of the most popular performers on the Canadian music scene. George's extensive touring over the years has brought him international success, acknowledged by fans and industry critics alike. Having performed on tours with such acts as The Who, Rolling Stones, Cream, George learned the importance of live performance.

Moving on into the seventies, Olliver formed Natural Gas with the bands self-titled album, charting in the TOP 10 in Canada and TOP 50 in the U.S.

At just eighty-two seconds in length and loads of punk rock shenanigans, WE WERE SHARKS have released the raucous new video ‘Ashley,’ from their upcoming album Lost Touch. The album will be available February 23 through Victory Records, just as the Canadian six piece will wrap up their second tour behind the new record.

Watch ‘Ashley’ Now.

“Shooting the video for ‘Ashley’ was an absolute blast,” recalls vocalist Randy Frobel. “Dodging balls, Nerf darts, toilet paper and a few eggs for good measure, as an older loving couple wreak havoc on the neighborhood pranking everyone in sight. What more could you ask for? ‘Ashley’ is a teen angst love song about that bad girl who lives a few houses down. You know she’s trouble, but she’s everything you dream about.”

As the year 2017 comes to an end, I am still amazed by the fact that I get to work with such an incredible staff at Cashbox Canada.

To my tireless Editor, Lenny Stoute, thank you for always sticking by me and being such a creative force every week.  His column BTW celebrates so many diversified artists and gives the indies a chance to shine. Lenny has an incredible background in journalism and I am grateful to have him.

To Don Graham, who somehow in between his own musical career as a recording artist, songwriter and performer, takes the time to do the personal interviews with fellow country artists and beyond to get some of the most memorable stories we have on CB. I truly believe his own career and background is what makes even the most wary artists feel comfortable in their interviews.

The 8-piece reggae supergroup SOJA has shared a music video for "Fire In The Sky" -a poignant highlight from new album Poetry in Motion, out now on ATO Records. Directed by Christopher Good (Grizzly Bear, Okkervil River), the striking clip was filmed in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia near where the album was recorded.

Says lead singer Jacob Hemphill: "I wrote 'Fire In The Sky' outside the airport in Argentina after a band member lost a family member. The song is about how beautiful it is to be alive even though all of us at times question our purpose in being here, and can be terrified by the fact that we all must leave at some point. We're all connected, and there is a plan much bigger than any one of us. We're all this beautiful 'poetry in motion.' We're all 'fire in the sky.'"

Our Lady Peace has released the brand-new video for their song, Nice To Meet You. Featuring YouTube star, Matthew Santoro, the video is the third installment in the band’s miniseries for tracks featured on their new album, Somethingness, and explores a unique look into personal stories that happen every day, all around us, in a new light. Watch the first two “episodes” – Drop Me In The Water , and Hiding Place For Hearts – to see the story unfold.

“This was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my career. As a long time fan of OLP it was truly a privilege to be a part of the visuals for such amazing music,” says Santoro. Vocalist, Raine Maida adds, “The Somethingness series of videos explores the personal stories that happen every day, all around us. Matt did a great job at allowing us to view these though his lens.”

In what has become a tradition, the acclaimed Art of Time Ensemble presents its popular holiday concert, To All a Good Night 3, atHarbourfront Centre Theatre from December 14 - December 16. The third annual edition of the show includes wintery tunes, holiday songs, fresh new material, extraordinary musicianship and lots of surprises for audiences with a broader range of styles than at any other seasonal concert.

It does a disservice to Liz Kennedy’s music to label it Americana and leave it at that. The term scarcely encompasses what she does. Her latest release Hike Up Your Socks shows plenty of rootsy influences, but it never stops there. There are more artful singer//songwriter styled turns and a few outright efforts in the pop tradition that never compromise their artistic value. Blues, jazz, folk, and pop all exist side by side on Kennedy’s latest studio album and her long-standing producer Joel Jaffe results in another close-quartered and deeply atmospheric recording. Kennedy sounds like she’s playing mere inches in front of you and there’s a strongly immediate quality about her vocals that compels your attention. Her remarkably elastic voice is well highlighted on Hike Up Your Socks and it is a pleasure to listen as she handles twelve first-class songs with confidence born from personal security and artistic command.

Canadian folk singer, songwriter and social activist Piper Hayes celebrates the launch of her new full-length recording titled ‘Piper & Carson’ with two album release concerts in Ontario. The first show is inHamilton at This Ain’t Hollywood on December 7, and the second is in Toronto at The Dakota Tavern on December 8.

Nowadays, Hayes performs and writes closely with her partner Carson Ritcey-Thorpe and, after a 2017 western Canada tour, many prime showcases at Folk Music Ontario, Folk Alliance International and South East Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), they have become beloved darlings of Canada’s folk music scene. First single “For All We Know” is about the celebration of life and death. Hayes states, “It is important to seize the moment. To live fully we must embrace life’s unknowns, because for all we know…we only get one chance.”

Two-time Grammy nominees, August Burns Red, are excited to kick off the holiday season with their reimagined version of the classic Christmas song by Wham!, Last Christmas. August Burns Red have made a highly-anticipated annual tradition of releasing Christmas covers, with last year's being, What Child Is This? (Greensleeves), and the beloved Home Alone theme song the year prior.

Bassist Dustin Davidson from the band explains, “ This year I sat down with the intention of writing something upbeat, melodic, and shredtastic. When we decided to cover Last Christmas I kept in mind that most people only know the chorus of the song. We didn't want to recreate something word for word, or note by note, so I took the main hook and built a bunch of original ideas around it. The lyrics to Wham's Last Christmas are very sad, so if you're feeling lonely this holiday season, I hope this cover finds you well .”

In order to attract new audiences, casino operators are always keeping an eyes-out for recent trends and CHANGING THE WAY GAMES ARE BEING PLAYED or changing the games itself. This is especially true for slot machine games which are designed around new themes such as music to appeal to a new genre of fans.

‘The King of Pop – Michael Jackson’
It’s no surprise that the King of Pop has been immortalized in a slot machine game. The first of two slot machine games, it offers two bonus games based on Michael Jackson’s music videos for “Beat It” and “Smooth Criminal”. Clips from the video are incorporated into the game’s design including Michael making his famous moonwalk across the screen leaving wilds behind. With the background music also including Michael’s hits, this slot machine will appeal to his fans as well as pop music enthusiasts.

Toronto pop artist, Kayla Diamond has shared new single "What You're Made Of." This second single comes from her anticipated debut EP Beautiful Chaos, out November 24 via Cadence Music.

Listen to "What You're Made Of"

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the track, Kayla says, "Growing up, it wasn't particularly easy being part of a community that didn't encourage young women to follow their dreams- especially the dream of being a pop artist. Thankfully, my family saw past that and my father always told me that nothing is unattainable. While dedicated to my father, this song is for all the young women that could have been something more had they been given the right push, and for anyone who doesn't believe they deserve to achieve their dream."

Her debut single "Carnival Hearts" has over a million streams and was a smash hit of the summer, spending the season on the CHR Top 40 chart, peaking at #26.

By Lenny Stoute

Santa came to Toronto last week so this week it's Sultans Of String’s turn to come to town bearing musical gifts. The internationally known quarter has come with the awards and nominations befitting their place at the forefront of Canada’s world music groups. Their musical gumbo of Celtic reels, flamenco, Manouche Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms show a penchant for celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity, and has thrilled audiences around the globe.

Sultans Of String is Chris McKhool (Club Django, Jesse Cook, Pavlo) - six-stringed violin. Kevin Laliberté (Jesse Cook, the Chieftains) - flamenco guitar. Eddie Paton (Robert Michaels) - flamenco guitar. Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk) - bass. Chendy Leon (Alex Cuba, The Parachute Club) - percussion.