Orphan X

Beautifully uplifting and deeply personal, Amy Speace has made the most revealing album of her career with There Used to Be Horses Here. Recorded in Nashville in just four days, the award-winning songwriter pulls directly from her own childhood memories, coming of age in New York City, and losing a parent while learning to become one. In its most powerful moments, the album sets Speace's majestic voice to symphonic arrangements, yet her songwriting remains intimate and emotional. As a fan and friend of the Nashville band The Orphan Brigade, she invited its three members to collaborate as songwriters and co-producers, inspired by their persistent rhythms and sweeping sonic palette. Remembering her vocal sessions, she says simply, "While I was singing over what those guys were playing, it made me feel like I was flying."

Ruben Hakhverdyan (Armenian: Ռուբեն Հախվերդյան) is a popular Armenian poet, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and lyricist. Hakhverdyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1950. He attended Yerevan's theater institute and in 1975, earned his degree in television and theater direction. He worked for the city's State Television Network.

Hakhverdyan's songs are extremely popular in Armenia. They include the song "Navak" (Boat), which is his most famous children's song. Other popular songs include "Mer Siro Ashune" (The Autumn of Our Love) which is one of Armenia's best known romantic songs. Three songs that Hakhverdyan himself says have influenced him most and have been his all-time favorites are Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles, Amsterdam by Jacques Brel and It's a Man's World by James Brown.. (wiki).

Spooning out the Sea is the peculiar title of the sophomore effort by Orphan Project, a US based Christian progressive rock outfit. For those intimidated by the thought of music with Christian lyrical contents, in this case they aren't too bad. You will encounter a few instances of God and Jesus in here, but you won't find any instances of "Repent you sinners" or messages of a similar nature. These guys take pride in their faith though, but in a more subtle manner than most artists flying the religious flag. Musically we're treated to an album residing somewhere in between progressive hard rock and progressive metal. Heavy guitar riffs dominate manners, but often played in a too slow fashion and somewhat too subdued to truly be called metal, yet slightly heavier and more intense than what's usually described as hard rock.