John Enghauser - Reality - New release review

I just received the new release, Reality, from John Enghauser and it's a literal hit package. Opening with Black Dress, an amazing pop track with a rocking rhythm and a serious hook, I'll be shocked if it doesn't get picked up by a TV show as a theme song. Keep Your Jacket On is a loping track with sweet harmonies and nice slide work under the vocals. Very nice. Reality is a heads up pop track with a twist of Philly sounding a bit like early Todd Rundgren...not a bad thing. Kyle Newmaska adds Trumpet, Scott Hughes trombone and Jerry Moore sax making this track a bit more fleshy. Tears Of Yesterday has a really smart vocal melody backed primarily by acoustic guitar and warm backing vocals. This is another really nice track making me think that this could be the most popular album I'll hear this year... at least it should be! Shadowatch, with it's full band sound really demonstrates Enghauser's ability as a songwriter and with some flashy guitar work making me think that he should be ranked up with (or better than) John Mayer and Dave Matthews. Tower takes an eastern twist but maintaining a metally rock base. Tandem vocals have unusually pleasing sound but also the addition of strings and spoken lyrics add a taste of Led Zep and contemporary sound. We Hear Your Cry is a simple acoustic/vocal ballad. Building with the addition of drums and full key and instrumentation this is another dimension to this multifaceted artist. The Slightest is another bright pop track demonstrating Enghauser's capability as a hit machine. I really think that this young man is a rocket to the airwaves. Melodies are great and harmonies are spot on. Rubberband has the simplest of lyrics but some of the more complex of rhythms and instrumental arrangements. Very memorable, this track will definitely stick with you. Let's Get Out Of Our Own Way is a really sweet little pop track. This has all of the appeal of Rundgren's pop tracks with simple changes and familiar sounding melodies. Nicely articulated instrumental interlude on this track adds a dash of cinnamon to this track. A second take on Power is a nice close to this brilliant pop release. Dominated by horns and drums, Enghauser repeats the chorus and adds some singing guitar riffs. This sounds like the closing theme of an entire project like a movie or a cohesive package of very smart music. Excellent job! “

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Singer-songwriter-guitarist John Enghauser returns to San Fran for a special show at the popular Vin Club,

"Skillful artist whose amiable, laid-back recordings demonstrate exceptional attention to detail, especially in his acoustic guitar and the way instruments are placed in the mix...what's distinctive about his brand of pop-rock is its decided smooth-jazz influence in some of the guitar interludes ("Blame") and in his use of the Rhodes keys." MUSIC CONNECTION

Back In San Francisco For One Night Only! At The Vin Club - Saturday, Oct. 29

(San Francisco) - He's back, if only for one night: Singer-songwriter-guitarist John Enghauser returns to San Fran for a special show at the popular Vin Club, 515 Broadway, Saturday, October 29. 9 p.m. No cover. Info: (415) 277-7228 or www,thevinclub.com.

John's thought-provoking, from-the-heart songs can be heard to full effect on his most recent album, "Lost In the Pages" (Blue Pie Records).

Enghauser capped another year of musical growth and recognition among his peers with his selection as a "Hot 100 Live Artist For 2011" by longtime respected publication, MUSIC CONNECTION. Selected by the magazine's Senior Editors from a talent pool of several thousand entries, many in the yearly "Hot 100" list often go onto receive lucrative record and touring deals. Now in its twenty-fifth year of publication, Music Connection is distributed throughout the U.S. and Europe as well.

Watch a live performance by John Engahuser of the title track from "Lost In The Pages" at the Whiskey A Go-Go in Hollywood here:

"There's something cool happening in the local singer/songwriter scene. Catchy tunes are the order of the day. There's a fusion of influence coming from soul and prog rock. I wish I could make up a genre name for it right now. John Enghauser has his original take on the sound. His new release, LOST IN THE PAGES, is getting the notice it deserves..." SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

In addition to performing all vocals, John plays guitar, bass and keyboards on Lost In The Pages (Blue Pie Records), which has been played in 13 countries worldwide including England, Australia, Germany, France, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.

Among Enghauser's favorite songs on "Lost In The Pages" is "Cognition, Inc." "This is a funky re-tooling of a tune I wrote with my former band, Jamawokee. It's a completely different song now and I even changed up the lyrics a bit. The lyric is still one of my favorites. It's a satire which pokes fun of the American media and how much they shape our lives in the way we think and do things without us even knowing it. Think about how often you do, say, wear and buy things based on what you've seen, heard or read in the media. Cognition, Inc. is this big mind-controlling machine that we all submit to which claims to fulfill all of our wildest dreams. We all buy into it, but at what cost?" On a more sensitive note, "So Many People" is "an ode to Jaco Pastorius, the ingenious fusion bassist who died tragically. His biography is the most fascinating story I've ever read. I think it's the only book I've ever read twice. This is one of my favorite songs and one of the best composing jobs I think I've ever done. Sometimes when I listen to the complexities of it I can't believe it came from me. And it grooves so hard! What's ironic about the way I recorded the song is that it's the only time I played the bass line with a pick. I don't think Jaco ever played with a pick in his life."

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