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THE HOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT by Steve Rangel   Glenn Bryant "A Little Of This And That" I'm not sure that singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Glenn Bryant could have have chosen a more appropriate title for his new 14 song offering. "A Little Bit Of This And That" perfectly describes this collection of original songs that is truly all over the map. Attempting to cover this amount of ground musically is quite ambitious, to say the least. So let's discuss... After taking a listen, the first word that comes to mind is "raw". While the production is studio quality, Bryant wisely chooses to forgo typical studio gloss and polish. As a result, "A Little Of This And That" retains something of a live performance sound and vibe, which well suits both this material and Bryant's approach to it. But as I alluded to earlier, it is the diversity of the material that makes this release so unique. Bryant does not limit himself to one style...or even two or three. While primarily a blues guitarist (his finest moments here are when he's functioning in that role), he plays multiple instruments, as well as handling vocal duties on music that runs the gamut between blues, rock, alternative, funk, R & B, and experimental electronic. There's even a Latin rock bit ("Motivo") on which Bryant does a rather convincing impersonation of Carlos Santana. It's the rare artist who is bold enough to disregard limitations and pre-conceived labels and to explore so many avenues musically. Hats off to Glenn Bryant for doing just that. The inherent risk in this approach, unfortunately, is that an album can suffer from a lack of direction and identity when the material is this diverse. Also, as these tracks were recorded at different times and studios and utilized an array of musicians, there's no sense of continuity in production or performance. Despite these factors, "A Little Of This And That" is an intriguing piece of work for anyone with a taste for something different. Darrel Appelt "Long Time Good Time" Call me old school (or just old), but I don't have a particular appreciation for modern country music. Mainly because there's not much about it that sounds like country. Seems like so much contemporary country music is loud guitars and driving drums, with just a bit of steel guitar laid in. Or acoustic pseudo-pop songs from a flavor-of-the-month Top 40 diva. All of which makes a release like "Long Time Good Time" so exhilarating and refreshing. Singer/songwriter Darrel Appelt has put together a solid country offering that...wait for it...actually sounds like country! Like all gifted country singers, Appelt has a pleasing, storyteller quality to his voice. The great Gordon Lightfoot comes to mind. This 12 song collection is perfectly balanced, with snappy toe-tappers ("Back Road", "Take A Little Time", "Just Another Texas Song"), radio ready gems ("Blue Eyed Girl", "Good Lord Willing", "Long Time Good Time"), and country attitude ("She's Gone", "The Way She Looks At Me", "Honky Tonks & Whiskey"). There's even a great blues groove on "My Baby Likes My Texas" and a smart sentimental piece called "Carry On The Family Name". All the musical performances here are first rate. Appelt has assembled a quality band, consisting of talented players who have a clear understanding of his music and vision. "Long Time Good Time" features excellent production work by Ron Treat and Kevin Lively at Castle Row Studios in OKC. All of which combines to create a thoroughly impressive end result. Who knows, maybe there's still hope for contemporary county music... Serving Houston, Tx and the surrounding areas. Music News covers all kinds of music from Rock to Country and Alternative to R&B