Mike Schikora - Horses & Guitars
By:George Peden, Sr.Staff Journalist
With a style and voice that spells New Country, former Nashville staff songwriter Mike Schikora has hit the shelves with a new release. The album, Horses and Guitars, draws on skills learned to deliver a charged and interesting album.
Packed with a value 14 tunes, Schikora uses his vocal smoothness on a range of power punched country and a host of telling ballads. You can’t help but be impressed when a look to the credits shows he has ink on all songs. Released on Front Range Records (his label) the album shows confident ambition. It all adds up to show this now Texas resident is committed to his craft.
What keenly cuts Schikora from today’s herd of country wannabes is his polished ability with melody and lyrics. The guy can write. Well.
While the title cut shows his cowboy passion for guitars and horses, it’s when you move into the album you start to hear the promise on offer here.
The emptiness of a cold bed, the loneliness of rain and the midnight hour, all paint backdrops to the hurt of “Trying Not to Cry”, just one of the tunes that captures voice and mood. Delve deeper into the album and find gems like “The Man She Sees in Me” and the up-tempo “Must Be Love.”
A bonus listen is “You Take My Breath Away”; the sultry nod to the power of love features the vocal harmony of Alyssa Bonagura. Easy sounds also play on the unplugged Bailee & The Boys assist, “Hey Gypsy Daddy”.
I was impressed.
Two thumbs from me.
http://www.mikeschikora.com/
With a style and voice that spells New Country, former Nashville staff songwriter Mike Schikora has hit the shelves with a new release. The album, Horses and Guitars, draws on skills learned to deliver a charged and interesting album.
Packed with a value 14 tunes, Schikora uses his vocal smoothness on a range of power punched country and a host of telling ballads. You can’t help but be impressed when a look to the credits shows he has ink on all songs. Released on Front Range Records (his label) the album shows confident ambition. It all adds up to show this now Texas resident is committed to his craft.
What keenly cuts Schikora from today’s herd of country wannabes is his polished ability with melody and lyrics. The guy can write. Well.
While the title cut shows his cowboy passion for guitars and horses, it’s when you move into the album you start to hear the promise on offer here.
The emptiness of a cold bed, the loneliness of rain and the midnight hour, all paint backdrops to the hurt of “Trying Not to Cry”, just one of the tunes that captures voice and mood. Delve deeper into the album and find gems like “The Man She Sees in Me” and the up-tempo “Must Be Love.”
A bonus listen is “You Take My Breath Away”; the sultry nod to the power of love features the vocal harmony of Alyssa Bonagura. Easy sounds also play on the unplugged Bailee & The Boys assist, “Hey Gypsy Daddy”.
I was impressed.
Two thumbs from me.
http://www.mikeschikora.com/
