Flav Martin & Jerry Marotta

Smooth groove-oriented modern pop from the duo of Flav Martin and Jerry Marotta. Unlike so many independently released albums we receive, this one has a great deal of potential commercial appeal. Soul Redemption is the debut album from Martin and Marotta. If this is any indication of where they guys are heading, our guess is that their careers will be heading straight up into the sky and beyond. The sound quality on this album is impeccable. These compositions have a nice warm organic sound that should please folks who appreciate the analog sound of music from the past. And the arrangements for each track are spot on. Martin wrote all of the songs with the exception of "Tell Me To My Face" by Alan Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash and "Coffee Song" by Giancarlo Bigani, Riccardo Del Turco, and Giorgio Antola. Before we even read the press release that accompanied this disc, we were reminded of Peter Gabriel's solo albums. So when we read that Tony Levin (who played with Gabriel) plays bass on the album, it seemed rather fitting. And there's yet another connection as well. Marotta tours with the band Security Project that performs Peter's compositions. Everything is exceptional on this album. The vocals are a perfect fit for each track. And all of the songs merge together perfectly to form a whole. Cool reflective cuts include "Soul Redemption," "Please," "Drinking You," "Rio De Janiero," and "How Could You Leave Me Now." - BabySue

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again. ” ― Pema Chödrön
Soul Redemption by Flav Martin & Jerry Marotta is a beautiful collection of songs that take the listener on a secret journey of the soul. Martin composed most of these songs in a friendly and personal way (English AND Spanish!) that makes it seem like he’s talking directly to you. In addition to that, the album features his gorgeous guitar work that ranges all over the spectrum; everything from pop rock to flamenco! The sonic architect on this glorious effort is none other than famous drummer icon, Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Sarah McLachlan). Marotta’s production values are impeccable, as usual, and the team of A-list players he selected are spectacular. The band includes Tony Levin (King Crimson, Paul Simon, John Lennon) on bass, Peter Primamore (film/TV composer) on piano, and Mark Schulman (Chris Botti, Suzanne Vega) on guitar. The album was recorded at the illustrious Dreamland Recording Studios in West Hurley, New York.
Tracks:
1. Soul Redemption-
Radiant opening song that features a trio of diverse and textural guitars, including; Flav Martin, Mark Schulman, and Thor Jensen (SWB). Lyrically inviting and mysterious, this song welcomes the listener by floating in the door like a feather.
2. Please-
This song blends so smoothly, greatly due to Marotta’s magnificent Taos Drumming and wash of epic cymbal soundscapes. Martin, Levin, and Schulman flow together like a cool river as the vocals wash over the listener like a waterfall.
3. Drinking You-
Such an inviting song, immediately captured by the angelic harmonica, played by
4. I Knew It Was You-

Gary Schreiner (Elton John, Carly Simon, Dave Chapelle). Peter
Primamore’s piano glistens like water droplets on the window. Martin
delivers hilarious liquid wordplay such as; “...until I pass in the espresso lane.”
Thor Jensen reappears on guitar to compliment Martin’s bursts of elegance. Jerry’s lilting percussion, including a sparkling glockenspiel, highlights Primamore’s bountiful and buoyant piano parts. This song serves as a musical hovercraft; it floats and glides effortlessly. The words and vocals are hopeful and intriguing.
5. Tell Me To My Face-
Gary Schreiner reappears on accordion(!) for this flamenco masterpiece.
Martin switches between English and Spanish seamlessly like sidewinder,
bewitching the listener with simultaneous romance and confrontation.
Meticulous brushwork by Marotta contrasts the interplay between guitar and
accordion while Levin slithers like a bass treble tremor.
6. Rio De Janiero-
The guitar trio (Martin, Schulman, Jensen) resurfaces with a different and sparse delicacy which supports the hash escapism of the lyrics. Into the wide arms of wanderlust, this tune descends into the sunset reflected by the oceanic expanse. Marotta’s drum groove gallantly skims the surface. Whether you are of the cigarette lighter or cell phone generation, it’s time to wave your hands in the air and sing along whilst raising your margarita.
7. Wild Moon-
This is definitely my favorite track by far. I must have played it 20 times in a row. Driving through Laurel Canyon in California late at night, the emotions were overwhelming. Such a luxurious melody that wraps its arms around and won’t let you go. This pulchritudinous python was haunting me for days. Also...who else, but Jerry Marotta can make a song glisten with a garden weasel???
8. Coffee Song-
Once again, Martin intoxicates the listener with a romantic Spanish song about...coffee! Who better than Tony Levin (espresso connoisseur) to lay down the sonic boom? Primamore tickles the ivory with a wink in his eye. Marotta brings the percussive milk, cream, and espresso beans into a small saucepan, bringing it to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour and serve!
9. How Could You Leave Me Now-
I’ve always admired albums that end with a question or an unresolved chord. It lets the listener answer the question, and also, stay hungry for...more music!
Flav Martin’s lyrics are insightful and revealing. Somehow, he’s sharing his life experiences, but just enough that it’s not too specific, and anyone can relate, injecting their own trials, tribulations, hopes, and fears. It’s like having a close friend open up their heart and whisper in your ear. Martin genuinely has a gift for storytelling. Even when he expresses despair, he throws in a little joke to lighten the burden. He realizes that a true survivor needs to be able to laugh at
Gary Schreiner reappears on accordion(!) for this flamenco masterpiece.
Martin switches between English and Spanish seamlessly like sidewinder,
bewitching the listener with simultaneous romance and confrontation.
Meticulous brushwork by Marotta contrasts the interplay between guitar and
accordion while Levin slithers like a bass treble tremor.

himself. Whether you are just starting a relationship, right in the middle of one, and just experienced a break-up, there’s something for everyone here. Just like the beloved Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön, Flav Martin understands that Soul Redemption is all about...the journey.
Jerry Marotta’s lush production is not only due to his own brilliant instincts. He also surrounds himself with a top-notch team. Soul Redemption was engineered by Bella Blasko, Matthew Cullen, Connor Milton, Pete Caigan, Adam Armstrong, and Joe Quigley. Mixing was done by Michael Cozzi (The Security Project) and mastering by world renown knob guru Chris Athens (Rick Ross, Coldplay, Erykah Badu).
All the songs get stuck in your head, have catchy riffs, are meticulously crafted, and are intricately complex, yet somehow, come across as so simple that one cannot help but sing along. Perfect music if you are going on a road trip. Martin’s natural charm is magnified by Marotta’s lush production.
*Look for Martin Marotta on tour soon in the USA and Europe! - NewEARS

Soul Redemption is the debut release from guitarist/vocalist Flav Martin and drummer Jerry Marotta. This nine song album is filled with fresh, modern adult rock and a sprinkling of traditional world pop flavor released March 1, 2018, on the Olin-McGraw Records label. Listening to this album I hear a mixture of Jazz, Pop, Latin and other flavors. I was impressed such tracks as the title track Soul Redemption, Please, Rio De Janiero, Wild Moon and so much more. This album has great vocals and instrumentation as well as it being well written, recorded, produced and performed. This album is available for purchase from Amazon, Itunes, Bandcamp and everywhere else where CD’s and digital downloads are sold. - Oasis Publishing

When I first press play on "Soul Redemption" I can hear elements of Jack Johnson. It opens with the titular track and has this coffee shop feeling of light jazz. The lyrics aren't as light though, as they can be about smashing things (like reality) and "What the heck is a boy supposed to do when thinking about tomorrow", which is a different kind of heavy. Overall this has an acoustic vibe and it is somewhat like the lighter side of Blue October and even that one song by Finger Eleven everyone knew for a while but I don't think they're as popular anymore.

As the second song is about dreams (but is called "Please" because he sings "Please dream of me") it takes on this feeling like Bryan Adams when he got together for that song for that "Three Musketeers" movie. I know, it's weird music takes me back to movies sometimes, well, soundtracks more than movies, but that's just what I'm really hearing in here and it's good if you've grown up around the same time as me and have similar influences or at least know what I'm talking about exactly.

"Drinking You" is a song about comparing someone with wine and it drops a reference to NASCAR but just manages to remain so chill no matter what the mood of the lyrics presents. This song also has a harmonica which is the first time there is an instrument which is sort of outside the realm of the jazz I keep hearing. On "I Knew It Was You" the title is referenced quite a bit, which is something I appreciate because far too often song structure is taken for granted. Being able to write and compose complex song structures but present them so that they feel much more simple than they actually are is something few can do well but Flav Martin and Jerry Marotta have shown how to do it perfectly.

There is also this great line in "I Knew It Was You" that says "a whirling durvish of an evening came", which I mostly like for the phrase whirling durvish. From these ideas of that "Don Juan" movie with Johnny Depp to the classical guitar of the movie "Desperado", yes, this CD speaks to me in soundtracks for quite a bit and that's okay. I feel like when music can remind you of soundtracks (movies) it has that presence above being just audio and becomes visual as well. The fact that these songs can create these images in my mind along with the music itself speaks volumes about how good it is.

As the song "Rio De Janiero" mentions a margarita I begin to think of Jimmy Buffet and, yes, this is a song about Rio, a slower version of "Kokomo" to some extent. Then yet as we go into "Wild Moon" there is this line about "No looking out, no looking in" and it reminds me of Tom Petty and not just because of the guitars. To be able to create a sound so diverse but within the same overall genre of rock is quite the accomplishment. What's even greater is that the next song comes off as more of a bosa nova type of jazz number so it's just about using the same instruments (for the most part) to capture different genres of music.

Somehow the last song has that feeling of the first song (Jack Johnson, even that one Finger Eleven song-- "One Thing" I think it was called) and yet it starts off with a line about May 1992, so we're going to the past at the same time. In a lot of ways, I feel like if you need to stay awake or want to get pumped up for something you can put on some metal. "Soul Redemption" is kind of the opposite effect of that as it can be calmer and more relaxing, but yet, it can also be something you can put on for good energy. It seems only fitting that the final question is "How could you leave me now". - Raised by Gypsies