New York’s own D.B. Rielly release his latest CD entitled “Love Potions & Snake Oil” in 2009.   

Logging in at just over 37 minutes, the CD kicks things off with “One of These Days (You’re Gonna Realize) an upbeat intro piece that serves up classic Americana vibe that delivers slamming accordion chops, driving rhythm, & rich harmonies & vocal melodies from Reilly & Company. Track 2 “Don’t Give up on me” shifts gears with its smooth flowing rhythm, impressive solo guitar accents, & impressive vocal melody from Reilly. Track 3 shifts gears back down a bit further with “Save all your Kisses” a piano driven melody with passionate vocals from Reilly that peaks & valleys its way through emotional fruition. This CD makes a solid first impression& really never let's up. As this CD slowly unfolds I can hear many different musical soundscapes reminiscent of such classic acts like Lyle Lovitt, Chris Issak, & Paul Simon The music itself is an amazing blend of modern acoustic folk, with Americana roots with an unmistakable accordion driven vibe. The musicianship of all the players involved is equally as impressive. The accordion solo guitar accents are well placed. The rhythm groove (Bass & Drums) is thick as a brick. You will notice lush layers of instrumentation layered everywhere, from impressive solo guitar licks, amazing harmonies, impressive percussive accents, mandolin & accordion. But the most impressive thing about Love Potions & Snake Oil is the impressive songwriting & vocal persona from D.B Reilly. From upbeat I Got a Girlfriend” to rocking “Loving You Again” to passionate “One day at a Time” & Love Me Today” tto striking “Got a Mind” to slamming “Changed my Mind” & ”We’re all Going Straight to Hell”    

It’s hard to fins any real weaknesses with this CD. I would offer up 2 items that would make it even better. At 37 minutes it’s a tad bit short. Perhaps 2 more songs are needed to really seal the dea & thus hit it out of the park. Also - it's generally never a good idea to have your mixing engineer & your mastering engineer be the same individual. This is typically a big NO NO in the recording Industry. Why? Well for one - he already knows where all the dead bodies are buried so out goes any checks & balances with repsect to individual production style. Second - the more professionals you have assigned to your production the more perspective you can get out of it. As a producer I highly recommend having each phase of the production process (Recording, Mixing, Mastering) assigned to a different person. At the end of the day it can be more strokes on the canvass & you won't regret what having 3 or 4 different sets of ears will do for your overall production.

From start to finish Love Potions & Snake Oil is one impressive catalog of music. The music is consistent, uplifting, & extremely entertaining. Note for note, song for song there isn’t really a weak piece on this entire catalog. The writing & playing abilities of D.B Reilly & his band is rock solid. The lyrics are catchy lyrics, & the melodies are well crafted & hooky. Last but not least the songwriting & vocal presence from front man D.B Reilly is world-class. All in all - “Love Potions & Snake Oil” is one of the best CD’s that’s come across my desk this year.