103.7 The Mountain Sampler

Novelties to note - 103.7 the Mountain compiles a list of “Emerging Artists” that deserve more than just a surfacing into the world of rock.

Gospel singer Al Green passes his words on “the power of love” down to Louisiana native Marc Broussard in the mint condition cover of “Love & Happiness.” Broussard, whose “Bayou soul” is a melting pot of funk, blues, R&B, rock and pop, reveals his distinct Southern roots by nearly impersonating the sound of the 70’s soulster.

From the inaugural guitar licks to Green’s signature melodic screams, Broussard matches the initial song to give its cover justice. The 25-year-old Broussard belts tunes with the brassiness of a six-piece horn section and the vocal rasp of a ripened veteran of gospel soul.

As heard in his other releases, such as “Home,” Broussard stays true to his Southern pedigree and home-sweet-home with a brash and powerful sound that only a son of the 11 original Southern states could produce.

Also keeping Southern rock resonating is Rocco DeLuca and the Burden in their song “Swing Low.” After their attention-grabbing debut video release “Colorful” which featured a mostly bare America’s Next Top Model contestant, DeLuca and his four-piece band sampled their taste to the world. Son of the touring guitarist for rock originator Bo Diddley, DeLuca shows off his skills on the Dobro guitar, which is rarely heard in pieces not done by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“Swing Low” is one of those such slices of the rock pie and try savoring it for as long as you can. The song, which is either about rough sex or a drunken brawl, is a steadily beaten rock anthem made whole by the peculiar yet intoxicating sounds of the Dobro.

On the band’s Web site, DeLuca declares that censorship killed the blues. “The music I was raised on had heat,” DeLuca said. “The music of today seems so washed out and generic. To get ‘em back, we need to stick the real soul, that punk element back into it.”

Sticking it, Deluca said, is the only way he knows how to play music and does so in “Swing Low.”

Cross Dublin with Mexico and you’ve got yourself a lot of alcohol. Either that or you’ve found the compositions of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s beautiful, fast-fingered acoustic guitars.

After just listening to the first lines of the pair’s dueling solos, you wish you knew how to salsa outside of your living room with the blinds pulled shut. The two call their style “Fusion music” that they describe as “Latin harmonies and rhythms” but with the “structure” of rock.

In their release “Diablo Rojo,” which translates to “Red Devil,” a rollercoaster in Copenhagen, Denmark, the guitars embody the insanity, menacing and unpredictability of such a ride with such a name.