Martha Berner & The Significant Others - Fool's Fantasy

Martha Berner & The Significant Others - Long overdue second album from Chicago singer/songwriter -- her first new full-length since 2005 -- finds the indie folk/rocker with a new band and a diverse sound spanning rough and tumble bar-stool rock, Americana and nearly jammy blues workouts in addition to her more sensitive acoustic moments // Release: Fool's Fantasy (December 6) // Sounds like: Significant Other guitarist Scott Fritz also wore the producer's hat for the project, bringing a fuller band sound and some blistering guitar leads...much of Berner's Fantasy is anchored in gritty Grace Potter-styled roots rock but tracks like "Some Stay A While" resonate with a folky, laid back ease...

Quote: "Scott Fritz and I waited tables together in the west loop when he moved here from New York City to develop his own studio and work as a music producer. Things took off for him at the studio and he was able to quit working in the restaurant. But a year or so later I needed a band for a gig I had booked and I dropped him a line. At the time, my ideal, long-term plan was for Scott to play with me live long enough to really get him inside the songs, not just technically, but energetically, emotionally. If that went well, my hope was to have him produce the new album..." // What we like: with Hammond B-3 fills and Fritz's smoldering guitar weaving in and out of a rock solid back beat, "Brave" pulls no punches as it struts with a funky swagger...Berner's vocals have drawn comparisons to Natalie Merchant -- check out the nice touches on "Some Stay A While" -- and it's intriguing to hear those elements meshed with the southern rock kick of "Cry"...

Martha Berner & The Significant Others - "Some Stay A While" (from Fool's Fantasy)

Martha Berner & The Significant Others - "Brave" (from Fool's Fantasy)