If you like your music a bit more earthy or eclectic may I suggest a CD released on HOTTRAX RECORDS. SHEFFIELD&WEBB's CD entitled REAL TIME is roots-rock, blues-tinged music with a wide range of styles.


Although the CD is all original, SHEFFIELD&WEBB's versatility and smooth power is unmatched on stage with a repertoire of both original music and uniquely arranged cover songs. Vocalists Bill Sheffield and Liane Webb weave their incredibly dynamic and emotional voices through powerful lyrics that range from the metaphysics to the visceral, and there is between them a seemingly effortless and magical interplay. As Sheffield explains, "there is a tremendous strength in the male-female polarity. Together, we become a force that any audience can relate to, regardless of gender. Sort of like two halves of a whole."

With roots stretching from early rock 'n roll and bluegrass to vintage blues and gospel, this group defies classification in any one musical style other than "Roots". "We're interested in breaking down musical barriers, and songs are often a walk through several styles," says Webb, "and occasionally we'll just use the spoken word for theatrical effect."

Sheffield & Webb combines the edge of the seasoned blues man Bill Sheffield with the smooth, sensuous vibe of soulstress Liane Webb. Sheffield's voice and solid guitar work have been heard in clubs and concerts since the early 1970's. Bill's first group of any consequence was the Solid Senders, a band which included harp player Thom Doucette, whose playing graced two Allman Brothers Band albums. When the late, great guitarist Roy Buchanan was putting together a group to record his "In The Beginning" LP, Doucette suggested Sheffield as vocalist for the sessions. Bill joined an impressive group of musicians, which included keyboardist Neil Larsen and drummer Bill Stewart, for the album and a subsequent national tour. After leaving Buchanan's band, Sheffield helped form Cool Breeze with Van Miller until the two left to put together in a great R&B group called The XL's. After the XL's, Sheffield worked as a solo artist and front man for several years until he met Liane Webb.

Liane Webb, singer and percussionst, was the founder, lyricist and frontwoman for the Strangers, a performance art/theatrical rock ensemble, and has worked with various performing artists. Webb has a background in liberal arts, performing arts and philosophy, and uses her knowledge of theatre to create an atmosphere of mystery that dances around her voice. She has co-written some of the material for this project with Sheffield, and also performs solo on acoustic guitar.

Energizing, sensual and mesmerizing to hear and watch, Sheffield and Webb, together with their band, carefully incorporate their insightful, poetic lyrics with an accessible, danceable rhythm to create music that moves both the body and the mind.

Real Time is the premier CD release of this prolific songwriting team. The twelve selections reflect a polychromatic amalgam of contemporary Americana The opening tune, "New Nuclear Age" comments on war, environmental issues and the pro-life/abortion argument. It is presented in an Adult Contemporary Rock format while the mesmerizing, image-laden tune, "13 Hours On The Highway," finds stronger roots in the idiom of Modern Country music to describe the hard life of a union trucker.

The funky, self-explanatory "Never Gonna Give It Up" employs the urban medium of R&B to get its soulful message across. In contrast, the tongue-in-cheek "Holy Mother" uses the happy, free-spirited sound of Bluegrass to express frustrations of a sexually deprived husband with his ultra-sanctimonious wife.

"Over and Over Again" is performed as a ballad in order to touch anyone who has experienced strong emotional bonding with another individual, regardless of any type of lifestyle. " Promises (Lost in a Lie)" utilizes the Techno/Dance staple of synthesizers to embellish the feeling and message of this angst driven song.

In the sardonic "Find You Another Fool," the many conflicts that arise from the female's instinct to "nest" and the male's instinct to "hunt" (i.e. hangout) with other males, are humorously portrayed in lyrical point by Webb and counterpoint by Sheffield.

The music roots of the other tunes are formatted as follows:

"It Don't Have To Be That Way" - Jazz/Swing
"Roll With Me" - Blues/Rock
"Wait A Little While" - Album-Oriented Rock
"Be Careful (What You Ask For)" - Alternative
"TappinOn My Window Pane"' - BluesRock

Male-Female singing duos are rare these days unless they are a special, one-time collaboration. This fact combined with Sheffield & Webb's ability to cross over into different music genres while maintaining their signature style is even more rare.

Real Time is a CD that will be appreciated most by listeners without a myopic interest in music and by those who are not IQ impaired.

Sheffield & Webb "Real Time"