The Diamond Collective come forth with a wholly-engrossing track in Pull Up. The song is deeply reverent to the rap of the 1990s while allowing each performer ample time to lay down their own inimitable style. There are nods here to LA and NYC with a bit of the chiller approaches heard in the Chicago and Atlanta scenes of the early-oughts. Pull Up is a true bop, a song that…
twenty3wayz’s “twenty3 & one” has a booming bass beat that acts as a solid canvas upon which the flow can reside. The track nestles itself well between R&B and rap styles utilizing a production that ensures that it could hang well on radio and Spotify playlists. The song hits the two minute mark, leaving an indelible mark on anyone fortunate enough to listen on in. There’s a good cohesion between…
During Roll The Dice, Love Crushed Velvet are able to make a slinky and sultry splashy into modern rock. The sheer distance between the chorus and the stanzas ensures that fans remained energized through the entirety of the single’s runtime. Theswitch to a more swingy sound (around the 2:22 mark) acts as the glue to meld the beginning and ending of Roll The Dice together. This is a song that…
Stacy Gabel’s “Merry Christmas My Friends” is a welcome addition to holiday music. Where it seems like every mall store and public place has the same playlist, Gabel is able in her latest track to refer back to this corpus of Christmas music and to add her own unique take things. The multiple vocal layers that come forth during Merry Christmas My Friends’s chorus keeps things light and airy, while…
The emotional gravitas that Shawna Linzy imbues this performance of Silent Night is amazing, showcasing an amazing vocal range. There are nods to gospel, traditional musicals, and R&B genres with this performance. The atmospheric arrangements playing throughout the track are nearly as eye-popping as Linzy’s vocals. Together, these elements end up making for a wholescale reimagining of Silent Night, a must-listen for anyone that has appreciated the song in the…
Let It Out is a wind-swept rock track that links together Paul Simon and John Denver with the California pop of a Tom Petty. The back and forth between the guitars and drums on MattO’s latest make for a bouncy backdrop upon which his vocals can reside. As the song continues to play, MattO is able to ratchet up the tempo. Let It Out is one of those efforts that…
The Robinson James Band’s “Spoonful” immediately washes over listeners with a bit of retro-inspired swagger. There are powerful blues-rock infused guitar lines mixing with assertive drums and insistent keys, all providing support for the Nancy Sinatra-meets-Elle King vox. The song hammers its melody over fans’ heads with precision. Smart repeition of the titular phrase ensures that the song’s melodies will be buried deep into one’s mind. The video (presented below)…
Elrey James’s The Prodigal Son is a heartfelt rock track that is able to blend incredible guitar work with passion and charisma. The dynamic existing between the guitar and Elrey’s vox pushes each to a higher plateau. The drums and bass that play at the bottom of the composition ensures that the song will stick around with listeners long after the song ceases to play. While there are ample nods…
VIBE has a unique sound present that gradually opens up into a hard-driving dance vein. Fans of Iyaz, 808s and Heartbreak-era Kanye, and Flo Rida will find something to dig into; ALYKXX is able to spin that formula into something current. The brooding sound of VIBE’s backing instrumentation adds a bit more ambiance to the single. There’s a surprisingly deep aspect to VIBE that ensures fans will continue to come…
Beside Me At Christmas is a hopeful, fun effort that will immediately draw in listeners’ attentions after their first few moments with the song. Andon is able to both tell a story to listeners as well as contribute to the overall melody. It is this ability to flawlessly execute this double-duty that mendears Andon to me, and is a skill that I’m sure will continue to be developed as he…
OpenSoul has created a heartfelt track in his Blue Christmas. The song is able to impress with its simplisticity. Confident vocals are able to stand boldly alongside the percussion. Fans of R&B will be able to find something that they can appreciate here. Smart production on Blue Christmas ensures that both the vocal and instrumental sides are able to shine singularly or as contributing to a larger whole. In an…
Alone On Christmas Day is the latest effort from New York’s The High Plains Drifters. The single is very touching in its execution. Hints of 1980s alternative (e.g. They Might Be Giants, Cocteau Twins) are present as the act makes a play for “most memorable holiday track” of 2023. Smart repetion of the vocals are paralleled well with twinkling instrumentation and perfectly-paced drums. The crooning vox imbue Alone On Christmas…
BUCKSHOTS is a fun, funky journey. Duprai Marcel’s tight groovy is matched to a fantastically sultry set of vocals. The shuffling beat created with the guitars and drums on BUCKSHOTS will have one out grooving, while the stellar production of this effort ensures that both instrumental and verbal sides of the song are able to shine singularly or as parts of a greater whole. Listeners will be singing along with…
Hickory Dickory is a rap single that builds upon the sublime swagger of Ludacris, Kendrick Lamar and I-20. The patter-patter of Fayro’s flow will have listeners bobbing their heads, while the keys that comprise the backing instrumentationadd further depth to the composition. Increasing in speed through the single, Fayro is able to keep fans firmly on the edges of their seats. This song is able to work perfectly alongside other…
Ashley Best comes from Cadiz, Ohio, a town I’d always used to stop through when we’d take 22 East to see my grandparents. You Make Me is a composition that will bring similarly positive memories bubble to the surface through its spot-on homage to Bob Seger and early-1990s country music. Ashley’s vocal range on his latest single is nothing less than impressive; adding a secondary voice into the mix further…
On Somebody Else, Dos Floris is able to establish an engrossing and emotionally dense style that is bolstered through emotive keys and electronic keys. The song incorporates hints of Suzanne Vega, Bjork and Adele all while allowing the performer ample opportunity to insert herself. Somebody Else has a style that will ensure plays on pop radio stations, but contains tons of intricate dynamics among the instrumentation and Dos Floris’s vox.…
I Got You is a bouncy, fun pop track in the vein of N*Sync and Robbie Williams. The charisma that is infused into this composition does welll in getting listeners focused on to what Jake is laying down. The multiple vocal layers that are built up at points during this single add a good amount of depth, further increasing the single’s replay value. The song is utterly timeless in its…
ADVM’s “She’s Gone” is a soft and sedate track that will be appreciated by anyone who has been in and fallen out of love. Even years after the relationship ends, there are still times where I briefly miss those I was previously with, and it’s this single that perfectly matches that feeling. The vocal styling of ADVM will be eagerly devoured by fans of Oliver Tree, while the airy composition ends…
Powerful vocals will immediate draw listeners in to Baker Grace’s latest single, Painkiller. The track is able to stand out distinctly from the vast majority of popular music in that it brings in new and refreshing instrumentation. This means that there are subtle nods to Pulp, Cornershop and Massive Attack even as Baker lays out lines that will garner high rotation on radio stations and in playlists around the world.…
Kick 5000 released his new album Frequencies in September; the lead single “sink” will immediately tattoo booming bass deep into listeners’ brains. A sublimely confident flow follows forth. sink’s dynamic sound is crafted through Kick 5000’s desire to continually tweak and test different segments of the track. This effort concludes at the 2:30 mark, making a big splash from its onset while hurtling headlong into the final moments of the…