S-Turns is the current seasonal from Maui Brewing Company (Maui, Hawaii). This hazy India Pale Ale pours with a light, goldenrod coloration and a goodly amount of white head. Lacing is little to non-existent in the glass. The brew possesses a good amount of alcohol bite that moderates some of the sweeter sides that tend to pop up with the hazy IPA variant. Maui has utilized an interesting blends of…
On VIP Death Squad, Bunny Blake is able to create an immersive pop track that has some serious chops to it. The dynamic established between BB’s vocals and the synth lines pushes each to higher levels. Each section of VIP Death Squad has a fairly distinct feeling; part of this performer’s skill comes in marrying together each element to create a cohesive and coherent composition. The chorus of Bunny Blake’s…
On Greyhound Bus, Jefferson Thomas is able to call back to 1980s country in the vein of Alabama and Earl Thomas Conley. Listen close enough and one will pick up hints of Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and early Billy Joel. With an ear for pop, Thomas is able to establish a crossover single. Keeping fans on the edges of their seats with a cogent narrative and a hooky chorus, Jefferson…
I Am More Than A Conqueror is the new single by Tonya Lewis Taylor, and it immediately brings a jovial sound and hopeful lyrics to the fore. Robust instrumentation provides for a big sound to Taylor’s latest. Blending female and male lyrics throughout the track, Taylor is able to build up an authoritative sound that reverberates loudly long after the single ceases playing. Over the course of four-plus minutes, Tonya…
AV Super Sunshine create a laid-back dance effort in Smile. The song brings a hint of the folksy singer-songwriter style of performers like Iggy Pop and Leonard Cohen, while infusing sweeping synths and a solidly sequenced percussion into the mix. Charismatic vocals leisurely lay on top of Smile, engaging listeners as simultaneously, the instrumentation does much to create a vibrant soundscape. AV Super Sunshine’s multimedia approach to Smile provide further…
He’s Worthy has Pastor Todd Curry craft a timeless gospel sound. With soulful brass and a talented backing choir, the message laid forth during He’s Worthy is clear. Filling out the backing instrumentation, the on-point walking bass line and synths create a robustness to the composition that will stick around along after the song ceases to play. The song is deceptively deep, as subsequent listens to He’s Worthy will showcase…
D WADE calls back to the stripped-down, sultry approach of 1990s rap music with nods back to Kid Frost and N2Deep. The intricate wordplay will require listeners to play back the single multiple times before hearing every twist and turn laid out here. The lyrical insistence here pushes the track to a quick conclusion, but the backing instrumentation is hooky enough to ensure that D Wade will resound with fans…
Daydream has The Aces call back to the 1980s. There’s a powerful vocal side to the act that is bolstered mightily through competent synths. Daydream has a bit of Mariah Carey and Tiffany mixed together, all while sizzling guitars interplay with the synths to make for something wholly unique. The Aces have made the perfect distraction for the current world lockdown. Reinvigorating mall pop from the last few generations, The…
Waking Up Down is a dreamy pop track that blends together airy EDm synths with drum sequencing. What results is something that calls back to the early 1990s dance scene while possessing a vibrancy that works well in the current. A catchy chorus will bury its way deep into listeners’ minds. Waking Up Down is a powerful multimedia statement; the video (attached below) showcases a brilliant visual palette. Yaeji is…
On Stuck in Quarantine, Clayton Sturgeon is able to make an emphatic rock track that chugs along. With fuzzy guitars, booming drums, and a bit vocal sneer that marries together Vince Neil and American Idiot-era Billie Joe Armstrong, Sturgeon’s latest will bury itself deep into fans’ minds and hearts. The tautness of the instrument ensures that each note fits perfectly, a track that could easily garner radio and Spotify playlist…
During Somebody, Aditi is able to refresh the singer-songwriter / pop style of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Heavenly vocals blend with emotive pianos to make for something that will resound loudly with listeners long after the song ceases to play. With additional musical layers bringing in a percussive clap track and strings, Somebody will undoubtedly keep its replay value high through the summer. A solid production allows each…
Galliano Sommavilla has crafted another album-length track in the aptly-named one song 2. The composition starts out in a very calm and collected fashion. A traditional (mid-century modern) piano line blurs the line between classical and new age music. There is a wonderful amount of emotion that is showcased through the first few minutes of the composition, as Galliano’s piano both establish the track’s overall melodies as well as lay…
DvffleBvg Ruggv (D.C.-area rapper) has came forth with some fire with his 2020 release, Addy. The track is easily able to demand attention with a booming bass-led bed, hints of strings, and rapid-fire sequencing. There’s nods present here to both the production approach of Hypnotize Minds and Scott Storch. The electric approach taken to the backdrop here ensures that the single remains fresh from its first note until the song…
On Copper Queen, Mark Winters is able to deftly meld together the singer-songwriter pop of the 1960s with a bit of the alternative music that hit college radio during the 1990s. Hints of Chris Isaak and Harry Connick Jr can be discerned here, but there’s a bit of the surf-infused sound of Beach Boys and Roy Orbison that can be discerned here. The production fo the track far outstrips anything…
Sex People’s Sling Slang is extraordinarily catchy. Taking up standards as wide reaching as Mindless Self Indulgence, Lords of Acid, Mudvayne and Faith No More, the act is able to make one of the hookiest songs we’ve torn into this year. There’s more than just a memorable chorus; the act is able to utilize multiple layers to establish a musical soundscape that will continue to yield new dynamics even ten…
Lucas Blando is able to craft an alluring and touching ballad that needs little more than a softly-played guitar and Lucas’s inimitable voice. There is a fullness to the composition that begins to really reach its peak at the 1:50 mark. With an intricate and intimate guitar solo differentiating the two sections of I Wish My Heart Could Paint, Blando is able to keep fans falling over each and every…
I’m Found is an interesting effort. There are nods to 1990s and 2000s country as well as gospel and soul styles. While the vocals are front and center during I’m Found, there is no denying that the keys, guitars, and percussion possess a huge role during this cut. Throwing in a harmonica to the mix as the song hits the chorus, Head Fake is able to keep things interesting from…
On Can’t Stop Thinking Bout You, Sanya N’Kanta are able to make a crossover hit that will work equally well on pop, EDM, and college stations. Soulful vocals blend with an insistent drum/guitar backdrop. With nods to Muse and Maroon 5, Sanya N’Kanta are able to insert their own unique flair to this single. The dynamism present here is hard to deny; the track sparkles with countless subtle shifts and…
Tipsy has a bouncy, EDM-infused approach that will garner a ton of play whenever the summer festivals began to pop off. Vallee’s vocals will tattoo themselves deep into the minds and hearts of fans, as well as working masterfully with the quick tempo that the sweeping synths and emphatic percussion crafts during this single. Young, Wild and Free is a wistful track that calls back to the high-water marks of…
On Vintage Girls, Kdot is able to establish a silken groove that builds upon the style of performers like The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. An engaging backing beat blends in echoing synths, on point percussion, and booming bass beats. The vocals pull double duty here, as Kdot is both able to further his ode to women as well as provide further depth to the harmonies encountered here. The…