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.…
Philadelphia’s Peter Gural is the primary author of one of the year’s best releases with his collection Birdy’s World. The Berklee School of Music graduate has chops galore, that’s obvious, but his technical skills never undercut the immediate authenticity of his songwriting art. The unabashed autobiographical nature of Gural’s writing never limits its ability to connect with a wide swath of the Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter’s target audience. The bright bounce of the…
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…
Alternative rock – despite the irony of the name in present times – is hardy dead, and if you’re looking for hard evidence of this, I seriously recommend giving Blueburst a listen sometime. In their rookie album Significance, this band comprised of Craig Douglas Miller and Marty Willson-Piper of All About Eve/Noctorum/The Church fame, doesn’t just try their hand at the modern alternative rock model; they try to redefine the…
Hell 2 Pay is an engrossing track that builds upon the framework of Stevie Nicks and Vixen to straddle the line between pop and rock. The song gradually grows to incorporate a sizzling sax line that kicks things into high gear. Watching Hell 2 Pay’s video provides additional narrative depth, contrasting distinct visuals with a song that keeps bringing in new and unexpected twists. This means that the guitars delve…
Losing Out To Crazy is a powerful rock track that brings the supersonic vocal approach of Sammy Hagar and Hall & Oates into the modern vernacular. These vox are paired with intricate instrumental arrangements, a collection of drums, guitars, and bass that run the gamut from rock to progressive metal and even contemplative alternative rock. The extended instrumental bridge acts as a palette cleanser for listeners, resetting them as Philbrick…
