Wyclef Jean’s “Sak Kap Fet” features Kofi Black and Moira Mack and calls back to Jean’s “Perfect Gentleman” era. Intense and heavy emotional content is tattooed into the fabric of the single. Kofi Black’s blazing quick lyrical delivery is a solid match for Jean’s slower flow. Moira Mack, the newcomer on the single is able to spin the track in a third dimension. This trio makes for an effort that is…
HEIZMAN’s “Mai Tai” is a dreamy, trippy rap track that links together T-Pain, Lil Wayne and I-20 into a street-meets-club flow. A bit of trap production sets the stage for HEIZMAN’s flow. Rather than only adding to the story told on Mai Tai, the flow also provides further depth to the backing beat. This is a cohesive effort that stands out from the rest of the tracks entering rotation today.…
Faith Evans Ruch’s “I’m Yours” is an effort that builds off of the tradition of pop singers from the 1960s and country and western performers of the 1970s. The ability of Ruch to bring such warmth to modern music is fantastic. Current fans will be able to appreciate how Ruch is able to bring in hints of performers like Meghan Trainor and Pink. The instrumentation is top-notch as well; a…
Trevor Drury’s “Jealousy” is an orchestral masterpiece. With deep and fulfilling guitars and drums, Trevor’s vocals are able to impress listeners with raw passion and energy. It’s surprising exactly how much range Drury showcases on this single. A shuffling beat leads the track onward before the synth, drums, and guitars wash over Jealousy. Instrumental and vocal sides are used to great impact here, and listeners would do well to focus…
Your Persona creates a catchy track in “Hate Is A Strong Word” that whips up a furious sound drawing on Coheed and Cambria and Brand New. With a charismatic set of vocals, splashy drums, and a taut instrumentation that withstands multiple plays, Hate Is A Strong Word is a tremendous track.
No Small Children begin their new album What Do The Kids Say? with Radio, a bouncy track that calls back both to The Runaways and Avril Lavigne. The guitars have a retro, A Flock of Seagulls-ish sound, making for a track that fans of all ages can appreciate.
The Ramona Flowers begin their new album Strangers with an effort that immediately calls back to the synth-pop of the 1980s. There is so much charisma that comes forth during this introductory track that fans will be hooked. The high momentum continues with Out of Focus, a more dreamy and alluring effort that shines due to tremendous vocals, on-point percussion, and sweeping arrangements. Come Alive has a very contemporary sort…
James Kevin O’Connor’s titular opening to Gratitude is an inspirational, narrative-heavy effort that rises and falls well. Hints of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Steven Curtis Chapman can all be discerned in this first effort, but there is a unique style that is purely O’Connor’s on his release.
Soar is the first effort on Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches’s Get Us Out of Fearland, immediately bringing listeners in to a modern take on bluegrass with confident vocals, careful instrumentation, and a bouncy melody that will stick with listeners long after the effort ceases to play.
“One, The World Over” has a video that showcases the wide variety of experiences that one can have through the world. One tends to see the world within four walls of an office or an apartment, but what the World Void Web does is showcasse that there are a million (if not more) distinct paths that one can take each and every day. The orchestration of One, The World Over is…
Intend is the first track on The Good Night, the new EP from Minneapolis’s own TRITA. The amount of raw passion and fury that begins this album is unmatched. Furious guitar work combines with splashy drums to make for an intensity and a brooding sound that brings together Machine Head, Fear Factory, and even a bit of early Korn. The tempestuous sound of this first salvo will continue to yield…
Walkin’ In the Sunshine is a bouncy, fun track that immediately showcases the talent and pleasant attitude of In-A-Chord. A strong production allows the act to come forth and shine effortlessly. The retro is made new with this act, as there are hints of Carole King and The Carpenters here in the male/female dichotomy here. With nods to both classic Christian music as well as the easy-listening rock of the…
On Right Love, Wrong Time, Erin Bloomer’s debut track, listeners are provided with a timeless instrumentation that builds off of the work of the 1990s and 2000s. Erin’s vocals stretch out over the track, working well within the singer-songwriter tradition. The ability of Erin to both tell a story with her voice and to provide further depth to the composition is unparalleled with current performers. The rapid shifts through sounds…
Idealism is able to craft an alluring electronic / chill track with their Fire Low. The track is able to immediately draw listeners in with a pair of vocals and a complex instrumentation. This instrumentation works to bolster the aforementioned vox, but is complex enough to stand up to repeat plays. With nods to trip-hop, industrial, and drum and bass, Idealism is able to make something wholly unique with their…
Over the course of four records, Oklahoma native Parker Millsap has managed to deliver four distinctly remarkable albums without retreading much on his own musical ground.
It’s pretty apt that the San Francisco Indie rock band Hi Lo Ha decided to borrow the name of Dylan’s Woodstock, New York home for their moniker. The group manages to draw deep inspiration from Dylan’s onetime backing musicians The Band for their Ain’t Gone Tonight EP. But far from being just another band stuck in the ‘60s, they also bring in some modern influences to round out their sound –…
Monsieur Job’s Chow Chow Eyyy Pow Pow skillfully blends reggae, EDM, and pop music in a fashion that will get listeners of all stripes out on the dance floor. The production of the track (featuring No Mercy) is robust, crisp, and clear – one could easily see this garnering major airplay. The drum and bass represents the cornerstone of the track, but the vocals pull double duty in including listeners…
Andromeda is the new album by New Jersey’s Undercover Rabbis (we previously covered their 2015 disc Electric Sand and their 2014 work Empires). The first thing that listeners should know is that Andromeda is one of those albums that are considerably better if you’re able to just sit back with a pair of headphones on. There are so many things occurring during each second of the album that even losing…
K-Syran’s “Shake That Booty” is given a retro sort of feel with the remix that Stonebridge & Damien Hall have created. The track is able to shine because of K-Syran’s inimitable vocals, but the backing instrumentation is surprisingly deep. The different percussive and synth elements that are weaved through this track link together the disco of the 1970s with Madonna’s 1990s work. The shining production of Shake That Booty ensures…
“Home” is the current single by John Tracy, and its hopeful sound is prersent through the soaring vocals, the on-point drums, and the chunky bass line that is weaved throughout the composition. A secondary chorus provides a robustness to Home, while anyone that has ever had something to come home to will find something to appreciate with this sound. John Tracy’s work here adopts equal amounts of alternative, indie rock,…