As frontman for The Legendary Shack Shakers, J.D. Wilkes has been one of the loudest and earliest voices in the Bluegrass/Americana revival going back two decades now. And while it finally seems the rest of the music world is catching up with him, he pivots slightly on his impressive and impressively experimental solo debut.
IBRU’s “My Life” is a fantastic track. The rich vocals laid down by IBRU will tantalize while the lyrical content will be appreciated by anyone that has had difficulty in their lives. The blend of luscious vocals and an on-point instrumentation makes this a must-play for any independent or reggae radio station. There is an honest sound to IBRU’s work here that lifts up the traditional standards of the reggae…
Dirty Heads “Celebrate” is a skillful blend of electronic, rock, and rap styles. The effort features The Unlikely Candidates, which are able to make the effort resound through approaches and distinct musical era. The track is able to pull out hints of G-Eazy, Wiz Khalifa, and Ed Sheeran while having all of the gravitas and musical complexity of a Coldplay or OneRepublic. Dirty Heads are able to create a sound that…
The Gray Vines’ “See Me” is an intense rock track that will tattoo its rhythms deep into the minds of listeners. There is a brooding, deep emotionality to this single that calls back to performers like The Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. The guitar work builds off of The Cramps and early (1,039-era) Green Day; the punky hard rock of the band is distinct while touching upon some of the…
Noochie “Confidence” features Rich Homie Quan, beginning with a haunting production and quickly follows that up with a flow that is intricate while adding considerably to the overall harmony of the effort. Rich Homie Quan’s chorus is infectious as all get out, providing the perfect counterpoint to the unique take laid down by Noochie. The track is able to tell a story while hitting listeners over their heads with intricate…
Kim DiVine recorded an EP before the birth of her daughter with LA producer Bill Lefler (Ingrid Michaelson, Joshua Radin, Matthew Mayfield, Dashboard Confessional) and then took a break to be a mom, with a plan to release after a few months of parenthood. Cut to last fall when her stepfather passed away in September. And then another blow when her mother, who fought a long and hard battle with…
The Mayan Factor begin their “Warflower” with a complex instrumental collection of guitars and drums. During the effort’s first 90 seconds, the lead guitar is able to take on a narrative quality before the vocals make their first contributions at around the 1:50 mark. The Mayan Factor is able to tie together Tool, Linkin Park, and Incubus into a melodic but furious act. The band is able to keep listeners…
jacobs run are able to make a sold alternative rock track with their new single, “Sleepwalking”. The track ties together Live, The Verve, and the Goo Goo Dolls into a musically dense and beautiful composition. The instrumentation hits on all cylinders whether it be the thick bass lines, the emphatic drums, or the strings that feel plucked out of a James Bond movie. The act is able to make something…
The background of Sule is not an easy thing to nail, but his new single “Love Me (Country Swing)” goes far in changing that if you get good wind of it and let the rest follow you back into his roots. There’s some information to be found for readers, it’s limited to his short but sweet bio, here is a part: Having completed many tours of duty as a musical…
Daniel Correa’s “The Wraith” is a funky and fun song. Listeners will immediately be drawn in by the rapid-fire vocal delivery of Daniel. The ability of Correa to pull double duty here in both adding to the lyrical content and bolstering the overall harmonies of the track is unsurpassed. There is a pop sound here that is tempered through nods to acts like 311 and Sublime. A robust instrumentation allows…
Annamaria’s “Affection” is a slower tempo that blends together pop and R&B to create something tremendously endearing while sparkling due to the inclusion of a deep, fully fleshed out instrumentation. There are hints of trap and mid-oughts soul that are peppered throughout Affection that separates what Annamaria is doing from the rest of the pack. With additional twists and turns that one will find with subsequent listens, fans will continue…
Bryan Fox’s “I Saw My Ex-Wife Workin’ At The Bait Pro” is a call back to the humorous country performers of the late nineties. Imagine Cledus T. Judd with tremendous instrumentation or a Ray Stevens with a country-fried demeanor; I Saw My Ex-Wife… is an effort that pulls from the Alan Jackson and Tracy Lawrence playbook. Everything’s going at 100% here, whether it be Fox’s vocals, the guitar work, or the…
Rossemberg Maza’s “A Bad Guy” is a passionate cut that showcases tremendous pathos and an earnest sound. The insistent chorus will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. Hints of Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake can be heard during this song, but fans will fall in love with the unique sound that is peppered throughout A Bad Guy. The synths and sequenced percussion transforms the second half…
Pilot Touhill’s “Fever” is a wonderfully bouncy sort of pop-rock that showcases a passion and emotionality to the vocals from the song’s initial note until it’s lead out. The guitar work that comprises the backing instrumentation is bolstered through the inclusion of a clap and jangly percussion, making Fever into a track that listeners could easily imagine on pop radio rotation. The bright sound and effortless style from Pilot Touhill…
WNT-AL-N’s “Way Out” is a track that blends a number of styles to make for a track that will get listeners out on the dance floor. There are hints of Jason Derulo and Chris Brown in the vocals, while the backing instrumentation touches upon hints of reggae, drum and bass, and trap music. The distinctive sound of Way Out will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners.…
Vermillion Road’s “Only One” is an intense and thoughtful pop/rock effort. The supersonic vocals are matched perfectly with the taut instrumentation. There is considerable depth to this single that will ensure that listeners continually find new twists and turns even five or ten listens. Particular pinnacles to Vermillion Road’s latest has to be the echoing guitar lines, the synth sequencing, and the on-point drums. This could easily make it onto…
Randy Lyght’s “Bumped into Love” is a fantastic single from his fourth solo studio release, Another Side of Me, and marks another high point in the career of this fantastic vocalist and song interpreter. Lyght plays to what we know as familiar, but he has the talent and good sense to choose outstanding collaborators in such a way that there’s a signature luster emanating from the tune that others will…
JJ Appleby’s Sweet Love is a timeless effort that touches upon the R&B and pop styles. The robust synthesizers that are interlaced through Sweet Love create a well-defined backdrop upon which JJ’s vocals can shine. The polish of the production here ensures that each of the elements, instrumental and vocal, can shine alone or as contributing to a more cohesive and coherent sound. The melodies of Sweet Love will bounce…
One of the best new voices in Americana interestingly enough is Australian. Ruby Boots (Bex Chilcott) made her way to Nashville from her native Perth years ago and has managed to record a remarkably powerful follow up to her 2016 full-length debut; the record is part Country, Southern Rock, Folk and Blues with plenty of attitude.
The first single from the new Vessbroz album featuring Kyle Davis’ singing and lyric contributions, “Nothing”, has all the catchiness you’d hope for, but there’s an additional layer of substance coming from Davis’ songwriting skills. Davis doesn’t settle for just writing a grab bag of phrases but, instead, constructs a natural sounding lyric that his vocals handle with more than a little aplomb and that have something genuine and powerful…