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…
Pastoral guitar strings are ready and willing to wash a bit of optimism over anything within earshot as we listen to the opening bars of “Good Kind of Tired,” the first song in Josephson’s new EP Live & Let Live. Slowly but surely, an electric melody creeps out from behind the strumming and imparts a thunderous emotional power chord that will reappear later on in the song in a much more…
Adrian Sutherland, the indie rocker hailing from Canada’s Far North, emerges as a formidable force in the musical landscape, and his latest singles, “Precious” and “Diamonds,” provide a captivating glimpse into his upcoming album, “Precious Diamonds.” What sets Sutherland apart is not only his musical prowess but also his distinct identity as an Indigenous artist, a facet that draws intriguing parallels with other established Native American musical luminaries. Sutherland’s journey…
Cody Coyote is blazing his own trail through the modern music landscape and there’s no signs of slowing down. His new single “There Tonight” proves that Coyote continues gaining momentum with each new release. “There Tonight” comes off as aggressive, yet controlled, intelligent and serious, yet wildly entertaining. It likewise illustrates how Coyote is likely capable of tackling any sort of material. “There Tonight” makes his mastery of contemporary pop…
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.…
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…