On RIDIN & SLIDIN, Iyuana has created a single that is utterly timeless in its execution, with clear nods to 1990s R&B and pop music present during its run time. The charismatic vocals of Iyuana lay out leisurely on a backing instrumentation that is bubbly as all get out. With keys and brass poking their heads into the backing music, RIDIN & SLIDIN ends up making converts of anyone fortunately…
It’s been a while since we last covered Elsewhere. This time around, we’ve dug into their live cover of The Police’s Don’t You Believe Me Baby. The track is a whole-scale reimagining of the song, with intense instrumentation and emo-tinged vocals. The performance succeeds due to tremendously capable instrumentation with a particular focus needing to be given to Elsewhere’s guitars and drums. The single’s vitality is what will keep it…
Turning of the Tide, the latest effort from Nuke The Soup, is their strongest song yet. The bit of alt-rock meets reggae that bubbles up allows nods to They Might Be Giants and Fishbone to be made, while the instrumentation heard here is some of the sickest we’ve experience so far in 2025. The band knows how to make an engrossing track. All of Turning of the Tide’s segments combine to…
ViennaCC’s “Virtual Love” has a computerized, very deliberate sort of style that refreshes the 1980s work of Devo and Kraftwek, all while incorporating more modern technologies. It is this melange of new and old that ensures that Virtual Love is able to stand out boldly from the rest of the music currently being released for consumption. Hitting the titular phrase multiple times during the single’s run time, ViennaCC ensures that…
On Picture Day, Cleveland’s DaLomonze is able to create some seriously engrossing R&B in the vein of a Weeknd or Kid Cudi. He possesses the ability to both weave a cohgent narrative with the single as well as build out the single’s instrumentation. Haunting in its execution, the song has some serious depth to it. After the flow begins to speed up, Picture Day is able to create something that…
Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind” has been an absolute beast of a single since it was released all the way back in 1980. On its 45th anniversary, Cross has commissioned a video that feels as if it has been pulled out of a cult movie from the era. The visuals are stunning here, providing a bit of that film-filmed style while having enough current-era crispness to really appease fans…
Rob Eberle’s Lying With The Enemy is an effort that blends together pop and modern rock to make for something that could easily slot into playlists or radio rotation. The passion and emotive content of Rob is the key factor that will bring in listeners, while the taut instrumentation ensures that Lying With The Enemy will remain fresh no matter how many times one queues up the single. The bridge…
Meg Whalen’s The Break is a soft and sedate track which that will keep listeners firmly on the edges of their seats. There is such care taken in this composition that every note ends up working. Meg’s rich vocals both contribute to the larger harmonies of The Break while providing a coherent narrative. As the fuzzy guitars and emphatic drums enter into the composition, the single is able to gain…
Warren Haynes has announced The Whisper Sessions, a collection of stripped-down versions of songs off his recent solo album, Million Voices Whisper. The 9-track digital-only album – which includes a stunning version of the Allman Brothers Band classic “Melissa” with Haynes’ longtime ABB bandmate Derek Trucks, who is featured on three songs – will be released on Friday, September 12th via Fantasy Records. The intimate renditions peel back the layers to spotlight Haynes’ soulful voice, masterful guitar work, and the heartfelt storytelling at the…
Meow Wolf, the art collective renowned for its mind-bending, immersive experiences, opened its fourth permanent exhibition, “The Real Unreal,” in Grapevine Mills Mall on July 14, 2023. We had originally checked out this location in 2023, and were invited back to see how things have changed over the course of the last year. I took my daughter to the exhibit both times; as she’s grown up, I found it a…
James Robert Webb’s Weekend Outlaw Is the Soundtrack to Your Friday Night Identity Crisis Review by Someone Who Didn’t Expect to Enjoy This and Now Feels Emotionally Compromised You know those country songs that are basically just a guy screaming “FRIIIIIDAY” over a fiddle while a truck does donuts in the background? James Robert Webb’s Weekend Outlaw is… not that. I mean, yes — there are trucks. Yes, there’s a…
Circus Mind’s Battle of Brooklyn is a single that defies genre convention. With a set of vocals that take up the standard of Mick Jagger and a taut instrumentation, this single will undoubtedly draw in fans by the boart load. Battle of Brooklyn is a song that needs multiple plays to properly understand, as the relationships between the guitars, drums, keys, and vox are deep. Even after a number of…
Camille K’s Be My Boo is an airy pop track that will bury its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The song draws inspiration from the pop of the late 1990s / early 2000s, marrying these nods to a modern and alluring instrumentation. There are hints of Mariah Carey and Pink here, as Camille K showcases all the tenderness and love the titular statement would indicate. As…
Ozzie D.’s “America, Our Great Land” is a great inclusion for a list of patriotic songs. While we are all familiar with the standards from Key to Greenwood, Ozzie D.’s latest effort is able to simultaenously touch upon the revolutionary standards as well as a modern pop-rock track. Thinking about the latter, Ozzie D.’s band is able to tie in sizzling guitar work and on-point drums that feel drawn from…
On Jody, Rosita & P.U.R.P are able to make a truly outstanding rap single that is hard to pin down, with the performers (including the feature by Akeem Ali) contributing distinctive segments. This means that the single moves from Lauryn Hill to Outkast at the of a dime. The one thing that is consistent through Jody is a clear-headed, driven word flow. Jody is a track that should be put…
The new collab between Robbie Rosen and Coffeeshop is poppy EDM with hopeful, bright vocals. There is all the richness of a Freddie Mercury or the most wizened praise singer, while the immense instrumental backdrop will assuredly yield new twists and turns as listeners continue to play this track. Bringin’ It Home is one of those transformational tracks that you experience while at a festival, one that over the course…
FrontnBack’s “Royal Beauty Queen” is a delightful and fun pop-reggae effort that will appease any fans of Akon or Sean Kingston. The light and airy arrangements are precisely what Frontback’s vocals need to shine. The rich instrumentation ensures that every second of Royal Beauty Queen is substantially different from what had immediately preceded it. This song is truly timeless, a composition that is honest while being proficiently arranged and produced…
Ron Brunk’s “Feel The Sunlight” has a very bright sound to it that matches well the late spring time that the song was released. The bit of additional vocal elements added to the chorus provides fullness to the song, while there’s a bit of closeness contributed by the very human drum work that plays in the background. Each element on Brunk’s Feel The Sunlight feels right and adds something different to…
The Fake Whales’s Shine draws inspiration from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and James Taylor. There are good amounts of folk rock as well as psychedelic elements that will bubble up from time to time. There are elements that will have listeners singing along jammed up alongside very heady and deep instrumental elements. Shine may only run for about four and a half minutes, but the space that…
Amarachi’s “Earth Is Ghetto” is a fun and compelling composition that succeeds due to its softly-sang approach and multiple layers. While the song ultimately resides in the pop soundscape, the distinctive arrangements create a robust backdrop upon which Amarachi’s vox can reside. Earth Is Ghetto’s strongest suit has to be Amarachi’s vocals, which convey richness and emotional complexitry all while bolstering the overall harmonies of the single. Check out Amarachi’s…