Grey DeLisle’s take on O Holy Night is a very reverent take on the classic track. The considerable talent showcased here by DeLisle becomes evident in the single’s first :20. There’s the lightest trapping of instrumentation present in this version, a smart decision to allow Grey’s voice to reach considerable highs. The vocal approach adopted here brings in hints of Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton. The cover works as Grey…
Lost Romance’s “Heart On A Wire” calls back to the mid-1980s Buffalo punk of early Goo Goo Dolls. Punchy vocals, fuzzy guitars, and a stripped-down production ensure that each lyric is buried deep into fans’ minds. The vocals link together California hardcore with a bit of hardcore/emo punk (e.g. Rise Against). The bridge between the song’s beginning and end have a bit of nice echoing, while the sizzling guitar work…
Tealand Smith’s Christmas Day In America is a smooth and softly=sang song that both showcases Tealand’s ability to sing and his ability to create something that will hopefully keep fans hopeful about the holidays to come this year. The backing instrumentation is assertive and rich without threatening to overwhelm Smith’s single. The drum beat and keys playing at the background provide a bit of highlighting to Tealand’s vocals, adding further…
Cathedral is a wonderful blending of traditional-style arrangements with emotive electronic sounds. The sweeping synths and deliberate drum beats create an immersive sound. The gradual moving away from this sound to a more solo, lonely type of keys allows Cathedral to give up the ghost gently. The Last Machine is a track that ties together jungle / electronic sounds with sweeping synths to ensure that listeners remain firmly on their…
Moonray’s When You’re Around blends together psychedelic rock with Kraftwerk meets Klaus Schulze-type of arly electronic to make something wholly unique. The video should be required viewing for anyone seeking to gain the full nuance to the track, as the visuals range from cartoon to noir and zombie flick all in the course of five minutes. This multimedia approach has largely been cast to the side in the Spotify/streaming era,…
Neff Nuffsed’s Stranger Things is a furious rap track, tying together rapid-fire rap bars with chattering percussion and absolutely evil sounding synths. Nuffsed is able to bludgeon listeners over their heads with his fury, while the contributions by Mic B and Mr L-BO during StrangeThings keeps things fresh until the last drop. This is an effort that is truly larger than life, working well not only in the hardcore rap…
Sugar, Honey, Ice Tea has Dani Stevenson call back to Destiny’s Child and Blu Cantrell. Charismatic vocals blend with infectious synths and drums to make for a track that will get listeners dancing. Smart repetition of the titular phrase will bury the song deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The raw passion and sexiness of Stevenson’s video will draw in eyes as well. Shya Lamour’s bars on Sugar,…
QVNTRO’s Hold On is a fantastic call back to early 1990s dance. With hints of CeCe Peniston’s Finally as well as C&C Music Factory present here, there’s no denying that QVNTRO know their stuff. The keys and hi-hats imbue an air of coolness that is hard to deny here, while the vocal sample acts as the glue that unites all the distinct sections of the track. Rather than merely refreshing…
Boston’s Elsewhere is able to build upon the foundations of acts like R.E.M. and Collective Soul on their new single, The Pledge. Elsewhere is able to deftly link together emotional pleas with seriously intricate instrumentation. Challenging norms of traditional time signatures, there’s even a bit of a nod to prog-rock legends like Pink Floyd here. Elsewhere creates a cut in The Pledge that will require individuals to strap on their…
Groove, a new cute from De Royce (along with Jay Dutch and BiiG Dreams) is a perfectly-polished piece of electrofunk. The song is easily able to make it onto R&B playlists, but there’s no denying that the inspiration for the track comes from the funk and disco of the late 1970s. There’s nods to early Michael Jackson and even Lionel Richie during the more laid-back and chill introduction. Even the…
Christopher Watson’s “Truth Is” is a powerful effort that tells a story of African-Americans historically and in the current era. With a narrative of uplift, Watson is able to showcase how much of a positive force an individual can be. The backing instrumentation on Truth Is is laid-back but deceptively deep. The different samples and deliberate percussive sample acts as the perfect palette upon which Watson can paint his vibrant…
Eliza May’s new single I’m Coming Home is one of those EDM tracks that immediately inspires hope in listeners. ;Alluring vocals combine with dynamic synths and percussive beats. Eliza May has the ability to create a cohesive blending of instrumental and vocal with her latest track, showcasing tremendous emotional depth even as she creates a burning desire in listeners to make it onto the dance floor. I’m Coming Home has…
Higher Love is one of my favorite tracks of all time, and it is great to see that there’s a new cover that does more than just hit the high notes of the original. Kamoken’s take on this (with Malou Beauvoir laying down the vocals) is one of those rare examples where a cover is absolutely able to hang with the source material. There’re hints of island melodies with just…
Kevin Phillips’s Order My Steps is a powerful composition that showcases the importance of keeping your faith. The struggle that believers have with all of the ills of the world are addressed here, as Phillips identifies the only way to truly be successful is to follow Jesus. The track has Kevin’s vocals at the forefront, but the instrumentation is nothing to sneeze at. A funky bass line is perfectly punctuated…
X File 8675309 is the evolutionary step forward for AV Super Sunshine. The track comes forth with a dreamy, Wallflowers meets Goo Goo Dolls vocal approach and just enough synth to provide an otherworldly feel to the composition. The narrative – an alien race picking up radio transmissions of Tommy Tutone and crashing to earth – is fascinating. Science fiction and the most human of feelings (love) are matched by…
Dancehall Hallelujah is a tremendous reimagining of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah with Mr. Vegas’s tried and timeless approach to dancehall music. Vocals are front and center during this track, while booming synths immediately tattoo a beat into fans’ minds. There’s double duty being pulled by Mr. Vegas here, as his vocal delivery adds mightily to the song’s overall melody. The track can easily be slipped into holiday rotations as well; it…
Greg Hoy has released Can You Take It, a hard-edged track that calls back to the days of power-rock bands like ELO and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Charismatic vocals unite with a chugging guitar and on-point drums to make for something that will have listeners tapping their toes. Without giving fans a moment to spare, Greg’s approach will appease fans of any variety of rock. Hints of the Foo Fighters and The…
Jae Mansa has hot fire on his hands with his new track Swan In My Pond. Immediately smacking fans with a tremendously catchy chorus, Mansa’s decision to have Riff Raff throw up some bars is fantastic. While RR is always a good get for your track, Jae Mansa’s flow is able to match blow for blow. Couple the hook with a sweeping, screwed-and-chopped backdrop and one has a track that…
Rich Dance is one of those tracks that will immediately get people out on the bar floor. Confident and assertive vocal flows lay on top of a booming, bassy synth / percussive beat. The chorus is perhaps the highwater mark for GoodLook’s latest. Three minutes is all that Rich Dance needs to bury itself deep into the cardiac muscles of anyone fortunate to listen in. There’s a good shot for…
The Tennessee Werewolves’s new single American Dream blends together very traditional country instrumentation (replete with a lap steel) with a more modern (think 1990s-onward) pop / country vocal approach. The booming instrumentation on American Dream will have fans on the edges of their seats, all while the considerable vocal range of Angel Mary firmly places the track into the stratosphere. The dynamic established between the guitars and drums during American…