Change My Ways has Kailey Nicole refresh the poppy, singer-songwriter style of the mid-1990s. This means that there are nods to Sheryl Crow, Fione Apple, and even Jewel here. The backing instrumentation on this single crosses over between rock and country pop. Taken together, these vocals and guitars unite to make for something that is tremendously easy on one’s ears, all while holding up well to multiple spins. Kailey Nicole’s…
Stay Alive is a touching, tender track that needs little more on its onset besides Mustafa’s dulcet tones and a guitar. The light touch taken by the production during this single allows these elements to shine without modification. Providing listeners with a cogent narrative, Mustafa ensures that fans will be sticking around with Stay Alive until the final notes. Few debuts are able to make such a splash. As a…
During Many Lives, Howlin’ Whale is able to blend the soulful style of Billie Holiday and Nancy Sinatra with a first-wave ska meets reggae sort of approach. With a bouncy bass, laid-back style, and just a hint of 19th-century classical, Many Lives is one of the more robust efforts we’ve heard this years. This means that even after five or ten plays, fans will continue to find additional twists and…
Celebre is a hopeful effort that soars on the tremendous chorus of voices that have joined together to provide a spotlight on a tremendous facility. Linking together the contributions of Malou Beauvoir with her productions, what issues forth on Celebre is a timeless effort that links together island sounds with a rapid-fire vocal delivery. A considerable boost to Celebre’s tempo at around the 2:40 will have listeners get out of…
On Antherius’s cover of John Berry’s theme for Midnight Cowboy, there is a distinct sense of reverence for the source material. At the same time, the performer is able to bring his own unique flair into the track. The bit of additional fuzz and electricity that is inserted here acts as an updated for the city showcased in the 1969 film. The sweeping synth lines present here have a hopeful,…
On Whole Zaddy, Sean Joseph is able to build upon the unique styles of Lil Dicky and French Montana. SJ’s wordplay is top-notch here, as is the rapid-fire delivery of each of these bars. His latest single is provided additional oomph through booming bass beats and dark, brooding keys. Throwing in female vocals at point provides further differentiation, establishing an effort that is dynamic and will constantly have fans turning…
Jenn Nucum’s new single Snakebite is emotive, touching, and immediately tells a story from the onset of the haunting guitar work that begins the effort. Jenn’s voice and instrumentation rise and fall together. The gradual increase in Snakebite’s tempo through the 2:45 ark allows the final minute of the single’s run time ample opportunity to move into more emotionally impacting fare. Snakebite is able to model the sheer intensity of…
Better Angels, the latest effort from Lauren Calve, skillfully calls back to mid-1990s country like Martina McBride and Shania Twain while incorporating a bit of Sheryl Crow and Jewel. Rich vocals unite with a Seger-meets-steel guitar approach. Calve’s vocal range is huge here, as she is able to not only tell fans a story but provide further finesse to the backing instrumentation. The guitar / drum dynamic at around the…
Hot Shot Kixxx create a fascinating brand of rock music with their Tadpoles. Intense guitar work calls back to the post-hardcore style, while the slinky sound of the act links together Muse, Jane’s Addiction, and System of a Down. The intense instrumental section encountered during the 1:40 mark builds upon the framework of acts like Tool and The Deftones. Tadpoles is a hard-rocking track that easily moves through a number…
On Maybe, Tina Tara is able to refresh the pop and dance styles of performers like Jennifer Lopez and Amber to the modern era. Confident vocals and a robust, bouncy beat unite to create a song that will have fans singing along long after the effort ceases to play. Tina Tara is able to differentiate herself from the rest of the pop scene by showcasing considerable vocal prowess. Adding mightily…
Crushing us under a weighty sonic wallop in tracks like its title cut while employing for more understated methods of attack in songs like “Drama Bomb,” “Más” and “Bloodsuckers,” Juán Tigre are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to turn zany patches of white noise into thick bands of rhythm and rhyme that anyone can fall in love with in their debut album, The Dream Catcher. Though skewed with relatable…
At times droning in the background like a stream that will meet no end, in others as well-defined by jazzy complexities as it is a violent muscularity, the grooves that power songs like “Fall in Love,” “Commonly Known” and “You Don’t Do Nature,” are as potent a force as any other you’ll find when listening to People Years’ debut album Animalism this April. A good beat is often the cornerstone of any…
In her latest single, titled “Sunday Driver,” Casey Ahern continues to shine from behind the microphone with her unique fusion of pop pleasantness and humble country harmonization, with her voice unsurprisingly taking center stage amidst a colorful musical backdrop. Ahern approaches her verses with a gentle energy in this track, lending agency to the words with a style of execution that takes as much from traditional Americana as it does…
Guy Ritchie has been sorely missed for the past decade or so. Sure, he was making movies (Aladdin, Sherlock Holmes, King Artur, etc.), but he wasn’t making GUY RITCHIE movies; movies filled with memorable gangsters, senseless violence, questionable protagonist and whip smart quotable dialogue. You have to go all the way back to 2008’s RocknRolla to even come close to prime Ritchie (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch). The…
On Earth, Algorhythm is able to craft an immersive effort that ties together free-form jazz, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Gil Scott-Heron, and contemporary jam music. At any second during this single, the band can set off on a bold new trajectory from what they had previously utilized. The glue that binds together these disparate elements is the act’s tremendous musical skill. Fans can do little but be entranced by this…
S-Turns is the current seasonal from Maui Brewing Company (Maui, Hawaii). This hazy India Pale Ale pours with a light, goldenrod coloration and a goodly amount of white head. Lacing is little to non-existent in the glass. The brew possesses a good amount of alcohol bite that moderates some of the sweeter sides that tend to pop up with the hazy IPA variant. Maui has utilized an interesting blends of…
On VIP Death Squad, Bunny Blake is able to create an immersive pop track that has some serious chops to it. The dynamic established between BB’s vocals and the synth lines pushes each to higher levels. Each section of VIP Death Squad has a fairly distinct feeling; part of this performer’s skill comes in marrying together each element to create a cohesive and coherent composition. The chorus of Bunny Blake’s…
On Greyhound Bus, Jefferson Thomas is able to call back to 1980s country in the vein of Alabama and Earl Thomas Conley. Listen close enough and one will pick up hints of Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and early Billy Joel. With an ear for pop, Thomas is able to establish a crossover single. Keeping fans on the edges of their seats with a cogent narrative and a hooky chorus, Jefferson…
I Am More Than A Conqueror is the new single by Tonya Lewis Taylor, and it immediately brings a jovial sound and hopeful lyrics to the fore. Robust instrumentation provides for a big sound to Taylor’s latest. Blending female and male lyrics throughout the track, Taylor is able to build up an authoritative sound that reverberates loudly long after the single ceases playing. Over the course of four-plus minutes, Tonya…
AV Super Sunshine create a laid-back dance effort in Smile. The song brings a hint of the folksy singer-songwriter style of performers like Iggy Pop and Leonard Cohen, while infusing sweeping synths and a solidly sequenced percussion into the mix. Charismatic vocals leisurely lay on top of Smile, engaging listeners as simultaneously, the instrumentation does much to create a vibrant soundscape. AV Super Sunshine’s multimedia approach to Smile provide further…