For a song named iLoveJustinBieber, Jack Bruno comes out with a sick flow. With a hard-hitting set of bars and a chorus that blends together Tech N9ne and Three Loco, Jack Bruno is able to work with current rap and trap styles. Bruno’s output here is nothing less than impressive, telling a story as he adds a bit of finesse to the booming beats and clap track that represent the…
Yungeen Ace is able to tie together a southern rap style with a tortured, emotionally intense flow that showcases the other side of trapping. Few rappers are able to come forth with such an honest flow, and it’s one of the strongest facets for So Long. Listeners are able to get a tremendous introduction to Yungeen Ace over the course of the single’s run time. A tale plucked from reality,…
On Fashion Slayer, HEЯITAGE is able to link together 1970s funk, 1990s hip-hop and a bit of Latin bass into a track that will get listeners out on the dance floor. We’re in particular love with the intense bass line and the Daft Punk-esque synths that are weaved through Fashion Slayer. The two-part vocal harmonies presented here do more than tell a story – they add considerable depth to an…
On Wild Things, Just Like Honey is able to make a contemplative indie-rock track that takes the best part of Disintegration-era Cure and the Jesus and Mary Chain (where the act takes their name) and mixes them up into a wholly unique sound. Bold bass lines, twinkling guitar work, and spot-on drums unite to establish an overall soundscape that will stick with listeners long after the song ceases to play.…
Just a year after the release of his 1974 comeback album, Professor Longhair – arguably one of the Big Easy’s most important exports – played a remarkable show on the deck of the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, CA, at party hosted, oddly enough, by Paul and Linda McCartney. That March 24, 1975 set was recorded and released a few years later and would go on to help the…
Only Human is a tremendously passionate single in the vein of Lenny Kravitz or Prince. With equal parts sultry guitar and touching vocals, Dax Brooks is able to make a touching effort. The presence of a bit of soul and even traditional R&B imbues Only Human with a timeless sound. Brooks’ stellar performance during this cut will stick with listeners long after the track ceases to play. With just enough…
On No Way, SHI 360 has an intense flow that is part Tech N9ne, part Royce da 5’9. The chorus shifts things up a bit, providing a chiller, more contemplative sound before SHI 360’s bars begin again. The two distinct segments of No Way are essential in establishing the track as a bona fide chartable single. With a timeless flair to the track, SHI 360 is able to stay true…
Bernard Hyppolite makes a hard-hitting effort with his “American Dream”. With hints of Wyclef Jean and 311 present in his vocal style, Hyppolite is able to imbue an immediacy to the effort. American Dream’s backing beat unites traditional and modern as well as vocal and instrumental sides, ensuring that listeners are firmly on the edges of their seats. Hyppolite’s flow adds to this overall soundscape, making for something that goes…
On Seven Past Sunset’s Overwhelmed, a heavy rock sound is matched well with supersonic vocals. The act is able to call back to the late-nineties and early-2000s post-grunge style. With guitars that tie together Meshuggah, White Zombie, and Papa Roach, the track is able to assault listeners while the charismatic vox draw fans back from the void. The production of Overwhelmed ensures that the disparate sides of Seven Past Sunset…
You is a laid-back sort of track from Jonny Dee. The track is able to tie in hints of soul, R&B, and ambient music that will have listeners reclining in luxury. A dreamy set of vocals plays out over a rap style that is wholly unique. With a clear and erudite style playing out over the backing beat, fans will be impressed at how Jony Dee is able to lay…
On Feel Me, A Bad Think are able to tie together Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows). The dreamy vocals are bolstered through assertive guitar lines and drums / bass that add mightily to the bottom of the track. The effort gradually shifts and changes styles to end up at a much different place than A Bad Think began their Feel Me. The drum / vocal dynamic…
On Blueberry Fireworks, Anana Kaye is able to refresh the style of performers like Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks and Tori Amos. The emotive and touching vocals are paired alongside pianos and drums that accentuate every lyric. With a bit of 1960s soul that is whipped into the mix on Blueberry Fireworks, Kaye is able to reach the widest possible collection of fans. A stellar production ensures that each of the…
If Tom Waits had been born and raised on boudin and Tabasco sauce somewhere in rural Louisiana, he’d sound a hell of a lot like Rod Melancon. On Pinkville, Melancon’s fourth and most personal LP yet, the Cajun Dylan delivers a powerfully searing collection of Southern Gothic, swamp rock with tinges of Americana. The album starts out slow with the two gritty opening songs, the title track and “Goin’ Out…
Marvel, the latest effort by Masaki Hanakata, begins with a very vibrant and bouncy sound in La La Laura. This bouncy feeling continues into Rainbow. With each track only occupying a few minutes, it becomes easy for Masaki to create something unique and expand upon the sound without allowing the song to become repetitious. Eimar starts off slowly and tenderly, with Hanakata building upon the style of mid-1990s indie rock.…
On Miles Away, Black Lion is able to call back to 1990s hip-hop for a track that is part laid-back, part hard-hitting street rap. With a twinkling production that builds off of the tradition of J. Dilla, Miles Away simply slaps. The contribution of Janel Sherise to the cut’s chorus provides a further layer of finesse to the song. There’s enough variety to Miles Away that it will stay fresh…
At Least Not Today is the first track on Londale’s new album Achilles. The track expertly links together 1980s pop-rock with 1990s to make something that is vibrant, catchy, and will ultimately require greater engagement by listeners to hear everything that has been placed within. The production on Achilles is solid, adding a hint of grit to effortlessly unite the guitars, vocals, and drums that issue forth. Quit Breaking My…
If there was ever a big 4 of Deathcore, Whitechapel would be among them, along with Job for a Cowboy, Suicide Silence, and perhaps All Shall Perish. These are the bands that invented the genre and created the foundation for what would become nearly a decade of future copycats and a mire of mediocre ripoffs. But Whitechapel are back in 2019 to show us why they truly deserve their seat…
There aren’t many bluegrass groups that have both the instrumental and lyrical prowess that Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers do, and they exploit their talents for all that they’re worth in the brand new album For the Record. From “That Old Wheel” to “Georgia Slammer,” Mullins and the equally skilled cast of Randy Barnes, Duane Sparks, Mike Terry and Jason Barie throttle us with impossibly dexterous string compositions, larger than…
Nancy Ruth is able to make a tremendously sultry effort that showcases the sheer breadth of her voice. With complex and thoughtful arrangements commonplaces during Todo Para Ti (All For You), Ruth is able to ensure that listeners will have to play the effort multiple times before hearing each and every dynamic that is built up here. Extended instrumental sections further increase the replay value of Todo Para Ti; while…
On Naked, Kalliopi is able to recall the mid-oughts singer-songwriter genre (e.g. Kelly Clarkson, Pink) and impart her own sound upon the style. What begins in a very sedate fashion changes up considerably as Kalliopi moves into the two-minute mark. With a more insistent guitar and a bass laying down a rich and varied line in the background, Naked is able to really get some solid momentum in its second…