Stacy Burk makes a tremendous splash with his latest track, Mix a Little. This timeless country effort works perfectly alongside the works of Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley while staying honest to the nineties traditions of Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt. Mix a Little succeeds because of the front-forward vocals of Burk and epic arrangements on the track – each guitar line, punchy drum beat, and the sounds created by…
Crying on the Dancefloor, Parralox’s latest single is a track that touches upon a wide array of dance styles, ensuring that the track resounds loudly for anyone that has dug 1990s, 2002, or current dance music in the past. The vocals utilized in the track absolutely soar over the composition, while the arrangements keep the energy high. The dubstep-esque drops that demarcate the mid-point of the track provide a further…
Pin Me Up is a track that is built off of the work of mid-nineties Mariah Carey and It’s Not Right-era Whitney Houston and more contemporary influences (Carly Rae Jepsen). The track’s slower tempo is dreamy and represents a good love song. The slight hints of electronic music that are interspersed through the track firmly moor it to the cutting edge of music, while strong production values make it a…
Lifeline is a track that skillfully blends R&B with EDM, creating a track that shines no matter in which context listeners enjoy it. The production is immaculate, keeping the energy high while enrobing Elle’s vocals in a very current and contemporary format. The tempo ebbs and flows as Elle captures a very common set of feelings for anyone that has found love, with the track gradually gaining speed as…
Amanda Lamb has a new effort that straddles the line between pop and country, with her vocals fitting into a Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry type of groove. Unlike a great many pop tracks, there is a substantial focus on the instrumental arrangements during We Were Here. The guitars are emotive and thoughtful (and are reminiscent of The Eagles), while there is a chugging bass line and an…
Karim Baggili’s latest effort, Kali City, features Le Trio Joubran. The first few efforts of the album (Down Town, Ella & Jad, Dawn at Sea, Big Fish, and Silent Stories) provide listeners with a stellar introduction to Baggali’s unparalleled approach to world music. Arabic Circus is a stellar effort in terms of how taut the instrumentation is, while there is a fun and playful sound that is cultivated by the…
Kevin Kern has imbued a number of his classic tracks with a vitality and vigor that allows Always Near to speak volumes to anyone listening in, whether it be long-term lovebirds or those that may be new to romantic relationships.
Sacred Earth have released a number of titles that have expanded what listeners can expect from world music. The Way Home’s Om Namah Shivaya is a thoughtful start to Real Music’s latest compilation, Breath of Life. The nearly nine-minute track allows listeners to meditate and get into a fruitful mindspace. The subtle shifts in styles that are present during this track will keep listeners focused for the entirety of the…
“Unbreakable” the first single off Dirty South’s highly-anticipated sophomore album “WITH YOU” is out now and available as an instant download to fans who pre-order the album, which is slated for release November 4th in the U.S. on Astralwerks.
…A Mountain, A Struggle, A Tunnel, A Light… is the latest effort from Jiggley Jones, and contains six slices of his life discussed through music. Walk On Me starts things off, and it showcases Jones as a performer that is able to weave a tremendously interesting narration. The instrumentation that is present during this introductory track provides a very complete and beautiful polish to Jones’ vocals. The slower tempo taken…
Right Angles is an intense bit of progressive metal that immediately hits listeners and does not let them go. The arrangements that Demos creates on this album showcase his technical skill, all while creating a narrative that is as rich and fulfilling as any vocal-heavy composition. The same high level of momentum continues with Under a Darkened Sky, an eight-plus minute composition that links together early0-nineties Megadeth with Machine Head.…
Class Reunion is an act that has been around in some form or another since 2007. The constituent members of Class Reunion have known each other for a considerably longer time, meeting at high school in 1983. The act links together a wide variety of styles and approaches to create something wholly unique while maintaining enough ties to current and contemporary music to keep listeners interesting from the beginning to…
The Banner Days begins with My Beloved. The track immediately ties together the two constituent vocals to make for a rich and fulfilling sound, while the arrangements that are present during this introductory track pus the effort into an entirely new realm. Loomis and Whitney create a style of music that deftly ties together country, indie, and singer-songwriter formats into something that will keep listeners on the edges of their…
Josey Milner’s current single, Cowgirls, is a high-energy sort of country track that builds off of the work of Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson and Kellie Pickler. The track pushes both instrumental and vocal sides to greater heights. It is really a feat of Milner that she is able to create such a musically fulfilling track that is still able to hammer home a clear set of vocals. An…
The ferocity of the opening of Escape is something that will immediately draw listeners in, while the initial vocal work provides a considerable level of variety to the track. Able Danger creates a style of rock that touches upon the work of Amy Lee (Evanescence) and Nightwish, while having enough hooks and melodies placed into the track to make a serious play for radio play.
While the major labels are cashing in a second time on the iconic alt rock bands of the 1990s, thanks to the two and three decade anniversary re-releases of their albums, a slew of up and coming bands are launching careers, raised on the music of Nirvana, Soundgarden and the Riotgrrl groups of Washington State. Among the most promising of that lot is Athens-based duo Cancers.
Hayride is the latest single from Stockholm’s Hicks, who hits it out of the park with a down and dirty track that is as much Toby Keith as it is Poison. The track blends dirty, dusty nights with big city gloss and polish to provide listeners with a track that will stick with them long after the track has ceased. The harmonies created by the instrumentation on Hayride are further…
Suddenly is a single released by New York City’s Dalal. The track links together pop and dance genres to create something that could easily make it onto radio rotation. Dalal’s vocals are influenced by Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. The backing instrumentation is steeped in EDm and dance music, ensuring that fans of the eighties, nineties, and current decades of dance music will have something that they can sink…
The second album in six years by this collective, featuring a revolving cast of musicians, boasts members from Belly, Guided By Voices, Nada Surf and Letters to Cleo, among many others. The core of the group, though, still includes Dave Derby (Dambuilders/Lloyd Cole), Rainy Orteca, Sean Eden and Kevin March.
Rival Empire has created a style with their self-titled album that ties together the eighties with the current day. The band links together acts like Chromeo, Good Charlotte, and Cash Cash into something that is eminently catchy and fun. Cameo Crush builds off of a Michael Jackson hook and spins things faster, giving listeners a track that hangs with current EDM.