Bill Crews and the Crews Cartel’s People Get Ready (originally released by Curtis Mayfield) is a tremendously powerful track that links together traditional gospel music with country and soul styles. The narrative laid down here by Bill is honest and earnest in its execution, while the secondary vocals that match (and accentuate) Bill’s voice ensure that the resulting composition will resound with one long after the song ceases to play.…
Keyvous’s Catch A Wave is a single that will immediately tattoo its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. Booming bass lines and on-point percussion provide the perfect backdrop for Keyvous’s vox. The track sits at the nexus of R&B and rap, linking together performers as wide-ranging as Omarion, Trey Songz, and The Weeknd. There’s crossover appeal to Catch A Wave that will ensure numerous playlist placements and…
On Walk With Me, Diane Gentile and Alejandro Escovedo are able to create a tremendous duet. Filled out by the Gentle Men’s instrumental approach, Walk With Me is able to take up multiple genres during its run time. There are nods to John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, and Stevie Nicks along with hints of Roy Orbison and The Appleseed Cast. The guitar work stands up nicely as the single’s bridge, showcasing…
Carly Hanley’s “Oh La La” is a delightful pop track that will appease fans both with Carly’s inimitable vocals as well as the booming bass and sweeping synths that flesh out the bottom of the track. Oh La La shines because of this yin and yang approach. As the song continues to play, Hanley’s narrative will keep listeners firmly engrossed with the narrative of love that she weaves. Hanley’s able…
Greg Hoy’s “Comfort Vendetta” immediately starts with a bit of math-rocdk fuzz (imagine The Red Hot Valentines meets Weezer). The vocals immediately light up the single, working alongside the aforementioned instrumentation to push each side to new heights. Comfort Vendetta’s chorus has the act go all-in, making for a section that fans will be singing along with after a few short plays. This is a track that could work well…
Battle Tapes’s “Brand New” has a fun retro sound that is part Dire Straits and part Franz Ferdinand in its execution. The track links together electronic, pop, and rock in a fashion that will get listeners out on the dance floor. The silky-smooth vocals that play at the top of the band’s new single are the perfect match for the high-energy synths and insistent beat of the percussion. Brand New…
Smilez’s “I Hate My Ex” is an assertive pop track that espuses a sentiment that a number of individuals throughout the world will be able to understand. There’s still moments that I call back to my past and remember how former significant others have done me wrong. Smilez is able to blend together crisp and clear backing instrumentation with an emotive and rich set of vocals. The hook that they…
Honey and Blue’s “All In My Head” is a powerful R&B effort that builds off of the tradition furthered by performers like Kelis and early Bey. The back and forth of the pair’s vocals keeps things fresh throughout the track’s runtime. There’s a clarity here that ensures the vox are able to shine alongside the booming bass and more thoughtful keys. The presence of a bit of funk here further distinguishes…
Right Here is the first track on Pick Ups and Put Downs, immediately having Merit Maker kick things into high gear. This introductory salvo builds upon the trends of pop-punk acts from Blink 182, MxPx, and The Vandals. Two minutes go by in the blink of an eye, as the band moves on to False Starts. False Starts opens up with sick bass lines and splashy drums. There’s a surprising…
Jessie-May K’s Do What We Want is a hopeful track that blends pop sensibilities with a decidedly retro sort of instrumentation. Keys feel as if they are pulled from 1980s new wave while there’s a hopeful confidence that brings in hints of mid-1990s alternative (eg Elastica, Natalie Cole). The production imbues the track with a crispness that delineates it from the bulk of music put forth. Do What We Want…
In an indie music scene dominated by various genres and experimental sounds, it is rare to stumble upon a band that seamlessly blends the infectious rhythms of funk with the introspective nature of indie music. Noshows, the indie outfit fronted by producer and songwriter Max Satow, breaks the mold with their latest single, “Slow Up (feat. AUD).” This funk-infused gem not only showcases their undeniable talent but also highlights the…
The weight of the instrumental prowess is certainly familiar, as is the elegance of the arrangement that will soon come together before our very ears, but in its totality, there’s something very different about both Giorgia Fumanti and the song “Quand on Prie La Bonne Etoile” as they’re presented together in the new album Cinema Collection. As you might be able to guess, Cinema Collection is a record full of cover songs handpicked…
Band Announces New Tour Dates with Rehab and Scotty Austin Columbia, MO based Heavy Rockers Dark Below have delivered their powerful new single “Make Believe”. What began as a humble trio making music for their friends in the Midwest has grown into a promising force on the national scene. LINK TREE: https://linktr.ee/darkbelow The song features a massive, wall of sound vibe – Thanks to award-winning producer Malcolm Springer (Matchbox 20, Collective Soul, Fear Factory, Josey Scott). The…
Rockers Mainland Break can be very conceptual when they want to be, and while I enjoyed every bit of what their rivals have had to say in the past few months, I don’t think it prepared me for what I was going to review this summer in One Way Ticket to Midnight. URL: https://mainlandbreak.com/ Just looking at the album cover of One Way Ticket to Midnight alludes to a contemporary surrealism so many…
Great music is at the center of culture, no matter the genre we’re talking about or the audience keeping it alive. In this spirit, Kaitlyn Kohler’s new single “Everywhere I Go” sounds and feels like it was tailor-made for the contemporary era, wrapping around us like warm arms in a much-needed embrace from a friend we need to make. Kohler enters the mix with a voice as smooth as velvet,…
Will Rainier’s status as a fixture in the indie music singer/songwriter community isn’t a stroke of luck. It’s a result, first and foremost, of an unquestionable work ethic that’s propelled his prolific output. He has nine albums to his credit with his wife Jen Garrett under the moniker Stuporhero, one solo album, and another release with his band Will Rainier & The Pines. He has kept high standards throughout those…
Rob Alexander’s new album, Young Man’s Eyes, is a heartfelt and introspective journey that solidifies his position as a gifted singer-songwriter in the rock music landscape. Spanning thirteen tracks and approximately fifty minutes, this album showcases Alexander’s ability to craft captivating narratives and deliver unforgettable melodies. With poignant lyrics and a dynamic sonic landscape, Young Man’s Eyes is an album that demands attention and rewards listeners with its depth and…
Step into room, and you will see Henri Cainglet’s work. The Filipino native has an undeniable, visual aesthetic that inspires both delightful bewilderment, and a sense of all-encompassing, wild-eyed immersion. There’s something refreshingly modern about his style, whilst simultaneously displaying a kind of timelessness. Mr. Cainglet’s mixture of his cultural roots with elements of key American painters creates this kind of uncanny valley viewing experience. You feel like you are…
Led by its ethereal melody, entirely muscular in substance and yet capable of drawing us closer in the same way a much softer instrument would, “Feel That” has all the guts and glory of a lead-off track like “Ship of Fools” or “Best Friends,” but as a deep cut in the new EP Chroma Crawl, it proves how much depth Helen Kelter Skelter has as a heavy rock act in 2023.…
Jaye Madison’s new EP MIRЯOR: Vision is a luxuriant and expansive collection with impressive scope despite its brevity. Twin sisters Madison and Jordan Skinner accomplish in four tracks what takes many other bands and solo artists upwards of ten to twelve songs to realize. Anyone looking for rollicking honkytonk or pop rock with a cowboy hat will find the sister’s material lacking. This doesn’t mean the Texas natives look askance on writing…