The titular, opening effort on Ruby Topaz’s new album Rabbit Hole has the guitar sizzle and alluring vocals of a BTO or Boston. Therre’s a quality to these guitar / drum dynamics that will stick with fans long after the song ends. The robust momentum achieved from this opening salvo will keep listeners firmly locked to the edges of their seats. You’re Still Running benefits from a production that allows…
Kate Fenner’s new album Dead Reckoning begins with My River, a track which sets the stage for the album. There is deliberate and careful piano arrangements which act as the backing for Fenner’s vocals. These lyrics build up a narrative that will draw in listeners even from the earliest segments of the release. Transit of Venus has a bit of 1970s lounge and Carpenters intertwined with Kate’s hopeful voice. The…
What Love Is, the first single on Doc City’s Welcome to Doc City has an absolutely timeless feel. There’s a fair amount of lounge, a bit of jazz, and all the passion and charisma that one could conceivably desire. It’s not just the vocals here; each element that contributes to the composition has their own immense sound that resounds loudly. When You Are Near shifts up things a bit. The…
Sprockets, the introductory track from Globus’ new album Cinematica, acts as a set-piece for the tracks that are to follow. Peace In Our Time has the act build up a dramatic, dark cityscape that represents the perfect backdrop for the sensual, charismatic vocals that are laid down soon after. The momentum of PIOT gradually increases to a break-neck piece; Globus will have listeners firmly on the edges of their seats…
Driving, stripped-down rock music begins Baba Jenkins’ new single, Touro de Lide. The guitar work builds upon the sizzling style of a Slash, while there’s a hooky and pulsating beat that is contributed here by the bass and drums. Alongside with the eclectic vocal work, these elements touch upon acts as diverse as Tom Morello, Audioslave, and Blue Oyster Cult. Touro de Lide is a rare example of a song…
Dontae Peeps’ new single “Ordinary Love” shines not only from Dontae’s vocals but also the luxurious instrumentation that plays in the background. The booming percussion provides highlighting to his sultry and sexy lyrics while the back and forth between the vocals and arrangements pushes each into a higher plateau. There’s a deceptively deep sound that is cultivated through Ordinary Love, ensuring that listeners will be able to play the song multiple…
First off, the flow that issues forth on That’s That Girl is amazing. There’s an absolutely timeless lyrical performance that will immediately tattoo the new effort from Madoa Sankara & Sudan 6ix. There’s a whole lot of 1990s NYC rap that can be heard here, but the luxurious beat that plays in the back imbues the effort with a timeless veneer. The bit of echo that is placed on Sankara’s…
Ninebay Jakub’s “Found Love” has a touching message that is highlighted with booming bass and delicate strings. The vocals pull double duty in telling a story as well as bolstering the backing instrumentation. The production is vocal-forward but there’s a nice nod back to the work of J Dilla here. Found Love is an effort that can easily make it onto modern pop rotation while having enough depth to hold…
On “Let’s Party”, Kool & The Gang are able to create a track that will get listeners on the dance floor while staying true to their traditional style. The arrangements lay out luxuriously on the composition while the distinct lyrics are able to touch upon the work of genre colleagues like The Black Eyed Peas and Chromeo. Tying together the past to the present ensures that Let’s Party will have…
On Royalty, The Cofields are able to immediately draw attention to their track. There’s a huge beat that start things out before the hard-nosed rap flow of Calvin takes a focal point on the song. The production of the track is immaculate; each beat, sample, and arrangement is meticulously designed for the greatest impact. Keeping things at a high energy here is Kimberly, who is able to match the ground-shaking…
Major Spark’s “Birds Aren’t Real” begins with a hilarious conspiracy-laden . Hints of Dick Dale and Weird Al can be picked up here, while the composition itself enjoys a truly timeless feel to it. The dynamic established between the guitars and drums here is fun – each has a deliberate sound that can be whipped up into something greater as the vox kick back in. The song feels made for…
Mychael Gabriel’s “Sunday Afternoon” is a dreamy pop effort that is able to entice listeners through charismatic vocals and just enough fuzz to keep things cozy. The product is sharp enough to allow the distinct pieces of the single to shine, all while the vocals, drums, and guitar are able to unite into something special. There’s a bit of Lenny Kravitz, a bit of Sean Lennon, and a whole heaping…
Music snobs harbor the misguided idea that modern country music, Nashville in particular, produces dreck the way rabbits birth offspring. Doom and shallow diving await any listeners wading through the slush pile of any modern music as creative pools in many genres are drier than ever before. Country music, as we know it today, isn’t an inherently vacuous vehicle for aspiring singers and musicians. Profiteers abound wherever you look willing…
UniversalDice’s Out of Many, One is a catchy rock effort that bends together Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg with late 1970s / early 1980s arena rock. The bit of distortion and fuzz that bubbles up at points on the single do well to join together the different sections encountered here. UniversalDice’s reverence to performances like Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne place the single into the broader corpus of rock, but…
On Everybody Wants to Be Somebody, Greg Hoy ?& The Boys are able to effortlessly link together arena rock with 1990s punk. The two styles work perfectly together. There’s a bit of a verbal sneer that bleeds through the confident guitars and splashy drums. The track is teeming with riffs and a catchy chorus that will be difficult to remove from one’s head. The guitar solo that glues the two…
On “My Favourite Time Of The Year”, Betty Beata is able to create an immersive track that will have listeners hanging on every word. The dynamioc established between the vocal and instrumental side of things pushes each to a higher plateau. There’s a sense that Betty Beata is able to craft her own unique approach to the corpus of holiday music even as she touches upon the leitmotif of the…
Sonarpilot’s Citadel is an enthralling composition that moves through an array of different dance genres to create an immersive effort. There’s tremendous narrative that is baked into each movement here, as Sonarpilot brings in drum and bass, ambient, and jungle within the course of mere seconds. There’s a laser-like focus to this track; everything that is included here as a place. Gradually moving into a more insistnet beat, Citadel is…
On I Feel, DMF Musa is able to blend together rap and R&B in a fashion that will tattoo the song deeply into the minds and hearts of listeners. The production of the track gives the lyrical flow ample opporutnity to shine, all while the booming bass and pewrcussion fills in the gaps whenever DMF Musa steps back. The effort shines, simultaneously ensuring that DMF Musa can provide his own…
With a brooding introduction via the guitar strings, the stately melody that will power The Real J Israel’s incredible juggernaut “A Better Me” comes into focus ready to crater anything that comes in its path. Israel begins to sing, his voice tainted with a hesitance that will grow into a rather endearing quality as we press forward, but there’s nothing but assertiveness in his lyrics. He straddles the rhythm of…
If you are looking for an excellent Christmas song this year, you will not find better than Dianña’s new single “Missing You Underneath the Mistletoe”. This gorgeously rendered, patient, and powerful track doesn’t try grabbing you immediately but, instead, unfolds with simmering yet understated passion throughout. It’s the third single that she has released this year following earlier tracks such as “Hands” and “Calm Down Karen” The track is currently…