Meg Whalen’s The Break is a soft and sedate track which that will keep listeners firmly on the edges of their seats. There is such care taken in this composition that every note ends up working. Meg’s rich vocals both contribute to the larger harmonies of The Break while providing a coherent narrative. As the fuzzy guitars and emphatic drums enter into the composition, the single is able to gain…
Warren Haynes has announced The Whisper Sessions, a collection of stripped-down versions of songs off his recent solo album, Million Voices Whisper. The 9-track digital-only album – which includes a stunning version of the Allman Brothers Band classic “Melissa” with Haynes’ longtime ABB bandmate Derek Trucks, who is featured on three songs – will be released on Friday, September 12th via Fantasy Records. The intimate renditions peel back the layers to spotlight Haynes’ soulful voice, masterful guitar work, and the heartfelt storytelling at the…
James Robert Webb’s Weekend Outlaw Is the Soundtrack to Your Friday Night Identity Crisis Review by Someone Who Didn’t Expect to Enjoy This and Now Feels Emotionally Compromised You know those country songs that are basically just a guy screaming “FRIIIIIDAY” over a fiddle while a truck does donuts in the background? James Robert Webb’s Weekend Outlaw is… not that. I mean, yes — there are trucks. Yes, there’s a…
Circus Mind’s Battle of Brooklyn is a single that defies genre convention. With a set of vocals that take up the standard of Mick Jagger and a taut instrumentation, this single will undoubtedly draw in fans by the boart load. Battle of Brooklyn is a song that needs multiple plays to properly understand, as the relationships between the guitars, drums, keys, and vox are deep. Even after a number of…
Camille K’s Be My Boo is an airy pop track that will bury its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The song draws inspiration from the pop of the late 1990s / early 2000s, marrying these nods to a modern and alluring instrumentation. There are hints of Mariah Carey and Pink here, as Camille K showcases all the tenderness and love the titular statement would indicate. As…
Ozzie D.’s “America, Our Great Land” is a great inclusion for a list of patriotic songs. While we are all familiar with the standards from Key to Greenwood, Ozzie D.’s latest effort is able to simultaenously touch upon the revolutionary standards as well as a modern pop-rock track. Thinking about the latter, Ozzie D.’s band is able to tie in sizzling guitar work and on-point drums that feel drawn from…
On Jody, Rosita & P.U.R.P are able to make a truly outstanding rap single that is hard to pin down, with the performers (including the feature by Akeem Ali) contributing distinctive segments. This means that the single moves from Lauryn Hill to Outkast at the of a dime. The one thing that is consistent through Jody is a clear-headed, driven word flow. Jody is a track that should be put…
The new collab between Robbie Rosen and Coffeeshop is poppy EDM with hopeful, bright vocals. There is all the richness of a Freddie Mercury or the most wizened praise singer, while the immense instrumental backdrop will assuredly yield new twists and turns as listeners continue to play this track. Bringin’ It Home is one of those transformational tracks that you experience while at a festival, one that over the course…
FrontnBack’s “Royal Beauty Queen” is a delightful and fun pop-reggae effort that will appease any fans of Akon or Sean Kingston. The light and airy arrangements are precisely what Frontback’s vocals need to shine. The rich instrumentation ensures that every second of Royal Beauty Queen is substantially different from what had immediately preceded it. This song is truly timeless, a composition that is honest while being proficiently arranged and produced…
Cate Le Bon announces her seventh album, Michelangelo Dying, out September 26th via Mexican Summer, and releases the lead single/video, “Heaven Is No Feeling.” Michelangelo Dying’s creation was led by pure emotion, usurping the album Le Bon thought she was making. The product of all-consuming heartache, her feelings overrode her reluctance to write an album about love, and in the process became a kind of exorcism. What emerges is a…
Ron Brunk’s “Feel The Sunlight” has a very bright sound to it that matches well the late spring time that the song was released. The bit of additional vocal elements added to the chorus provides fullness to the song, while there’s a bit of closeness contributed by the very human drum work that plays in the background. Each element on Brunk’s Feel The Sunlight feels right and adds something different to…
The Fake Whales’s Shine draws inspiration from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and James Taylor. There are good amounts of folk rock as well as psychedelic elements that will bubble up from time to time. There are elements that will have listeners singing along jammed up alongside very heady and deep instrumental elements. Shine may only run for about four and a half minutes, but the space that…
Amarachi’s “Earth Is Ghetto” is a fun and compelling composition that succeeds due to its softly-sang approach and multiple layers. While the song ultimately resides in the pop soundscape, the distinctive arrangements create a robust backdrop upon which Amarachi’s vox can reside. Earth Is Ghetto’s strongest suit has to be Amarachi’s vocals, which convey richness and emotional complexitry all while bolstering the overall harmonies of the single. Check out Amarachi’s…
She Rises, the newest single from Karen Atkins, is a softly-stated piece of alt-pop that builds off the framework of performers like Liz Phair and Natalie Cole. There’s a bit of rap-esque flow that starts up shortly after, giving She Rises a very unique sound that will undoubtedly draw fans in. The distinct parts of She Rises all join to make an engrossing effort; what is presented here is starkly…
On Passion, Milky Chance are able to create an infectious groove and a bit of wry vocal delivery. The bassy beat that weaves its way through Passion glues these parts together, creating an alt-dance track that will appease fans of MGMT and Crystal Castles. The layered approach that Milky Chance use here differentiates Passion from similar fare, ensuring that listeners will continue to find new twists and turns even multiple…
Say It Back, the latest effort by Summer Colds, looks back to 1990s alternative rock for inspiration. This lo-fi track contains considerable guitar fuzz and booming drums. The raw charisma exhibited here by Nic pushes this effort into rotation-ready territory. Say It Back’s bridge gives fans a few seconds to catch their breath before moving back into the hooky, power-pop-infused sound that initiated things. This is a home run for…
“Single of the Year,” the new single from Maddye Trew (out May 23 via TLG/Virgin/Trew Blue), is a slow-burning triumph of barroom melancholy and clever lyrical craftsmanship. More than just a fun country ditty, it’s a layered and emotionally resonant track that sits comfortably at the crossroads of modern Americana and classic Nashville storytelling. WEBSITE: https://www.maddyetrew.com/ Where many artists chase the sonic trends of pop-country, Trew digs her boots deeper…
On The Gardener, D. Boone Pittman is able to making an endearing country track that will have listeners recalling their own families. The raw passion and emotion that D. Boone showcases here is nothing less than extraordinary. One can easily pick up exactly how much their grandmother meant to them. Pittman’s ability to not only tell a story but to add to the overall harmonies of the track is unmatched;…
Allbrook Station’s “Chimerical” is a song that possesses all of the things necessary for the band to garner some serious rock radio airplay. There are assertive drums, utterly charismatic vocals, and a brooding production that will draw in fans of acts like Seether and Falling in Reverse. Allbrook Station crafts something familiar but utterly their own; this is the sort of rock that works perfectly no matter whether one is working…
On Classy, A-Wax 1 Million is able to build upon the California sound refined by performers like E-40 and Too Short. The song’s production is perio-daccurate while possessing all the hooks necessary to have listeners fall in love with the single. There is a sublime confidence that is exuded by A-Wax 1 Million that further converts anyone that’s happened upon the single. The sub-2 minute run time of Classy showcases…