You Sad has Tkay Maidza crafting an airy, confident pop-themed track. With nods to mid-1990s performers like Natalie Cole and Sheryl Crow, the effort is able to forge boldly forth with a unique flair. The vocals are placed front and center, with the backing instrumentation of synth and guitar acting as the perfect compliment for Tkay’s lyrics. You Sad simultaneously showcases the worth of the individual and the ability to…
You can’t hold down Brandyn Cross. After a devastating train accident that changed his world, Cross has emerged a solo artist years later. His new single, If Money Talks (It Ain’t on Speakin’ Terms With Me) co-written by Daryl Stevenett.is a prosperous tale of a hardworking man that can’t seem to cash-in. The all-too-relatable tale is bolstered through the slide guitar and a forlorn violin. Cross’ new track is bankable…
With a slinky groove behind its melodic strut, there’s never any question in the opening bars of “Boom – Love Version” as to whether or not we’re getting the best performance out of HeIsTheArtist possible – around every turn in his new EP Adam & Eve, this slow jam crooner is giving every part of himself to the audience. Sensuousness is delivered through an unbranded lens in Adam & Eve, and while…
The Free Show has a fascinating vocal delivery. Dropping the instrumentation to a lower level, Haerle is able to draw fan’s attention to the lyrical content. Rather than leaving the guitars and drums out in the cold, the next section reverses the roles with a nice uptick to the track’s tempo. Run and Be Free has Haerle tell a rich story about how his own lie (as well as LA’s)…
Let’s Dance is a throwback to the easy-going rap tracks of the mid-1990s. 5ive ft Giant has tremendous vocal ability showcased here; the cadence that he achieves here is single-handedly the reason fans will stay o the edges of their seats. Moving into the chorus, Let’s Dance takes on hints of tradition of gospel vocal delivery. By mooring the track to a number of distinct genres, 5ive ft Giant is…
Gas U Up starts out with an assertive bass line and Devinn Le’Raay’s impassioned vocals. Together, these two elements are able to build upon the tradition of performers like K-Ci and JoJo and Tyrese all while creating something vibrant and future-facing.Two minutes is all that Le’Raay needs to create a bonafide hit. Still Luv Me calls back to the R&B style of the late 1990s. Le’Raay’s ability to tell a…
Bakir Floyd is able to showcase his tender side on his latest single, 2 A.M.. There’s little needed for the song’s backing instrumentation than a snap and sequenced drum line, allowing Bakir ample ability to really craft a finesse-filled narrative. Adding a bit of rapid-fire lyrical content at the song’s final quarter, Floyd ensures that the track will remain fresh in listeners’ minds for months after their initial experience. 2…
Love Hypocrisy has a haunting, brilliant sound that separates what Ginny Luke is doing from any other pop performers. With nods to hard rock and EDM, the song ends up having a deep, layered body. Fans will be able to find new twists and turns on subsequent plays, all while they are serenades by the charismatic chops of Ginny Luke. Hitting a crescendo at the 2:45 mark, Luke is able…
Blindboss blends together California pop-punk with bits of Voltaire, Coheed and Cambria, and CKY. On Fake Internet Points, there’s a circus atmosphere crafted in the track and accompanying vocals. Deliberate drumming and robust bass linked together the otherworldly guitars and keys. The emotive vocal approach here will appease fans of Yellowcard and Unwritten Law, while the song’s lyrical content will speak to those individuals that have become burnt out at…
I.C.E. at the Door, the latest video from Sanya N’Kanta, has a brilliant video that will immediately draw listeners in. The track blends together hints of reggae, alternative-rock and R&B to make for something wholly unique. The synth and guitar combine to imbue a classic and futuristic sound for the track, while N’Kanta’s lyrics showcase the numerous problems that exist with American politics and home life. A sizzling guitar solo…
Perfect Love has a unique sound to it. The twinkling, slower tempo establishes a gauzy, finesse-focused approach upon which Sy’s vocals can shine. While there are nods to janet.-era Janet Jackson and Corinne Bailey Rae, there’s is a taut instrumentation that speaks well to current radio singles. Few tracks are able to further both vocal and musical arrangements without leaving one side in the cold, but both parts of Perfect…
Rough Draft, by Psychopath Etiquette, is the debut EP of the songwriting duo of brothers David and Paul Sprague. The Southern Maine based siblings have their own unique blend of folk and rock which make up the indie vernacular between them. They are a group formed out of necessity of needing to see where their ideas can take them after years of their own individual journeys in the music world,…
Don’t Forget to Remember Me is a powerful effort from Emma Pierson. Little more is needed to start off the track than Emma’s vocals. The light amount of backing instrumentation (guitar, drums, and bass) provide a solid backdrop upon which her voice can rise and fall. There’s a nod to the 1990s and 2000s pop styles of performers like Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson incorporated alongside a bright, hopeful demeanor.…
Every so often you come across an artist that has been right under your nose for the longest time, but you never knew it. Des Cox is one such artist I am talking about. He started his career off way back in the early days of music and TV, and it involves a lot of well-known TV and film stuff, as well as having extensively toured as a live performer.…
Brought to life by the brooding strum of an acoustic guitar, the string-bound “My First Band” embodies every bit of the youthful rebellion its title would suggest it does and then some. Like the other songs found on the stunning A Gateway to a Lifetime of Disappointment (a record which sources its title from a line in “My First Band”), this track sees David Newton and & Thee Mighty Angels blending the…
My Time is a stripped-down rap track that places a spotlight on KOTH’s lyrical content. With a bit of grit and intelligent wordplay, KOTH is able to hit listeners over their heads for three minutes. Little more is needed in the backdrop as My Time as a sequenced percussion and deliberate keys; the song is able to appease oldheads and new rap fans alike. The two disparate elements are able…
David Drake’s Touch the Burning Sky blends together alternative rock with a more ethereal, dreamy rock. There are notes of Tom Petty in the vocals and Brit-rock (e.g. Pulp, Thom Yorke, Blur) here. Rich guitar lines strum at the bottom of thee single, while the gradual increase in the song’s tempo will keep listeners firmly on the edges of their seats. Drake’s vocals are hauntingly beautiful and are able to…
Kase 1hunnid has just released one of the catchiest rap tracks we’ve heard so far in 2020. An utterly hopeful song talking about the close ties that one has with their friends, Kase 1hunnid and some heavy hitters (Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross) speak the truth. Anyone that has close friends will be singing right along with the cut after just a minute. Calling back to tracks like Scarface’s My…
Like This has Proper Einstein blend together a very traditional (think 1950s) sample with a rap style reminiscent of XV, Wiz Khalifa, and Lupe Fiasco. The dreamy sound of the backing beat allows Proper Einstein the ability to effortlessly float through R&B, rap, and even pop music styles. The song comes and goes before one knows it; there’s a focus to these two and a half minutes that ensures the…
Product of My Environment showcases the outright dire situation in Newark, New Jersey; Arsonal da rebel is able to insert in hints of harmony alongside booming drugs. There are nods here to mid-oughts Kanye West, Pusha T, and Lil Wayne. The narrative that is laid out during Product Of My Environment is stark and effecting, but with a sort of everyman approach that will have listeners identify similar scenarios in…