Cross My Heart - Michellar (Pop) Michellar joins our blog this week with a toe-tapping synthy explosion. On latest single, “Cross My Heart”, Michellar proclaims that they will never leave their lover, professing their understanding and patience through turmoil. In bringing the track to life, Michellar draws from personal experiences, which is clear from the specificity of the writing. The story is delivered over a dreamy 80s synth production, with many of the elements reminding us of Prince records from that era. Michellar’s vocal is laser sharp, dueting with itself throughout to wind seductively through the song and hit some ear pleasing harmonies and counterpoints along the way. Special shout out to Michellar’s support of women-owned businesses in the production of this record.
The New Citizen Kane - The Tales of Morpheus (LP)
The Tales of Morpheus (LP) - The New Citizen Kane (Pop) Fresh off of our December review of their EP “Could Have Been”, we’ve got a brand new 21-track LP from The New Citizen Kane to dive into—”The Tales of Morpheus”. This project is an opus, and while we’ve only just gotten to know The New Citizen Kane this year, we feel as though all of his musical roads have been leading to this project.
In case you missed our last review, here’s the download on The New Citizen Kane. Singer, songwriter and producer Kane Luke started on the theater circuit at 17 and eventually recording his first EP “Now Or Never” at 18. A multi-talented artist, Kane’s resume includes modeling, acting and sound engineering. By 2008 he had a club hit on his hands, “Don’t Feel No Shame”, followed by “Spun Like Sugar”. Now rebranded as The New Citizen Kane, he’s been busy with releases including 2014’s album “It’s Not Science…It’s A Feeling” and EPs including “Endless Summer Serenade” and “Could Have Been.”
“The Tales of Morpheus” was described to us as a child of self-discovery, with The New Citizen Kane using the creation of the LP from his home studio as a form of therapy. He described the tracks as separate chapters in his life, exploring themes of self examination, toxicity in relationships and the transcendence of love.
When last we checked in with The New Citizen Kane, we called the “Could Have Been” EP sonically cohesive and musically engaging,—a “no skips” project. We came to know Kane as a storyteller, exuding warmth with heartfelt lyrics that distinguished him from his contemporaries. Boasting 21 tracks, “The Tales of Morpheus” is far more expansive in scope, sliding from retro 80s synth pop to modern club jams to Top 40 pop anthems, putting The New Citizen Kane’s versatility as an artist on full display. We even get a surprising neo soul flavor with “Disco Love” and a diversion into ballad territory with the island breezy "Contra Botafogos”, making for quite a diverse collection of records, but with enough cohesion that nothing feels entirely out of left field.
Kane’s sweet spot is certainly the summer club jam—so much of this album just screams vodka sodas on a summer rooftop. “Meet Me On Street Corners” is sure to be a DJ set darling, along with the infectious “Killer Charisma”, whose funky vocoder doubles had us hooked. We also really enjoyed the slippery bass on “Heartburn”. If you’re not hearing these at the clubs, swiftly get them on your cardio playlist.
On the pop anthem side, album standouts include “Stupid Blue”—containing some of our favorite lyrics on the project—and “Lump In Your Throat.” While still dancy, there’s something about these tracks that transcend the club. These are the Hot 100 tracks of the project.
Two tracks carry over from the “Could Have Been” EP, the title track and “Forget the World”. As we said in our prior review, from the brilliant lyrics to the driving chords, “Could Have Been” just has Hot 100 written all over it. The melody is a real ear-worm, which made this track stay with us long after listening. “Forget The World” features an all encompassing bass underlying a driving chord progression that goes hard. There’s an overarching 80s synth nostalgia with the track—similar to what The Weeknd taps into. Morpheus also gives us a funky rework of prior release “Endless Summer”.
Diverse yet cohesive, “The Tales of Morpheus” is yet another no-skip project from The New Citizen Kane, and a project we recommend you put in your rotation. And again, while we’ve only just gotten to know Kane, this project has the signs of the start of a whole new level on Kane’s artistic evolution.
Tracks:
Morpheus In The Club
Killer Charisma
Heartburn
Disco Love
Stupid Blue
Electric Nights - Biorhythm Mix
Gotta Secret Electro Bounce Album Mix
Lump In Your Throat
North American Philosopher
Morpheus Interlude
Could Have Been
Forget The World
Endless Summer - Ride The New Wave ReWork
Overdrawn
Meet Me On Street Corners
Buy Me A Ticket
Contra Botafogos
Was A Light - Ethereal Version
Alchemy
Adonis & Aphrodite
Morpheus (Made Of Dreams)
muanh - Ever Since
Ever Since - muanh (Pop) We’re thrilled to welcome muanh to our blog, who is bringing us one of our favorite tracks of the year so far with the sparkling and sentimental “Ever Since.” Epic and anthemic, muanh’s soft and pillowy understated vocal tugs on the heartstrings. The build on this track is incredible, but lays heavy on the heart from the first beat. We’re even treated to a surprise sax solo in the outro which caught us off guard. It’s elements like this that make “Ever Since” a timeless number—you could tell us this was on Billboard in the 80s, 90s, 00s or 10s and we wouldn’t bat an eye. Some delightful ear candy effects keep the listener fully engaged, but it’s the heavenly doubles in the chorus that really enrapture. Seductive and poignant, we’ve added this one to our personal playlists.
Just The Empress - Hypnotized
Hypnotized - Just The Empress (R&B) Just The Empress joins our roster of R&B artists on the blog with latest record “Hypnotized.” The confidence on this track is infectious, as Just The Empress extals her virtues and uniqueness. This is a person who knows exactly who she is and tells others to either get with it or get lost—she won’t be changing for anyone. The beat rides hard, equally hype and smooth, which we couldn’t resist moving to. But the star of the record is certainly the lyric prowess—this track is chock full of memorable lines which made it hard for us to pick our favorite lyric. Keep this one on repeat until you learn them all.
Best Lyric: “I do not fuck with weird energy, I really been working on inner me.”
Caroline & Transverse - Moon And Back
Moon And Back - Caroline & Transverse (Pop) We welcome Caroline & Transverse to the blog this week with the sweet and smile inducing record “Moon And Back.” It’s a heartstring tugging number—an ode to parental love. As we learn from the lyrics, it’s a relationship that’s not without its turmoil, but in the end the familial love prevails and our artist delivers a heartfelt thank you for the love and support she’s received throughout her life. The track has a timeless feel, with a rich production and plenty of FX ear candy to keep the listener engaged throughout the story. With a catchy melody and a sonic atmosphere that fills the heart and brings a tear to the eye, Caroline & Transverse shine with “Moon And Back.”
Famo219 - Dark Love
Dark Love - Famo219 (Hiphop) Hailing from East Chicago, Famo219 (standing for ‘fame and music only’) makes his first stop on our blog this week with new track “Dark Love”. On the record, Famo219 is processing a former love and a failed relationship, hopping from rap verses to sung choruses, finding surprise at where he finds himself in the moment. The turmoil is underlaid by a melancholy guitar loop which quickly recedes into the background in favor of a tight hiphop percussion production that knocks hard as it cruises breezily throughout the 3:20 track. Feeling fresh while at the same time harkening to some 00s hiphop nostalgia, Dark Love is a track for when you’re in your feels.
Best Lyric: “This is the life I chose, this is how it goes.”
Jerard Rice - Starz
Starz - Jerard Rice (Hiphop) We welcome Jerard Rice to the blog this week with latest track “Starz”. The track shines with its upbeat instrumental led by Jerard’s strong tenor vocal. propelled by a thudding kick as the rest of the instrumental hangs in the atmosphere. Written during a dark time in his life and inspired by the likes of J Cole, Akon, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne, Jerard Rice infuses this hip hop track with crossover pop and world elements to create a unique blend of genres. That combo makes this track feel right at home on the Billboard Top 40 as a breezy mid tempo made for summertime cruising with the windows down.
Cameron Jay - Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel - Cameron Jay (Rap) Cameron Jay makes his first appearance on the blog this week with latest single “Jimmy Kimmel.” Like the late night host, Cameron Jay says he is live every week, preaching his attributes over a retro hiphop beat chock full of nostalgia and analog fuzz. I mean, we even get the seemingly extinct track fade out at the end, giving us all the memories of cassette tapes and CDs. Rap flow wise, Cameron gives us some Fabolous vibes, filling his track with clever and memorable lines, which made our favorite lyric difficult to pick. While the track is essentially a proclamation of his baller status, the confidence here is mellow and mature, stated over a laid back mid tempo flow.
Best Lyric: “Spend it all today, give a f*ck about tomorrow.“
BLOODLIN3 - Say Less
Say Less - BLOODLIN3 (Rap) Bloodlin3 returns for their sixth feature on our blog, following our recent review of “Blessed Today” earlier this year. Bringing us latest track “Say Less”, Bloodlin3 continues his exploration of 90s and 00s nostalgia with a retro West Coast sounding track. The production is ominous, keys giving chord stings that insert some danger into the track—a foreboding doom like a dark cloud rolling in—as a tight trap percussion propels us through the track. When it comes to the vocal, Bloodlin3 is showing a lot of whimsy on this record with an eccentric spoken word intro and some fun production on the chorus that plays with octaves, all while a quirky synth whistle slinks in the background. The lyrics, as always, are clever, and verse 2 uppercuts the listener with a dizzying rapid fire spit.
Best Lyric: “Ain’t no leakage in my cabinet.”
Proklaim - ENCHANTMENT
ENCHANTMENT - Proklaim (Rap) We’re happy to be witness to the evolution of Proklaim’s music with his latest track “ENCHANTMENT.” Following his new trend of incorporating vocal effects into his backing instrumental, we have an Indian flare to the track with a, dare we say ‘enchanting’, vocal loop, playing with the pitch to keep things interesting. Keeping to his style, Proklaim begins with his usual vocal chant—a mantra to lay down the message he’ll be preaching. The thudding 808 kicks in to bring us into mainstream hiphop, as a pingpong vocal effect enhances Proklaim’s always stellar pen game. And as his production continues to elevate, Proklaim maintains his core as an artist based in positivity and inspiration.
Best Lyric: “I had to wait my turn, the heart does yearn.“
Aiko Tomi - INVOICE
INVOICE - Aiko Tomi (Hiphop) A new feature on this week’s blog, Aiko Tomi joins us with latest record “INVOICE”, a collaboration with Jesse Lucas. The record is a high-energy bop with a slamming beat that at a tight 1:50 never overstays its welcome (though we’d love an extended mix considering how catchy the track is). Subject matter wise, it’s sort of a love letter to other creators, serving as a raw expression of frustration over the fake opportunities and unpaid work that artists often encounter during their come ups. While much more raw, the track gave us all the attitude of M.I.A.’s “Paper Plans”, with “INVOICE” taking a less mid-tempo approach in favor of more of a fire hose to the face. This is one of those tracks you blare in your car when you need to let off some steam. Note - don’t miss the accompanying music video filmed in Toronto’s Chinatown.
MZ - Date Night
Date Night - MZ (Hiphop) MZ joins our blog this week with latest track “Date Night” to open up about his wishes to reclaim a lost love. There’s a soulfulness to this hiphop number, as underneath the expected 808, kick and tight snares there’s a squealing verbed sax that injects a fair amount of melancholy into the track. Boasting clever and memorable lyrics, MZ also exudes that sadness as he straddles the line between spit and spoken word poetry. revealing his heart to his former love and admitting that she remains constant on his mind. There’s a depth and maturity to the record, which will surely resonate with listeners beyond the catchiness of the beat.
Best Lyric: “I ignite my pain.”
Mist2'9 - Game Time
Game Time - Mist2’9 (Rap) Mist2’9 and Yung Mav have the swag and the drip on the 808 led track “Game Time”, the lead song off of Mist2’9’s upcoming album. Recorded in the duo’s hometown of Bakersfield, the track’s atmosphere is ominous, with a twinge of danger from the sparse production comprising a booming 808 and glang of a glass bottle/cowbell, serving to center the vocals as the star of the track. It’s an “in your face” kinda record, with our artists boasting about their prowess including in a chorus that gave us major Too Short vibes. It’s the kind of track you bang in your ride when you are feeling yourself, and want the world to know about it.
Abe Shaw - Bonnet
Bonnet - Abe Shaw (Pop/Dance) Abe Shaw wants his no strings attachment to grow into something more on 00s R&B feeling number “Bonnet.” On the record, Abe tells his girl to feel comfortable with him, to put on her bonnet and chill for the weekend—because it seems that he’s caught feelings. This track feels straight out of the Mario and Omarion playbooks, giving us some much needed nostalgia. From the bright guitar line to the heavy kick and all encompassing bass, Abe treats us both to a sung vocal and slick rhymes. This record is for all of the R&B lovers out there, reminding us of the days when these tracks dominated the Top 40.
Best Lyric: “No strings that was the rule.”
Cat Mayel - Free
Free - Cat Mayel (R&B) We welcome Cat Mayel to our blog this week as a first timer, joining us with latest record “Free.” The track does a great job of setting the atmosphere immediately—a haunting intro with a far away siren that drives throughout the entire production, soon joined by a groovy bass, contrasted by the bright vocals. And on the topic of vocals, they are sultry and strong, reminding us of Goapele. They are also quite slippery-sliding up and down those scales with ease. It’s a siren song, later descending into a heavy reverb to take up all the space on the record. It’s a mystical track with a pillowy vinyl fuzz that we think goes right on your rainy night playlist. Grab a glass of wine and sink into this one.
ALLEGRA - Refund
Refund - ALLEGRA (Pop/Dance) ALLEGRA’s back on the blog for a fourth time, following our previous features for tracks “Rain”, “Strangers” and “Round & Round”, with her latest record “Refund". On “Refund”, ALLEGRA wants some compensation for all she had to deal with in her prior relationship, calling her ex to pay up. There are some serious retro 80s vibes to the instrumental on this one, reminding us a lot of The Weeknd kind of productions. We can confidently say this is our favorite that we’ve heard from ALLEGRA to date—it’s a full Top 40 bop. And as always, ALLEGRA brings the high production value with another glossy music video.