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.
Omar - Better Be Lucky
Better Be Lucky - Omar (R&B) We’ve got some serious Chris Brown vibes coming at us from Omar’s latest track “Better Be Lucky.” With a foundation of dreamy retro 80 synths and gated drums, the track takes a tone similar to The Weeknd in blending nostalgia with modern R&B. The record tells the tale of an up and down relationship that is driven by the sexual chemistry, almost to the point of an addiction. With ear candy vocal doubling and a steady mid tempo groove, we find this track just as addicting. Side note - don’t miss Omar’s US tour with fellow artist Russel! beginning on April 24.
Best Lyric: “I know I’m your number three.“
Guess Pre - Clarity (LP)
Clarity (LP) - Guess Pre (Hip hop) For this week’s LP review, we welcome to the blog Guess Pre with his latest work “Clarity”. A newcomer for us, but nearly two decades into the music game, Guess Pre delivers a clear sonic vision driven by big bass and atmospheric instrumentals to back his combination of spit and sung vocals. But before we dig into the the tracks, we start with a bit about our artist.
Guess Pre, or Gregory Stanton. describes himself as a multifaceted artist that defies genre, beginning in punk and metal styles before falling into more of a hip hop feel. After making a splash in the Midwest music scene, Guess Pre established himself as a power player in Southwestern Wisconsin through his performances in rap battles and showcases. RoomMates, a musical collaboration with friend Taco Destiny, led to popularity, which further led to underground classic solo release “Brain Matters” in 2015. In addition to being a musical act, Greg is also a tattoo artist and painter.
Recorded in La Crosse, Wisconsin and mastered by Lia Kahn in Denver, Colorado, Guess Pro describes his latest work, the nine track LP “Clarity”, as a diverse collection that comprises an emotional rollercoaster. Serving introspection, dynamism and atmospheric beauty, Guess Pro hoped to create a dynamic listening experience through genre blending.
Album opener “I’m not Peter Pan, you are” gives us the landscape. First, it’s an impeccably produced album with a strong hip hop base. The booming 808 is overlaid with rap spit that definitely infuses that punk sensibility. it’s a unique and interesting blend of styles that certainly lends itself to crossover appeal.
“Aardvark” slows things down, beginning with an intro from presumably Guess Pre’s son before that booming bass again leads what is now an introspective track with clever lyrics. Greg’s vocals oscillate between spit and sung verse, placed throughout the stereo spectrum for a real ear candy effect.
The twinkling rhodes of “Night Shift” now pulls in some R&B sensibility, painting a vast atmosphere and a real dreamy quality, with “WinterRain (Hang Around)” following in a similar vein. In all these tracks, Guess Pre uses heavy vocal doubling to bring weight to his sharp vocals, each line as worthy of lead placement as the rest with equally emotive performances, often layering the spoken with the sung. “Clarity’ gives a pause for some spoken word pontification on consciousness which we believe is Neil deGrasse Tyson, serving as a midway LP check in and intermission.
“High Drama”, with its descending piano chords, paints a somber mood that immediately captures the listener. It’s imbued with pathos and might be our favorite track on the album, while “Bittersweet” continues the tale of love lost. Rounding out the collection, “A Jedi Song (Take a Mile)” throws the melancholy into a miasma for a more metaphysical feel, while album closer “Earlie Goodbye” closes with a more upbeat instrumental that gives us some 2010s retro vibes and closes with a guitar line that seems to bring Guess Pre’s genre exploration full circle.
With a clear artistic vision, chock full of clever lyrics and heavy subject matter, immaculately produced and boasting a strong emotional core, “Clarity” is a triumph.
TRACK LIST:
I’m not Peter Pan, you are
Aardvark
Night Shift
WinterRain (Hang Around)
Clarity
High Drama
Bittersweet
A Jedi Song (Take a Mile)
Earlie Goodbye
XY Gala - Lifeless Life
Lifeless Life - XY Gala (Hip hop) It’s been two years since we’ve last featured XY Gala on the blog, and so we welcome him back today with latest record “Lifeless Life”. Last we checked in with XY, we reviewed “True Story (Full of Lies)” which to us brought in some old school Eminem vibes. With “Lifeless Life”, we’ve got a lethargic mid tempo that features XY’s vocals. It’s a melancholy track about floating through life without purpose. Intimate and heavily layered vocals convey thought provoking lyrics and overlay a somber instrumental, cutting to a guitar solo which we don’t here very often these days. This is a track for when you’re in your feels.
Best Lyric: “Living this life like a marionette.“
Larry Karpenko - Heart Calls Love
Heart Calls Love - Larry Karpenko (Pop) We welcome Larry Karpenko to the blog this week with “Heart Calls Out”. It’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere of this track as it sort of swirls around you, while buttery soft vocals usher the listener through the experience, split between the ears and placed close in the mix to add an intimacy to the record. When the percussion really kicks in, there’s an 80s sensibility poking through, and the break providing a short but sweet conversation between lovers that is quite smile inducing. From the melancholy of the guitar to the sweetness of the lyrics, this is a track that fills you up.
Proklaim - CELEBRATE
CELEBRATE - Proklaim (Rap) What can we say about Proklaim, the star of our blog, that hasn’t already been said? In his latest of his firehose of releases, “CELEBRATE”, Proklaim taps a soulful R&B vocal sample to underlay his boombap mellow track. Proklaim’s recent work has been utilizing vocal samples more frequently, adding additional texture to his tracks, complimenting his laser focused point of view. Leaning more to the positive uplifting side of his work, “CELEBRATE” encourages the utilization of one’s imagination and always delivers profound messaging with the hopes of opening minds. Proklaim is on a spiritual vibe. The pen game on this one is particularly notable, making it hard to choose a favorite lyric.
Best Lyric: “People get jealous when they souls are never comfortable inside their own flesh.“
KARMA - Anthem
Anthem - KARMA (Pop/R&B) We are excited to have R&B supergroup KARMA back on the blog today with latest track “Anthem”. We had the privilege to review the group’s last EP “SIS (She’s Something)” which featured top notch production and 00s R&B girl group retro vibes that we stan over here on this blog. But this seductive track might be our favorite of all their releases. The record sits very much in the Destiny’s Child “Lose Your Breath” category when it comes to the instrumentation, while the rap sections give us some GloRilla vibes in the flow, and even a touch of Nivea’s sultriness from her “Animalistic” era. Female empowerment and confidence pours out of the track, as we expect from a KARMA record. “Anthem” is an anthem for sure, and a sexy one at that.
Kelsie Kimberlin - Perfume
Perfume - Kelsie Kimberlin (Pop) Following our review of her 8-track collection “The Drawer”, Kelsie returns to the bog today with new track ”Perfume.” Reviewing her prior work, including “The Drawer”, we’ve always been impressed with Kelsie’s versatility as she commonly crosses the barriers of genres in her releases. On “Perfume”, Kelsie delivers a siren song, telling her lover that he will always be drawn to her. It’s a sparkling mid tempo track with a catchy chorus and strong storytelling. This is a sing-along in the shower kind of record. Kelsie pairs the release with another slickly produced music video showing how her lover trails her, forever drawn to her as if on an invisible leash.
Best Lyric: “Boy you know you’re doomed by my sweet perfume.”
Dax - I Hate That I Love You
I Hate That I Love You - Dax (Pop) One of our favorites is back for his tenth feature on our blog. Dax returns to us with “I Hate That I Love You”, an emotional track about the regret of falling in love with someone who breaks your heart. Dax has a knack for creating tracks with a broad crossover appeal, and “I Hate That I Love You” is no exception. Returning to his hip hop roots, this latest track feels like classic Eminem, specifically in the raw delivery of his lyrics, Dax’s voice often breaking from telling a story that is clearly pulled from his personal life. The heartbreak is palpable on this record. And as always, Dax accompanies his new release with a slickly produced music video, starting with a narrative that might shock you.
Ainsley Costello - Exless
Exless - Ainsley Costello (Pop) Well we sure hope Ainsley’s current partner doesn’t hear this plucky and upbeat number where our artist fully admits to settling, and only temporarily. For her first feature on our blog, Ainsley Costello brings us pop-rock number “Exless”, which has all the elements of a top 40 bop from the earcandy chorus to the chant-along spelling of the song’s title. With a very Taylor Swift esque vibe—in the “Shake It Off” category we think—Ainsley’s strong vocal and delightful doubles tell a relatable story of sticking with the one you’re with until your true love arrives. With clever lyrics and a unique perspective, this one’s a pop playlist must have.
Best Lyric: “Never crying over someone so replaceable.”
Dara Blaxx - The Mission
The Mission - Dara Blaxx (R&B/Soul) Dara Blaxx joins our blog’s roster this week with latest R&B bop “The Mission”, a track overflowing with sultry and sexy vibes. The record is silky smooth, starting with a vibey piano before a bassy kick starts the mid tempo pulse, overlaid with a lo fi percussion production. The star of the track, however, is the vocal. Round and rich, Dara’s vocals are supported a Brandy-level doubles and harmonies that paint a swirling soundscape that is nothing less than intoxicating. Despite the Brandy of it all, the track most reminds us of some early Jill Scott records. Dara’s inviting you to intercept the mission, and after hearing the track, we recommend that you do.