Heather Nation - Lucid Dreaming

Lucid Dreaming - Heather Nation (R&B) Today we’re “Lucid Dreaming” with the heavenly vocals of Heather Nation on her latest record. From the acoustic strums to the ethereal vocals, when pressing play on this track we immediately got vibes of Tweet’s “Southern Hummingbird” era back in the 00s, an artistic and experimental take on R&B that we haven’t heard in quite some time. The track is as fresh and unique as it is beautiful, and to us is the musical equivalent of stream of consciousness poetry as the song seems to lilt in the air, directed only by the breeze. There’s a surprising switch up in the bridge that swings us into a meditation before the song finally blooms with an electric guitar that brings us to a fever pitch. Lush and mature, Heather’s latest song is musicality and artistic expression at its finest.

Best Lyric: “We’re floating in the ether.”

Pronto Valid - '08 Civic

‘08 Civic - Pronto Valid (Rap) There are levels to “‘08 Civic”, the latest offering from Pronto Valid, and we have to admit that we’re still processing this track. The song surprises with a meld of nostalgia, mindfulness, self analysis and social commentary that showed us that despite all of his vocal talents, catchy hooks and expert flow, Pronto’s best attribute as an artist is his intelligence. These lyrics hit, and the flow should put him up there with any charting artist today, giving us a mixture of Kendrick and Drake (specifically the later on the more melodic sing/speak moments). The standout second verse is deep af, tying some social commentary to the specifics of Pronto’s life story, making the track feel personal and not performative. We really loved this one, add it to your playlist, pronto.

Best Lyric: “I had a vision bout changing the system that don’t pay attention to people like me.”

Allegra - Round & Round (ft Tiësto)

Round & Round - Allegra (ft Tiësto) (EDM) Allegra brings epic vibes with her new bop, “Round & Round”. This track is made for the dance club with dark Euro vibes abound, and reminds us of the “Get On The Floor” days of J Lo. It’s a throbbing beat, with swirling synths and vocal reverbs elevating the song into something grandiose in scale. This isn’t a dance floor at your local bar, this is a track for your five level club with strobes and fog machines, where you’re standing shoulder to shoulder and it’s going to take you an hour to figure out where your friends went. We particularly enjoyed the choir joining in with each chorus, which conjures the image of Allegra as a goddess elevated above her subjects below, who chant as she commands the room. With “Round & Round”, Allegra gives DJs an excellent lead in or lead out to “Padam Padam” this summer.

Livi Jacobs - Keep Quiet

Keep Quiet - Livi Jacobs (Folk Pop) Livi Jacobs delivers a timeless record with her latest effort, “Keep Quiet.” A power ballad/mid tempo, “Keep Quiet” is centered on Livi and her guitar, crisp acoustic strums accompanying Livi’s strong yet seductive lead vocal, allowing her to show off some stellar vocal talent. More than a stunning voice, Livi’s lyricism and musicality are also on full display, with thoughtful lyrics, catchy and memorable melodies and one hell of a rousing chorus. We particularly loved the descending chord at the end of the chorus, and give credit to the expert build of mounting percussion and background vocals chiming in to turn an already big song into an anthem. There’s no reason this track shouldn’t be charting.

Best Lyric: “You’re not the kind of man that sticks around forever.”

Nadia - Love Victim

Love Victim - Nadia (Dance Pop) Now this one is a hip winder. On her latest record “Love Victim”, Nadia (with special guest Jordan Adetunji) is bringing us straight Rihanna vibes with a certified dance club bop destined for many a DJ’s setlist. We’re getting Miami dancefloor vibes with this one, with the bouncy synth lead driving the movement of the song while Nadia and Jordan give us a duet worthy of Rihanna/Drake and JLo/Pitbull comparisons. The strength of the number lies in its catchy melody and grand chorus, which now lives rent free in our brains over on this blog. We dare you not to two step to this one, or at least gyrate in your chair.

Marcia - Insecurity

Insecurity - Marcia (R&B) Marcia wants to abandon the internal saboteur in order to flourish in love, as told in her latest record, “Insecurity.” The track is pure retro R&B—this blog’s favorite genre—and is giving us some Ciara “Body Party” and late 90s/00s tracks that used to crossover into the Top 40 chart. It’s a perfect R&B vocal (we hear Cassie) and Marcia has a great round tone, especially in her lower register. The expected vocal backgrounds and specials are smile inducing—the verby telephone punches and layered harmonies provide some great ear candy among the crisp snaps and swirling synths of the instrumental production. Just one thing confuses us over here—with a bop like this, why would Marcia ever feel insecure? Add this to your R&B playlist.

Best Lyric: “Insecurities, take them away from me.”

Kate Westwood - Hollywood

Hollywood - Kate Westwood (Soft Rock) Kate Westwood says goodbye to “Hollywood” in her latest record, where she defiantly announces that she is no longer chasing stardom and has found she can feed her soul through the act of artistic creation and expression alone. It’s a full on jam session, one we think would kill in a live show. Introduced with a seductive guitar, later switching to some funk riffs, the track has a rich production lead by Kate’s strong and weighty belt. The production is timeless, sitting above modern trends and gimmicks, with some fun key changes and switchups that reveal Kate’s maturity as a musician—we particularly loved the switchup at the end of the second verse. “Hollywood” is a “sing along” kinda song, and surely Kate’s fans will live in concert.

Best Lyric: “I don’t need the lights and stars to shine.”

Impact Mat - Hugs and Fights

Hugs and Fights - Impact Mat (Pop) This is a BIG song. With “Hugs and Fights”, Impact Mat delivers a modern infusion of folk vocals and dance-pop to create a record that’s a real tub thumper. With an impeccable mix and crisp vocals, the standout of the track is certainly the catchy chorus. It’s an earworm for sure, forcing the issue by utilizing a repetitive chant on the second time through that will surely get concert attendees and dance floor occupants in on the action—let alone inspiring many a shower sing along. Listening to the record, it wasn’t hard to envision a DJ jumping up and down, hands in the air, calling the crowd to do the same—it’s one of those numbers, and just in time for the close of summer.

Melanie Pierce - flame.

flame. - Melanie Pierce (Singer-songwriter) If this isn’t an album closer, we’ll eat our hat. With “flame.”, Melanie Pierce captivates listeners with a deeply personal, driving piano ballad. There’s a Taylor Swift vibe to this singer-songwriter number, delivering a timeless sound built for longevity. The record is defined by its incredible, poetic lyrics that punched us in the gut early, and didn’t let up for a minute. Diving into the well worn subject matter of being rejected in love and feeling like the other is not giving as much as you are, Melanie pulls off the hat trick of keeping the song fresh and unique on account of her olympian lyrical prowess—it was really hard to choose our favorite. Mark our words, someone will have Melanie Pierce’s poetry tattooed on them. Get ready to see it on a fan at the stage door.

Best Lyric: “When seasons change and feelings don’t, I wish you gave the same way that you took.”

Elamar - Won't Stop

Won’t Stop - Elamar (Pop) This record tricks you in the best way. In Elamar’s vibey “Won’t Stop”, the top of the track gives us quite the switchup by starting with a broody miasma of synths and a driving piano progression before Elamar’s reedy baritone cuts in, preparing the listener for a heartfelt ballad. But that gets pushed aside quickly in favor of a catchy, bass-driven funk vibe with punchy, Bruno Mars-esque vocals. Funk, motown and disco influences abound, the song feels fresh and timely, falling in step nicely beside the recent Dua Lipa offerings. The vocal is strong here, sitting front and center in the production, leading listeners to the dance floor like the pied piper. We dare you to not two-step to this one.

Best Lyric: “I’ll take my chances, show you love, cuz I’m a believer.”

Beth Olive - This World You're Living In

This World You’re Living In - Beth Olive (Pop) Beth Olive delivers a pining Top 40 anthem with her latest track “This World You’re Living In.” It’s a lush production, at times showing an 80s sensibility with respect to the song construction and melody. The song is dreamy with punchy drums and muted claps that are well placed throughout the song to give clear structure and movements, with the instrumental being one we could imagine the Weeknd using. Beth gives a strong and emotive performance on the lead vocals, particularly shining in the anthemic chorus—quite the earworm that had us thinking of the retro-vibes that Carly Rae Jepsen delivered a few years ago. In the track, Beth dreams of being with someone she feels is too good for her, too far out of her reach. But with a knockout song like this, we place Beth at the top of our list.

Best Lyric: “I’ve been late a thousand times, cuz you’ve been on my mind.”

Name Sayers - Lioness

Lioness - Name Sayers (Pop) Abstract and unique, Name Sayer’s latest track “Lioness” is quite a standout among all of the songs we’ve reviewed recently on this blog. There’s an ASMR quality to this track, imbued with tension and danger that really make you feel like you’re in the crosshairs of a predator. The vocal is almost a whisper at times, close and intimate, which when paired with the tribal drums becomes quite seductive—hypnotic even. But that’s not to say the track doesn’t have momentum, as we eventually crescendo from being stalked in the jungle to being pursued through foreign bazaar with the introduction of a miasma of new instrumentation. We really appreciate the artistry of this one, it doesn’t sound like anything we’ve heard recently on the indie scene and it projects a palpable sense of danger throughout. Get into “Lioness”, but only if you’re prepared to be the prey.

Best Lyric: “I think that lioness is stalking you.”

Tim Qualls - Forever

Forever - Tim Qualls (Pop) Driving and anthemic, Tim Qualls delivers quite the head nodder with his latest record “Forever.” Setting the mood, Tim gives us a bit of a prologue at the top of the song, using a sample of at least sounds like some retro film dialogue where a duo talks about love before a dreamy and driving beat takes hold. The descending chord progression looping throughout injects a bittersweet melancholy that is perfectly fitting with the tune’s message—yearning for a love to last. Tim’s vocals are a standout, a pure tone that tugs the heartstrings particularly when he goes up into his higher range. Heartfelt and powerful, “Forever” has Top 40 written all over it.

Best Lyric: “Someday it’s gonna end and I don’t wanna waste my time.”

Love Ghost - Haunted House

Haunted House - Love Ghost x FLVCKKA (Pop) Love Ghost and FLVCKKA come together for an impeccably produced dark pop record, “Haunted House.” With metal influences integrated into an 808 heavy future hiphop production, we get a track with a ton of depth and texture, abound with earcandy. The vocal layering here is extremely effective, reflective of the theme of having “voices in my head” as the lead is delivered in two different styles simultaneously—a reedy melodic baritone and a gutteral yell an octave up—that provide a distinctive and engaging sound. Our guest rapper gives us some bilingual flare with a rapid fire flow whose fierceness is not undercut by her otherwise angelic tone. Overall the song reminds us of the rock/rap crossovers of the 00s, priming itself for a large fanbase. Dope.

Best Lyric: “I’ve got voices in my head. And sometimes they aren’t my friends.”

Dax - God's Eyes

The Devil’s Calling - Dax (Rap)  Dax is back, following our review for “The Devil’s Calling,” this time bringing us “God’s Eyes”—a melodic rap social justice record that is as catchy as it is intelligent. A mid tempo groove led by a brooding guitar and crispy trap percussion, the standout element of the track is surely the lyrics, as fed to us by a passionate and impressive delivery we have already come to know with his prior release. Towards the end of the second verse specifically, Dax GOES IN with a rapid fire flow that will certainly get you hype. But as impressive as the spit is, it’s the lyrical content that blows us away. Using an admittedly well worn framework of seeing the Devil at work here on Earth, Dax uses the trope to preach nuanced and insightful thoughts on the state of the world, capitalism and humanity’s present day value system. Religious or not, this one will strike a chord.

Best Lyric: “We know the price of everything, but we don’t know the worth.”

Beth Macari - Summer Feelin

Summer Feelin- Beth Macari (Pop) How excited are we to have Beth Macari back with us, following one of favorites this year, “Feel The Same.” We’ve got a different type of feels this time with “Summer Feelin” where Beth gives us another big pop record with her distinctly powerful and emotive vocals. There’s a raw seductiveness about Beth that is incredibly captivating, and we’re glad to hear it here in a summer jam that beckons the listeners to wind down the windows and feel the wind in their hair as they drive down the freeway. While the production is top notch, as always with Beth’s tracks, the star remains the vocal—we are simply in love with her voice. The best we can compare her to is probably Taylor Dayne in power and maturity. The track itself is super fresh, very modern, classic Top 40 with the thudding dance kick, big club energy, and even a bit of funk. It’s just a perfect summer bop. This is now a Beth Macari stan blog.