Tammy Mariah - Can't Take It Back

Can’t Take It Back - Tammy Mariah (Pop/Dance) Tammy Mariah soars with dance floor jam “Can’t Take It Back.” Her message is simple—her ex can’t take back what they did to her so she’s moving on and not returning. It’s a great subject matter for a club track, which is exactly what Tammy delivers, to the joy of DJs everywhere. House infused (boy do we love those glorious keys), this track is exactly what you want on your summertime dance floors. The production is crisp with a tight punchy kick and splashy upper percussion, driven by funky synth leads. And thankfully, “Can’t Take It Back” is the gift that keeps on giving, with four other mixes released for your party playlists.

Best Lyric: “Look at what you did to us.”

flora - Easy

Easy - flora (Pop/HipHop) Slinky and sexy, flora brings a seductive little earworm with her latest effort, “Easy.” First, let’s talk about this top notch production. Intimate and close vocals with a varied instrumental, we get the welcome telephone EQ punches and beautifully layered backings, doubles and harmonies, all blending seamlessly with a punchy hip hop instrumental. We’re getting Lorde, we’re getting Billie Eilish with this one, and we could certainly hear this track synced to a show on your favorite streaming app. The lyrics are also top notch, clever and ear catching. But the star is flora’s brilliant vocal performance—restrained and mature, with an ear pleasing husk to her rich alto that feels very of the moment. With this track, flora stands above her peers.

Best Lyric: “I’ll be back on my feet in the morning”

Antonia Dwyer - Veneno

Veneno - Antonia Dwyer (Hiphop) Antonia Dwyer delivers a hip winder with her latest effort, “Veneno.” It’s got 00s hip hop all over it—a lilting and hypnotic Spanish guitar and percussion quickly overlaid with a thudding hip hop beat. Antonia delivers a hybrid of sung vocals and rap, with a flow as spitfire as Twista had during the time period the song invokes. Antonia’s tone is pure, with an entrancing delivery that helps pull the listener into the track, which itself is hyper chill. It’s a breezy mid tempo two stepper with enough sass in the lyrics to set the track on sizzle. We recommend this one for the car—windows down, summer sun, just cruising.

Best Lyric: “My name in your mouth it will burn like el fuego.”

Rafaèlla - Renaissance

Rafaèlla - Renaissance (Pop) It’s the dawn of a new era for Rafaèlla, as she announces on her latest track “Renaissance”, an ode to stepping into your power and starting fresh. This intimate little bop is a toe tapping dancey midtempo, with a simple, crisp and well polished production that let’s our artist’s vocals carry the song, sitting front, center and intimate. The track crackles with energy, a bit of tension and even an element of danger, with a slow build that never raises the burner beyond simmer as this track is only Rafaèlla’s prelude to what is to come—she’s not giving it all away just yet. Overall, the track is a sizzling tango with some Greek spice to it that is quite tasty, and leaves our mouths watering for more.

Best Lyric: “It’s time to rewrite my life.”

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.”