Carson Ferris - Talkin' to You

PHOTO: Gabe Taylor

Talkin’ to You - Carson Ferris (Pop). Our favorite little pop prince Carson Ferris is back with yet another straight down the center Top 40 bop “Speed Limit.” Entering our four timers club, following “Crazy”, “1999” and “Speed Limit” before it, the title track to his recent EP moves beyond Carson’s love affair with late 90s pop to venture a bit more into more of the here and now with a very Ed Sheeran feeling number. The production, as always, is impeccable, with crisp percussion over a driving guitar loop and synth fills that make the entire record one big dose of earcandy. Complete with Carson’s strong pop vocal performance, we can’t stress enough that you need to get on board with this one-man boy band as he ascends.

Best Lyric: “Cuz I can take on anything except for tryna saying something to you.”

Nauria - Known Your Name

Known Your Name - Nauria (R&B) Nauria brings the timeless R&B with her anti-attachment anthem “Known Your Name.” Proclaiming an anxious attachment style, Nauria sings about liking someone too much and getting too deep in her research too fast. Over twinkling rhodes, organ fills and a classic drum kit, Nauria brings a refreshing self awareness to her behavior, criticizing herself for abandoning a slow trickle of getting to know someone by diving right into social media stalking. She learns the hard way that it only fuels assumptions and paints a preconceived notion of a person. With a classic sound and a universal subject matter, Nauria’s heavenly vocals and extra sweet harmony backing punches make for quite a scrumptious track.

Best Lyric: “I ignore the warning until I find things I shouldn’t have.”

Dax - Life

Life- Dax (Rap)  Entering our four timer’s club, Dax returns with his latest track (and now expected well produced video) “Life”. Following “The Abyss”, “God’s Eyes” and “The Devil’s Calling” before it, “Life” continues the rapper’s message of positivity and rising from the ashes of a troubled past. The track has a 00s feel about it with it’s hypnotic guitar loop and tight trap percussion. With sometime’s Twista levels of rapid fire spit, the track is Dax’s most Top 40 crossover effort to date, taking his pain and his struggles and using them as a beacon of hope for others. Here, Dax is less inward facing, instead serving as your life coach, telling you to seize the moment now because life’s too short to waste. With “Life” you can rely on Dax for the pick me up you need when you’re starting anew.

Best Lyric: “I gotta remind that we’re not meant to survive.”

Nicholas Dante - Inferno

Inferno - Nicholas Dante (Pop) Nicholas Dante heats things up with the dark and menacing “Inferno”, the title track from his 13 song LP. The record is a slick, tension laden production beginning with foley effects before ramping up into a plucky synth mandolin. Nicholas’ laser focused tenor enters, sweetened with some intentional tuning, and slices straight through the tribal beat before dipping into a demonic chant with vocal processing straight out of the Exorcist. In some ways the track feels like it could be from Lady Gaga’s “Fame Monster” era, as the record evoked of a mixture of “Born This Way”, “Judas” and “Scheiße”. We think this one needs a full on dance number and a slew of remixes.

Best Lyric: “This is something you risk your life on.”

Colm Donnelly - Money

Money - Colm Donnelly (Pop) Colm Donnelly is the everyman in his latest track “Money”, as he uses clever and memorable lyrics to lament the looming despair that comes with existing on the ground floor in a post-capitalist society. With a lilting and dreamy guitar lilt hanging in the back to frame the track, crisp punchy percussion complete with bells and bongos punctuate as the thrashing of a rock guitar enters to punch up the choruses. The entire affair has a late 90s alt rock feel, with Colm’s grungy baritone and delivery reminding us a bit of The Offspring. But what truly makes this track a winner are the clever, relatable and poetically specific lyrics. It was hard to pick our favorite.

Best Lyric: “These lump sum bills are known to kill when you gotta pay them all at once.”

Joe Lington - WTPA (EP)

WTPA (EP) - Joe Lington (R&B) Joe Lington brings a trio of tracks on EP "WTPA", a collection of catchy R&B bops that serves as the perfect appetizer for what's to come. As Lington tells us, the EP precedes a planned 2024 album "Pinkteen", which will house these three tracks.

Bouncing between French and English, the album is straight up R&B with a retro tinge, and is particularly notable for its crystal clear instrumental mixing and distinctive and driving bass lines throughout. The production is minimal, reminding us of Jermaine Dupri productions of the past (think "Emancipation of Mimi" days), allowing Lington to take up most of the space in the tracks with his layered vocals. It is evident that Lington is a methodical artist, as all of his backgrounds are akin to choral arrangements, and his leads always accompanied by a sharp harmony or counterpoint.

The EP begins with title track "WTPA", kicking off with immediate tension of the strings before diving into a 00s era R&B beat. Standing for where the party at, it certainly evokes Jagged Edge's version in the phrasing and melody of the chorus. That era imbues the track overall, reminding us very much of tracks by Mario and Joe. We have our only guest of the project on this track, Isabel Izzy, who brings a sultriness to the track. The song bounces between French and English, and Lington's vocals shine especially when he flies up into his falsetto.

This brings us to "Pinkeen." According to Lington, a Pinkeen is "a woman who repeats the same pattern over and over in all of her relationships until she realizes that she needs to do some therapy in order to break those habits, because she destroyed all her partners each time." Heavy stuff. With this track, we get the soul side of Lington's R&B influences, with a choral background in a call and response with the lead, not to mention the "heys" and "hos" reminiscent of Kris Kross's "Jump." With a buzzy lead bass, the track is more of a vocal riff and interlude, clocking in at just over a minute long, and again showcases Lington slipping around his falsetto in a very Prince-like fashion. We definitely think this one needs an extended cut, especially since Lington is introducing new slang vocabulary. We'd love for Lington to take a page from TLC and like they did with "scrubs", teach us all about the ins and outs of how a "pinkeen" lives their life.

Finally, we get album closer "Hypocrisy", which is definitely giving us vibes of "You Should Let Me Love You" by Mario mixed with some Ciara "Promise" and a touch of "My Love" by Justin Timberlake. Slipping back into French, Lington is now fully getting his falsetto on, which at times harkens to Prince, and other times more Maxwell. It's another clean production with probably the best vocal mix of the three. The backgrounds sit nicely in the support position.

With three solid tracks, we look forward to what Lington serves up in his forthcoming LP.

Baba Kuboye - Cultural Canvas (LP)

Cultural Canvas - Baba Kuboye (Afrobeat) A deep affection for afrobeat music and Nigerian culture permeate Baba Kuboye’s latest album, “Cultural Canvas”, a 10-track collection of sultry grooves imbued with Kuboye’s hazy, sultry saxophone. In a celebration of his African heritage and culture, “Cultural Canvas” celebrates a love for life, self-discovery and the power of music.

It is of no surprise to us that Kuboye was raised by a family of musicians, as the album boasts of a bevy of musical maturity. From the genre blend of afrobeat, dancehall, hiphop and big band, to the incorporation of live instrumentation (including Baba’s saxophone), to the cultural touchpoints in the lyrics, this project comes fully baked with experience and depth. The instrumental arrangements are musically complex and multi-layered, giving you so much more than your standard plug-in generated pop albums of today.

We also get something we don’t typically get in our music these days—a bass lead vocal! Baba Kuboye reaches Barry White levels of deep, resonant, rich vocals that roll into his songs like a quiet thunder. With much of the instrumentation sitting higher in the mix, Kuboye is given all the room he needs in the track to take up the basement, at times acting as both lead vocalist and bass line. We highlight a few of our standout tracks below.

Album opener “Soft Life”, for which we get both the radio and extended edits, is certainly a crowd pleaser, and serves as a great introduction to the album as it epitomizes the style and flow that will follow. Kuboye exists in a swirling verb, backed by a lively band and backing chorus as a simple chord progression in the keys presses the song forward with tension. It has a steady build, conveying the feeling of being swept up in a stream, with each new instrument helping push you further downstream. The benefit of live instrumentation is on full display here, with the track becoming more than the sum of its parts. You can quickly picture hearing this in a smoky after hours jazz club.

“Konko” is similarly crowd pleasing, with a call out hook we can imagine Kuboye would have no trouble getting the audience to participate in when performed live. While most of the album feels timeless, “Dey for you” sounds like it was pulled from today’s top afrobeat tracks, infused with elements of modern R&B to make what we think is the album’s lead track for playlisting and crossover appeal. There's also a flare of retro in here, with the "down for my baby cuz she down for whatever" chant feeling like a 00s era Joe feature. This is the one that we can't get out of our heads. Our favorite for sure—a real hip winder.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the heart of the album—”WA ZO BIA”—an emotional rap sendup of Kuboye’s ancestral home. “There are two countries in Africa, Nigeria and the rest.” Who are we to disagree? We also give special mention to album closer “Igbala”, a spoken word meditation/incantation about self discovery, self love and inner peace.

From the heart and musically robust, Baba Kuboye’s “Cultural Canvas” is a triumph.

hyyypnos - PARADISE (LP)

PARADISE (LP) - hyyypnos (R&B) It’s straight up chillwave R&B with today’s LP from hyyypnos, “Paradise”. Giving Weeknd vibes with a dash of Drake style, all embedded with an immaculate production, hyyypnos’s soothing collection of tracks is a must listen.

hyyypnos has created a cohesive work, what they refer to as a mixtape, that they say is intended to be listened to sequentially and in a single sitting—which we couldn’t help but do upon starting up the first track.

We don't know much about the artist from their press release or Spotify profile, only that they define themselves as "definitely sleepy". With an aptly hypnotic style, the album did not lull us to sleep, but can certainly be prescribed to lower blood pressure as it is certainly a soothing collection. It's a "glass of wine in the dark" kind of project--hazy and ethereal, maybe pairing well with other intoxicants.

We were immediately enraptured with the first track, one of our favorites discussed below, which pulled us into the project easily. Pulling inspiration from rock and R&B, the LP’s title “PARADISE” references a place outside one’s reach, where the grass may or may not be greener. But when referring to this project, we can confirm the grass is certainly greener in hyyypnos' artist soundscape.

The production on “PARADISE” is impressive, to say the list. Boasting crisp percussion and a piercing tenor vocal, they slice right through thick pads and driving bass lines drenched in heavy verbs throughout 8 mostly mid tempo cuts (including one interlude that we think could easily be treated as yet another track). Mood wise, the album oscillates between hazy chill and club hype as hyyypnos delivers modern melodic lines with just a kiss of tuning and the occasional distortion, which carry through the album to great effect.

The sound is certainly consistent, with the first and last tracks intentionally landing in the same key, but the tracks maintain their own identity, while still melding seamlessly into each other, achieving the straight through listening session hyyypnos was striving for. As such, we don’t think there are any skips on this one, but we will focus on our favorite cuts below.

Album opener “sunkisses” is a modern quiet storm track that fully introduces the vibe that will permeate the entire project. It's the track to pop on first to decide whether the album is going to be your cup of tea, for sure. On the flip, we’ve got “IN LUV’, one of our only uptempo tracks where a bumping percussion and 808 drive a swirling verby production that is giving us a Drake kind of feeling. Our favorite, “FUMBLE” feels the most radio friendly for being very sing-along-able. Our final standout is “Tell Me”, which reminds us of The Dream, and delivers another verby production with some earcandy distortion on the lead vocal. (Sidenote, does anyone else hear Beyonce’s “7/11” on “STRANDED IN LA”?)

While desiring a full listen, we definitely think hyyypnos has created tracks that can easily be sprinkled throughout chillwave playlists, so don't be surprised if some of these records pop up in your algorithmic playlists.

Natalie Clark - Freedom

Freedom - Natalie Clark (Indie Pop) With a timeless sound, Scottish indie pop singer Natalie Clark delivers quite the tub thumper with latest track “Freedom.” Anthemic and boasting quite the build, Freedom is full of tension and anticipation. In “Freedom,” Natalie tells listeners to just go for it, using a rousing gospel choir backing to deliver the hallelujah moment a person may need to make a change and live just as they’ve always dreamed. Mature and powerful, Natalie’s vocals shine on the track, giving a rich alto with the ability to fly into the rafters in those final moments. The sound reminds us a lot of Duffy (“Mercy” and “Warwick Avenue”) in successfully dipping into retro stylings without feeling dated.

Best Lyric: “I was broken, broken and drowing under a tidal wave in the sea.”

Lucid The Dreamwaker - Journey to the Brightside (LP)

Journey to the Brightside (LP) - Lucid the Dreamwaker (Hiphop) It’s always a pleasure when we find an artist who is able to craft an entire LP that not only sounds fresh and distinctive in its sound, but also cohesive without feeling repetitive. That hat trick is certainly pulled off by today’s artist, Lucid The Dreamwaker, in his latest LP “Journey to the Brightside.”

First, let’s talk a little about Lucid. Artist, producer and DJ, Lucid The Dreamwaker harkens from Indianapolis, Indiana, where he’s recently been making waves. By genre blending EDM, Rap and Pop, Lucid works to create a well-rounded and dynamic style that is all his own. Production on Brightside, Lucid’s premier work, began in 2021 and arrives to us today fully baked.

The sound of the album is exactly as described, a hybrid of genres that works to create an individual sound and unique style for Lucid that permeates the project while still leaving each track with its own unique identity. Incorporating a dash of interludes into the mix, the album works as a complete, no-skip work with a distinctive point of view. Through thoughtful lyricism and engaging production, on “Journey to the Brightside”, Lucid captivates.

We don’t know much about Lucid’s inspirations, but the sound overall feels like a cousin of the Neptunes, maybe with a touch of Kanye. Certainly hiphop, the quirky EDM imbued therein borders on the avant garde—say, if Pharrell and Robyn worked together. When it comes to vocals, Lucid impresses with a Lil Wayne sounding rap flow and tonality (he even seems to call this out on an early track stating he’s Lil Wayne before “A Milli”) as well as a Miguel feeling R&B croon. And while a handful of guests help carry a few hooks on a track here and there, Lucid is clearly a one man band and while the features appreciated for their added flavor to certain tracks, Lucid can confidently stand on his own.

Giving an emotive performance throughout with clearly personal lyrics, Lucid bounces from party to melancholy, from positivity to despair, showcasing the inner turmoil at the center of the album. Our favorite tracks include “Warrior Soul“, which, together with introduction interlude “No More Therapy“, takes the audience into his faceoff with futility, where Lucid chooses numbing himself through vice and gives up on therapy. The track is both relatable and a powerful call to action—hearing it you cannot help but want to help Lucid get back to the light. On the flip side, you have other standout “Put In The Air“, which is the Top 40 bop of the project, feeling very much like a Neptunes track made for Kelis. Special mention to “Until Its Gone“ whose drowning and all encompassing oppressive bass fills up your chest in a way that made our ears perk up—it’s a jewel.

Lucid’ premier couldn’t have gone better, in our view. Full of personality, boasting a distinct sound and as revealing as a diary, with “Journey to the Brightside”, Lucid The Dreamwaker steps on to the scene with confidence and fully in his power.

Mia Delamar - H.O.M.B. (EP)

H.O.M.B. (EP) - Mia Delamar (R&B) Mia Delamar makes a splash with EP “H.O.M.B.”, featuring four cuts destined for R&B charts and playlists. A talent o watch out for, Mia delivers a fresh take on a nostalgic and classic R&B sound and makes us hungry for an LP. No skips on this one. Let’s dive in.

An Atlanta native, 25 year-old Mia Delamar’s project details the nuances of love in the modern age, ranging from quiet storm R&B gems to upbeat pop crossovers. She names her influences as MIssy Elliot, Aaliyah and Mary J Blige. We’d like to add to that list. Let’s start with the overall sound and production.

H.O.M.B. is an immaculately produced record, and the influences of late 90s/00s R&B is clear, refreshing and very welcomed by this blog. Grounded in that genre, the tracks remind us of other modern evocations like the Mariah Carey “Caution” album, or any of the latest projects from Jasmine Sullivan. While each song certainly has its own identity, we’re dealing mostly with the 808s, crisp trap drums and swirling soulful synths and keys that you’d expect. As to Mia’s voice, her talent rests not only in her range and delivery, but in her variations. At times she’s gentle, reminding us of Nivea or Brandy, and at other times punchy and belty in a Keri Hilson kind of way. The sound of the record also reminded us a lot of deeply underappreciated NAO with a dash of early Ariana Grande.

We kick off with “Complicated”, a sultry slow burn that brings a Nivea flow to a Jasmine Sullivan kinda cut. Mia introduces her honey drenched voice on this, with an understated production centered mostly around a plucky guitar and synth swells, allowing Mia to take center stage. In fact, throughout Mia is never lost in the production—she’s always the star.

“Say That” picks things up and is sure to get you out to the dance floor. The retro vibe is prominent and Mia is S I N G I N G over the punctuation of claps, leaving the sultriness behind for a strong belt and some Mariah worthy runs into the rafters. The track itself gives us early 00s/10s Keri Hilson and Christina Milian. Dip it low to this one.

Next up, we get our absolute favorite track, “Whatever.” This is where we get the most “Caution” album. It’s extremely sing-along-able and there’s just something we can’t put our finger on—there’s just magic in this one. The vocal layering, melody and verby adlibs that feature throughout the EP seem to come together here, which actually reminds us a bit of early Ariana (think “The Way” era). This is the hit.

Finally, title track “H.O.M.B.” closes the project, standing for “hands on my body.” Tight hats provide the drive to this, and the lyrics make the track prime for social media sampling (“i’m not a popstar, but i’m a rockstar”). Are we in store for a “H.O.M.B.” challenge?

We listen to a lot of music here at this blog, and we are always particularly drawn to the R&B projects that respect what’s come before. So for us, Mia hits our sweet spot, and these tracks are now on constant rotation over here as we anticipate a follow-up LP. Mia is a star, and we stan.

Vale - One Night Only

One Night Only - Vale (Pop) Vale’s lyrical prowess is on full display in her new cut, “One Night Only.” The storytelling is exceptional here, with Vale using specific and unique imagery to take a track about a one night stand and elevate it into something with an identity all its own. In “One Night Only,” Vale tells a prospective suitor that they should make the best of the night they have, as it’s the only one on offer. There’s a melancholy to it though, as the track isn’t so much about a woman who’s only interested in carnality, but rather someone who is currently unavailable, but still wants to be shown earnest desire. The production is Top 40 worthy, with punchy percussion baked with a catchy little guitar effect as Vale’s vocals sit front and center taking a conversational tone, which complements the honesty of the storytelling.

Best Lyric: “My mom buys cigarettes and ice cream, what am I doing here.”

Mara Liddle - All Over The Place

All Over The Place - Mara Liddle (Pop) Mara Liddle brings the funk with infectious little confection “All Over The Place”, an impeccably produced earworm. It’s a kick forward track that almost makes us think of a modern day “I Think We’re Alone Now”, that spins around your head and may even spin you around the dance floor. Mara’s vocals sparkle as they cloak the punchy track with a soothing silkiness that slips right into your ear. The textures throughout the track sit great on the ear, from the smoothness of the vocals, warble of the keys, punch of the kick to the crunch of the claps—the mix is perfect. Add in some engaging instrumental switchups and diversions and a curious vocal production the bridge, and you get something you’ll want to put on repeat.

Best Lyric: “I know that I could talk all day, but I’ve got nothing to say.”

Rehya Stevens - Early Winter

Early Winter - Rehya Stevens (Easy Listening) It’s unseasonably cold in Rehya Steven’s latest track, the brooding ballad “Early Winter”, where powerful vocals tell a tale of relationship troubles making it seem like the cold has arrived before it’s due. The song is wistful, delivered in an understated production of keys, drums and a heartstring pulling verbed guitar, kicked up into high gear when the strings sweep in. But the center of the track is Rehya’s golden vocals. Mature, grounded and emotive, there’s a folk or even country influence to the performance that helps tell the story with emotional truth. With a classic sound and emotional punch, “Early Winter” makes for a great car or shower singalong when you’re caught in your feels or dwelling on the past.

Best Lyric: “It’s colder in my world.”

Mama Blue - Mother of the Night

Mother of the Night - Mama Blue (Dark Pop) There’s an other-wordly-ness to Mama Blue’s latest track, “Mother of the Night.” The record is an incantation punctuated with hiphop influences from the knocking kick to the tight trap percussion. Mama’s lead takes several forms—a lilting seduction hanging in the air, a hissing snake similar to the “parseltongue” of the Harry Potter movies, and finally a layered and synth infused lead that blankets the track as guitars and horns hang in the reverb. When we close our eyes, we almost envision a bazaar, or a hookah lounge, with exotic dancers gyrating in a smoke filled room. An after hours club drenched in tension and a goosebump stirring sense of danger. Hypnotic and entrancing, this is one would go great with an edible.

Best Lyric: “My beautiful creature with darkness in your eyes.”

BŠĀR - Adrenaline

Adrenaline - BŠĀR (Pop) BŠĀR’s aptly titled new track “Adrenaline” certainly gives a dose of it with a zippy little number that has surprises around every turn. The record has a funk feel to it, carried by the splashy synths and plucky guitar that help give this track a momentum that flies right out of the gate. On top of that you’ve got a percussion that we best describe as a patter, all glued together by a slinky bass lead as the lead vocals punch through with classic pop flavor. But what truly makes this catchy record stand out is how refreshing it is with surprising changeups to the instrumental and tempo throughout, constantly keeping the listener engaged as BŠĀR turns the corner into something new and unexpected. This one’s on repeat.

Best Lyric: “Chasing the high not thinking ‘bout the low.”