Crusada - Killer Signs Prelude

Killer Signs Prelude - Crusada (HipHop) Crusada makes us miss the days of 00s hiphop with latest track “Killer Signs Prelude”, a record that serves as the introduction to an upcoming theatre production at London’s Courtyard Theatre this month. Giving some real “Magic Stick” vibes, we were half expecting Kim to hop in on a verse. Our artists here have the vibes of Eminem’s D12 group, with each rapper passing the baton throughout the track without ever interrupting the flow, all while a They Might Be Giants “Constantinople” style violin slides around the retro hiphop percussion production. If “Killer Signs Prelude” is a prelude of what’s to come, we can confidently say that we’re ready for the show. If you’re in London, be sure to check it out.

Best Lyric: “The black falcon, not Peter Pan.”

Dax - To Be A Man ft Darius Rucker

To Be A Man - Dax ft Darius Rucker (Country)  Dax returns for his fifth entry with “To Be A Man” (see our previous reviews of “Life”, “The Abyss”, “God’s Eyes” and “The Devil’s Calling”) to surprise us yet again—and we’re not talking about the mic drop appearance of Darius Rucker. No, here Dax mostly leaves his rhymes behind for a soul stirring country number—yes, country—where he duets with the one and only Darius Rucker. Now what isn’t different here is Dax’s dedication to meaningful lyrics and messaging, this time discussing the responsibility of fatherhood and what it is to be a man. Production wise, it’s your classic mainstream country crossover—our first time hearing this from Dax—and continues to prove that Dax is a versatile, multi-talented and prolific musician with a hell of a lot to say.

Best Lyric: “It’s not ‘bout how you feel but what you provide inside that home.”

KÄRMA SOUNDS - Mysterious

Mysterious - Kärma Sounds (Pop) There’s a lot to love with Kärma Sounds’ latest track, “Mysterious”—a funky NuDisco track that is destined for the dancefloor. The lead vocalist, the dynamic Karina Morin, goes toe to toe with all the major dance divas in her sexy delivery, while backed by a vocoder and ushered into an outro by a hella-retro guitar solo. From it’s funky percussion to it’s slinky and molten lava bassline (which gives this groove its drive), the track reminds us a lot of “Get Lucky” from Daft Punk/Pharrell. Kärma Sounds hopes to evoke the “magic that unfolds when two souls connect in a mysterious realm, where time stands still.” For us, that real would be a summertime dance floor with vodka soda in hand and not a care in the world. That’s where you’ll find “Mysterious.”

Kyle Richardson - Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words (LP) (Pop) There’s not one skippable track on Kyle Richardson’s debut LP, “Louder Than Words”, a Top 40 slam dunk fresh of the presses. Preceded by singles “Fight The Good Fight”, “Anything” and “Can You Hear Me”, Kyle’s first album sets a high bar as he ventures forth to build what is sure to be a strong career. From the vocals to the impeccable production, Kyle blends a modern pop sensibility with retro nostalgia to create a record that is both very much of the here and now, but also timeless.

This Vancouver-based artist comes to us with quite the resume. Having written with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, DYLN and Garrett Neiles, he has also had success in TV sync placements and radio work, generating over 1.5 million Spotify streams as a guest vocalist on Bobina’s “Love is the Answer.” Also, as this blog is run by a queer artist himself, we of course need to shout out that Kyle is family. :)

Let’s start with Kyle’s vocals. After some hemming and hawing, we finally settled on this: What if Michael Buble and Sam Smith raised a child together with the sole intention of having him to replace Ed Sheeran? That’s where we put Kyle. His vocals are pure pop, showing a warmth in baritone and a punchy strength in his upper register—i.e., he has the range. Those vocals are always mixed right in front, the star of every track, with the instrumentation serving merely to boost him up. That instrumental production sits mostly in mainstream pop, each mixed with beautiful depth and richness, with the occasional detour into retro influences. So before you even get into the actual content of the tracks, this album sounds amazing.

For the most part, Kyle leans towards anthemic tub-thumpers. Immediately launching with album opener “Can You Hear Me”, Kyle evokes a “We Will Rock You” stomp and clap that permeates most of the album. “Fight the Good Fight” carries that torch as well, and it’s clear on first listen why this was a preceding single—it’s a perfect concoction for today’s charts. Now, with a voice like Kyle’s, you couldn’t not have a selection of ballads. On that front, “Perfect Crime” stands out as our favorite, a love song about a hookup turning into something more—which for the queer experience is pretty common and certainly relatable.

Our personal favorites, however, are the ones that bake in a few hints of nostalgia. These aren’t full on time travel tracks, but more like the way Meghan Trainor has a doo wop sensibility in a lot of her work. In that regard, “Fun” shines as that sort of track, which even gives us a Christmas pop track kind of vibe—it’s kind of a sleigh ride. The album delivers another retro bop with “Nice to Meet You” that gives us vibes similar to Duffy’s “Mercy”, while “Sooner or Later” is a hazy retro soul track that stands out as unique among the collection. However, it all comes together in our favorite track on the album “Everything About You”, which is the perfect midpoint between his stomp/clap modern style and his retro leanings. That one’s a chef’s kiss for us. Not that the others on the album won’t, but these records in particular will stand the test of time.

In sum, Kyle Richardson’s debut LP “Louder Than Words” is a triumph. A masterful production, soaring vocal performance and mainstream sensibility, Kyle will have no problem finding a devoted and adoring fanbase.

LÖNA - Game

Game - LÖNA (Pop) LÖNA delivers a hypnotic dance floor bop with latest single “Game.” The track bleeds with darkness and danger, feeling like an incantation—especially with those spoken word urgings leaning into the choruses. The sweeping synths, which paint the atmosphere as hazy and forboding, are cut with a punchy production paired with clear and crisp vocals that callto the listener like a siren song. As the track draws you in, it conjured images of those underground party scenes in The Matrix films, and also gave us a bit of “Florence and the Machine” vibes—but like if Florence was in a real funk. We also have to highlight the clever and captivating lyrical content, often missing from these kinds of dark pop dance floor tracks.

Best Lyric: “Whiskey on the rocks, I am the queen of hearts.”

Connor Desai - Forever

Forever - Connor Desai (Indie Folk) The latest from Connor Desai, “Forever”, is a surprising genre blend with gut punching emotion and clear crossover appeal. As the track begins, you immediately place it in indie folk, with intimate and close vocals set to a lilting guitar strum. Hypnotic and intoxicating, Connor’s vocals shine as both strong and vulnerable, as she sings of the melancholy of an unresolved breakup, which have just a touch of Sheryl Crow in their maturity. But then we’re pleasantly blindsided by the introduction of a punchy kick and trap percussion production that marry beautifully with the stripped down arrangement that came before, deepening the emotion of the track and giving it extra drive. We were also deeply impressed with the lyrics, making it hard to choose our favorite. “Forever” is poetry set to music.

Best Lyric: “The poets try to ground us, but you’re nobody’s fool.”

Rob Elo - Either Way

Either Way - Rob Elo (R&B/Neo-Soul) Rob Elo has found a love worth waiting for on latest track, “Either Way”, the first of four monthly singles that will culminate in an EP next year. From the moment the sparkling rhodes and plucky guitars enter, the listener is immediately put at ease, trusting Rob to lead them down a sonic landscape that feels like a flowing river. The production is incredibly lush, with soothing Brandy-level vocal stacks, harmonies and counterpoints slathering butter on a close, intimate and vulnerable vocal. Rob’s crooning plus the warm blanket of the instrumentation are hypnotic and seductive and just as he’ll wait for you, you’ll have no doubt that his upcoming tracks are also worth waiting for. One of our favorites of the year.

Best Lyric: “So if you wait, don’t wait, either way I’m on fire.”

Jason Shand - Selfish Bitch

Selfish Bitch - Jason Shand (Indie Rock) Welcome to the return of the diss track. On his latest single “Selfish Bitch”, Jason Shand pulls no punches, calling out a former lover for their self centered egoism. The delivery, however, comes not from anger, but from hurt, with the message coming from a raw and vulnerable vocal that easily slips up into falsetto at moments of peak pain. The production thuds and swells on “Selfish Bitch”, with the subby kick feeling like a heartbeat as a ‘wild west standoff’ guitar sets the atmosphere. The instrumentation remains understated until the shimmering synths sweep the listener into themselves and usher in the drums, as well as a ‘radar ping’ that really punches the heart. Still unpacking a recent heartache? Get this on your playlists.

Best Lyric: “Maybe it’s better that I never know, maybe it’s better that I let it go.“

wht.rbbt.obj - Keep You Like A Secret (Tidal Wave)

Keep You Like A Secret (Tidal Wave) - wht.rbbt.obj (Soft Rock) wht.rbbt.obj delivers some silky jazz in the lounge lizard single “Keep You Like A Secret (Tidal Wave)”. Bluesy and sultry, the star of the track is surely the lead vocal—a smoky and intoxicating female voice that combines the vowel shapes of Amy Winehouse, husk of Ellie Goulding and punk rock of Fiona Apple. The song as a whole reminds us of that era in the 00s/10s where Norah Jones and Duffy hit the charts—that “new retro” kinda feel. We also loved the little touches of the verbed organ, which was just pure earcandy. It’s a timeless record destined for your smooth grooves/chill vibes playlist.

Best Lyric: “You don’t know what you do to me, do yah?”

Joe Lington - Focus

Focus (LP) - Joe Lington (R&B) This month we’ve had the pleasure to explore the discography of French R&B artist Joe Lington, and today we take on the remaining projects, the “Focus” LP. Released in 2021, the album shares commonalities with his other offerings—the prior “Trust” LP, subsequent “Black Desire” LP and the “WTPA” EP preceding the forthcoming “Pinkeen” LP—to the point that we now believe we can confidently say that we understand the Joe Lington formula. Let’s break that equation down below.

As we’ve often noted in our reviews of Joe’s work, Joe likes to serve a comprehensive and meticulously structured work. Aside from general sequencing choices, Joe likes to use introductions and interludes to separate his projects into acts, a technique that we don’t see used very often these days now that the music scene is far more a culture of singles rather than one that focuses on album releases. It’s a refreshing throwback, and “Focus” is no different, with the title track being the intro to the album that reminds us a lot of the beginning of Usher’s “Monstar”, coincidentally also an intro track. Track “Maman” also gets its own introduction later in the project, “Alone” helps guide us from uptempo to ballad around the halfway mark and “I wanna Be” is a transition track as well that feels akin to Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” complete with the falsetto. We kind of want a full song of the latter.

Also part of Joe’s formula is showing off his bilingual skills, which is also present on “Focus”, getting to reach two audiences in one project. Shrewd business move for sure. In addition, Joe also likes to use spoken word in order to deliver specific messages to his audience directly. In “Black Desire”, the title track explained the necessity of code switching. On “Focus”, the spoken word follows the intro number, with “Are You Ready?” letting us know this album is about the love of music.

And then the final ingredient, of course, that punchy 00s R&B sound. On “Focus” our standout tracks include “You & Me”, whose guitar strums take us back to Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” and also give us a resonant baritone feature with guest artist frederic. “Call Me Maybe”—no, not that one—also stands out as an upbeat number with touches of jazz influence, from a wailing sax to a jazz piano, baked into a tight percussion with added tension of house infused synths. Of the slow jams, “Partir” is probably our favorite, with a lilting melody, luscious vocal stacks and a seductive quiet storm instrumental.

It’s been quite a journey with Joe Lington this month and we look forward to linking up with him again in 2024 for the forthcoming “Pinkeen” album. What we've discovered so far is an artist with a dedication to his craft, a focus on his specific sound, and a robust vision of comprehensive works. With a deep discography, we think it might be time for the "Pinkeen" project to take Joe on tour. We'd certainly love to hear many of these live and see what Joe has to bring to the stage.

Joe Lington - Trust

Trust (LP) - Joe Lington (R&B) There is no question that Joe Lington is an artist with a vision. For the last two weeks we have reviewed one of his projects, first his latest EP “WTPA” and last week LP “Black Desire.” Singing in both French and English, this multi-hyphenate producer, mixer, mastering engineer, writer, singer and performer has impressed us with his retro R&B influences, beautifully sequenced collections and drive--having put out four major projects over the last five years, with another on the way next year. This week we go back in time to look at where it all started—his first LP “Trust”, released in 2018.

It’s a treat to have gotten the chance to review his recent albums first and then go back to the start, as it lets us see all of the seeds he planted that have flowered today, as well as map out how his musicality has grown, changed and evolved. With “Trust” we are reminded of the old adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Which is why we said earlier that Joe Lington is a man of vision, because reviewing "Trust" tells us that for the last five years Joe has been carefully evolving a singular vision of his sound, continuing to hone and craft it but never veering from his roots.

Like his other projects, Joe’s voice is the star. A versatile instrument, the vocals shine throughout “Trust”, with the relatively sparse instrumental serving only to prop up meticulously crafted vocal stacks. As for the era, this one feels centered in the 00s as far as R&B style, with even a few taking us back to the 90s. Our favorite track in particular, “I Gotta Be With You“, has those synth strings that scream “No Scrubs” and all those R&B hits of the late 90s that used the same. Shout out to feature artist Bryan G, who gives us straight up Brian McKnight on the track.

Combined with following record “Ce Monde“, the intro to the album feels very much like Justin Timberlake’s first solo cut, “Justified.” We’ll also mention that we love his retro use of interludes to bridge his work together, making it, like his others, a cohesive and well plotted sequence of tracks.

He’s also not afraid to diversify his sounds, with “Africa” serving up some Lion King and both “Je Sais” and “Ce Soir” giving us a live band feel with Joe showcasing a baritone vocal unlike what we've become used to from him. We also call out “Yeah” for its 00s/10s Usher vibes and “Remember” with guests Tidou B and Otaku Black that had us thinking of a T.I. feature.

Ballad wise, we’re treated to the more classic variety with a beautiful ode in “My Mother” with a more '10s R&B one in “Elle” and a very Mary J Blige feel with “You Better Be Ready.” As always, genre specific while remaining eclectic, heartfelt and with solid productions all around.

We’re excited to dive into Joes sophomore album next to finally get the whole picture on this talent, as we await the “Pinkeen” album.

Kapture - Sailed

Sailed - Kapture (Rap) We welcome Kapture back to the blog for her third entry, “Sailed”, her most heartfelt effort to date. We were first introduced to Kapture’s flow with “New Beginnings”, a track we felt could have very much come from Nikki’s Pink Friday album, and were further impressed with “Compare To Me” which continued her streak of clever lyrics and clear point of view. It’s a hard turn in subject matter with “Sailed”, which sings like diary entry. In “Sailed”, Kapture pointedly addresses her abusive father with a specificity that bleeds vulnerability. Sonically, the Nikki influence is clear, specifically songs like “Fly” and other of that artist’s more vulnerable tracks. Kapture continues to prove that she is a well rounded artist dripping with talent and authenticity. After capturing our attention, Kapture has shown she can also hold it.

Best Lyric: “How so you sleep at night knowing I’m broken for life.”

Jake Stone - Late Nights

Late Nights - Jake Stone (Pop) Jake Stone serves pop perfection with latest track “Late Nights”. In this Top 40 sounding record, Jake relives the trauma of a breakup, analyzing the way it was done and the intentions of the person who broke his heart who framed him as the bad guy. The song is a driving midtempo, with a tribal feeling percussion and rousing choral backing that gave us a vibe similar to FUN’s “Some Nights” and other tracks of the genre—maybe some Harry Styles or a solo Jonas brother efforts. Jake’s vulnerable tenor slices through the beefy mix with a perfect pop vocal to deliver quite a relatable and sing-along-able track.

Best Lyric: “Cuz it’s not like my love was complacent, but you were looking for reasons to replace it.”

Draumr - Some Other Night

Some Other Night - Draumr (Retro Pop) It’s the right time of year for a spooky video, with a slamming track to match. In Draumr’s latest record, “Some Other Night,” the soundscape is the 80s, with a punchy production featuring a tight driving drum kit, some ear candy guitar riffs and those amazing splashy 80s synths. The vocal showcases a sparkling falsetto, with a synth processing and delay effect that give a distinct sound that feels like a burst of shimmering light, with the breakdown at the end giving us some serious Queen vibes. Despite the horror movie visual, the song is quite peppy and certainly danceable. We think this is one to cruise down the highway to.

Lapenzi - Pretend

Pretend - Lapenzi (Pop) Lapenzi gives us a power pop ballad with latest track, “Pretend”, on which she begs a former love to give her the opportunity for one last moment, asking if they’ll at least pretend to still have feelings for her. It’s a bittersweet track, amplified by warbly piano and a dynamic production that slams hard into the chorus to mirror the desperation and outpouring of vulnerability in the vocal performance. Lapenzi delivers a strong pop vocal, punchy and focused, with a tonality reminding us a bit of Miley without all the recent husk and rasp—”Wrecking Ball” era. With a universal subject matter, evocative instrumental and heartstring pulling lyrics, you’ve got a new karaoke song in “Pretend.”

Best Lyric: “If you don’t love me could we just pretend you love me?”

Nadine Randle - K9 (Wide Awake)

K9 (Wide Awake) - Nadine Randle (HipHop/R&B)  Nadine Randle brings it back to the floor with latest track “K9 (Wide Awake)”. This is Nadine’s second time on the blog, with her previous track “Waterfalls” giving us a driving power ballad. This time, we’ve got a thumping R&B/Hiphop infused track with focused and strong vocals in the driver’s seat. Style wise, we feel like Nadine’s performance evokes a lot of Nicole Scherzinger in the sound, especially in the longer belts, and with a touch of Ariana Grande sensibility in the melody and verse delivery. Complimented by crispy trap percussion, a slippery synth lead and a rumbling synth bass, the track is a perfect sonic sandwich.

Best Lyric: “Doesn’t matter that you cause me a poser.”