Marissa Mansion - L O V E R

L O V E R - Marissa Mansion (Pop)  Marissa paints a lush landscape with latest release, “L O V E R.” With a close and intimate vocal delivery, Marissa balances between wistful and forlorn on a track that definitely gives us Taylor vibes. Lilting keys are cut with an almost tribal feeling percussion, as delicious vocal walls and harmonies fill the space between. The song also has great movement, from the drive of the chorus to the emptiness at the close. What the track does best is encapsulate a feeling, from the instrumental production to the vocal delivery, this is one to surely get you in your feels.

Best Lyrics: “Canvas covered in colors.”

Parker Kay - Paint the Skies

Paint the Skies - Parker Kay (R&B) Blue-eyed soul R&B crooner Parker Kay shows up with a seductive waltz in latest cut, “Paint the Skies.” The warbly, muted old-timey keys put you in the feels immediately, with a vinyl tinged percussion kicking in to introduce Parker’s reedy baritone. The track is smoky, hazy—with swells that feel like waves hitting the shore. It gives us very “Worth It” Weeknd vibes. The song takes an interesting turn after the second chorus, however, leaning heavy on mood and atmospherics, abandoning the melody to let the instrumental carry you out to sea. It’s quite a beautiful track, and one of our favorites this year.

Best Lyric: “Hurricane in my mind.“

Steven Malcolm - Nothing Into Something

Nothing Into Something - Steven Malcolm (R&B) Steven Malcolm delivers a sparkling R&B/pop crossover number with heartfelt lyrics and a specific point of view in latest track “Nothing Into Something.” Sonically, the track reminds us of the R&B of the 2010s—when Neyo and Jason Derulo ruled the charts—with an anthemic chant choral that enters towards the close of the track that adds a more modern twist. Over the twinkling rhodes and tight trap beat, Steven talks about how an accidental pregnancy turned into his greatest love—God turning nothing into something. So as pretty as the song sounds, what’s truly beautiful on this track is the lyricism and storytelling.

VXXK - To The Ceiling

To The Ceiling - VXXK (Dance) VXXK delivers an anthemic dance club banger with latest single “To The Ceiling.” It’s got everything you want from a dance floor track—that sharp synth bass bouncing throughout the choruses, a strong pop vocal, and risers that give the song a great build. It’s also a very singalongable track to go along with its infectious dance vibes, as our lead female vocalist floats effortlessly in the air above the driving beat. There’s also a good deal of restraint in the track, the verses take a step back in the instrumentation to make sure the chorus really punches, and punch it does.

Best Lyric: “I see the sparks fly high to the ceiling.”

MRXM - Whoosh

Whoosh - MRXM (Hiphop) MRXM delivers a musical work that we think is incredibly innovative with latest track “Whoosh”. Part experimental hiphop, part ASMR trance and fully groovy midtempo, this lush track paints a hazy atmosphere while it coalesces into something unique among its peers. From the minds of Don Mars and Purpel J, we feel they present the next evolution in the Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony lane, with dense harmony lines packed onto their rhymes, pumped up with a hypnotic delay effect that creates one hell of a trip. The production is packed full of instrumentation and ear candy FX, yet feels cavernous instead of overcrowded. Turn off the lights, spark up and let this intoxicating number fill you up.

Ilona - Feel

Feel - Ilona (Pop) Ilona is showing up with sexy vibes in her latest track “Feel”. The song is a sultry waltz, filled with feminine energy and sexual liberation, overall giving us “Dangerous Woman” Ariana Grande vibes as ilona delivers a strong pop vocal that duets with a seductive guitar line plucking along in the backing. Ear candy is abound in the track, with a delicious use of verbed vocal punches to create a lush landscape. The song feels big, and has a great swell to it that fills the chest. We think this track makes an excellent “sing along in the shower” one, or something you can use to impress at your next karaoke night.

Best Lyric: “Say it with those hands.”

Proklaim - BAD TING

BAD TING- Proklaim (Hiphop) In our second track from Proklaim on the blog today, we get a perfect pairing with “BAD TING”, sharing a similar vibe to that on prior “4 ME”. Positive vibes continue, this time celebrating progress and elevation. With this track, we notice a through line in Proklaim’s songwriting style. First we get an intro call to action—Proklaim telling the listener succinctly the message he is about to impart. Rapid fire flow fills the verses while a layered chant-like repetitive chorus continues to drive the message home. And finally, Proklaim’s tracks are each mini sermons, delivering wisdom from his life’s experiences and imparting the motivation and ambition he feels to the listener. With all this in mind, Proklaim’s music makes for tracks to wake up to so you can start your day with good intentions and good energy.

Best Lyric: “Put it on the stove and let it simmer till it burns.”

Proklaim - 4 ME

4 ME- Proklaim (Hiphop) The notoriously prolific Proklaim blesses our blog again this week with another duo of songs, kicking off with the feel good vibes of “4 ME”. On this track, we’ve got a positive message of not taking life for granted, to celebrate every day you wake up and take delight in the simple things. The sound Proklaim explores this time has a reggae cadence to this mid tempo flow, evocative of an island breeze blowing through your hair with the windows down in the car, cruising. Added texture comes from the hazy jazz horn, with the kick and snare rhythm creating a hip winder. Proklaim’s signature rapid fire flow is back, this time giving us memories of Lauryn Hill.

Best Lyric: “Intuition surely gotta be the lord’s whisper.”

Maddie Jackway - You Make Me Look Over My Shoulder

You Make Me Look Over My Shoulder - Maddie Jackaway (Pop) Maddie Jackway delivers a rich and luscious production in her latest single “You Make Me Look Over My Shoulder.” The song paints a delicious atmospheric texture of tension and mystery, pop infused with jazz sensibility, with ear candy abound in the percussion and heavenly vocal layers. The instrumental conveys the bewilderment and wonder in the lyrics—Maddie mistook a man’s loneliness for love, with passionate choral arrangements describing the pain at the discovery that she wasn’t the only one. It’s ironic that one of the reasons Maddie believes she has been sidelined is that her lover feared she might taint their reputation, because with musical talent like this, Maddie has a reputation anyone would want to tie themself to.

Best Lyric: “Was it all make believe? Did I have your love?”

V of 40M - The Score

The Score - V of 40M (Rap)  V of 40M is bringing the hype music with bumping new track “The Score.” With a title inspired by the Fugees, as is clear from the single’s cover artwork, the musical influences are also 90s, including those synth string plucks often used in Darkchild productions of the era. The thrust of the lyrics is teamwork, with the trio of V, 40M Tye and Hippie G passing off the baton throughout the song, while the music conveys a feeling of triumph and success. This victorious feeling perfectly encapsulates the movement that these artists have pledged themselves to—40M or 40 Million Strong—aimed at establishing sovereign land and autonomous rule for Blacks. If what this trio sought to do in “The Score” is create an anthem for a movement, they certainly succeeded—this track is a call to action.

Best Lyric: “All we need is a touchdown, that’ll put us on the board.”

Alexa Villa - My Kind of Damaged

My Kind of Damaged - Alexa Villa (Pop)  Damage recognize damage in Alexa Villa’s intimate “My Kind of Damaged”, a song about broken people looking for broken people. The instrumental is tense, but minimalist, allowing the star of the track to shine through—the vocal. Alexa Villa is one hell of a performer—an incredibly strong vocal imbued with unbelievable passion—the instrumental only catching up with her at the end when the track turns into a straight jam session. Listening to this track, we could imagine Kelly Clarkson covering this on her talk show—not to compare Alexa, who has far more grit and danger. Powerful and well-produced, “My Kind Of Damaged” is going to be an emo girl’s karaoke number in 3, 2, 1…

Ladybyrd - Way Back Home

Way Back Home - Ladybyrd (Pop) Ladybyrd is coming in with an anthemic number in “Way Back Home”, a track about finding one’s way back to love. From the thick pads to the lush strings, Ladybyrd has crafted a BIG song that churns and swells like the choppy seas. The percussion is reserved for the chorus, thumping in like a heartbeat that intensifies the passion in the vocal delivery. The vocals have maturity, flying all the way up into the rafters and nestling sweetly down in a husky alto at times, reminding us a bit of Miley Cyrus, were she covering, say, “Summertime Sadness.” This is a sing along in the shower kind of song.

Best Lyric: “It’s not like I can let go now.”

Corio - Who Needs A Friend

Who Needs A Friend - Corio (HipHop) Corio delivers a haunting single with “Who Needs A Friend”, a track born from the aftermath of a breakup. There’s a melancholy vibe for sure, with the warm guitar riff swirling in the background giving an ominous sense of loss, the feeling of starting again at 0. The hiphop comes in with the drum production, crispy hats and snares clicking the track along, with some delightful ear candy in the tuned backing vocals. The serenade of the strings that drifts in and out of the track help pull on the heartstrings as Corio bares his soul. This is a track you need when you’re lost in your feels.

Best Lyric: “I got burnt up loving again.”

Kiesza - Heaven Ain't Calling

Heaven Ain’t Calling - Kiesza & Sugar Jesus (Pop) Kiesza marries barn burner with dance floor anthem in latest track '“Heaven Ain’t Calling.” Reminding us of Christina Aguilera’s “Back to Basics” era, Kiesza delivers something crafted for the dance floor along with a retro sounding melody that gives us Florence and the Machine vibes. She also gives us quite the epic music video, with a big dance performance in a black and white silent movie themed video that takes place in a speakeasy we want to visit. Not overshadowing the power of Kiesza’s belt, her vocals sit mostly in a distortion effect that provides some incredible earcandy. We defy you to not cut up to this one.

Best Lyric: “I’ve been down this road before and tonight I’m taking you.”

Kanda - Unanswered Questions

Unanswered Questions - Kanda (Pop) Kanda is going through it post-relationship in his latest single and music video, “Unanswered Questions.” On the track, Kanda sings of a relationship gone wrong that he can’t get over due him being completely blindsided by the abrupt end. The song begins with a hazy summertime guitar, its strums soon accompanied by rousing bass synths to pull out the emotions of the track. But the passion is centered most in the vocal, a gutteral and emotive delivery that tells the listener that this song is personal. The artistry of the track becomes clear at the finale, when the song leaves the listener on the edge, coming to a close without resolution, mirroring exactly how Kanda feels.

Best Lyric: “And even if we turn back time it wouldn’t make this right now I’m floating by as I’m questioning what’s the point in life.”

Magdalia - Hold It Up

Hold It Up - Magdalia (Pop) Magdalia returns to the blog for the fourth time with latest single “Hold It Up” featuring Mayzie Chew. We’ve had the opportunity to review prior singles “Tunnel Vision”, “Great Expectations” and “Fault Line”, which brought us top notch, vocal-centered productions unique in their lyrical prowess. This latest track continues to showcase Magdalia as an expert storyteller, this time over a waltzy drum beat and warm acoustic accompaniment. In the song, Magdalia tells her love interest that she’ll be with them through tough times, to hold up the sky with them when it feels like all is crashing down. With it’s emotive intimacy, “Hold It Up” could be a couple’s wedding song, for sure.

Best Lyric: “I walk in the cold to numb all my feelings.”