Sugar Nova - Darkness Turns to Dawn

Darkness Turns to Dawn - Sugar Nova (Pop) Today, Sugar Nova returns to our blog with latest track “Darkness Turns to Dawn.” Last year, we had the opportunity to review “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream, Pt 2”, a dancey midtempo with disco influence. On “Darkness Turns to Dawn”, we return to the the funky disco dance floor, which kept reminding us of the retro tinged “Canned Heat” of the 90s. The vocals are refreshingly smooth and dynamic, avoiding the epidemic of over processing we see in so much new music—they waft through the track like fresh air. The funky guitar plucks give great ear candy as the sweeping disco strings provide momentum. It’s a certified dance floor spinner.

Best Lyric: “Take up the fight, choose black or white.”

Proklaim - LIFE

LIFE - Proklaim (Rap) Proklaim blesses us with a new track this week with “LIFE”, which is a sonic departure for our most featured artist. In “LIFE”, Proklaim chooses a soulful electro-funk backing that took us back to the days of watching videos on VH1 Soul. To this new funky sound, Proklaim brings his expected wisdom about positivity and setting yourself with the right frame of mind to move through the world—encapsulated in the Proklaim style of the vocal chant in the chorus. But when he’s not driving home his message in the chorus, he’s displaying his expert lyricism in the verses, with nuggets of knowledge buried throughout the thoughtful prose.

Best Lyric: “Never recognize your heart’s voice when the mind is full of noise.“

Diya Shanmugaraj - Blow the Blue Away

Blow The Blue Away - Diya Shanmugaraj (Soul/R&B) Diya Shanmugaraj delivers a complex, mature and soulful R&B number with the intoxicating “Blow The Blue Away.” The track is doused in melancholy, as the synths paint a mystical picture accented with eastern influences. Diya’s strong pop vocal cuts through easily—it’s the weighty and world weary voice of someone wise beyond their years. The melody is incredibly catchy, and when we hit the chorus, Diya bleeds into her heavenly backing vocals which make the listener feel as if they are being pulled along down a stream. This is the song of a woman on the brink, seduced by love, who finds it within herself to brush aside her worries and carry on. Seductive, soothing and potent, “Blow The Blue Away” is a must listen.

B-MACK - Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse

Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse - B-Mack featuring MsLarayne (Soul) B-Mack paints a vivid picture of late night eats and dance in “Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse”, a track about hitting the dance floor and having a good time. Written, performed and mixed at his home studio in Staten Island, the track has an old school soul feel with blues inspiration, where our vocalists emote over an instrumental lathered in the sounds of a crowd enjoying the crabhouse. It’s quite a quirky number, with an almost retro hiphop feeling drum kit, as free floating synth and piano leads add an element of funk. Overall, we think this track is all about atmosphere, you certainly feel like you’re at the crabhouse when listening to it, and in that way is a nice piece of musical art.

Adam Wedd - WONT YA?

WONT YA? - Adam Wedd (Indie Rock/Pop) In his new single, “WONT YA?”, Adam Wedd has simply had enough of all of the chaos going on in the world. In a very “We Didn’t Start The Fire” kind of way, Adam lists all of the ways that the world ignores the everyday lives of people in favor of political and social chaos. It takes aim at people in power who tell lies for support, with the truth hidden under a facade. The song’s message is conveyed through a tub thumper of a track, with angst and tension mirrored in the guitar lines. Paired with Alex Marchisone on the drums, Adam Wedd’s emotive vocals sell the track, which is surely relatable to anyone paying attention to the world today.

Best Lyric: “Missiles keep exploding, orange man’s on TV.”

Nolo Grace - Eyes of the Dragon

Eyes Of The Dragon - Nolo Grace (Electro/Pop) Nolo Grace delivers an electro pop jam with “Eyes of The Dragon”, an other worldly track about introspection. There’s a darkness to the track, a sense of foreboding, as the song shifts through multiple movements, including a stirring string section at the close. When listening, we were immediately reminded of Robyn’s “Body Talk” era, specifically the track “Little Star”. The instrumentation is lush, with Nolo’s heavenly vocals sitting above the slippery bass line and fuzzy synths, even breaking through with some very Jackson-esque breaths. Overall, it’s a trippy wall of sound that permeates the body, emotive and ethereal.

Denise Marse - Rainbow - Until Dawn Remix

Rainbow (Until Dawn Remix) - Denise Marse (Pop/Funk) Denise Marse is giving us a funky pop number right in time for summer with the Until Dawn remix of “Rainbow”. The track is made for the dance clubs—a funky NuDisco sound with a steady groove propelled by the punchy percussion and ear candy guitar licks. The professionalism of the track is demonstrated by how dynamic it is—it’s not afraid to take a moment to let you breathe before getting you back to dancing. We also get treated to a spanish guitar feature towards the end of the track, which gave us some real retro vibes. With a catchy chorus and strong production, we can clearly hear this as part of summer DJ sets. Certified dance floor spinner.

Best Lyric: “Love has always been the greatest inspiration on this earth.“

Nissu - Connection

Nissu - Connection (Pop) Nissu delivers new track “Connection”—paired with a clever music video—a catchy pop-funk track that’s all positive vibes. In “Connection”, Nissu is delivering a message about making the most of life, picking yourself back up to return to the light and be better than you were before. That life is all about connection. Nissu delivers this positivity through a plucky pop funk dance number, lead by a slamming percussion, driving chords and a groovy funk guitar that gives some real ear candy moments—a real NuDisco vibe. In a world that today seems plagued in darkness, “Connection” is pure escapism, and will equally get you moving and hopeful for the future.

Best Lyric: “We can value all the things that we took for granted.“

Destiny Imani - Girl's Girl

Girl’s Girl - Destiny Imani (Pop/Funk) DO THE HUSTLE! That’s the vibe we got when listening to Destiny’s Imani brand new track “Girl’s Girl.” A celebration of womanhood, friendship, freedom and fun, “Girl’s Girl” relishes in self-love and proud embrace of the feminine. It’s upbeat and plucky production housed firmly in the pop/funk genre. What stands out the most is the catchiness of the chorus and the glorious slowed down R&B tinged bridge, allowing space for Destiny’s silky smooth vocals to really shine. Sparkling piano synths, tight hats and funky claps make this track really move—this is certainly a dancefloor spinner. It’s a perfect track for summertime fun.

Best Lyric: “There’s no limit to your control and it’s time that you just let go.“

Proklaim - CROWN

CROWN - Proklaim (Rap) The king of our music review blog, Proklaim, is back for our twentieth review of his work, and how apt that today’s track is named “CROWN.” This firehose of content, spitting out new rhymes at least twice a month, brings us a lush retro 90s style groove that gave us some Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony vibes. There’s a maturity to this one, from the contemplative and sun drenched guitar lick in the backing to the hazy jazz horn providing color behind a crisp percussion production. Proklaim is back on his positivity on this one, forever manifesting his rise and success. With ambition and drive like he has shown with us over the last year, these are more than just words.

Best Lyric: “Now we’re on the brink of manifesting major things, celebrate the future in advance.“

Feye - River

River - Feye (Pop) Following two critically acclaimed EPs, today on the blog Feye delivers a driving pop midtempo with retro 80s influences in her compelling new track, “River.” The song begins mysteriously, seemingly placed underwater from within the titular river, before a hard hitting 80s style drum kit takes over and never lets go. Feye has a soothing and mature alto, which flows like water all over the track. As a whole, the production gave us hints of early Robyn, as Feye tells a lover that, while they may sweetly bring her flowers, they don’t see her whole self. Upbeat with a dash of melancholy, the track makes for an excellent pairing with a summer drive.

Best Lyric: “You’re looking for someone you can no longer find.”

Marika Lejon - Forbidden Love

Forbidden Love - Marika Lejon (Pop) Pop songstress Marika Lejon’s desire for her love interest is denied in her latest track “Forbidden Love.” With such a plucky and upbeat sounding track, it surprised us to learn that “Forbidden Love” was inspired by a terror attack on a gay pub in Oslo. At its core, the song is about people in love who cannot be together, and so the inspiration certainly makes sense. Marika’s vocals have a Gwen Stefani quality to them as she spins her tale over a trotting mid tempo that feels like a travelling song. With quirky synths giving it character, Marika bakes a powerful message into a breezy pop number.

Don Bonya - Ride With Me (Omah)

Ride With Me (Omah) - Don Bonya (Rap) Don Bonya and Lapricaty deliver a chill island groove with latest single “Ride With Me (Omah)”. The entire production feels sun drenched, with a punchy afrobeat percussion overlaid with soft pads that bring a mysterious tension to the track—a haze that hangs in the air. Don’s flow is silky smooth and effortless, as a lilting soprano vocal hangs in the back to provide additional color. Our favorite moment was the choral backing in the chorus, stacked in a verb that served to enhance the daydream-like feel of the track. Doubling as both a simmering groove and a hip winder, Don Bonya’s “Ride With Me (Omah)” is feel good music.

Alicia Daydreams - Knock on My Door

Knock on My Door - Alicia Daydreams (R&B/Pop) 18 year old up and coming star Alicia Daydreams delivers a lush R&B production with “Knock on My Door”, where Alicia wishes that an ex would return to tell her that they miss her. Alicia is a woman of all trades as she sings, writes and plays her own productions. Speaking of the production, it’s full, thick and heavy, mirroring the emotions involved, supporting Alicia’s smoky and jazz influenced vocal performance that carries a maturity that belies her young age. Her strength in her performance is her emotive nature—you feel the yearning in each line. We also get some pleasant little ear candy in the door knock effects that help elevate the track. This is a high caliber track.

W1ZZY - Picture Me

Picture Me - W1ZZY (Rap) Today on the blog we get W1ZZY’s fourth single of 2024 with “Picture Me”, an in your face rap track where W1ZZY espouses his ambition, accolades and prowess. It’s not just words though, W1ZZY proves what he boasts as he goes hard on “Picture Me” with clever lyrics while riding the beat with ease. He’s also backed by a slamming production, led by a booming 808 and a trap percussion. In the background we get the sounds of an ominous church bell and soft strings which together add an element of eeriness and weight to the production—we thought of Puff Daddy’s “VICTORY” while listening to this. We also enjoyed all the little ear candy special effects strewn throughout, which help elevate the track.

Best Lyric: “Have some manners when you mention me.“

Issues - Child of SP

Child of SP - Issues (R&B) Child of SP is conflicted in his latest cut, “Issues”, a groovy R&B number boasting a catchy melody and a lush production. In “Issues”, Child of SP is completely smitten with his love interest, but is noticing that there is an undercurrent of issues that might get in the way of their love. Through it, his love prevails as he declares that they can work out their troubles. The track is excellently produced, with a slamming kick and thick bass line, placed in a cavernous space with soaring reverb. Overall the track gave us Nick Jonas vibes in his “Selfish” era. Overall, “Issues” is an excellent representation of modern R&B.

Best Lyric: “And if I cross your mind just know you got me by your side.“