Weaux - Queer as Funk

Queer as Funk (EP) - Weaux (Pop/Funk) This week we welcome a new artist to our blog, Weaux, with a review of his latest 5-track EP “Queer as Funk.” Unabashedly queer and a self referential introduction to all he has to offer, there’s a lot to love about “Queer as Funk” and it will certainly put a smile on your face. But before we dig into the tracks, let’s take a look at our artist.

Weaux (pronounced “Woah!”) is a queer artist focusing on funky hyperpop, known for melding a Gen Z sense of humor with retro vibes. His stage name comes from a combination of his first and last name, Wayne Babineaux. Hailing from Houston, Weaux moved to New York to pursue acting, later pivoting into music. He describes the latest EP as “the ray of rainbow sunshine the world needs right now”, aiming to transport listeners to an alternate 80s funk-inspired universe of love and acceptance. Discovered by Skip Reeves the “Funkologist”, Weaux has been featured on terrestrial radio in Denver and San Francisco, and has cracked digital radio on Iconix Radio and Breaking Sound Radio. Weaux has also made significant inroads in New York and Houston as a live performer in the queer scene, who has also been featured in Houston’s leading LGBTQ magazine.

The EP is a cohesive collection of funk jams, very much in line with the “24k Magic” era of Bruno Mars. Mixing rap/spoken word with a slippery tenor sung vocal, the project is chock full of versatility, while remaining consistently on brand as a queer funk production. While rooted specifically in queer identity, the sonic landscape mostly veers away from what would be considered music catered for the queer community, instead giving us a lot of Prince and Michael Jackson vibes. The mix and master is light, fresh and funky.

Digging into the tracks, the vogue and ballroom inspired album intro “88 Keys” is led by a driving kick as Weaux initially introduces himself as a rapper. Feeling like an announcer at a ballroom competition, this track gave us feelings of “Call Me Mother” by RuPaul before veering into some Prince feeling falsetto vocals. Also, we tip our hat to anyone who can collapse Beyonce, Lizzon and Brene Brown into a single reference.

“Serious/Delirious” gives us those aforementioned Bruno Mars retro vibes. While established on the opening track, Weaux solidifies his Lyrical prowess on this song that preaches remaining positive in the face of adversity. A universal message with specific resonance to today’s queer community.

“Queer as Funk” really brings that 80s Prince feel with an infusion of Michael Jackson. Three tracks in, it is at its core an introduction to Weaux and all he has to offer, as Weaux describes his artistry with a “Rapper’s Delight” feeling flow. It’s the “stankiest groove that’s ever stunk.”

We then take a left turn with “Greatest Hit”, which slows things down to deliver a love ballad. It’s a stripped down production and is the track most unlike the others, showing Weaux’s versatility. The album returns to form with the closer, “Checklist Kind of Love”, which now runs down the rubric of exactly what Weax needs from a lover. This is all done over that delicious and instantly recognizable NuFunk bassline, which drives the track.

All in all, “Queer as Funk” serves two purposes—it’s a red carpet welcome and 360 introduction of Weaux as an artist, while also creating smiles through upbeat catchy grooves and clever lyrics.

TRACKS:

1. 88 Keys

2. Serious/Delirious

3. Queer as Funk

4. Greatest Hit

5. Checklist Kind of Love

Rice - New Jack

New Jack - Rice (Rap) Rice joins our roster this week with latest track “New Jack”, a classic braggadocious stuttin’ track. Sonically, the record reminds us a lot of 00s Timbaland productions, with the mysterious eastern flute and dreamy guitar strum giving us “Indian Flute.” Cutting through this is, of course, the slamming hip hop percussion that we expect from the genre, while Rice uses a synth harmonizer to give added weight to his vocals that serve as great ear candy. The track is accompanied by a music video that interjects spoken word elements where Rice chats on the phone about his rise. Coming in at a tight 2 minutes, we only wish the track was longer! Guess it goes on repeat. ;)

Best Lyric: “I’m a shark in the water, brand new coup with somebody’s daughter.”

Anna Kaya - Pride

Pride - Anna Kaya (Pop/R&B) This week, we welcome Anna Kaya to our blog with “Pride”, a tune full of sass and empowerment that reminds us of the “Hit ‘Em Upstyle” tracks of the early 00s. With a minimalist production, the track leans on the strength of Anna’s vocals and specifically her emotive performance of the lyrics as the center of the record. Overall, the song is a sultry tango, with a resonant 808 bouncing in the back as delicate synth stabs and a hypnotic guitar pluck guide the mid tempo along. Giving us crossover R&B vibes, the track has a great sing-along-able chorus that makes the entire track infectious.

Best Lyric: “Your ego’s fragile like thin ice.”

1kxjoe - Shawty Nasty

Shawty Nasty - 1kxjoe (Rap) There’s something to be said for being brutally honest. On latest track, “Shawty Nasty”, 1kxjoe makes it explicitly clear that he loves a freak. His current girl is everything he could ask for, nasty and classy, so much so 1kxjoe isn’t going to share. The track’s beat slaps, with crispy trap percussion production cutting through some dreamy, hypnotic keys. It’s the pairing of the subject matter to the music that lets you know this isn’t just a sexual thing. While it’s front and center and definitely something 1kxjoe needs in a relationship, the instrumentation has a lot of heart, which helps communicate to the listener there’s something more to the love here than the carnal.

Best Lyric: “I ain’t slut shaming, she know I love me a ho.”

Paulo and the Problems - First of the Month

First of the Month - Paulo and the Problems (Pop/R&B) Paulo and the Problems joins our blog roster this week with the steamy R&B funk number “First of the Month.” It’s a 70s tinged dreamy record, infused with sparkling rhodes and a liquid bass line, as Paulo’s spit rides the bit to disclose his desire for the object of his affection. The track is crammed full of clever lyrics, including the title which is a very smart metaphor in pledging his reliability—he’s a tenant that pays first of the month. The rest of that lyrical prowess is dedicated to innuendo that we’ll let you discover, but we’ll say there’s a lot of feasting going on. Overall, this track is as smooth as honey and gives you that good old old school baby-making music vibe. Bow chicka wow wow.

Best Lyric: “Skinny til you turn to the back.”

Omar Pierce - I Got You

I Got You - Omar Pierce (Pop/R&B) Caretaking with ulterior motives is the combo on Omar Pierce’s latest track “I Got You.” With velvety R&B vocals, Omar lets his lady know that he’ll do everything he can to take care of her and keep her stress free. There’s something in it for Omar though, as he reminds us that “stress free sex ain’t free”—his altruism stems from a desire to keep his lady always in the mood to throw down. The track itself screams crossover R&B cut of the 10s, with some heavy Chris Brown vibes. Omar’s vocals are on point, and that little 80s cowbell hit always makes us smile. Overall, it’s a groovy midtempo, sexy and smooth.

Best Lyric: “Baby I take care of you for me.”

Keziah Zionna - Flip Flops

Flip Flops - Keziah Zionna (Rap) This week we welcome Keziah Zionna to the blog with “Flip Flops”, a track that would feel right at home on a Megan The Stallion/Cardi B playlist. Feeling like a cousin of “WAP” and “Up”, “Flip Flops” is a female centered sex positive track about what it sounds like when…well, you get it. Like the tracks we’ve cited, the song is boasting with clever lyrical turns that make the record highly quotable. This in your face lyrical content is delivered over an ominous beat, very much in the Cardi B “Up” lane. In sum, we can promise you two things with this track—one, you’ll put it on repeat to learn all the lyrics and two, you’ll never look at your pair of flip flops the same way again.

Best Lyric: “The way he get to hittin’ bitch I named him misdemeanor.”

Dax - Lonely Dirt Road

Lonely Dirt Road - Dax (Pop)  We last caught up with frequent feature Dax last month with “i hate that i love you”, an emotional track about the regret of falling in love with someone who breaks your heart. Just over a month later, he’s back with us today with “Lonely Dirt Road”, which is a track that sits right in Dax’s musical sweet spot. The record does what Dax does best, meld country vocal melodies with an R&B instrumental to tell a deeply personal tale—that’s what we have come to know as Dax’s formula. Here, Dax sings of his personal relationship with the almighty, who he turns to in times of strife. With the warm rounded bass and soulful piano at the foundation of the track, paired with an emotive vocal performance, the song is sure to strike a chord with listeners across the country, pop and R&B genres.

Magdalia - housewife

housewife- Magdalia (Pop) Magdalia returns to the blog for the fifth time with latest single “Housewife”, following our previous reviews for “Hold it Up”, “Tunnel Vision”, “Great Expectations” and “Fault Line”, which we felt showed the artist’s strength as a storyteller. In “Housewife”, we are again treated to Magdalia’s lyrical prowess, as she dreams of freedom from her current relationship, stepping into her power over a warm and soulful piano. It’s a powerful anthem about protecting oneself and moving into a better place, not letting how the break might impact her partner stop her from doing what she needs to do for herself. It’s a rousing record with great drive—a real sing along in the shower number.

Best Lyric: “I’ve made my choice and the gods have spoken.”

Artificial Incline - Sound of Thunder (EP)

Sound of Thunder (EP) - Artificial Incline (Pop) We were introduced to Artificial Incline about two months ago with their first EP “Used to Be”, which we hailed as a raw and emotional experience derived from the specificity of the artist’s experiences. Now, Artificial Incline is back with three track EP “Sound of Thunder”, which provides a sampling of wildly different subject matter made cohesive through the sonic atmosphere of the driving pop power ballad.

But before we get into the EP, a reminder about our artist. Artificial Incline is a Canadian based lyricist focused on combining the power of music and technology to tell emotional stories. Hailing from Strathmore, Canada, our artist uses music as an escape, while at the same time using it to delve into the nuances of the underlying relationship traumas that necessitated the escape—cheating and emotional abuse. As an artist, Artificial Incline is inclined towards the complexities of human relationships, hoping to add their unique perspective to the conversation.

Like “Used to Be”, “Sound of Thunder” is another fusion of music and technology as we sense AI elements (and the context clues from the artist’s name), and our artist describes their latest work as a testament to their “perseverance and commitment to creating music that speaks to the soul.” Together, both EPs give us a solid understanding of Artificial Incline’s musical lane—a rousing mid tempo power ballad. Raw emotion and catharsis remain at the heart of Artificial Incline’s artistry in their latest project.

EP opener “Easy as Breathing” leads the listener to believe that Artificial Incline is in a different headspace than where they were with the last project. While the emotion remains raw and our artist stays settled in their vulnerability, the track is a pure love ballad dedicated to a love that comes naturally and effortlessly. Artificial Incline paints the sonic world we’re entering into with a lilting guitar melody, mesmerizing the listener first before the entry of the driving bass. When the track begins to hit a bit harder, the record transforms from a gentle ode to an anthemic pop number, as the instrumental becomes increasingly rousing.

Next up is the title track, which follows a similar sonic pattern—a guitar lead driving the track as a bass builds underneath. But the subject matter takes a sharp turn, going from a dedication of love to a more somber note—an existential rumination on the great beyond. Someone has passed in our artist’s life, and through the grief Artificial Incline wonders what it is like for their loved one on the other side. This track is heavy on the heart.

While sticking to the rousing pop ballad format, a piano lead takes over in “Better in Time”, which remains in a dark space as the subject matter turns to struggles through suicidal ideation. Ultimately, however, it’s a positive track as Artificial Incline pulls from their experiences to tell the listener that the darkest always comes before the dawn—there is light at the end of the tunnel and time heals everything. As Artificial Incline sings, “when the night is long and all hope feels gone, just stay strong.”

With their second project, Artificial Incline solidifies their musical stylings and continues to show that the blending of music and technology does not have to mean the elimination of the human experience. No matter how this EP was made, it has heart.

Michellar - Cross My Heart

Cross My Heart - Michellar (Pop) Michellar joins our blog this week with a toe-tapping synthy explosion. On latest single, “Cross My Heart”, Michellar proclaims that they will never leave their lover, professing their understanding and patience through turmoil. In bringing the track to life, Michellar draws from personal experiences, which is clear from the specificity of the writing. The story is delivered over a dreamy 80s synth production, with many of the elements reminding us of Prince records from that era. Michellar’s vocal is laser sharp, dueting with itself throughout to wind seductively through the song and hit some ear pleasing harmonies and counterpoints along the way. Special shout out to Michellar’s support of women-owned businesses in the production of this record.

The New Citizen Kane - The Tales of Morpheus (LP)

The Tales of Morpheus (LP) - The New Citizen Kane (Pop) Fresh off of our December review of their EP “Could Have Been”, we’ve got a brand new 21-track LP from The New Citizen Kane to dive into—”The Tales of Morpheus”. This project is an opus, and while we’ve only just gotten to know The New Citizen Kane this year, we feel as though all of his musical roads have been leading to this project.

In case you missed our last review, here’s the download on The New Citizen Kane. Singer, songwriter and producer Kane Luke started on the theater circuit at 17 and eventually recording his first EP “Now Or Never” at 18. A multi-talented artist, Kane’s resume includes modeling, acting and sound engineering. By 2008 he had a club hit on his hands, “Don’t Feel No Shame”, followed by “Spun Like Sugar”. Now rebranded as The New Citizen Kane, he’s been busy with releases including 2014’s album “It’s Not Science…It’s A Feeling” and EPs including “Endless Summer Serenade” and “Could Have Been.”

“The Tales of Morpheus” was described to us as a child of self-discovery, with The New Citizen Kane using the creation of the LP from his home studio as a form of therapy. He described the tracks as separate chapters in his life, exploring themes of self examination, toxicity in relationships and the transcendence of love.

When last we checked in with The New Citizen Kane, we called the “Could Have Been” EP sonically cohesive and musically engaging,—a “no skips” project. We came to know Kane as a storyteller, exuding warmth with heartfelt lyrics that distinguished him from his contemporaries. Boasting 21 tracks, “The Tales of Morpheus” is far more expansive in scope, sliding from retro 80s synth pop to modern club jams to Top 40 pop anthems, putting The New Citizen Kane’s versatility as an artist on full display. We even get a surprising neo soul flavor with “Disco Love” and a diversion into ballad territory with the island breezy "Contra Botafogos”, making for quite a diverse collection of records, but with enough cohesion that nothing feels entirely out of left field.

Kane’s sweet spot is certainly the summer club jam—so much of this album just screams vodka sodas on a summer rooftop. “Meet Me On Street Corners” is sure to be a DJ set darling, along with the infectious “Killer Charisma”, whose funky vocoder doubles had us hooked. We also really enjoyed the slippery bass on “Heartburn”. If you’re not hearing these at the clubs, swiftly get them on your cardio playlist.

On the pop anthem side, album standouts include “Stupid Blue”—containing some of our favorite lyrics on the project—and “Lump In Your Throat.” While still dancy, there’s something about these tracks that transcend the club. These are the Hot 100 tracks of the project.

Two tracks carry over from the “Could Have Been” EP, the title track and “Forget the World”. As we said in our prior review, from the brilliant lyrics to the driving chords, “Could Have Been” just has Hot 100 written all over it. The melody is a real ear-worm, which made this track stay with us long after listening. “Forget The World” features an all encompassing bass underlying a driving chord progression that goes hard. There’s an overarching 80s synth nostalgia with the track—similar to what The Weeknd taps into. Morpheus also gives us a funky rework of prior release “Endless Summer”.

Diverse yet cohesive, “The Tales of Morpheus” is yet another no-skip project from The New Citizen Kane, and a project we recommend you put in your rotation. And again, while we’ve only just gotten to know Kane, this project has the signs of the start of a whole new level on Kane’s artistic evolution.

Tracks:

• Morpheus In The Club

• Killer Charisma

• Heartburn

• Disco Love

• Stupid Blue

• Electric Nights - Biorhythm Mix

• Gotta Secret Electro Bounce Album Mix

• Lump In Your Throat

• North American Philosopher

• Morpheus Interlude

• Could Have Been

• Forget The World

• Endless Summer - Ride The New Wave ReWork

• Overdrawn

• Meet Me On Street Corners

• Buy Me A Ticket

• Contra Botafogos

• Was A Light - Ethereal Version

• Alchemy

• Adonis & Aphrodite

• Morpheus (Made Of Dreams)

muanh - Ever Since

Ever Since - muanh (Pop) We’re thrilled to welcome muanh to our blog, who is bringing us one of our favorite tracks of the year so far with the sparkling and sentimental “Ever Since.” Epic and anthemic, muanh’s soft and pillowy understated vocal tugs on the heartstrings. The build on this track is incredible, but lays heavy on the heart from the first beat. We’re even treated to a surprise sax solo in the outro which caught us off guard. It’s elements like this that make “Ever Since” a timeless number—you could tell us this was on Billboard in the 80s, 90s, 00s or 10s and we wouldn’t bat an eye. Some delightful ear candy effects keep the listener fully engaged, but it’s the heavenly doubles in the chorus that really enrapture. Seductive and poignant, we’ve added this one to our personal playlists.

Just The Empress - Hypnotized

Hypnotized - Just The Empress (R&B) Just The Empress joins our roster of R&B artists on the blog with latest record “Hypnotized.” The confidence on this track is infectious, as Just The Empress extals her virtues and uniqueness. This is a person who knows exactly who she is and tells others to either get with it or get lost—she won’t be changing for anyone. The beat rides hard, equally hype and smooth, which we couldn’t resist moving to. But the star of the record is certainly the lyric prowess—this track is chock full of memorable lines which made it hard for us to pick our favorite lyric. Keep this one on repeat until you learn them all.

Best Lyric: “I do not fuck with weird energy, I really been working on inner me.”

Caroline & Transverse - Moon And Back

Moon And Back - Caroline & Transverse (Pop) We welcome Caroline & Transverse to the blog this week with the sweet and smile inducing record “Moon And Back.” It’s a heartstring tugging number—an ode to parental love. As we learn from the lyrics, it’s a relationship that’s not without its turmoil, but in the end the familial love prevails and our artist delivers a heartfelt thank you for the love and support she’s received throughout her life. The track has a timeless feel, with a rich production and plenty of FX ear candy to keep the listener engaged throughout the story. With a catchy melody and a sonic atmosphere that fills the heart and brings a tear to the eye, Caroline & Transverse shine with “Moon And Back.”

Famo219 - Dark Love

Dark Love - Famo219 (Hiphop) Hailing from East Chicago, Famo219 (standing for ‘fame and music only’) makes his first stop on our blog this week with new track “Dark Love”. On the record, Famo219 is processing a former love and a failed relationship, hopping from rap verses to sung choruses, finding surprise at where he finds himself in the moment. The turmoil is underlaid by a melancholy guitar loop which quickly recedes into the background in favor of a tight hiphop percussion production that knocks hard as it cruises breezily throughout the 3:20 track. Feeling fresh while at the same time harkening to some 00s hiphop nostalgia, Dark Love is a track for when you’re in your feels.

Best Lyric: “This is the life I chose, this is how it goes.”