Great Adamz - Love Your Neighbour

Love Your Neighbour - Great Adamz (Afrobeat) We have a new artist on the blog this week—Great Adamz joins us with latest track “Love Your Neighbour.” The track is extremely catchy, and we defy you not to move when you hear this one come out of the speaker. Intoxicating and hypnotic, “Love Your Neighbour” centers afrobeat sounds to create a driving, tribal sound that is elevated by its dark pads creating a real sense of movement with its bass chord progressions. The vocals blend perfectly into the soundscape, sitting even with the instrumentation as if it were just another instrument in the band. More than just a light fair tropical beat, there’s a heaviness to the track that fills the body, the feeling to move certainly comes over you when it hits your ears.

Best Lyric: “She want to ride my moto.”

Funky Blackman - Eternity

Eternity - Funky Blackman (Dance/House) This week, we welcome Funky Blackman to our blog with dance floor spinner “Eternity”, an incantation of a track where our vocalist beckons another to join her in her love. Converging the stylings of house, dance and afrobeat, “Eternity” genre blends its sounds in a way that conjures the image of a group dance around a bonfire. As the hypnotic beat pumps on, our strong female vocal sits front and center—not abandoning melody or lyric for the dance vibe—with beautifully layered harmonies that serve as some excellent ear candy. And while the main track certainly casts a spell, don’t miss the Ethereal Dubby Dub Dub Mix also available.

Best Lyric: “Love will reside wherever I can be with you.”

Moon and Aries - Take Me Home

Take Me Home - Moon and Aries (Pop) It’s been a while since we’ve had Moon and Aries on the blog, so we welcome them back this week with our sixth reviewed track of theirs, “Take Me Home”. There’s always a bit of mysticism in a Moon and Aries track, and this latest track is no different. Our female vocal soars over a lush 80s inspired instrumental, as intoxicating layering creates a dreamy atmosphere. The track itself is about surrender, giving oneself to a lover to let them take control. It’s a patient track, with the steady kick keeping a mid tempo pace that, in conjunction with the other instrumentation, is quite hypnotic. This is a bathtub/glass of wine/candlelight sort of track, and with all that’s going on in the world right now, couldn’t we all use one?

Best Lyric: “We break the clock.“

Shobsy - Champagne

Champagne - Shobsy (Pop/Funk) We welcome Shobsy to the blog with his retro tinged track “Champagne.” This bubbly and intoxicating number is thick with instrumentation—a lush pop/funk number with sweeping retro synths and a plucky guitar supporting a soaring vocal. There’s some 80s vibes here both in sound and structure, and reminds us a little of Snoop’s “Sexual Eruption” when it comes to the soundscape. The track itself is about picking oneself up after a failed relationship, and diving back into the celebration of life. With a groovy backing, this one is certainly a dance floor spinner, and Shobsy’s velvet vocals will certainly call you to the party life.

Anthony Quaid - Do I Scare You?

Do I Scare You? - Anthony Quaid (Pop) Anthony Quaid is serving straight top 40 with latest single, “Do I Scare You?” Anthony’s queerness is fully centered on the track, as he confronts the homophobes and haters, letting them know that their criticism isn’t going to stop him from being who he is. The track has all the makings of a queer anthem, boasting a big production, memorable chorus and beautiful vocal layers. Further, you can tell the song is personal—Anthony delivers this message with his full chest, clearly stepping into his power and taking up space. While the sound is certainly centered in commercial pop, there’s also an almost country-pop feel to the track, maybe it’s Anthony’s vocal delivery, but something about this also feels very Americana, which is a great sonic atmosphere to use for a message typically delivered over clubby dance beats. That’s not to say we can’t hear like a hundred dance remixes of this one.

Best Lyric: “I don’t fucking care what you think when I’m dressing in pink.“

Ats Semaj - Midas Touch

Midas Touch - Ats Semaj (Rap) Ats Semaj is climbing out of the trenches with a firm belief in their own impending success in latest track “Midas Touch”, a record about the ascent of someone with God given talent. While we eventually get our trap percussion production on this car bumpin hip hop number, the synth backing with the reverse/rewind effect gives a melancholy and nostalgic feel to the track—think if a trap beat overlaid Dido’s “Here With Me” or Natalie Imbruglia “Smoke.” It makes for a both complex and lush arrangement as Ats Semaj’s intimate vocal serves as both a boast and almost an internal pep talk—you can almost imagine them using this track as a morning mantra in the mirror to keep their mind on the hustle. Listeners could use it for similar purposes, we think.

Best Lyric: “I got stitches on my heart.“

YayRaven - Good To Go - Crossover

Good To Go - Crossover - YayRaven (Pop) YayRaven is getting all dolled up for the night in latest dance track “Good To Go - Crossover”. On the record, YayRaven describes the process of getting ready to hit the town after a long day of work. The track has a mystical quality to it, with a dance club vibe straight from the late 90s/early 00s—we thought a more mellow kind of Sonique “It Feels So Good.” Heavenly vocals soar above the cavernous production, which eventually veers into an 808-laden hip hop rap feature. Overall, “Good To Go - Crossover” straddles the worlds of pop, dance, R&B and hip hop to create a feel good mid tempo bop.

Best Lyric: “You’re so gorgeous, looking flawless.“

TeeLdub - Time To Shine

Time To Shine - TeeLdub (Rap) This week, we are welcoming TeeLdub to the blog with their latest single and ode to ambition, “Time To Shine.” The record is a real groove, centered on a punchy horn arrangement and boom clap production with some crispy snaps. With a silky female vocal providing the hook, both the instrumental and the rap flows here have some real retro vibes. With tonality reminding us of Juvenile and Big Boy, the rhythms feel similar to those of say Chingy and TI, which places this track right at home in the 00s and 10s. The lyrics are both clever and motivational, and are complemented with a bevy of spoken word ear candy. We prescribe this one when you need a pick me up and a push to strive. This song hypes you up to hustle.

Best Lyric: “Put the work in, stay resilient.“

OLYM - Boys Don't Cry

Boys Don’t Cry - OLYM (Pop) Apparently it’s not just the big girls who don’t cry, as OLYM shows us on latest track, which is his premiere on our music review blog, “Boys Don’t Cry.” However, we learn that OLYM very much does cry on his latest record, as he croons about being opened up emotionally by a lover and the end of their relationship. With a soulful guitar and descending chord structure, OLYM’s track hits you right in your chest as he sings of his newfound vulnerability, which he is thankful for. It’s a great message in today’s climate, considering the recent attention to the dangers of toxic masculinity and emotional suppression often reinforced in our men through societal norms. Not so on this track, as OLYM allows himself to feel his feelings, and pour them out to you.

Best Lyric: “I thank you for the world, a world that is brand new.“

Proklaim - CALL

CALL - Proklaim (Rap) What more can we say about our favorite and most frequently featured artist Proklaim that we haven’t already said? With his latest single, “CALL”, Proklaim’s positivity continues to bleed through his work, with this track feeling almost like a gratitude list of all of the gifts life has given him. This is all done over a bumpin beat backed by a horn arrangement and filled with a punchy drum kit. When it comes to flow, Proklaim continues to display his ability to ride a beat with expertise, with the content chock full of clever and thoughtful lyrics that let us confidently say that his skills with the pen remain in the upper echelon of modern rap. We stan.

Best Lyric: “Repetition always take the toll.“

Jehnniel - Heart Beat

Heart Beat - Jehnniel (R&B/Pop) We welcome Jehnniel to our blog with her latest single “Heart Beat”, a track about finding solace and peace in the embrace of a lover. Backed by soulful keys and a moving descending chord structure, Jehnniel sings of seeing a lover’s soul in their eyes, and the connection with hearing and feeling each others’ heart beats in a loving embrace. The song gives real power ballad vibes, with a moody instrumental that helps convey the depth of emotion of the track. “Heart Beat” definitely paints the picture of a nirvana, one you’ll certainly want to visit. A great mellow stream here.

Best Lyric: “Each time I think of you, you set me free.”

Kylie Rothfield - The Barrel

The Barrel - Kylie Rothfield (R&B/Pop) Oh this is a special one. We feel privileged to welcome Kyle Rothfield to the blog this week with her immaculate single “The Barrel”—one of our favorites in our recent reviews. “The Barrel” is a dreamy R&B number about drinking ones cares away. The melancholy bleeds through the pop track, which has some serious R&B leanings, as Kylie’s emotive performance is both raw and honey smooth. There are SERIOUS Adele vibes to the vocal here, and we get some “Diamonds and Pearls” era Prince in the overall feel of the track here too. The musicality is perfection on this one as well, as Kylie isn’t afraid to step out of the spotlight for a moment to highlight the instrumentation, including a soulful guitar solo. And then a fadeout! Remember the fadeout? This one’s a classic in the making.

Hollow Profit - Birds & Bullets (feat. Ben Beal)

Birds & Bullets (feat. Ben Beal) - Hollow Profit (Rap) Today we welcome Hollow Profit and Ben Beal to the blog with their ‘killer’ new track “Birds & Bullets”. Old school feels abound in this breezy mid tempo, centered around some smoky horns which give an underlay of jazz club to the overall retro drum kit—very mid to late 90s here. On “Birds & Bullets”, we get the tale of a straight up killer, painting the picture of dangerous streets and forgotten neighborhoods, reminding us of Biggie’s work from back in the day. The track proceeds like poetry, with an understated delivery—that by the way rides the beat hard—showcasing the artists’ talent as storytellers. This one is a rainy day cafe kinda number, or something to fill the soul when you’re lost in your feelings.

Best Lyric: “He’s known on the block as the ghost with the hot mic.”

Melody Mortal - Everybody Hates Me

Everybody Hates Me - Melody Mortal (Pop)  Melody Mortal is facing the trolls on latest single and premier on our blog “Everybody Hates Me”, and she absolutely loves it. On “Everybody Hates Me”, Melody relishes the negative energy of her detractors, seeming to feed on it as a source of power, all the while waiting to be lauded in the afterlife. It’s a punchy little rock/pop number with clever lyrics that are certainly sing alongable. The sharply produced instrumental is electric and amplifies the angst of the track—which this record is chock full of. We think that this is the anthem for your next villain era.

Best Lyric: “I take my enemies medium rare.”

Natalie Clark - Nothing Left to Lose

Nothing Left to Lose Natalie Clark (Pop)  Natalie Clark returns to us for the sixth time with her latest track “Nothing Left to Lose”, following our prior reviews for “A Place Called Home”, “MIRACLE”, “Mission”, “Freedom” and “How High.” On this latest number, Natalie strips it down to acoustic guitar, gaining a fuller band as we progress through the track, as she wistfully reviews the dreams and goals of her past self, lamenting her history of making herself smaller and giving into anxiety. The vocals are beautiful, as we’ve come to expect, and understated—we can feel the vulnerability in the performance. Ultimately, Natalie decides that the time is now to go and achieve all of the things she’s ever dreamed, and to step into her power with confidence and go boldly. It’s a rousing, anthemic number for sure, but there is one thing we don’t understand. With talent like this, why would Natalie ever hold herself back? ;)

Best Lyric: “I’ll put it on the line for you. Nothing left to lose.”

Rosie Belvie - Survive

Survive - Rosie Belvie (Dance) Rosie Belvie is back on the blog with latest track “Survive”, following her grand entrance into the music scene with prior single “Attitude.” On her first single, we were getting all the 00s R&B vibes with a mix of Blu Cantrell with Missy E proteges. On “Survive”, Rosie is showing us she is no one trick pony—this is a pure EDM dancefloor fantasy that we were NOT expecting—think “Til The World Ends” by Britney if it were much, much HARDER. With a driving electro beat, Rosie allows the instrumental to take the lead at first as she describes tripping out and dancing into the night. When she reenters, we’ve got a dancefloor queen rap verse telling us all how to get down the way she demands, firmly gripping command back from the backing. Like Rosie herself, “Survive” is full of surprises.