The Ven$ - Multi-Verse

Multi-Verse - The Ven$ (Rap) Old school vibes abound in our first track from The Ven$, “Multi-Verse.” The track kicks off with some spoken word over a rumbling bass which will be our throughline of the record. There’s an ominous feel to the track, with a sorrowful horn loop heavily verbed to set the atmosphere. Our lead vocalist cuts through the miasma like a hot knife through butter—a resonant tone that rides the beat with expert precision. Self-described as a “lyrical masterclass”, we have to agree, as the instrumental merely serves to bolster the artist’s penmanship showcasing worldplay and metaphors that explore weighty topics This is why we say there’s an old school vibe here. No cash, sex and strippers on this, this one is a thinker.

Best Lyric: “Trying to breathe when your ribs be pokin in your spleen.”

Stella Nesci - Over You Under Me

Over You Under Me - Stella Nesci (Pop) Stella Nesci impresses us with her first appearance on our blog with latest track “Over You Under Me.” The track just has so many layers—from the vibey synths to a slamming bass hit that accompanies a unique take on an Afrobeat percussion. The record is full of ear candy production tricks, with a vibe containing some Afrobeat. However, the take on Afrobeat is fresh and unique when it comes to the individual instrument choices in the tops. Slinking through the hard production are Stella’s lilting vocals—a siren song of sultriness. Eventually she is joined by a lush harmony wall, which we always love on this blog, fusing together to make a catchy, rich and complex pop bop.

Best Lyric: “Boy what’s your love language? Cuz I don’t kiss and tell.”

Logan Garrett - Move (ft Anella)

Move - Logan Garrett ft Anella (Dance) When Logan Garrett tells his listeners to move out of his way on latest track “Move”, we can only assume it’s because he is headed straight to the dance floor with this pumping record. Our artist is a fixture of the Nashville club scene, giving a clear alternative to the country reputation of Music City. With house elements blended with disco vibes, this track is centered on its rich bouncy bass, complimented by its thudding kick, sparkling keys and 90s top percussion. We particularly liked how a sample of his vocals were chopped and screwed to add to the instrumental. We defy you not to move to “Move.”

Best Lyric: “Been far and wide but what I’m feeling is new.”

Proklaim - LSD

LIFE - Proklaim (Rap) Proklaim’s latest track “LSD” delivers some of his fullest and richest production to date. With a hiphop beat, Proklaim rides expertly as the track undulates and evolves in the background. There’s some 90s influence here, with Proklaim’s evolution in his production evidenced by his introduction of spoken word. We even get Proklaim laying some sung vocals in the outro, making the entire vocal production feel like a Wyclef track. Though a different path for our artist, and trust us we’ve reviewed a ton of his tracks, Proklaim keeps true to his core of positivity and chant-like choruses to drive his message home.

Jehnniel - Forever This Way

Forever This Way- Jehnniel (Pop) Jenniel is back for the second time on our review blog with new track “Forever This Way”, a driving and heartfelt ballad. On her previous track, “Heart Beat”, Jehnniel delivered power ballad vibes with a moody and soulful instrumental about the peace of a new lover. On “Forever This Way”, Jehnniel uses a similar vibe to tell a familiar tale, this time pleading to be brought back to the magic of a lover. The soundscape has some fun 80s vibes to it with the gated drums and twinkling synth, but is paired with the movement of a 2000s-10s ballad, all underlaid by soulful and heartfelt piano chords. It’s a perfect marriage between the evocative lyrics that plead for her lover and the passionate instrumental. This one gets you in your feels.

Best Lyric: “The brightest lights will reach the stars.”

Rosie Belvie - O.M.G.

O.MG. - Rosie Belvie (Pop/R&B) New favorite Rosie Belvie is back with “O.M.G.”, a breezy island mid tempo that continues to exude 00s Mya vibes. Back for the fourth time, Rosie has shown us versatility in her genres, giving us EDM club hit, in your face pop bop and afrobeat. We’re back to the summer sun in this one, much like “Crush”, but this time with a more caribbean vibe. The song goes down smooth, as Rosie tells us she’s surprised to be overwhelmed by a lover. Also like “Crush”, it’s a hip winder and while mid tempo in nature, still feels at home on a dance floor. Our favorite part of the track other than the honey vocals and island drums is the movement provided but the rich and warm bass. This one stay on repeat.

Proklaim - JITTER

JITTER - Proklaim (Rap) It’s our first Proklaim track of the year with latest, “JITTER”, a track about keeping faith and authenticity while facing life’s challenges. The message is a common theme with Proklaim’s music—positivity in the face of adversity. What’s new here is the musical landscape—this feels like a real evolution in Proklaim’s tried and true structure and sound. It’s a tight hiphop production, with a crispy percussion backed by a slinky bass line and shining keys. There’s an old school hiphop vibe to this, calling us back to 00s Missy albums like Under Construction and This Is Not A Test. Proklaim also takes a new road with his chorus, stepping back to interject some spoken word samples, and injects some lush female choral backings in his intro. We’re liking this new sound.

BLOODLIN3 - Blessed Today (ft Project Pat)

Blessed Today - BLOODLIN3 ft Project Pat (Rap) Today we’re welcoming BLOODLIN3 back to our blog, this time with a feature from Project Pat, after our previous reviews of his LP “Mercy” and tracks “Until I Fall”, “No Mercy” ft Twista and “Please Don’t Bother Me” with latest track “Blessed Today”. In our prior reviews, we’ve highlighted this artist’s rapid fire spit on tracks drenched in 90s hiphop nostalgia, evoking vibes of Nate Dogg, Eminem, Ludacris and Twista. On “Blessed Today”, we jump up a decade as we are getting 100% 2000s Timabaland (Ayo Technology and all the Justin Timberlake collabs) with maybe a tinge of a The Dream production with the synths and a hook that could’ve come straight from TI. It’s a feel good track with positive vibes and a groovy spit that you can’t help but bop and 2-step to. This one goes on your pregame playlist.

ALLEGRA - Rain

Rain - ALLEGRA (Pop/Dance) ALLEGRA returns to our blog this week after previous features for tracks “Strangers” and “Round & Round” with new single “Rain”, a synthy pop production closing her recent EP. The artist tells us that the song depicts her “newfound freedom and embrace of life” at the end of a break-up. It’s a dance floor spinner for sure with Euro pop influences, as ALLEGRA’s sultry delivery tells her ex lover that she’ll be out dancing in the rain on her own. She’s a temptress in this one with a potent sexual charge, but one she’s giving herself. She doesn’t need anyone else to feel the power of her sexuality.

Best Lyric: “Oh you want my body, I don’t need nobody.”

Salt Ashes - Bad Things Right

Bad Things Right - Salt Ashes (Pop/R&B) Synth-pop artist Salt Ashes joins the blog this week with her dark banger “Bad Things Right.” It’s a grungy groove with disco strings, including plenty of retro vibes in a punchy modern production. It’s a grungy groove with a sense of danger, an anthemic feeling track with really great movement. The song ebbs and flows nicely to keep things interesting for the listener, with an almost salsa or mambo feeling—it’s very danceable. Vocally, Salt Ashes gives us a sultry delivery full of grit and seduction. Step aside Ariana, we have a new dangerous woman.

Best Lyric: “So now I want to do bad things right.”

Rosie Belvie - Crush

Crush - Rosie Belvie (Pop/R&B) Rosie Belvie has a real hip winder on her hands with latest track “Crush”. Rosie is becoming one of our favorites on the blog as her well produced tracks come with retro flare really hit the spot for us. We had the privilege of reviewing premiere track “Attitude” a few months back and follow up “Survive”, which served us two very unique styles—ballsy/sassy pop followed by EDM Dance. With “Crush” we have yet another departure, this time for the islands. Sun drenched feels abound with an afrobeat percussion punching through a vibey guitar. The song has great build, holding the warm, supporting bass until we get a little deeper into the song, which adds great weight to the otherwise light and sweet number. Vocally, we’re getting a lot of Mya on this one, with backings that reminded us of Tweet. With each track, Rosie is bringing us something new and we’re here for it.

Milo Kobayashi - I'M UP

I’M UP! - Milo Kobayashi (Rap) Milo Kobayashi joins our blog this week with their latest track “IM UP!” Milo’s track carries forward his dedication to uplifting music. Influenced by Kid Kudi, Milo aims to bring joy into his records with bright and hopeful vibes that make his listeners move. On “I’M UP!”, Milo uses a booming kick and 808 paired with video game sounding synth effects to compliment his lyrical message of a youthful, upbeat worldview—we get a lot of Timbaland’s “Ayo Technology” in this. Positive vibes abound in “I’M UP!” as Milo takes a “like water off a duck’s back” approach to haters and obstacles, stepping into his power and just generally deciding that feeling good about oneself is the best choice you can make in life. The lyrics are full of clever references—harambe!—and the delivery is breezy and conversational, matching the overall theme of the track. In addition to adding this feel good track to your playlists, don’t miss Milo’s live appearance at Animate Raleigh in January 2025.

Best Lyric: “I just smile and mind my business.”

Terra Renae - All I Have

All I Have - Terra Renae (Pop/R&B) This week we are joined by blog newcomer Terra Renae and her new track “All I Have”. Terra intends the track as a powerful anthem of empowerment and resilience, hoping that it will resonate with those facing the challenges of self identity and the journey of self-discovery. She carries this message with a meld of pop and R&B, with a chill vibes intro of drum and bass finally giving way to a rousing chorus of self assuredness. The verses remind us a lot of early Keyshia Cole, giving us that R&B nod that we’re hearing, while the chorus dives right into Top 40 anthem. The sound is rich and full, with a punchy kick surrounded by a droning bass helping support Terra’s velvety alto. “All I Have” is a belt-along kind of number, we recommend shower or car.

The New Citizen Kane - Could Have Been (EP)

Could Have Been (EP) - The New Citizen Kane (Pop) This week we have the privilege to review a collection of Top 40 bops with The New Citizen Kane’s latest EP “Could Have Been”. Sonically cohesive and musically engaging, the EP is one of those “no skips” projects that we are always hungry for. But before we dive into our favorites of the 6 tracks, we’ll start with a bit about our artist.

Singer, songwriter and producer Kane Luke’s latest incarnation was born in 2010 out of London, after parting ways with Milan’s Fuorifase Records. Compared to the likes of George Michael, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, Kane started his career early, starting 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”.

His latest, “Could Have Been”, is a departure from Endless Summer, taking a more intimate route after a collection of sun-soaked vibes. The lyrics are heartfelt and contain enough specificity that we are sure that Kane writes from personal experiences of past loves and longing. The tracks contain a palpable warmth that distinguishes it from other pop tracks that, while often engaging, can at times feel a bit soulless. More than a performer and beatmaker, Kane is certainly a storyteller.

Despite the former comparisons to retro flavors, “Could Have Been” feels incredibly current, and if there’s any nostalgia to it at all we feel it only goes back as far as say Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” era. The tracks are brilliantly mixed and mastered, and already primed for dance floors before what we assume will be a bevy of remixes. We feel like any of these tracks could pop up on the DJ sets streamed at the gym, or of course in the clubs. Kane sweetens his vocals with a light tuning effect that brings some additional character and distinctiveness to the lines. It feels like it might be a signature for the artist.

Our favorite track was album opener “Could Have Been”, which is just a straight down the middle pure pop gem. From the brilliant lyrics to the driving chords, the track just has Hot 100 written all over it. On “Could Have Been”, Kane delivers a shining falsetto as he reminisces on a love past. The melody is a real ear-worm, which made this track stay with us long after listening.

The cover track on the album “Talk”—originally by Coldplay—is a turned up summer dance floor spinner, making it almost unrecognizable from the original in all the right ways. While Kane might have been trying to get away from the sun-soaked vibes of his prior EP, we think they might have snuck into this track just a little bit—not that we’re complaining. This is a “grab a cold beer and dance at a midday rooftop party” kind of jam.

But just because we focused on the two tracks that stood out to us, that doesn’t mean you should miss the other four. The EP is strong, consistent and delivers with each song.

Tracks:

• Could Have Been - Radio Mix

• Forget The World

• Talk

• Tonight, Maybe

• Chasting The Past

• Forget The WOrld - Red Man Run’s Schitzophonic Club Mix

Livvy Lauren & Maddox Jones - Another Sad Song

Another Sad Song - Livvy Lauren & Maddox Jones (Pop) Today we welcome Kent-based rising star Livvy Lauren to the blog with latest track “Another Sad Song”, which sees her collaboration with Northampton singer-songwriter Maddox Jones, distributed by Radikal Records. What we get is a driving Top 40 ballad that blends Livvy’s soprano and Maddox’s baritone into some beautiful, sing-along-able heartache. From the sorrowful strings to the soul stirring chord progressions, the song hits you in the chest, with a melody that at times gave us moments of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”. All of this leads to the classic feeling of the song, contemporary yet timeless.

Best Lyric: “I say I’m ok but I fake it.”

Luke French - Raw Talk

Raw Talk - Luke French (Rap) Luke French joins our blog this week with latest track “Raw Talk”, which to us feels like the ultimate tribute to old school hip hop. There’s so much to love about this track, which melds several sounds from yesteryear. First, we’ve got that looped motown sample that reminds us a lot of old Kanye West—the “Through The Wire” and “Slow Jamz” days. A high synth reminiscent of Snoop Dog “Gin & Juice” soars over the production as Luke French hits us with a flow that we’d call a smoother, chiller Eminem. Overall, as a lover of old school hip hop, we think this track is a gem, and our only complaint is with it clocking in at 2:07, we want it to be longer! Guess we’ll have to just put it on repeat.

Best Lyric: “Fuck mistletoe I’ll make you kiss missles.”