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Blues Music Blog & Promotion

Tremantis – Better Think 2wice: Angsty Electronic Alt-Rock

Posted on 24 April 2021

Any fans of Fidlar’s angstily playful garage indie rock style will want to get acquainted with Tremantis’ electronic alt-rock track, ‘Better Think 2wice’.

With elements of Beastie Boys-style hip-hop-infused into the mix along with Mindless Self Indulgence-Esque synth-driven breakdowns and 8-bit chiptune influences, Better Think 2wice is for anyone who wants to hear nothing but unadulterated expression in their alt-rock tracks.

The LA-based powerhouse formed in 2017; since then, they’ve racked up 400k streams on their most popular bluesy indie track, ‘Hey Me’, and there’s plenty more in the pipeline. Tremantis will be releasing a new track every month throughout 2021 and something tells me that you’ll want them on your radar for their live dates.

Better Think 2wice is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA singer songwriter Ali Angel wants to ‘Play Pretend’ in her bluesy pop-rock track

Posted on 22 April 2021
Ali Angel

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Ali Angel brings us her new single ‘Play Pretend’, a slice of summery upbeat Americana-tinged bluesy pop-rock that’s reminiscent of Sheryl Crow, KT Tunstall, or Meredith Brooks, all twangy Telecaster riffs, horn section fills, and Texas Shuffle drum patterns, capped off with Angel’s soulful, resonant vocal.

It’s ‘top down’ driving music of the very best kind, long straight dusty roads, sandy deserts, and palm trees; that timeless, classic feel of the very best summertime ‘radio’ rock, the lyrics humorous and lighthearted yet full of sunshine and self-knowing. Angel’s voice really is good, a little vibrato and a lot of heart, and the music swings, swaggers, and grooves in equal measure. It’s a perfect summer tune, and it heralds great things for Angel’s forthcoming debut EP, due later this year.

You can hear ‘Play Pretend’ via Ali Angel’s website and across all major streaming platforms from the 23rdApril. Check out Ali Angel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Dara Blaxx drops the stunning lead single from her new EP, with ‘Before I Leave’

Posted on 20 April 2021

Dara Blaxx is a 25 year old British Nigerian singer-songwriter who discovered her voice at the tender age of sixteen; and wow, what a voice. Soulful, sultry, and powerfully seductive, Dara has all the smoky, late-night elements of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz rolled up into one beautiful vocal performance. There’s elements of Sade, Joss Stone, and Dina Carroll in the timbre of her lower register, for sure, but also older classics like Etta James, Betty Wright, and Brenda Holloway.

‘Before I Leave’ is a beautifully performed tale of love and loss, and the indecision around staying or leaving; deep trap-soul beats and groove, a real R&B feel, added to the emotional vocal, make ‘Before I Leave’ – from Blaxx’s debut 6-track EP ‘Arrythmia’ – an absolute powerhouse soul track. Already hitting playlists on BBC Music Introducing in the West Midlands and in the Solent, this deserves to be all over daytime radio this summer. It’s beautiful.

You can hear ‘Before I Leave’, and the rest of the “Arrhythmia” EP, on Soundcloud. Follow Dara Blaxx on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes.

Mike Stoyanov has made their unmissable indie garage rock debut with ‘Star’.

Posted on 18 April 2021

After lending his talent to various rock and blues outfits, London’s Mike Stoyanov made his solo debut on February 12th with the punchy indie garage rock track ‘Star’.

With the vocal swagger of Liam Gallagher and his fresh take on garage rock, anyone still turning to indie for their aural euphoria fixes will undoubtedly feel the dopamine flood when hitting play. It’s an unapologetic feel-good track that couldn’t have hit the airwaves at a better time. If anything can dissolve the ego, it’s enduring 12 months of pandemic times that have stifled the arts, yet, Mike Stoyanov is here with an anthemic reminder that the rock n roll persona is still as fitting as ever. He’s pretty convincing too. You’ll want him on your radar for his sophomore release.

Star is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Firebug has shown us the pinnacle of swampy modern blues rock with their latest single, ‘Run’.

Posted on 18 April 2021

Firebug has followed on from her 2018 album, ‘Wandering Soul’, with the highly anticipated single, ‘Run’. The Spectra Records-signed artist’s single was more than worth the wait for the international fans who were lucky enough to be captivated by her while sharing stages with Alice in Chains, Iggy Pop and Tom Morello.

The progressive single starts with plenty of vocal reminiscences to Beth Hart before the anthemic guitars, which possess a retro soulful furore akin to what you’d find if you dusted off a Holding Company record start to take hold.

With Chris Goss, producer for Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys & Queens of the Stone Age on board with production, there was little chance of Run falling flat. But plenty of the magic in the release radiates from the daring stylistic choices which merge folk-rock, blues, grunge and 70s rock with a psych desert rock twist.

The contrast between Juliette Tworsey’s vocals which exude nothing but pure soul and the swampy blues instrumentals will be a spiritual experience for anyone who still kneels at the altar of modern rock.

Run is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orson’s Well delivered a smoky stormer with ‘Serve the Verve’.

Posted on 15 April 2021

Rather than serving up yet another archetypal slice of Sunset strip sleaze, USA’s Orson’s Well brought modernism to their raunchy grooves with their latest single, ‘Serve the Verve’.

With Blues weaving its way into the anthemic stormer, Serve the Verve comes with a guarantee that you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the scuzzy yet soaring guitar solos that affirm Orson’s Well are bringing the pinnacle of modern rock.

Serve the Verve is rooted in the past, but it taps into that contemporary need for abrasive smoky rock n roll orchestrated for the discerning rock fan in 2021. For any fans of Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith, Orson’s Well is definitely worth a spot on your radar.

You can check out the official video to Serve the Verve via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

I Love You: Denver’s Gordon turns the darkness into light on ‘Sunshine of Mine’

Posted on 14 April 2021

Taken off his debut twelve-track album called ‘Emerson‘, Gordon reminds us of those classic special authentic times that keeps you smiling throughout the dark clouds of today called ‘Sunshine of Mine‘.

Robbie Gordon Conaway aka Gordon is an original Denver, Colorado-based indie folk/blues singer-songwriter, artist, short film producer and photographer, who has recently started his solo journey after being in the band Ghettobillies.

This is the story of feeling that true love deep inside you no matter what the obstacles, as you just know in the bottom of your heart that they are the one for you. The road might be long and winding, but the journey will certainly be worth it.

He sings with such a tender tone that is full of genuine energy that fills your heart up, you feel his warmness simmer in with a superior voice that has you listening real close and taking in every verse with a smile.

‘Sunshine of Mine‘ from the fantastic Colorado indie singer-songwriter Gordon, leads us into the midst of yesterday’s simpler times, while also teaching us that hope and that positive self-aware perspective, is certainly needed to be happy in this rather stranger world.

Stream this new single on Spotify and check out the IG for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

PleasePrettyLea wants to take us and shake us up with ‘You’re Home Finally’

Posted on 11 April 2021

Opening with some very voodoo-y, lynch-type imagery, the superb video for PleasePrettyLea’s new single ‘You’re Home Finally’ firmly sets the scene for our heroine’s witchy, lustful intent. Flipping easily between disdain and flirtation, PleasePrettyLea works her magic to seduce her ex-lover back to the warmth of her bed – soft piano chords and a deliciously tempting smoky, sultry cajun voodoo-blues n’ jazz-inspired vocal draws us in as much as her tantalizing dance-moves and wicked, bewitching lyrics. There’s no doubt about her intent here, the NSFW lyrics setting out very clearly what PleasePrettyLea would like to do to us, over a backing of deliberately discomforting, disquieting bass, drums, and piano. It’s dirty, it’s sexy, it’s entrancing, and it’s very, very, good.

Check out the video for ‘You’re Home Finally’ on YouTube; follow PleasePrettyLea on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

 

Flying So High: Alexandra Ayoob is stupendously sensational on new single ‘Birds Still Chirpin’

Posted on 8 April 2021

With such awe-inspiring vocals that has her energies soaring upwards to where others wish they could go, Alexandra Ayoob has it all going for her on the head-moving new single called ‘Birds Still Chirpin‘.

Alexandra Ayoob is a determined Appalachia-born indie electro-pop/jazz/blues singer-songwriter with Lebanese roots, who performs with a fierce conviction, that shows her strength to overcome whatever undesirable obstacles that come her way.

After she was introduced to music by her beloved grandmother — who was a rebellious spirit and jazz singer, tragically forced by her traditional immigrant parents to leave her 1930’s jazz band — the life-changing music bug bit hard as she was lathered with incredible music influences in her ears, all the way to her soul. This helped her understand quickly who the true greats were and what type of style she should immerse herself into.

‘Birds Still Chirpin‘ from the world class Appalachia-based indie singer-songwriter Alexandra Ayoob, who is blessed with a crisply tuned vocal ability that has your back shivering in delight, is a boost to your mood as she takes us far above where the wonderfully winged fly unbothered. You consciously feel a groove that you haven’t felt before and this is a stunning single which takes away all the stress from your tired shoulders.

Hear this wonderful single on her Spotify and check out the IG for more info.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

She ran away forever: Florida singer-songwriter David Omlor tells us the sad story of ‘Truth’

Posted on 7 April 2021

Taken off his thoughtful memoir about the shocking covid-19 events of 2020 called ‘Entropy‘, David Omlor brings us the story about a girl he knew that lost her youth real quick and changed her name to ‘Truth‘.

David Omlor is a Philly-born, Florida-based indie folk/blues singer-songwriter who keeps it honest always. He makes music to help keep him sane in this weird — almost alternate universe time like an episode of Rick and Morty –and hopes that his lyrics may help others out there who are also feeling sad and alone.

After working with his band Benjamin Road for the past few years, he locked himself into a room at home and through Zoom and Dropbox, David decided that staying busy and putting out some solo music was the smart thing to do, as watching the news only makes you more anxious and frightened anyway.

He sings with such grit and meaning, each word is sung with that storyteller mentality and you can feel the heartbreak in his vocals. The lyrics tell us the story that has sadly happened to so many young girls, who grow up way too quickly in this often dark and cold world, full of monsters who ruin the fun of so many.

‘Truth‘ from humble Philly-born and raised indie singer-songwriter David Omlor, is the heartfelt story about a girl that lost her sweet innocent mentality and ran away due to the blows that she endured. She needed someone to stick up for her but didn’t receive it, and her life changed forever.

Stream this new single on Soundcloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen