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Unknown River set the bar for honkytonk hits plateau-high with ‘Outlaws on My Trail’

Posted on 6 September 2023

The Floridan singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Unknown River set the bar for penning immersive escapist honkytonk hits plateau-high with the standout single, Outlaws on My Trail, taken from his debut album, The Dead River Passage.

The fiddle and banjo-driven single delivers a vignette of a man coming to regret the repercussions of his down-and-out actions; the combination of the simple country living exposition and the upbeat arrangement and vocals is enough to make the experience of outlaw-evading sound like a riotous way to see the sands of time slip away, and therein lies the beauty of Unknown River’s indomitable magnetism.

By taking the influence of bluegrass, delta blues, country, rock and old-timey traditional tunes, Unknown River’s amalgamated Americana signature is designed to strip away the plight of modern-day malaise and entrench you in the ease and euphoria of eras that are far from bygone – roots-crafted sanctuaries are just one hit on play away. Press it.

Outlaws on My Trail is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ericalisa created a vignette of pure passion for her latest single, For the Moment

Posted on 30 August 2023

The San Francisco Bay Area got even hotter when the DZN Records-signed RnB trailblazer, Ericalisa, dropped her sensuously stylised single, For the Moment.

Since 2015, Ericalisa has been creating a new trajectory in the evolution of soul; instead of reinventing the wheel, she found new ways to elevate the genre by caressing her downtempo melodies with her honeyed harmonies and adding moody elements to her mixes to accentuate her distinctive sonic signature.

Before stepping into a studio, the independent artist used poetry as a creative outlet, which more than shows in her lyricism; the verses flow just as smoothly as the lush reverb-soaked instrumentals around the imagery she conjures to captivate you in her vignettes of pure passion.

Stream the official music video for Ericalisa’s latest single, which premiered on August 18th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BEX made a divine debut with her soulfully meditative single, COME THRU

Posted on 28 August 2023
https://youtu.be/r-kgMelRc7U https://linktr.ee/bexfye

BEX (AKA Rebecca Lynn Giralde) started a new meditative revolution in soul with her debut single, COME THRU. Beyond the soulfully honeyed and beckoning vocal lines that tempt an amorous spark to ignite lingers her spiritual sense of self, which also manifests in her work as a yoga and reiki practitioner.

There’s a seductive sense of ease that drifts through every facet of the ambiently electrifying soundscape that reaches the pinnacle of sensuous for its warm tones and supple textures. If it has been a while since you had your soul melodically stirred, don’t hesitate to hit play on the cathartically strong debut.

When the Coral Springs-born, Brooklyn-raised American Afro-Latina singer isn’t in the studio, she’s radiating the same beauty that brings her music to visceral life as a professional model. She’s featured in worldwide beauty campaigns for major brands, including Clinique, and has been the face of a multitude of ad campaigns. Whatever she decides to turn her talents to next, it’s going to be literally or figuratively picture-perfect.

The official music video for BEX’s single, COME THRU, premiered on August 18th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jazz meets chiptune in Samuel Weaver’s latest score, Saviour Complex

Posted on 28 August 2023

With touches of House of Fun by the Madness grooving through the polyphonic funk of the jazz & chiptune amalgam, the UK-based artist Samuel Weaver concocted a superfluously ingenuity-driven score for the standout single in his debut album, Telechora!

Hitting play on Saviour Complex may be moderately akin to an acid trip due to the artist’s tendency to delve into sonic novelty despite his discernible composition and instrumental talents, but the euphoria-instilled vibrancy of the soundscape will lift you higher than any tab of acid ever could.

Given that intellectualism oozes from every progression, especially when the dissonance of sufferers with saviour complexes starts to manifest in the funk, at 17 years old, the composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has the music industry at his prodigal feet.

Saviour Complex charged in on its white knight syndrome on August 19th; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DANIELA revealed her celestial sun-soaked triumph of an electro-swing RnB sophomore single, Che si può fare

Posted on 26 August 2023

After vocal training in Milan with the legendary soprano Annamaria Calciolari and performing in jazz line-ups in the Emirates, the independent singer-songwriter DANIELA graced the UK shores with her talent by moving to London, where she obtained a Masters degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

With her debut EP in the pipeline, we checked out her RnB sophomore single, Che si può fare and was instantly infatuated by her perceptible deep connection to music, which doesn’t just border on spiritual if the celestial beguile in her melodies is anything to go by.

The vibrant piece of elegant and elevated world music is a rhythmic triumph that shares the warmth of a Sicilian sun-soaked veranda through the instrumental arrangement, which allows the timbre of a finger-picked guitar to take the lead as it effortlessly compliments the harmonies in her beguiling bilingual vocal lines.

Stream Che si può fare on Spotify.

 

Follow DANIELA on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rumours have it the sandman entered Nick Cody’s cover of ‘Dreams’

Posted on 25 August 2023
https://soundcloud.com/nickcody1/dreams-for-covers-ep/s-Au2cg99ENJe?si=264125480ef946e897df8b29f6e3ec3a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

UK singer-songwriter Nick Cody serenaded the iconic single, Dreams, by Fleetwood Mac in his latest release, featuring Towse, Corwin Zekley, and Harry Orme.

The single may only comprise accordant timbres from a resonator guitar, violin strings and dualistic harmonies, but under Cody’s tender duress, the cover became infinitely more than the sum of all parts as Rumours was melodically resurrected as a more intimate serenade.

After releasing five albums under different guises and in other ensembles, Cody has turned his talents to producing a forthcoming mini cover album featuring seminal singles from across the decades, with a little help from revered international artists. If the other fixtures on the mini album carry an ounce of the soul-stirringly sweet beguile of Dreams, Nick Cody will be the orchestrator of one of the most seminal albums of 2023.

Dreams will officially drop on the 25th of August; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rya welcomed in a dreamy new era of electro-soul with his latest single, SHOW OFF.

Posted on 25 August 2023

With his latest single, SHOW OFF., the trailblazing emissary of soul, Rya, wrapped the roots of RnB around modernist electronic dream pop tones and created a solid backbeat by infusing the track with rhythmically tight hip-hop nuances.

Rather than attempting to be everybody’s cup of tea, the London-based electro-soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer chose to take the visionary path to explore his experimental sound and create escapist worlds that you won’t need inviting to twice.

The emotion implanted into his singles may be raw, but by staying true to his distinctive production style, which melds jazz, R&B, and neo-soul tendencies, he always delivers ear candy sweet enough to give you a sugar rush.

SHOW OFF. Will hit the airwaves on the 25th of August. Hear it on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The San Diego Emissary of Soul, Sedríque, Held No Prisoners in His RnB Pop Hit, Sick Of

Posted on 22 August 2023

Taken from his ingeniously titled debut LP, Seduction, the standout single, Sick Of, which has racked up 50k streams on Spotify to date, is the perfect introduction to Sedríque’s fiery brand of contemporary RnB pop.

Sick Of captures the raw, messy, and visceral emotions that follow a toxic relationship and an even more toxic breakup. Some songwriters write what they think their audiences want to hear, and others stay committed to melodising harsh truths, Sedríque well and truly put himself in the latter camp with the soulful vitriol in Sick Of, which will be a hit with any fans of Chris Brown and the Weeknd. The razor-sharp rhythmics of the lyrical blows against the steady tempo of the soul-heady instrumentals created intoxicating aural alchemy that you will want to intoxicate yourself with time and time again.

After finding his voice at the age of three when he started to perform solos in the church choir and learning how to accompany himself on piano by the age of ten, the singer-songwriter’s teeth were well and truly cut by the time he focused on creating one of the most seminal RnB pop records of 2023.

Check out the Radio Edit of Sick Of by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leah Nawy is the ultimate contender for originator of the year after releasing her debut single, NUISANCE

Posted on 22 August 2023

By combining the soul of Sade with the tongue-in-cheek charm of Kate Nash and leaving plenty of room for her own striking rock-licked sonic signature stylings that open the floodgates to a rush of 90s pop nostalgia, Leah Nawy hit the ground running with her feisty and fresh debut single, NUISANCE.

If you’ve still got the attention span to appreciate a perfect three-minute pop hit, lose yourself in the vibrant tones, groove-driven and funk-dripping instrumentals, and some of the sweetest sugared-with-attitude vocal lines you will hear this year.

With a polyphonically jazzy rock n roll outro that enabled Nawy to dig her heels into her authenticity, NUISANCE is a debut that no one will be quick to forget. Even with the industry more saturated than it has ever been, there’s no denying Leah Nawy is a promising triple threat with her charisma, talent, and ear for earwormy melodies.

After she finishes her Masters degree in songwriting and production at Berklee NYC, she will be an unstoppable force.

NUISANCE hit the airwaves on the 28th of July; stream it for yourselves on Spotify.  

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sahara CyberStars illuminated the airwaves with their alt-folk-rock score, Light Shines into a Space

Posted on 21 August 2023

After unveiling six LPs and six singles to date, the Dublin-forged, Australia-residing duo Sahara CyberStars, comprising the award-winning singer-songwriters Dave and Trish Long, exhibited how honed their synergistic sound has become in their latest single, Light Shines into a Space.

The duo may have gone down under, but their arcane Irish folk roots still linger at the epicentre of their theatrically inviting sound in Light Shines into a Space, which allows you to imagine how New Model Army’s post-punk musings would unravel with more ornate and orchestral instrumentals infused into their atmospheric stylings.

The deeply original score’s authenticity is only matched by the evocative pull of the release; from the first verse, you’ll be inseparably combined with the celestially scintillating experimentalism, which bends genres with the grace of an Olympian contortionist.

Light Shines into a Space is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast