Browsing Tag

Adult Contemporary

Sasha Sky found her place in a niche of style and grace with her indie RnB single, Outside of Us

Sasha Sky, a seraphically sublime soulstress emerging from County Durham, reached the epitome of sophistication with her indie RnB release, ‘Outside of Us’. As her lines weave through organically magnetic harmonies that embed the emotions of the lyrics into the listener’s psyche, the melodies carry just as much ease with their mellifluous loungey gentility.

With warm, distinctively embellished textures and intricately stacked layers that don’t merely sum to a whole but open a panorama of soulful experience, the track invites you to immerse in the colour and sincerity of its composition, grooving against your emotional impulses and leaving a lasting mark.

This single stands in stark contrast to the modern charts’ disregard for genuine grace as it vindicates the romantically scorned, showcasing Sasha as the embodiment of the refinement she portrays in her music.

Since beginning her music career during the 2021 lockdown, Sasha has drawn upon her lifelong love for music, songwriting, and poetry, a venture emboldened by her studies in Performing Arts and Music at New College Durham. This background honed her ability to weave sonic narratives that speak directly to the soul. As the crowning point of her career so far, Outside of Us is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to a superlative voice in contemporary indie RnB.

Outside of Us was officially released on November 7th and is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laura Mock took her listeners from poetic depth to ethereal heights in her standout single, Acadia

After two years of pouring her poetry, candour and sublimely affecting unique aura into her debut EP, home//body, the NYC-residing songstress, Laura Mock has finally unveiled one of the most sensuous sounds of 2024.

The standout single, Acadia, starts with tenderly warm piano chords which echo Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ before the single veers into stylistically seraphic easy listening territory and concludes following an arcane neo-classic folk pop crescendo which reaches the epitome of sonic serenity.

Despite the diaphanous propensities of each of the motifs in Acadia, the artfully composed, orchestrally laced progressions are strong enough to carry the weight of the heaviest souls as Mock uses the organic reverie within her vocal register to wrap you up within a vignette where naturalistic beauty resounds in equal measure to the divine nature of her talent.

Stream Laura Mock’s debut EP, home//body, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Surrender your senses to the spiritual sanctity within Catherine Grace & Mark Dwane’s electronic folk single, Broken Wide Open

Broken Wide Open by Mark Dwane / Catherine Grace

In the spirited soundscape of her childhood home, reverberating with the likes of Johnny Mathis, Fleetwood Mac and Barbra Streisand, Catherine Grace found her calling, which would eventually lead her to her collaborative partner, Mark Dwane. Their relationship, marked by seamless creativity and a deep mutual understanding, has culminated in scores of cultivated-with-soul releases, including their latest titularly poetic single, Broken Wide Open.

The track unfolds at a cathartically measured pace, not rushing to reveal its depths but rather allowing listeners to immerse themselves in its spiritual and soulful melodies. Catherine’s ethereal harmonies, when coupled with Dwane’s electronic folk underpinnings, create a profound sonic synergy that transcends mere musical collaboration. The duo has mastered the art of building a track that ebbs and flows with rhythmic magnetism, weaving together notes that resonate with an arresting affirmation of their unique artistic alchemy.

Amidst personal challenges and life’s unpredictable turns, music has been Catherine’s sanctuary, a theme that resonates powerfully throughout their latest offering. With Broken Wide Open” Catherine Grace and Mark Dwane invite the listener into a shared experience of renewal and revelation. Their collaborative spirit evokes comparisons to the iconic Enya, yet with a distinct identity that firmly roots them in the contemporary indie scene.

As you surrender to the lush, layered textures of Broken Wide Open, you’ll revel in the power of sound to soothe, inspire, and awaken.

Broken Wide Open is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Miranda Joy is an icon of graceful beguile in her latest single, Wasting My Time

https://open.spotify.com/track/1VaxLmwVUPTRWEEIkv3q3P?si=103ce254107a4908

Miranda Joy brought the proverbial house down with her latest single, Wasting My Time. Her classic approach to songwriting paired with the cutting-edge cultivation which resounds within the sophistication of the production allows her rapidly expanding fanbase to enjoy the best of both worlds as she delivers pure unadulterated emotion filtered through the lens of a relatable vignette.

It isn’t a stretch to say the vast majority of us waste life’s most precious resource as our time becomes trapped in digital vacuums or invested in people who aren’t worthy of our energy or attention, allowing Wasting My Time to unravel as a universally relevant release. The timely unveiling of the single, which coincides with when our motivations to keep resolutions slip, is sure to ensure the success of the single, orchestrated by the London-based luminary, whose voice has filtered through the O2 Academy Islington and graced the bill of The Great Escape Festival.

Her voice, a blend of raw emotion and refined artistry, carries the song with an effortless grace reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s intimate narratives. Yet, there’s a stridency in her delivery, a nod to the iconic power of Prince’s Purple Rain. Even with the loungey adult contemporary elements filtered between the blues and soul layers, the accessibility of the single as Joy commands a panorama of emotions is palpable from the first verse.

Her past collaborations, like the acclaimed I Just Came to Dance with Carmy Love, and her contributions to Peter Beatty’s album, have all been stepping stones to this moment. Wasting My Time is a testament to her growth as an artist and a harbinger of the incredible work we can expect in her upcoming releases.

Wasting My Time is due for official release on January 19; stream it on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jeff Jepson has released his haunting hymnal gem, The Good-Night Song

The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jeff Jepson is set to garner a fresh wave of impassioned reverence with his Christmas-tinged EP, Sparkle. If this is your first acquaintance with the artist who rose to fame in Liverpool and has recently replanted his musical roots in the Isle of Man, the standout single, The Good-Night Song, is the perfect introduction to the master of poignant melody.

Whether it was the finiteness in the lyricism or the way the acoustic guitar’s euphonic rings intensified the affecting sting within the captivating vocal delivery in the arrangement which visualises the sparseness of winter branches, I couldn’t help but shed a tear as Jepson’s evocatively honeyed timbres quivered in the frost of the hymnal gem which will haunt you long past the outro.

The Sparkle EP illuminated the airwaves on November 10th; kindle your affinity with the 4-track release via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ziyaad Luceō takes us through a ‘Moment in Time’ in his latest cinematic aural triumph

Remember when we anticipated all of the incredible art that would transpire through creative minds being locked away and forced to reflect? The breakthrough artist, Ziyaad Luceō, delivered exactly what we aspiringly yearned for with his latest single, Moment in Time.

The Toronto-based singer-songwriter and producer has become an international sensation since the release of his 2020 album, Through These Eyes. His most popular single, Summer ’21, has racked up over 1 million streams on Spotify alone, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.

In Moment in Time, he lures you in with a simple piano melody before the electronic effects start to resound around his hypnotically smooth vocal timbre. His strident passion fuels the cinematically arranged single that artfully unfolds around the sound of waves crashing, minor-key melodies and lyrics that capture emotional cruxes that break through the monotony.

Moment in Time is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Time slips away in James Bene’s latest fiercely impassioned balladic electro-pop anthem, Hours.

James Bene

Right from the first note, the urgency of American singer-songwriter James Bene’s hyper indie-pop ballad, Hours, grips you. The strong melodies and visceral vocals resound so powerfully that any indication of the intensity of the balladic electro-pop anthem seems like an understatement.

Lyrically, you couldn’t ask for rawer intimacy, but sonically, the soundscape is almost matchless. With the overdriven indie guitars searing around the snappy percussion and the depth in the keys, the instrumentals are only just robust enough to platform Bene’s fiercely impassioned vocals as they question waning affection. Needless to say, it is a hit. If any up and coming artist has what it takes to dominate the charts, it is James Bene.

Check out James Bene on SoundCloud & Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Californian singer-songwriter Sunny shines in her latest jazz-infused acoustic single, Bones.

Adult contemporary singer-songwriter and musician Sunny has released her soul-laden acoustic jazz infusion single, Bones, which would fall into the easy listening category if it wasn’t for the breezy melodic alchemy that flows through the affectionately provoking release.

The Californian artist was born into a musical family; she picked up an acoustic guitar at age 15 and devoted her life to music and songwriting from there on out. Based on Bones, every second of dedication paid off in this tranquilly mellifluous soundscape that exhibits the ethereal nature of her innocently expressive vocal timbre.

Bones is available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wirral-Based Soul Pop Artist Gina Has Released Her Latest Resounding Single “Lesson in Love”

https://soundcloud.com/user-182516086/lesson-in-love

Lesson in Love” is the latest smooth Bluesy Pop single by up and coming Wirral-based artist Gina who is quickly becoming renowned for her rich and resounding tone.

From the first note in Lesson in Love, you’ll be captivated by the sumptuous pace, Gina’s magnetically soothing vocals and the full-bodied textures found in the warmly Jazz-infused soundscape.

Gina may be fresh from her inception, but her uniquely artful style which borrows influences from Adult Contemporary and a myriad of other sub-genres is already beyond radio-ready. It’s cinematic.

From what we’ve heard in Lesson in Love and the artist’s former releases, it’s only a matter of time before you see Gina’s name gracing the charts.

You can check out Lesson in Love for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast