Browsing Tag

america

Kentucky penned a patriotic rock-licked love letter with ‘America, The Beautiful’

Posted on 21 April 2024

Kentucky’s latest single, America, The Beautiful, is a soul-imbued tribute to the multifaceted allure of the United States, delivered with a rock ‘n’ roll heart that pulses with a distinct Americana twang.

The love letter captures the sweeping landscapes and rich cultural tapestry of the USA, offering listeners a sonic road trip across its vast expanse with pop culture pitstops along the way. With an approach that will resonate with fans of Bruce Springsteen and Guns n Roses alike, Kentucky weaves a narrative rich with patriotic pride, crafting a soundtrack that is both a celebration and a reflection.

The production melds classic rock influences with a nuanced Americana style, making it an essential addition for those who adorn their playlists with heartland rock. Despite the stripped and simplistic instrumental arrangement, there is no lack of depth. Each acoustic guitar-led progression strikes a resonant chord, echoing with rich, cathartic timbres under Kentucky’s gravelly vocal delivery that resonates with an aura of sincerity.

America, The Beautiful invites listeners to feel the pride and beauty of the American spirit. Its release, which stirred enough emotion to briefly face a ban on TikTok, underscores its impactful message and the poignant exploration of American identity that Kentucky so masterfully encapsulates in this acoustic rock anthem.

America, The Beautiful was officially released on April 1st; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Grammy-balloted artist, Luanne Hunt, has released her ornately picturesque 21st studio album, Portraits in Song

Posted on 7 February 2022

During her 27-year career, Luanne Hunt has released 21 studio albums and picked up three Grammy nominations along the way for her refreshingly authentic take on modern country. With her love of folk-rock feeding into her sonic signature, her music is as diverse as it is nostalgically comfortable. Her latest album, Portraits in Song, captures her talent at its finest. It is a testament to her determination to strive for excellence and hit emotional chords along the way; you’d be hard-pressed to find a more elegant soul in country-folk-rock.

The album starts on the instantly arresting single, “It Was Always You”; the ardently visceral single is brimming with shimmering soul through the orchestral scoring and Hunt’s ethereally ornate vocals that cherish the notion of perpetuation affection. Her 70s folk-rock influence comes to the forefront in Midnight Rain & Roses, which will undoubtedly be a hit with any Stevie Nicks fans. The arcane production paired with the warmly overdriven guitars and Luanne Hunt’s vocals that become the epitome of beguiling is matchlessly stunning.

Here’s what Luanne Hunt had to say about her 21st album:

“I consider ‘Portraits in Song’ to be my crowning achievement thus far; it reflects my love of folk-rock artists in the same vein as America, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Van Morrison. I can’t get enough of the songs from the 60s and 70s era, they truly are the bar I always set for myself.”

The album also features the Latin Grammy Award-Winning drummer, Heitor Lima, the world-renowned piano player, Hal Ratliff (Righteous Brothers, Grass Roots), and the acclaimed Canadian composer/conductor Jordan Grigg.

Portraits in Song is now available to stream on Spotify. Or you can head over to her official website to purchase the album.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Not Looking Back: Brooklyn rapper Lil Dame sends respect to his real friends as he moves forward with ‘The Dream’

Posted on 27 April 2021

As he broadly opens up his mind to the things that really matter in life, that is far away from the pettiness he sees each day on the harsh streets, Lil Dame projects his energies towards ‘The Dream’.

Lil Dame is a conscious Nigerian-American rapper who is from the legendary streets of Queens, New York City. He forges a quality sound together as one, that flows into your heart confidently, however with only humble intentions that is born from hard work.

This is the important message of living for what is right and never forgetting the people that helped you get places, whilst doing it in a genuine way. He raps with such meaning — his mind is in-tune to what he needs to do — as he breezes past the negative fields, that can hold you in and bury you in a hole downwards, that you will battle to get out of.

‘The Dream‘ from Queens emcee Lil Dame, shows us into his mind as he has thrown away the futile memories of the past and is only interested in packaging the future, with the real crew who have supported him through thick and thin. Onward and upwards is the thing that he is focusing on and this is a terrific mindset to hold onto.

When you have those big dreams, anything is possible if you believe in yourself enough and put in the hard yards when others are sleeping.

Stream this real new track on Soundcloud and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Eyes Put a Spell: Branndon flows in the love time machine when he is with ‘Tiana’

Posted on 23 March 2021

Whilst he feels like he is definitely catching feelings when he is around her, Branndon tries to keep it cool on his catchy new single about a special woman in his life called ‘Tiana‘.

Branndon Onyemem aka Branndon is a lyrically skilled Nigerian/American hip-hop artist/singer-songwriter born in Greensboro, North Carolina, who brings the funky grooves with him on a vibe that has you nodding your head in appreciation of his growing skill set.

“I use my art to connect to my fans, portray themes, and uses words to paint pictures for my listeners. My music takes lots of influence from my poetry, including my Spoken Word poetry which I post on my Instagram for my followers to enjoy.”- Branndon

He raps with consistent skills, each word seems to flow with the next and his quality wordsmith skills are quite impressive. The lyrics are all about his huge crush on this sweet girl, that he can’t seem to stop thinking about.

‘Tiana‘ from Nigerian-American rapper/singer Branndon, shows us his love for fusing his love for blues, funk, hip hop, soul and boom-bap all into one pot of tasty goodness, as he is put under a spell from a girl who has his heart beating rather quickly.

Stream this track on Spotify and see more on his IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

A&R Factory Present: Sam Woolf

Posted on 25 January 2017

SAM WOOLF is a 20 year-old folk/pop singer songwriter known for his original arrangements, beautiful pitch perfect tone and emotional original songs. His performances and recordings have obtained millions of views on YouTube and Sam receives tremendous support from his fan club, the “WOOLFPACK” on social media. Sam Woolf has gained national recognition as a finalist on American Idol’s 2014 Season where he placed in the Top 5. Independent Grammy-winning producer Danny Blume produced and recorded an EP “Pretend” containing Sam’s originals for release. It debuted at #9 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.

Sam was born in Detroit and lived in West Bloomfield, Michigan until he was 10. Sam has since lived in Florida and he graduated from Braden River High School in June of 2014. Sam’s father, Scott Woolf, introduced him to acoustic folk-rock music when he was a young child. Sam’s grandfather (“Papa Roy”) sent him to singing lessons with opera singer Bob Lischetti for several years, and Sam taught himself guitar. During high school, Sam began performing locally in Bradenton at restaurants and cafés and was a mentee of the Del Couch Music Education Foundation, which booked him for performances at local events.

In the summer of 2013, Sam attended a five week program for high school students at Berklee College of Music (the world’s premier contemporary music school) in Boston. He was one of four students chosen to perform live in the “winners” showcase as well as one of four students selected to perform in the theater-in-the-round singer/songwriters performance. He was also one of the Berklee students referred to American Idol for auditions.

Sam was a featured performer at an Alex Preston concert in New Hampshire, co-headlined with the Doobie Brothers, War, and Jefferson Starship, opened for We The Kings and has performed extensively at other public and private venues in Florida. He has toured throughout the Northeast with the Como Brother’s Band, and was featured on a track of the Como Brother’s EP, Live at 89 North. Sam is currently writing a set of pop originals with Israeli musical prodigy/guitarist Orion Meshorer.