2017

Souleye – Wildman URL: https://www.souleye.net/ Souleye’s new single “Wildman” takes the title track to his highly anticipated studio release and unleashes it on the public in a well-deserved spotlight. Well into his second decade writing and recording music, Souleye occupies a niche in the hip hop genre that’s all his own and resulted from a trailblazing approach to merging outstanding lyrical content with across the board appealing arrangements. There’s a lot of color going into the writing of this track instead of just seeming like a vehicle for his vocal – there’s some notable dynamics at work as the song shifts from deep grooves into rousing crescendos helping to hammer home Souleye’s message. As always, however, Souleye’s messaging can never be construed as mere sloganeering. Souleye’s devotion to sharing his experiences and hope with listeners is far more important to him as an artist than following some rigid dogma and it gives even his most melancholy material an immensely attractive air of positivity. 

Ossy Oneal - Taylor Swift’s Stairway FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Ossy-Oneal-Music-195882037089229/ The unique talents Ossy Oneal brings to his music, namely a willingness to explore a variety of styles and the skills to back it up, make him a true standout in a crowded musical world. It is heartening that Ossy, at merely twenty years old, has the all encompassing talent to bring a variety of musical styles under his control and manipulate them to maximum entertainment effect thanks to his innate understanding of what he and his potential audience wants to hear. His identity comes through quite clearly in everything he does and the latest single from this young performer, “Taylor Swift’s Stairway”, is no exception. Oneal creates according to his own rules and writes about whatever he likes – his love and admiration for Taylor Swift, not just as a performer but as a person, comes through in every minute of this performance. He shows a sure hand for navigating his way through the song to the best possible effect, obviously the result of an artist who began singing at age six, and the final product will appeal to a wide cross section of the music buying public.

Suntrodden - Suntrodden III URL: https://www.suntrodden.com/ Suntrodden is a music artist from Atlanta, Georgia. While you might think that “Suntrodden” is the name of a band, it’s actually just one guy. Erik Stephansson writes and records music under the name “Suntrodden.” So, this is really a purely solo act. This five-song set is the newest musical output from Suntrodden. If this is any indication of his previous work, there must be a lot of great stuff to enjoy in his catalog.

Kazyak - ‘Happy Camping URL: https://kazyak.com/ The main picture of the band is all of them lined up behind one another so you can see their faces. There is one female in the band picture and she’s smiling. The four other band members are male and they are wearing straight faces. In the background behind them the only thing that is clear is some groups of white skinny trees. It’s great to see the faces of the creators of the music. This way while you listen to the music you can create a better picture in your mind of what’s going on in the songs. Also there is a great introduction article to the album, featuring one of the band members Peter Frey. He gives the reason for the band name and the album title. They are about the idea of, “Everything is fine.” This is a great way of prefacing the album. The music is very even and relaxed, just as a Happy Camper is relaxed. Frey said he worked on the music just before his wedding and his search for a steady state of mind.

Danny Nardini SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/5ADMvtADHbkSGLNhX0RBTp?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open Hip hop’s newest sound is the angst fueled flows of Upstate New York artist Danny Nardini. Danny’s inspiration comes from the burning desire to rectify his family’s break up and spiral downward into poverty. At the age of 14, he was working to support his mother, younger sister and younger brother. Discovering the power of music and rhyme was the pathway out of darkness for his soul and maybe for his family. Emotions born from the harsh realities he faced fill Danny’s lyrics and rhythms with a fierce presence that can’t be denied.

Elle Casazza - ‘Proof’ SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/ellecasazza/sets/proof Chicago’s Elle Casazza is, bluntly, one of 2017’s must-hear artists. The master vocalist delivers calm, engaging, and powerful notes. through top-notch lyrics, on her newest album, Proof. Her energetic, star-like appearance and energy, along with truly remarkable instrumental support, renders the short-and-sweet eight-track effort one of the best—and the most likely to explode in popularity—of recent times. Proof begins with a dance-inducing track, “Hey”, which is guided not by its catchy clapping and well-timed keyboard notes, but rather, by Casazza’s illuminating vocals. Again, it’s apparent that a lot of work went into arranging the track, but a lot of work goes into arranging a ship as well. Nevertheless, without a captain, there’s no telling where a vessel would end up!

Jupiter in Velvet - In2 the Arms of Love URL: https://www.jupiterinvelvet.com/home In2 the Arms of Love’s ten songs are the best examples yet of Jupiter in Velvet’s unique modern guitar driven songs that he calls electro dance rock. There’s certainly an abundance of physical tempos capable of grabbing listeners from the first alongside a raw, but thoroughly modern production style and boisterous guitar. His musicianship has deceptive simplicity and a penchant for colorful articulation that most guitar players cannot boast. Jupiter in Velvet has a thorough vision for exactly the sort of music he wants to write, record, and perform. The message behind these songs, however, has an obvious importance to Jupiter in Velvet. This is a songwriter concerned with looking outside himself. His talent for writing and recording clearly serves two masters – the first is releasing the inner need he feels for self expression and the second, perhaps most important, is satisfying his desire to communicate a message he believes to anyone who will listen. 

The Delbert Anderson Trio and Def-i, known as DDAT, united to form the most exciting hip hop sound in the Southwest. This year (2017), DDAT releases their upcoming album in September with a release party at Sister located in Albuquerque, NM.

Ashley J – Trapped FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AshleyJeanMusic/ Pop songwriter and Singer, Ashley J joined forces with renowned producer and multi-platinum Grammy and Emmy winning, Narada Michael Walden, to create her latest hot new single, “Trapped.” Laced with mid-tempo snaps, shadowy synths and soft whispers; “Trapped” highlights a deep infatuation with a new partner. If you don’t know Narada Michael Walden’s large body of work, it would be easier to describe him to you than Ashley J who’s not exactly a newcomer to music, but a budding pop star that has been brewing for some time when you delve into her past far enough to see that. But what a producer/mixer/engineer like him can bring to anyone, is a larger, more blown up sound.

Threefifty - Gently Among the Coals URL: https://www.threefiftymusic.com/about Threefifty has massive ambitions, but their music doesn’t readily communicate them. This new collection Gently Among the Coals isn’t some chin held high over-exertion of musical strength in an effort to will some masterpiece into being. Instead, Threefifty produce music that sounds like a natural outgrowth of their interests, passions, skills, and experiences and possess an effortless creativity in this direction that manifests itself as a wide-ranging and quite surprising effort. Gently Among the Coals is an album never content with taking straight lines. It is, instead, a winding and imaginative musical ride with literary power frequently unheard on mainstream releases. Daring can only pay off if you possess the chops and the discipline to back it up. Even a cursory listen to Gently Among the Coals convinces you Threefifty has plenty of both qualities to burn. 

Cause for Paws – Rescue Me I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rescue-me-a-cause-for-paws/id1214352838 Some of acoustic music’s most respected and gifted artists have come together with Blue Night Records for the creation of Rescue Me! It is truly a “cause for paws.” From its inception, the project has had one driving purpose: to support the furry creatures who so enhance our lives with love and loyalty. Now, at last, that purpose has materialized with energy and joy as a 12-track compilation album of tender tunes that honor our four-legged friends. Rescue Me! is a heartfelt collection of Americana music featuring songs that are thought-provoking, uplifting, engaging, and downright funny. If you love animals and acoustic folk music, this is right up your alley and deserves all the support it can get. It’s full of well-crafted songs about cats and dogs.

Gwyneth Moreland – Cider URL: https://www.gwynethmoreland.com/ Gwyneth Moreland’s California upbringing and sense of community greatly informs the songwriting on her release Cider. The ten songs on this album focus, in different ways and focuses, on character and Moreland demonstrates a nearly matchless talent for getting under the skin of her subject matter without ever giving short shrift to the track’s potential. She has secured the services of some amazing accompaniment for these performances, among them Gene Parsons, former pedal steel guitarist with seminal California country-influenced rockers The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds. Her singing and songwriting, however, are the album’s primary attraction. She lives every line of these songs and shows a consistent willingness to throw herself into the moments and experiences depicted within. Producer David Hayes did a fantastic job of giving these songs the best of all possible platforms to get over with her audience. Cider is a memorable moment in the history of modern folk music.