ROCK/Review Audren – When Freedom Dies
Something truly intriguing about the newest work by Audren, When Freedom Dies, is the fact that it is captivating. This is not just a protest song – it is much more subtle and much more intimate and much more touching. The song begins with hypnotic and mysterious sound that instantly...
Read MoreROCK/Review Sean MacLeod – Cool Charisma
Sean MacLeod has created something quite special with his track “Cool Charisma,” one that is able to be simultaneously refreshingly contemporary and nostalgic. This new record is a clear indication that the former Cisco frontman has not lost his way in writing catchy pop tunes and this new release shows...
Read MoreROCK/Review RISE – Lost for words
With a song that undergoes a complete change of heartbreak into heartbreak power, RISE have provided something truly refreshing with Lost For Words. This four-member ensemble has the correct formula on how to create melodic rock that strikes hard but is also accessible enough to catch on in an oversaturated...
Read MoreCOUNTRY/Review Ulrich Jannert – Wander Still
Something very comforting about “Wander Still” – almost as though you have found a compass exactly when you thought you are going in circles. Being the title song on the new album of Ulrich Jannert, it eschews precisely what he does so well, in turning the most existential questions of...
Read MoreROCK/Review Tom Minor – Bring Back the Good Ol’ Boys
Tom Minor has given us something wonderfully subversive with bring back the good ol boys – a song which actually dances and at the same time hits us upside down with its spot-on critique of our collective amnesia in the face of darker patterns in history. Protest music camouflaged as...
Read MorePop-Rock/Review Julia Kate – be nice princess
It is one thing to see a person that you had a connection with turn cold and Julia Kate has managed to nail that pain down in the song be nice princess. Here the Los Angeles singer-songwriter has presented something truly refreshing, a pop song, and one that is fun...
Read MoreROCK/Review ESTRADA Music Project – I don’t need to hide anymore
It is deeply touching to see an artist create out of pure authenticity, such as when one has been carrying a heavy load, but you can see the moment they put the heavy burden down and you can see the relief on their face. The song of I Don’t Need...
Read MoreROCK/Review CAR287 – Opening Song
It is especially difficult to make a good opening statement–it is like being backstage and having your heart beat out of you, and knowing that the moment you step in the light, everything will be different. On Opening Song by CAR287, they have taken that challenge with a lot of...
Read MorePop-Rock/Review Naomi Neva – This Is Over
Something truly strong about music created out of the actual suffering is that it has real power, and this is precisely what Naomi Neva conveys in her song This Is Over, with incredible authenticity. It is a breakup song which does not succumb to sentimentality, instead directing female anger and...
Read MoreROCK/Review Matt DeAngelis – Livin’ It
Matt DeAngelis has created something truly valuable in the form of the song that turns anxiety during the pandemic era into a spiritual exercise on faith, patience, and contentment despite the underlying uncertainty. It is music that will not answer simply and provide the real spiritual nourishment. The instrumentation is...
Read MorePop-Rock/Review Exzenya – Ugly When You Love Me
We do have a kind of beauty in music, which is able to transform coarse rage into something pointed, almost graceful – and that is what Exzenya accomplishes with her Ugly When You Love Me. Yes, it is dark electronic pop, but it also happens to be much more piercing,...
Read MoreROCK/Review Fiona Amaka – Wingman
It is something really unique about “Wingman,” because it is able to be both a classic and a modern track. Fiona Amaka has given the love song its due, and there is no cliché and trappings of the genre, the song has emotional and sonic appeal. The singing is directly...
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