rescuing musical virtue in distress.
This debut release from Purple Tone Flower is full of soothing music and fun licks, soulful grooves and moments of pop perfection. It is the product of Chilean musician and producer Mauricio Flores Sánchez, who has been making music since he was in his teens. Only now did it feel like the perfect time to... Continue Reading →
Retro Band does pretty much what the name might imply. They revisit, re-imagine and re-work songs from the past so that they get another day in the sun. Although they have covered many eras of the 20th century, this volume gathers together songs from the '30s to the '60s and gives them a new lease... Continue Reading →
As soon as the first few tracks of this soulful and sassy album had floated out of the speakers and into my senses, I knew that there was something familiar about the sound. To find out that the vocalist is none other than The Magic Numbers' Angela Gannon and that various members of Danny and... Continue Reading →
Mixtape. Album. Compilation. Call it what you will but what we can agree on is the fact that Straight From The Soul is the perfect showcase of Speedy2x's sonic style. That style is a blend of old school rap and modern, urban soul, street corner grit and slick uptown club culture but more than that... Continue Reading →
What The BRKN understand more than most bands is how to mix the "less" with the "more" to get the best of both worlds. They know that if you are going to deliver an understated ballad, then you need to still pep it up with a bit of sonic excitement. And that is where we... Continue Reading →
See the name Felton Pilate on a record and you are assured of one thing. Groove. Effortless groove at that and Waiting Just To Dance is full of it. It's a great tune, one which joins the dots between soul and disco, funk and pop, drives along on great bass lines and infectious beats, soulful... Continue Reading →
Mixing the Afro-pop vibes of their Nigerian upbringing with the more western sonic groove of The Bronx, the place that they now call home, Moonside is a chilled slice of dance music with a taste of the exotic. The song also draws on their experiences of life in both places, particularly their harrowing enforced stay... Continue Reading →
Anyone checking out the new release from Estani expecting to hear the incendiary pop-rock clash which made Battlescars such a force to be reckoned with is in for a bit of a shock. And the nature of that shock says more about the listener than the artist. Anyone moaning that she has turned into a... Continue Reading →
We know that LT & B OH MY don't play by the rules. Or if they do, they play by their own, specific set and they are keeping those a secret from the rest of the music community. We know this from cool releases such as Quantum Entanglement and Gorilla Warfare, even the title of... Continue Reading →
With a base of both Los Angeles and Bogotá, how much do you think South American sounds and West Coast vibes inform your music, or have we truly gone beyond geography being an influence on music in the modern age? Juan: Hello, how are you doing? I believe we have gone beyond. For me, as a composer, I... Continue Reading →
You should never judge a book by its cover. And you should never judge n album by just the opening song. For whilst the first track 6.59 is an understated slice of chilled, jazz-infused piano, the sort that evokes images of smokey cocktail bars from the 50's full of sharp-suited men and elegant ladies, the... Continue Reading →
I can’t vouch for the planets but one listen to The Death of Us and it becomes clear that so many genres, styles and sounds garnered for across various eras and cultural are certainly being aligned here. Any band which calls both Los Angeles and Bogota home, obviously starts with an interesting sonic DNA, but... Continue Reading →
You might not know the name but you’ve heard the voice. Even if you don’t realise it. As a Weather Girl, she helped give us “It’s Raining Men,” working with C&C Music Factory she was responsible for “Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and with Black Box’s album Dreamland, she added four number ones and three top... Continue Reading →
Soul Music never goes out of fashion, it seems to be able to move with the times, finding its way into every successive era and across all genres of music. Burned is the sound of it being wound around the core of a modern pop song and the results are as wonderfully accessible as they... Continue Reading →
Stephanie Rodriguez trades in soulful grooves, R&B-infused pop, slow-burning torch songs and, occasionally, euphoric dance music. She seems to have found a way to marry the smooth sonics of the past with a more cutting-edge delivery and in doing so she delivers a sound which will appeal to the traditionalists as much as it will... Continue Reading →
If you need a groove, a real no nonsense, infectious, dance-inspiring, euphoric and unavoidable groove, Edward W Sealy is your man. But we knew that already, Brighter Than This proved as much. But this time out the groove is heightened even more, the sheer contagion of the sound on offer is increased, games are raised,... Continue Reading →
Spend any time listening to the lyrics of any song you choose on this latest album by NYC funk fusionaries Loud Apartment and you will realise that they have something to say. Listen to the whole album and you realise that they have a lot to say and across a wide variety of social subjects.... Continue Reading →
What a difference a video makes! Around this time last year Stand On Love found its way to me and, if I recall, I waxed lyrical about the fact that ReLoVe was definitely a band untethered by genre or style. And whilst the video which accompanied it was great, the fact that it was in... Continue Reading →
Eric Scott has shared stages with the great and good of the music scene from Mavis Stables to Roger Waters and can regularly be found as bassist and vocalist for award winning blues and jazz artist Deanna Bogart. It’s safe to say that he moves in some rarified circles and can turn his hand to... Continue Reading →
Taken from Preston Glass’s latest compilation, Love & Compassion Volume 3, Better Than That greets the listener with a message of life-affirming positivity. As the album title unambiguously states, this is a collection of songs about unity, tolerance and acceptance, and writing this review as we watch the results of the presidential election roll in... Continue Reading →
This gorgeous and poignant slice of Neo-soul would seem relevant at any time in history but there is something about the backdrop of events and activism currently re-shaping the world which makes its arrival even more perfectly timed. Threads of soulful guitar and soft jazz grooves are woven together to build the necessary backdrop for... Continue Reading →
So many vocalists begin their career working as background singers for more established artist but not all of them get their day in the sun, their chance to step in the spotlight, their shot at fame. Thankfully Ayeasha has managed to make the step forward and a voice that until now was always heard supporting... Continue Reading →
Seeing Felton Pilate’s name associated with anything is always a badge of quality, a seal of approval and this time out he is on board with Edward W. Sealey for this smooth yet groovesome, R&B meets slick, contemporary jazz instrumental. And Brighter Than This is a well chosen name, warmth and sunshine vibes ooze out... Continue Reading →
They're a funky bunch and no mistake. There is a sweet spot which sits equidistance from infectious punky funk, old-school, low slung rock ’n’ roll and soulful, bluesy grooviness. Some bands get glimpses of it, are perhaps lucky enough to wander close to it before losing their way, never to return. Some mange to find... Continue Reading →
When you listen to We’re Still Here, you are listening to a song which both reminds us of a golden age of harmony groups but also one which resounds with modern mainstream tastes. Great vocal harmonies never go out of fashion and it is to this strength that Felton Pilate has always played. Long time... Continue Reading →
There is something old-school about Clara Zimm’s voice. Like a mid-twentieth century, European diva meandering her way through polite society and cafe culture, tugging heartstrings with the depth and emotion, regret and romance of her lingering and languid torch songs. But in contrast musically speaking she is about as modern as you can get. And... Continue Reading →
Trying to work out exactly where 5G4B’s music fits in to the scheme of things depends entirely upon which thread you pull at first. Tug at one funky rhythm and you get a slight inkling as to what’s going on but grab another and you might find yourself holding a soulful break or a hip-hop... Continue Reading →
If the term “concept album” conjures up images of keyboard players dressed as wizards and ten-minute drum solos then perhaps it is best to think of In The Hills of California as an album of interlinked ideas, an instrumental narrative or a series of scenes and scenarios told through music. Based around the idea of... Continue Reading →
Music is made for many reasons, from escapism to autobiography, from joyful euphoria to howls of anger, but perhaps it is at its most powerful, most poignant, when it is raising real-world concerns, when it is using its platform, its sonic soapbox to broadcast ideas to the world in general. And it is this that... Continue Reading →
Just as the weather begins to take on a chill and you start thinking of more Autumnal activities, Miss Sunshine comes tumbling through the air to add some sun-soaked, soulful sass to the day. It’s a song which lands easily on the ear, which oozes warmth and good feelings, from the understated guitar work to... Continue Reading →