There have been several timeless duets that leave a lasting mark. Whether it's Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, Americana darlings Buddy and Julie Miller or the late Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, there is an intangible found in their duets that is mesmerizing. Now Sterling, Virginia-based musician Drew Gibson has created "Burning Horses," a beautiful new single featuring Maddi Mae found on Gibson's charming new album Burning Horses.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL-n4vzwgFs

Properly conveying grief in music requires just the right blend of delicacy and heaviness. Fortunately, that kind of chemistry is second nature to The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara, the incredibly intuitive musical duo who cast the perfect amount of shade on the focus track of their new Origins album, “Per Astra.”

Laying out its message at a slowed-down pace that’s appropriately dirge-like yet never deflating, the song finds its narrator yearning to be reunited with a lost loved one, no matter how deep a void she might have to embrace to do it.

Music history wouldn’t be half of what it is without all of the great songs about the one that got away. You know the kind: Boy meets girl, boy makes a play for girl, boy gets shot down. Shane Murphy’s “Regular John” comes on like another one of those classic rejection numbers—but it has even more torque once you realize the resentful lonely heart in question might not have found the cojones to bust a move in the first place.

As funked-up Montreal rocker Murphy explains, the song’s narrator is “a man of low degree, filled with self-pity, pining for a woman who sees herself as ‘higher status.’ He realizes he has no chance with this imaginary beauty but is still full of delusion.”

In hip-hop, just about the best position to be in is “old enough to know what you’re talking about, yet young enough to still be dangerous.” That’s exactly the catbird seat Mindbender Supreme looks down from on “Young Vet,” hurling thunderbolts of hard-earned wisdom from his quarter-century in the biz that hit all the harder thanks to vocal affirmations from Canadian rap legend Michie Mee.

Christmas is a time of warmth, friendship, good tidings, and love, hopefully for most people. It's also a time of hearing Christmas standards that are etched in people's memories and passed down through generations. Putting one's signature on such classics is an extremely tall order but for Scarborough, Ontario-born and now Ottawa-based jazz soul singer Kellylee Evans, she's done just that with a soothing new single "Winter Song" from her excellent new album also entitled Winter Song (Enliven Media).

There are times in life where you're not sure what direction to go or where to turn, but, looking back, you realize what happened was just the way life or fate planned it. That notion is captured perfectly with "Life Just Came to Me," a gentle, toe-tapping single courtesy of Newmarket, Ontario-based folk roots musician John Dawson from his album Outlier.

For musical and married partners Joey Clarkson and Peter Dixon, known as the Americana duo Half A Chance, trying to bring a little bundle of joy into the world has been challenging. While sadly, the social discourse, general attitudes, and sensitivity towards the issue remain problematic, the group has addressed the issue head on with the smart and engaging roots pop single "Little Problems," a tune set to be released during Britain's National Fertility Week in November. It's also a stellar track that glides effortlessly while tackling a complex issue that resonates with so many couples.

Sometimes you can fall into what many deem "paralysis by over-analysis," incapable of making a decision for fear it might be the wrong one. Or, if it is the right one, second-guessing yourself into a frenzy. "It's a song about having insomnia due to the obstacles of not being able to make a decision due to overthinking and the over-analysis of life situations that most people can relate to." For Edmonton-based pop rock singer Dahlia Wakefield, her own personal story at one point came with such a fork in life's road.

For over two decades, Tony Diteodoro, better known as Tony D, has brought the house down from coast-to-coast and internationally with his fantastic blues rock. Whether as the lead singer of the Juno-Award winning group MonkeyJunk or as a sideman to the likes of the late Dutch Mason and Paul Reddick, Tony D captivates fans of high-quality, Grade A blues anyone from the late Muddy Waters to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan would appreciate. Now, for the first time since 2004's The Jook Joint with The Tony D Band, the musician is releasing a solo album Electric Delta on Cordova Bay Records, an eclectic mix of old-school blues, fine instrumentals, and brilliant guitar work from one of Canada's best.

Sometimes, a great single is only usurped by having two great singles simultaneously, and that's what New Brunswick/Ontario-based folk roots group Engage have done with its latest double A-side singles "Guitar Strings" and "Mirage." The songs each stand on their own fantastic merit but when combined make for an enjoyable and alluring one-two punch.

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With Remembrance Day around the corner, people will wear poppies and reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice. But for Ottawa-based political folksinger Christophe Elie, the annual ceremonies and moments of silence don't compare to the mental, physical, and emotional turmoil each military person encounters in the line of duty. That cold reality is delicately but directly detailed in Elie's latest single "A Soldier's Face," a terse but tremendous song epitomizing the horrors of war and the psychological scars that run just as deep as physical ones.

As a young girl growing up in the Big Apple, New York-born singer Caroline Cotto couldn't get enough of "(She's) Sexy + 17," "Rebels Rule" and "18 Miles To Memphis." The songs were off the riveting 1983 album Rant n' Rave with the Stray Cats by the iconic rockabilly trio from Massapequa, New York. And Cotto loved the imagery of the rebel rockers. Now, Cotto has to be pinching herself as her latest rockabilly-leaning single features one of the Stray Cats, Slim Jim Phantom. The result is the catchy, groove-fuelled single "Lone Man."

"Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom were the perfect trio to me," Cotto says. "So when I found myself years later in the studio with Slim Jim, this was a dream come true."

When an artist has ridden his boundless creativity to almost unprecedented heights of commercial success, he’s practically obligated to share a little sunshine now and then. But in typical overachiever mode, the multi-platinum phenomenon known as Akon is letting the light in both musically and literally, with a new single that promotes his deep commitment to leaving the world in a happier place than where he found it.

The holidays are often a precious time for people, whether seeing family and friends for the first time in ages or simply waiting for someone's other half to land at the airport and hurry home. For Toronto-based singer-songwriter Victoria Carr, that feeling is vividly captured in the melodic, roots-based folk effort "New Year's Eve." It's a simple but poignant tale of waiting for that special someone to arrive and doing all the little preparations so their arrival is more welcoming.

"'New Year's Eve' is about waiting for the one you love to get home," Carr says. And that theme is apparent from its enjoyable start to its almost hypnotic conclusion. From getting the wine chilled to wondering where they're seated in their flight across the Atlantic to pondering when they've flown over Labrador, Carr paints a picture that describes the short-term happiness and elation the visit and reconnection will bring. But also the bigger picture thoughts of whether the relationship will last for years to come.

Sometimes, what people say to your face and what they say behind your back are more often than not two totally different things. Only true friends or loved ones will be direct. It's the sentiment that Oshawa, Ontario blues rock guitarist Stefan Palicki used as inspiration for the meaty blues rock diamond and his latest single "Blue Eyed Devil." Palicki says the song's title originated from a phrase his late grandfather used to say regarding people being somewhat two-faced. 

There's a classic adage that says those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And in a world where past injustices and inequalities continue to be uncovered while current injustices remain, that statement unfortunately still rings true. For the Calgary, Alberta rock group Redhead Mack Band, educating youth about rather recent scandals such as Canada's residential schools and the tragic price paid by Indigenous children is a difficult challenge. But fortunately, they've taken a great step towards creating awareness of universal injustices with the single "Oppression" from their latest album You Know That You Want To.

In 1964, the late Oscar Peterson released Canadiana Suite, an album based on a cross-Canada journey east to west that showed his love of thecountry through dazzling musicality. Now, 60 years later, Toronto pianist Rea Beaumont has crafted a very different ode, both to her homeland and life's journey, with the lovely single "Vancouver Vibe (Green Pieces)" from her excellent new album Enjoy The Journey.

"'Vancouver Vibe (Green Pieces)' is an upbeat, energizing piece that is perfect for Vancouver, where so many people are active -- walking, biking, hiking, jogging -- enjoying the outdoors and its impressive natural beauty," Beaumont says. "It's stunning. It is peaceful, but there is also a vibrancy that comes from the energy of the city, which inspired 'Vancouver Vibe.'"

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/3pHUFvBDLjvNFFphbsiiAo

Toronto-based folk/singer-songwriter icon Ken Whiteley has crafted beautiful songs that have piqued the interest of children, gospel fans, and lovers of tasteful, highbrow folk music. Now Whiteley has again added to his rich discography with his latest single "Hole In The Clouds" from his timely, tranquil, and tremendously solid studio album Unseen Hands. For Whiteley, the 12-track effort features Whiteley performing on 12-string guitar for majestic results.

Hailing from Toronto’s vibrant Hip-Hop scene is Johnny Dubb, an artist who is fully committed to the local culture, and this is reflected in his upcoming work called “SLID’N”, releasing on the 27th of September, which will make a part of what he calls his finest work yet: 3rd Time’s a Charm. The album is a reflection of his evolution as a student of the Hip-Hop genre, blending classic influences with modern stylings. This project represents not just musical growth, but the culmination of hard work, experimentation, and learning.

You can call quirk-pop purveyor Hot Mud an optimist if you want; heck, on the right day, he’d probably agree with you. Just don’t dare suggest he’s naïve. On his new single, “The Best Life I’ve Ever Had,” the Ottawa singer/songwriter/visionary takes a hard look at his personal circumstances and decides his glass isn’t just half full—it’s a veritable Holy Grail, simply by dint of it being the only one he’s ever going to own.