It's hard to put your stamp on the holidays as a singer. Christmas albums are the norm for nearly every artist, and trying to get airplay for new Christmas songs can be challenging. Then you have a trove of standards that rarely are removed from rotation. But if you have a song as tender and soulful as "Anytime Of Year" released by Toronto-born pop singer Joèe you shouldn't have that issue. The single, which creates mental pictures of '50s era doo-wop bands singing around an open flame in the dead of winter, is a pristine and polished song that hits all the right notes while tugging at all the right heartstrings.

There are calm, soothing versions of Christmas carols and standards that are amplified throughout shopping malls and big box stores. But Montreal blues rock group Izzo Blues Coalition have injected a fresh sense of verve and energy with their blistering cover of "Merry Christmas Baby." It's a performance that would make Santa question whether he wants to put himself on the nice or naughty list.

They say that knowing is half the battle; what they don’t tell you is that it’s only the first half, and maybe not even the hardest half either. On their new single, “I Didn’t Know,” Nashville crossover rockers the Goldy lockS Band capture that moment when you realize you’ve been hoodwinked—and must acknowledge not only the time you’ve wasted on a lie but the shadow of uncertainty it’s cast across your future.

The song is a portrait of betrayal that’s rendered in stark, snapshot-like images: a rainy bus stop, a dead cell phone, a “missing ring” that turned into a “nasty thing.” Somebody’s done somebody wrong, all right, and the tune’s chorus couldn’t do a better job of laying out just how much of a cause for despair that is: “I didn’t know/ How quick that this would fold/ I didn’t know/ And our love could grow so cold.” Which begs the nagging question: Now what?

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Delaware-based music collective ‘Dutchman’ is excited to announce the release of their highly anticipated double single, featuring the captivating tracks “I Need You Now” and “In Your Heart,” both out now.

With a fresh yet evocative sound, the band continues to solidify their place in the music scene, building on their previous successes, including being featured in The Washington Post and having acquired thousands of international streams.

Dutchman is fronted by singer/songwriter Connor Johnson, who has been present since the band’s inception in 2017, and has benefitted from the dedicated efforts of Guitarist, Garrett Gravatt, who initially joined in 2020 and has notably served as a pivotal role in helping Johnson to engineer and produce their sound.

There's an adage that says home is where you hang your hat. But for North Carolina blues rock musician Alex Blum, the adage stating you have to leave in order to come back might be more apt. The musician's travels resulted in his latest single "Hometown," a groove-riddled homage off his Good Weather album regarding where he grew up and the good-natured attitude of its inhabitants. 

"'Hometown' is a song I wrote while far from home, and it had truly been too long since I had been in my hometown," Blum, raised growing up in Chapel Hill but now based in Charlotte, says. "I had taken a trip full of idealism, hitch-hiking between off-grid communes and eco-villages and other various alternative living communities across the country and working very hard trying to contribute to what I thought was a positive mission. But the communities were beset by bickering, gossip, and slander, which I would have thought was part of ordinary life, but people would really kick each other out of a living situation over the most petty grievances."

Toronto’s oH! The Artist ‘Risks It All’ With New Single and Wins Big, Bringing Heartfelt R&B Back to the Spotlight

Good news, fellas: It’s safe to share your feelings again. And for that, you can thank Toronto-based R&B soul-barer oH!, who on his new single, “Risk It All,” is single-handedly bringing sincerity back.

With an openness and vulnerability that could make any lady’s heart melt, our hero admits how hard it is to commit to love in a world that’s full of traps and fakes. But he’s real, dammit, and he’s looking to get with a girl who’s real too—ideally, the one who’s standing right there in front of him.

I’m ready and I’m able
Wanna turn the tables, girl
I’m scared but I’m ready for us, yeah
I’m ready to risk it all

Songwriters can find inspiration at any place at any time. For Indigenous folk rock Mike Bern, a yard sale discovery was the seed which fueled his latest and possibly greatest effort in "We Are The Stars," a beautiful ballad which is sure to join previous singles "Reverberation" and "New World" which appeared on the Indigenous Music Countdown charts.

Bern, a native of Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick (Wolasoqey (maliseet)), says he found a poem in an old book he discovered at a yard sale entitled Algonquin Legends. "In the book it has myths and folklore of the Wabanaki People," he says. "In the 1800s, all these songs and stories were collected. The poem 'We Are The Stars' stood out to me, and I loved it so much I wanted to incorporate my style of music."

Sometimes the best creative sparks in life come from making a small mistake. For folk, pop, and soul musician Donny Smith, a simple phrase directed to his wife one day was all that was needed for "Adore You," an engaging piece of ear candy that shines thanks to highbrow pop sensibilities and packs plenty of style.

"One day, I looked at my wife and, instead of saying 'I love you' as I usually would, the words 'I adore you' came out," Smith, says. "That small but meaningful phrase struck with me, and I knew it had the potential to blossom into something special. From that moment, the song was born."

"Adore You," written and recorded by Smith but with production and mastering duties done by his brother David Smith, is pristine adult contemporary pop that is as flawless as it is catchy. Smith attributes the song's synergy to the near telepathic nature the brothers have when it comes to creating music. "Over the years, we've developed what I call a 'musical sixth sense,'" Smith says. "We instinctively know each other's strengths, sounds, and creative limits, which makes collaborating feel seamless. This connection was invaluable in bringing 'Adore You' to life."

Remembering the first night you met your significant other can bring back vivid memories. Or in the case of Joe Ferland, guitarist and singer for Toronto "neo jam band" Danceland, it can help stoke the fires of creation. The end result is "Sapphire," a winding but wonderful new single from the band's Licky album that sounds fresh and exciting while conjuring up images of late '60s greats like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

"It is about the night that (Danceland singer and Ferland's wife) Jale and I's love affair began," Ferland says. "We had been hanging out and playing in bands together. Then, one night, a bunch of friends went to a dance club called Sapphire that our bandmate and friend was bar tending at. Jale and I danced all night."

Christmas is often a time of getting gifts, wrapping gifts, visiting friends, and preparing rather large meals. It's a busy time when one should be relaxing, watching the snow fall as loved ones enjoy the warmth of a fireplace, candles, and the company of each other. And listening to gentle, soothing songs that evoke memories of simpler times. That feeling is felt throughout the hauntingly brilliant Snow Came Falling, a Christmas album by Woolwich, Ontario-based folksinger Carla Muller. It's an album inspired by her father and family and epitomizes Christmas at its essence.

Issues of addiction are painful for all concerned. From those in the horrific throes of substance abuse to those loved ones and friends who are trying to intervene or provide tough love, it's a situation that affects everyone. For Americana folk rock artist Tyler Mullendore, that issue is addressed honestly and movingly in "Mama Cry," a soothing single from Mullendore's debut EP Time Heals Everything. It's a song Mullendore says hits quite close to home.

"'Mama Cry' is probably the most emotional song on the record, and it's very personal to me," Mullendore, a native of Lake Ainslie, a small locale in the western portion of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, says. "The song reads like an intervention letter."

Even in our moments of deepest despair, we’re subconsciously laying the groundwork for what lies ahead. That’s the emotional space Toronto electro-rocker Trak occupies on his new single, “Dust & Ashes”: a crossroads between the wreckage of yesterday and the mystery of tomorrow, where our surest compass is an indomitable will to move forward that we may not even know we have.

Introducing The Petracca Project, a bold new collaborative effort uniting songwriter C.P. Petracca, producer Ben Pelchat, and vocalist Jeff Smith. Their debut single, “I Still Believe,” is a rallying anthem of freedom and unity, released just in time to inspire unity among listeners.

Initially created for music publishing, “I Still Believe” was intended to be pitched to other artists. However, the production process went so smoothly, and the track’s impact was so profound that the team decided to release it as a final cut, rather than just a demo. The song taps into powerful emotions stemming from the 2022 COVID-19 lockdowns and the Freedom Convoy movement, where Canadian and American truckers protested vaccine mandates that restricted their movement across the U.S.-Canada border.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” that Shakespeare dude once said. But as Canadian hip-hop legend Saukrates takes stock of his life in his latest single, “Comin’ Up,” he isn’t feeling anxious as much as determined—clear-eyed about who he is, the challenges he’s weathered, and how many miles there are left to go before he gets the full measure of props he so richly deserves.

Sarah Burton continues to ride high in 2024 with a brilliant collection of Americana roots music from her Swoonville USA album. Now the Ottawa, Ontario-born, Toronto and Texas-based singer-songwriter is back with one of the year's better double A-side releases in "Sorry" and "Oklahoma." Although both are different in terms of structure, style, and sound, the quality and musicianship is something to be envied by anyone who appreciates great, infectious music.

"Sorry" is a reflective, contemplative nugget Burton says speaks to acknowledging past mistakes that could run the gamut from little white lies to something far more significant. It's a universal emotion that causes people to relive those miscues and criticize themselves for what they did at the time. And it's something Burton admits to.

Sorry:

There are songs which one can't help but listen to for their infectious riff or groove. And there are others because you never know what's around the corner. The latter is certainly the case for "Within A Dream," the latest lavishly produced single from Munich, Germany-born and now Toronto-based trip hop singer Nathalie King. It's a song which is equally unnerving and dreamy as King's commanding voice works perfectly in tandem with the hushed trip hop structure.

Yukon musician/producer Matthew Lien has released his 25^th album and his most ambitious to date. Seven years in the making, Full Circle features many of Lien’s trademark characteristics spanning acoustic styles from folk to pop wrapped up in environmental soundscapes, and all of it has been produced in Lien’s new award-winning immersive format developed especially for earphones.

“When I first started recording in the 1980s, headphones were rarely used,” Lien said. “But with the proliferation of smartphones, they’re everywhere!”

The daily grind or rat race can swallow up a person entirely and leave them feeling helpless alongside being physically and mentally exhausted. You're always in a rush, and there's never enough time to stop and smell the roses. Mississauga, Ontario-based folk rock artist Matt Zaddy has described that situation vividly in "Far Too Long," his latest single, which shines with its Americana, alt-country flavoring. It's also a song which hit close to home for the musician who was burning the candle at three ends between his day job, his family life, and his music pursuits.

The topics of religion and romance can sometimes cause division and be a sticking point among people for various reasons. But country singer Mark Ledlin has thrown a curve ball of sorts into the mix with an incredibly witty angle for his latest single, "Jealous Of Jesus." For the German-born artist now based in Vancouver, the song's genesis (pardon the pun) came from a discussion he was having with a friend in a bar.

It's rare that a song is named after a test which is "used to assess a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human." But for Vancouver-born, Victoria-based indie folk pop artist Kele Fleming, there's proof of a beating heart in the stellar new single "Turing Test." Simply put, no amount of artificial intelligence or machinery could craft such a pristine piece of work that is as ethereal as it is soulful.

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Kele Fleming's "Turing Test" is a haunting, introspective track that fuses Bruce Springsteen's heartland rock with the ethereal vibes of Cocteau Twins. It explores AI's quest for self-awareness and identity, reflecting humanity's untapped potential and cosmic connection. Through lush, layered sounds and evocative lyrics, the song invites listeners to ponder technology's allure, identity, and the ecstasy—and risks—of existence.