Canadian treasure Alfie Zappacosta has released his 16^th album “Saved” to rave reviews and critical acclaim. The iconic singer, songwriter and producer with the rich soaring voice that has  graced the airways for 5 decades has, like a fine wine, gotten better with age.  The album “Saved” is a new level of performance for an already stellar singer.

This latest effort contains beautiful, romantic ballads like “ Here In My Heart “, the moving “Always Near,” and the beautiful  “Unspoken.” Changing it up is the gospel inspired  title track“Saved,” and the jazz influenced  “Had Enough.”

The mixture of styles and feels and vocal tones on the album show all the different layers Alfie has brought to his vocal repertoire through the years. In Alfie’s words, “I’m a writer and I like to write as many different kinds of songs as I can. Once upon a time, record labels would want you to have a certain style so they knew how to market you, but now I can do anything I want.”

To set the scene... In our own galaxy, on the fringe of the Mega Centarri cluster, a war has all but consumed the blue planet Zederth. After a thousand years of peace and harmony, virtual diva Priz Em and her lover, the musician/scientist Prin Jori Merkanteel aka Stray Horn, are forced to go to battle; not only with an unseen enemy, but also with each other.

As their story unfolds through the graphic novels of Mega Centarri I & II, our heroine has released her own tracks and music videos to “move your spirit and your feet” — one of which being “Heartless” — a near-homage to the pop synth sound of the 80s, laced with the nostalgia of the 90s, all hinging on her deep, Bonnie-Tyler-esque husk that draws you in and keeps you locked inside.

Check out “Heartless” on YouTube here:

Just in time for sizzling summer vibes, Toronto producer Taabu and singer/songwriter Omega Mighty serve up a bubblegum-sweet EDM-pop treat in the form of new single, “Ooey Gooey” — Check it out on YouTube here:

The infectiously feel-good track boasts enough layers of audio goodness to adhere to nearly every sweet tooth's musical desires; from the Drake-reminiscent drum and bass beats, to the magically ethereal synth melodies oscillating throughout, this soon-to-be smasher is nothing short of a dreamy delicacy.

Their third collaboration — including “Wishy Washy,” and featured on Haviah Mighty’s 2019 Polaris Music Prize winning release, 13th Floor — Taabu (Spencer Heaslip) created the track’s firm-footed foundation first, before sending it over to Omega Mighty for lyrics.

When the smoke clears, you’ll be left reveling in the ash, having been burned up by the latest smash single from Canadian four-piece, Ravenscode; “Fire”.  The latest from their recent album, Fire and Storm, the Windsor-based band releases an inferno off the opening note: heavy electrics, pulsating percussion, pounding bass and an explosion of melodic vox. The listener is drawn into a fury of emotion, and explosion. Following up their debut album, District of Broken Hope, “Fire” serves as the lead single from the group’s sophomore effort — a project they call a “vivid picture of who Ravenscode is as a band”.

Check out “Fire” on YouTube here:

The two Canadian EDM rockers behind Rogue Proxy have let their latest genre-defying, electro-grooving, and high-energy track loose with this, the release of “Solitary Confinement” – watch it on YouTube here:

With a sound best described as the illegitimate love child between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Daft Punk — and an origin story stemming from two childhood friends — Rogue Proxy’s driven guitar tones, phat bass grooves, pumping punchy drums, and creative, multi-styled vocals deliver an inimitable signature sound rife with memorable melodies and head-turning riffs.

Lyrics like ‘I found myself in solitary confinement’ speak to the duo’s exploration of the paradox that is feeling isolated through gradual, unwanted aspects of life — yet, how sometimes being alone is key to truly discover our inner selves.

Brandy Records/MC1 Nashville recording artist Marshall Potts is busting open barriers with his new arena-worthy country rock single, “Free and Easy”

The title track from the Canadian artist’s third and forthcoming album, Free and Easy — set to land Summer 2021 via Sony/Orchard — “Free and Easy” is the latest powerful example of Potts’ mission to deliver a universal message of positivity and optimism through music.

While the song’s title may evoke a laid-back aural expectation, “Free and Easy” is a stadium-sized anthem, showcasing Potts’ soaring, full throttle voice that could easily rival any top rock idol’s.

If you need to know how I’m feeling
Let’s share a bottle and some of your time
Cause I need to feel free and easy
Before I’m gonna let you in my mind

From this opening invitation to the sky punching chorus and rollicking outro, “Free and Easy” showcases Potts’ journey of self-discovery and personal evolution in a big, bold way. It’s an attention holding, larger-than-life declaration much like the towering billboard that recently introduced Potts to Music City.

Check out “Free and Easy” on YouTube here:

With time on his hands during the pandemic lockdown, roots music troubadour Ken Tizzard decided to create a new album comprising the fresh versions of cover songs he had worked up on his solo shows over the past decade.

Tizzard explains that “initially I told my fans that I was going to record all these cover tunes I’ve been playing at Whiskey Wednesday [his popular weekly residency at a pub in Campbellford, Ontario for 10 years. It was to be just  me and my acoustic guitar, a way to give them some new music.”

Check out Mad World by Ken Tizzard here:

Little did Tizzard suspect that the originally modest concept would blossom into Ken Tizzard and Friends: All Together Now – an epic project involving some 44 guest musicians contributing parts from all over the continent. (Available May 18, 2021)

Country artist J.C. Brae will have you wishin’ it was the weekend already with this, their honky-tonk lovin’ new single, “Savin’ It Up For Saturday Night” – Check it out here on YouTube:

A self-described “country boy,” this Canuck took his guitar and his dream to Tennessee where he laid the tracks for his first eponymous album. An experience he recalls he’ll “never forget,” Brae leaves it all on the dance floor with this jukebox swingin’ anthem that’s everything you want in a fresh country cut, and more.

An instant country classic, “Savin’ It Up For Saturday Night” is an ode to a familiar sentiment — getting out from under a week of work and using up all you’ve got left to give yourself a right good time out that you’ve earned.

It’s been a mere half a year since Canadian singer/songwriter Howard Lee Naylor released his sophomore album x COVID-19 passion project, Songs from Isolation, and he’s already back in the recording studio with his newly reimagined release of “Those Summer Days” — Watch it on YouTube here:

Calling back to a simpler, more enjoyable time, the summer, when family, friends, and lovers are able to congregate under the sun together — whether by the pool, beach, or over a nice dinner with a few beverages in hand.

The Penticton-based classic rock musician re-mastered the long-time fan-favourite to brilliant results; it’s seasonal sonic ecstasy is set to soothe the soul, and ears, of music-lovers nationwide during these continued trying times.

Canadian folk-country songstress Claire Whitehead whisks listeners on a journey with her latest project, Thelma: A Country Opera.

And if the name sounds familiar, it should… Built through interpretation of the character Thelma of Thelma & Louise, Whitehead has churned a fable into a nine-track release about the fearlessness of the human spirit — including album closer, “No Right Way, Louise.”

Check out the YouTube of “No Right Way, Louise” here:

“Thelma: A Country Opera is a ‘coming-of-agency’ story,” Whitehead explains. “It’s about the transformation of self and relationships when someone becomes disillusioned with the rules of our world.”

Multi-GRAMMY and JUNO Award-winning artist Chin Injeti is shining a light on the pure power of music to heal and uplift with his new single “Golden” -  https://youtu.be/uwkBgpEz8J8

If there ever was a time when we could all use a soothing sonic shot of hope, it’s now during these days of pandemic-shadowed uncertainty. With “Golden,” Injeti and co-writer/producer Brian West are delivering a much needed dose that will certainly travel from the ears directly to the heart with its message of self-forgiveness and redemption.

Maybe there’s a way to fall gracefully
Maybe there’s a place that’s safe for me

“To me, those two lines pretty much sum up what the song is about,” notes the Vancouver-based Injeti. “I’ve come to know so many people that are in deep depression, that have been abused when they were younger, that for some crazy ass reason carry a lot of blame with them.”

Canadian art pop auteur Celogen challenges convention and focuses on invention with this, his new release “(Give Yourself) Ropeburns”.

Check out “(Give Yourself) Ropeburns” on YouTube here:

A bold exploration of the dark side of the mind, “(Give Yourself) Ropeburns” turns a spotlight on unreality with an urgent shuffle, propelling Celogen’s dramatic MorrisSey-esque vocals. Often ascending into a playful falsetto, Celogen is the blithe but observant narrator of a desperate character’s fatalistic story that begins and ends with the stark declaration:

‘She knows she’s gonna die’

‘And you say go on, give yourself rope burns / For what you choose to believe’

Following their Latin-influenced critique of modern political hi-jinks, Saskatoon, SK singer/songwriter duo Cameron & Crawford are back to break your heart with their impassioned new single, “Sometimes in September” — check it out on YouTube here:

With their unique, jazz-infused tunes and insightful, poetic lyrics, Cameron & Crawford pay no mind to the artificial boundaries of genre. The song is a nostalgic look back at lost love and about making peace with the past, even if it hurts to remember.

“This is just another sad September song,” their lyrics begin, introducing a song that refuses to mince its message. “About summer ending, autumn leaves, and love gone wrong."

Renowned international bluesman Son Of Dave has written 11 golden songs on a hundred dollar piano for this, his upcoming album Call Me A Cab — available via Kartel Music Group.

His ninth album release, what first appears as fun loving, old-school, ‘New Orleans rhythm and blues’ turns out to be expertly crafted songs about doctors, death, refugees, gentrification, night-life depravity, hopelessness, and mean, mean women, of course.

Put Call Me A Cab proudly alongside Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Dr John… Though fans who have been following the London, UK-based Winnipeg, MB-born for decades know there's also unique blues harmonica, croon, and growl.

And the rhythm... It's all about the rhythm.

Check out “End of Days” on YouTube here:

The Mandevilles deliver a rollicking rocker of a shanty all their own in this, their new single “Fading Colors in the Northern Lights”

“Lyrically, it’s a bit ambiguous,” lead vocalist Serena Pryne nods, “but I love songs that leave room for the listener to make up their own minds about the story.

Give a watch and a listen to “Fading Colors in the Northern Lights” on YouTube here:

“For me, the song is about learning to let things roll off your back, and tuning out the bull****. It’s about letting go of senselessness, and of things that hurt your focus — like having the same argument over and over with someone.

Raw, real, and authentically blues, “No Money Comin’ In” is the latest confessional from Canada’s own Steve Paul Simms.

With “No Money Comin’ In,” the blues riff conquers your groove, willing your body to move. Available now, the grungy rock and blues anthem is a toast to a commonality we’re all facing in the height of this global pandemic — a lack of the benjamins. And Simms bets it all on this track, getting right to the heart of the matter with the truth —  the good, bad and ugly of it all.

“Written at a challenging time, when love ultimately won out over financial hardship, the song allows the listener to imagine their own ending to the story,” Simms explains, adding that the track is “dedicated to the triumph over life's hardships. “There's a lot of light and laughter here too.”

Bluesman Steve Marriner is ushering a decidedly more roots-rock Americana sound to the forefront with the release of his new solo album, Hope Dies Last.

Check out the single How High here on YouTube:

Crafted through COVID — and inspired by years on the road, and back — the 10-track full-length is available this July 2 via Stony Plain Records. It explores not only an evolving sound for the ever-busy artist, but an ever-expanding skill set as well.

Pre-Order Hope Dies Last here: stonyplainrecords.com/lp/hopedieslast/

Like a pulsating punk-rock riot in audible form, Florida-based genre-bending alt-pop rockers Morning Trips have unleashed this, their newest single, “Assault”.

Brash, unapologetic, and as catchy as a Velcro™ shoe in a vat of glue, this very smart, very loud track centers around being a young person in America in 2021. In “Assault,” Morning Trips waste zero time expressing their feelings on subjects heavy on their heart since their formation in 2017.

Check out “Assault” here on YouTube:

Deftly demonstrating the band’s dynamic range, “Assault” follows the Morning Trips’ most recent offering, “My Parade” — a churning, dreamy, whirlwind of a pop song complete with operatic and shoegaze influences. They worked with producer and engineer Jeremey SH Griffith to conceptualize chilling visuals that serve as reminders for how quickly unjust policies discriminate against everyday people.

It’s not just a clever conjugation that Canadian indie folk pop songstress Kele Fleming’s new single “Sea In Me” feels like a rushing of the waves when it bursts out of your speakers. Yes, you are swaying. Yes, you are losing yourself in the oceanic prowess of her incredible, soothing vocals. Yes, the instrumentation lifts you up, and whisks you away with the tide. It’s calling for you, this song. It’s calling for all of us.

Check out “Sea In Me” here on YouTube:

A follow up to her previous, well-received effort, “The Latest Meme”, “Sea In Me” is an anthem that strings Fleming’s enchanting traditional roots with her perchance for rock and roll together — and features an acoustic remix from Jesse Waldman.

It’s the song’s title but it could also be the artist’s bio in four words: “Young with Ancient Stories” is experimental folk singer/songwriter Kate Koenig’s new release.

Plaintive, introspective, and sung from the point of view of the mythological creature Bʌfdɔg (Buff Dog), who’s existed as every person and at every time, “Young with Ancient Stories” is Bʌfdɔg’s soul-baring confession of spiritual disconnection and isolation.

“Bʌfdɔg is singing both as a creature spiritually exhausted from experiencing a sun’s age of lifetimes and as a lost and lonely kid who feels cut off from the world,” explains Koenig.

“Young with Ancient Stories” is the second single and closing track from Koenig’s sophomore album, Etemenanki, released January 31. Every song on Etemenanki is sung either by Bʌfdɔg themselves or from the perspective of individuals whom Bʌfdɔg has embodied. However, this song holds a particularly personal connection for the unique and inventive singer/songwriter. “Out of all of the songs on the album, the narration of this one comes the closest to coming from my own voice,” remarks Koenig.