Canadian singer/songwriter Noble Son (aka Adam Kirschner) unleashes his debut album Joy in Violence, a follow-up to the three prior EPs that he released since 2011. It’s been a long journey for the musicians who found himself face to face with his own personal demons and mental struggles in 2017 which kicked off a dedicated songwriting spree that resulted in 8 pieces all of which would be recorded for Joy in Violence. This record is an alien trip through the bleakest, blackest recesses of the human mind as it battle to fight against its own sinister urges and the music on this LP truly gives off that eerie, ethereal vibration.

What with Toronto's deep and longstanding relationship with reggae music, the genre cognoscenti round here can be hard on contemporary acts doing original material. Luckily they were in short supply among a packed house because D.C. based Soja deal in a reggae muchly influenced by the area’s local hip-hop, with alt-rock in its DNA. So there was room aplenty for superbly dreadlocked frontman Jacob Hemphill to show off his shredding chops on songs like "Be Aware" and "Tear It Down".

Submitted by William Elgin

Tampa, Florida native Dru Cutler, now a Brooklyn transplant and a respected member of the Big Apple indie music community, has released a two-song EP sampler previewing his upcoming full-length studio platter Bring Closer the Distance. The two songs, a cover of Leonard Cohen’s lesser known gem “Dance Me to the End of Love” and the original “Oceanside”, are wildly different in some respects. To his credit, Cutler isn’t content with merely aping Cohen’s original as a form of backhanded tribute or whatever else and instead, recasts the song as a whiskey-soaked dancehall number. The rockier strains of “Oceanside” and the personal nature of its lyrical content provide a striking contrast for listeners without ever seeming like an ill-fit. Cutler’s unabashed confidence in tackling material from one of the 20th century’s most respected songwriters gives me kind of a jolt and his willingness to make the tune his own stands in stark difference with his lesser contemporaries who would have pursued the path of least resistance if they bothered to cover the song at all.

There’s a lot of fire and fury released over the course of Red Black Red’s debut, Resettlement, but the album’s eight songs are full of intelligence and thoughtfulness as well. The clear strands of alternative rock and electronica coloring the release is masterfully orchestrated from song to song and Enrico Fernando’s songwriting and performances alike can rarely be accused of repeating itself. He gives the audience a different look, virtually every time out on Resettlement without ever stretching too far and overextending listener’s credibility. The lyrical work going into this album is a, perhaps, surprisingly successful component in Resettlement’s mix and the songwriting is often inspired by the immigrant experience in the United States and the challenges many of those individuals and families face in modern America. The treatment, however, is never too ponderous and the production frames Fernando’s message in the polished, professional light.

The second single from an untested solo artist is often a proving ground if the performer or band has legs to make it for the long haul. If that assertion harbors any truth, Severine’s future is in excellent hands on the basis of her second single “Down the Rivers”, a stirring successor to her first mass release, “Not Obsessed”. The first single is also the title cut from her soon to be released solo debut. If anyone wonders, however, about how seriously this young songwriter would treat this song in comparison to the first single and title song to her first solo EP, wonder no longer. “Down the Rivers” matches the standard she set with the first single and her chief collaborator, producer Anthony Gallo, understands Severine’s strengths and accentuates them without ever allowing the stitching to show. There’s no wasted motion, as well, with this release and the song breezes confidently past listeners and seems over before you know it even with its nearly three and a half minute running time. “Down the Rivers” gives us a glimpse into her heart and ranks among the year’s best single releases.

Kim DiVine, along with talented producer Klvr Grl, come together on “Broken Bird (Klvr Grl Remix).” This comes after a series of highs and lows that forced her to take a hiatus from music, but not before releasing her latest EP – This Time Around, from which “Broken Bird” is originally featured. Kim DiVine has an extensive background with a lot of her songs being featured in Film and TV. After dealing with personal losses, she’s now back up and running with this incredible Remix.

Without giving away too much about the original album version, it’s best to hear it first in order to appreciate the Klvr Grl Remix, because for the sake of the song it’s great to hear it both ways. The tune itself is beat-driven but also contains a very melancholy vocal, which essentially carries the song all by itself, to begin with. The added bells and whistles of the Remix serve to bring it up a notch in energy, which gives it another reason to enjoy it all-the-more. But you can start with either version to get to the other, as it plays just as well in reverse. Klvr Grl just takes what is already great to another level.

Lowpines, aka English born producer and songwriter Oil Deakin, doesn’t like to show all of their musical cards at once. The nine songs on Lowpines’ first full-length studio album In Silver Halides build their effects over time rather than exhausting their musical mystery within the first minute or two and the performances develop in such a way that listeners are compelled to pay attention. Deakin’s effort on these songs is further complemented by contributions from his drummer brother, respected producer IggyB (Spirtiualized, The Duke Spirit, John Grant), and flute playing from Jesse Chandler, but the beating heart of In Silver Halides is Oil Deakin and his vivid, highly individualistic songwriting point of view. This is unmistakably his own work and whatever influences exerted their hold over his imagination during the conception and recording of the material is so thoroughly subsumed into Deakin’s writing as to be rendered unrecognizable.

Black Iris Records, a joint venture with Mesa Bluemoon Recordings have announced a March 9 release date for Better Part of Me, the new album of songs from acclaimed singer/songwriter Dulcie Taylor. The label will release “Halfway to Jesus,” the first single off the new album.

The title of the first single has special meaning to Dulcie Taylor, as she reflected on it recently.
“Our planet is suffering from ravaging climate change that has brought on catastrophic storms, commonly called ‘1,000-year storms,’ indicating how rare they should be. We must take action to save our planet.”

The Boston quartet Pale Monsters, fronted by guitarist/songwriter Chris Mulvey, is an assemblage of longtime Beantown musicians who’ve struck up an unusually potent chemistry and possess a song-first sensibility that embraces working as a band rather than instrumental spotlights. There’s certainly some relatively tough-minded rock to be heard on Are You Feeling Alive? but there’s tremendous heart underlying these ten songs that come through in sometimes delightfully unexpected ways. These veteran musicians are coming together in a way that belies their years playing for the public – instead, there’s the same sort energy present in this recording we’re accustomed to hearing from young musicians recording for the first time and it’s wonderfully balanced with the seasoned results that only longtime top-notch writers and musicians can muster. Pale Monsters’ Are You Feeling Alive? crackles with depth and rowdy rock and roll spirit.

The Plot In You’s new album, DISPOSE is out February 16th and now the Ohio quartet has revealed another song from the album in the form of DISPOSABLE FIX. Vocalist Landon Tewers says of the track, "DISPOSABLE FIX was written in one sitting, during a writing session for another artist. I latched onto it and just had to keep it for PLOT in the end. It's a bit of a ‘fuck you’ track, reflecting on a situation after everything had passed."

The Plot In You have also been announced as special guests on Alazka & We Came As Romans’ UK & European Tour, alongside Polaris. "We've been friends with the WCAR guys for years now but have never gotten the chance to tour together,” says Landon. “It'll be great to be able to do a full U.S. and European tour with them."

I saw Black Panther on Tuesday February 6th, ten days before the release of the film.

I waited a few days to see if the buzz would wear off? I have been waiting for this film since the first trailer. I did not want it's blackness to carry it limping across the finish line but its strong performances, stunning visual style ,excellent characters portrayals and a well written script to carry the day!

It did!

The story had to be current, relatable and hold the water of a culture denied. It was!

You expect a strong original soundtrack and underscore with Top Dawg Entertainment, Multiple Grammy Award Winner Kendrick Lamar, adding a cast of hundreds including our very own The Weeknd on the closing theme with Kendrick Lamar, "Pray for me". It is!

The rock opera opus from Universal Dice entitled birth, love, hate, death marks the creative high point for writer/musician/activist Gerry Dantone and his pet project. Universal Dice makes great use of some of the best East Coast-based session players available but, despite Dantone’s primacy as the project’s creative leader, Universal Dice has a stable cast of collaborators and comes across as a real band with the sort of chemistry we hope for from such configurations. The sixteen songs included on the release makes up a compelling whole and tells a story through the voices of its characters, but the songs likewise stand well on their own, boast considerable commercial appeal, and carries on in an identifiable tradition that has many admirers. Universal Dice’s birth, love, hate, death is unique music guaranteed to make its listeners think and feel in equal measure.

With only a month to go before the release of her brand new self-titled album, Rachel Beck is thrilled to announce a Maritime tour to celebrate the new record. The tour will take her through PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, kicking off with a special hometown Charlottetown show on February 25th (full dates below). For a taste of Beck’s captivating performance, have a look at her new live video for the lead single, Reckless Heart. The track entered CBC Radio 2’s Top 20 countdown this week and is available as an instant-grat with a pre-order of the album.

“We shot this video during a live show at The Dunk – a magical house concert venue in the heart of Prince Edward Island,” says Beck. “It was one of those dreamy summer days, and the whole event had a backyard BBQ kind of vibe. It was the perfect setting for our debut live performance of Reckless Heart.”

Multi-platinum Grammy-winning super-producer and artist, Timbaland, is back and riding high with the release of his new single and visual, Grab The Wheel, available today on all major digital streaming platforms. Featured on this fast and furious track is a Baltimore-based rising star, 6lack. Get Grab The Wheel here.

In this new visual, 6lack describes the need for a strong woman in his hectic life: "Girl I got a lot that's going on. If I'm trippin' tell me what I'm doing wrong". 6lack and his girl seem to have their priorities in order, as they discuss their potential relationship over a night full of laughter and games. The hypnotic track shows that Timbaland is still at the top of his musical game, while 6lack delivers a smooth and soulful performance over the beats of a producing legend.

About Timbaland
www.timbalandmusic.com

Hailing from the Toronto, Canada area, Bree Taylor’s rise in the music world should be swift and notable based on the quality of her initial releases. Her first single “Broken Dreams” introduced her in late 2016 as a formidable talent in the making whose powerful pipes, songwriting acumen, and willingness to put herself on the line in songs sets her apart from the typical young performers looking for their piece of the pie today. There’s little doubt that Taylor craves the spotlight and critical recognition, but there’s equally little doubt that she writes and performs music simply because she has no other choice. Her latest single “What You’re Looking For” amply testifies to the breadth of her unusual talents and positions her to assume the mantle of one of her generation’s most promising musical exports. Based on the quality we hear with this new single, there’s little question that Bree Taylor has the talent and discipline alike to grace stages around the world for years to come.

This one had all the high energy and exhilarating music to be expected from the World Music music quintet abetted for the occasion by vocalist Rebecca Campbell. There was motivation to take it all up another notch in the fact the band was premiering their first Christmas album to the hometown folks. So what really happened was an adventurous musical trip around the world, with Christmas as the backdrop, with a passport stamped for 2017 Juno Award-nominated Sultans of String deliver an exuberant performance featuring impressive genre originals, world-music-inspired classics, and seasonal favourites.

From fiery fiddle tunes to a Caribbean sleigh ride, this show had it all, for young, old and midrange too. The classics were represented by this “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring," "The Christmas Song" a “Feliz Navidad” ska party, a Turkish twist on “Greensleeves." The wondrous to watch Cuban percussionist Rosendo Chendy made "Little Drummer Boy" his own, creating overlapping textures with the cajon.

This gig was a coming out of sorts for Ladan Hussein, the show where she dropped her stage monikers of Cold Specks and Ali Spx for her birth name. It was also the one where she dropped the organic instrumentation of her previous albums for a pair of synths and the occasional electric bass.Hussein started her set by lighting incense and a candle in a gold-gilded vase. “Scent is stronger than sound,” she said as the sweet fragrance wafted throughout the venue. “It holds memories." Then plunged into newest release Fool's Paradise, an experimental, textured work that, lacking much in the way of hooks except for set closer "Exile," is all about the voice.

Which is why it seemed odd that in many places, where a powerful resolution was called for, songs like "Void' just seemed to drift away. Maybe it was the stress of touring, having just got back from Europe but the large midsection of the show sounded she was in her own bubble, not really working the songs.

Jonathan Cavier’s 2017 album Blue Room will likely finish out the year surrounded by the same atmosphere greeting its initial release – as one of the year’s best all-around effort regardless of genre. This likelihood, however, doesn’t persuade Cavier to stand pat. Great albums are never finished, only released, and Cavier has opted for revisiting his album in collaboration with engineer Nico Essig for a full remix that casts his sophomore effort in a different light through adding previously unreleased songs, reworking his already fine vocals, and twisting the overall sound in another direction. Essig, with a CV including artists Katy Perry and Paul McCartney, has wreathed Cavier’s material in a robust and thoroughly modern sound that accentuates his musical and vocal strengths. The new material doesn’t upset the original album’s balance but, instead, ratchets up the intensity of the release and allows different sides of Cavier’s musical character to get their day in the sun.

The wont of popular music performers to produce seasonal material celebrating the Christmas season is a tradition reaching back several decades and, typically, works as a ploy to print money by preying on people’s sentiments. Some offerings strike us as self-consciously crafted confections playing on popular tropes, but there are some efforts that come along each year notable for their musical creativity and unbridled honesty. Kelly McGrath’s latest single “O Holy Night” joins the ranks of the latter thanks to its pure-hearted theatricality that highlights the scale of McGrath’s vocal talents and the wise arrangement she chooses to move this tune along. Rather than tossing a bunch of needless musical tinsel onto the recording, McGrath chooses to take a much more minimalist approach certain to connect with audiences and the sparse musical accompaniment adorning the song is expertly applied and doesn’t betray even a hint of self-indulgence.

The dozen songs on Kevin Fisher’s debut 'Beer Me' have outstanding confidence in the way they come across despite being clearly comical in nature. He’s recruited a first-class cast of collaborators to bring the music to life and they come through on each of the twelve cuts with hard-edged gravitas that acts as a counterbalance of sorts to the comedic elements Fisher brings to bear through the words and vocal delivery. His extensive experience writing successfully for acts like Uncle Kracker and Sara Evans proves he can write every kind of tune you would imagine and it’s freeing to hear Fisher take the listener through twelve essentially silly songs without a moment of self-consciousness and just reveling in the moment. Beer Me is a fun ride from the start and we’re in good hands from the first song with an album that has no audible lulls.