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.

Fear Not, the second studio platter from Cameron Blake, will likely end up being one of the defining releases in Blake's musical career. You can't accuse him of aiming low. Blake's dozen songs on Fear Not make use of a supporting cast numbering nearly fifty musicians to take on the theme of fear. The songs, in a variety of contexts, explore the subject without any sentimentality or straining for effect. They succeed in a major way, thanks to his focus on the reality of this subject rather than just some grab bag of tropes and easy drama. It's autobiographical, or at least that suggestion is there, but Blake has a sharp interest in the lives of others outside his sphere that's reflected in his personal journey. The greatest artists often bring those things that drive their daily lives into their art and it's, invariably, a beautiful experience. Blake brings that experience to its near zenith with Fear Not.

This is a simply lovely album from a UK outfit with a blues-cum-Americana outlook, feel and beauty. Fronted by guitarist and songwriter Richard Townend, the band is tightly controlled with hints of seventies US, West Coast, Laurel Canyon sounds and sensibilities.

In many ways this has a Knopfleresque feel but, having been listening to this outfit for some years now, it is surely time to shrug aside that sort of thinking. Maybe, and probably inevitably, Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits have been influences and interests back in the past, but Townend has clearly slipped off that yolk and moved on with his own distinctive style and delicious delivery.

The six members of Flatt Lonesome have grown a lot as individuals, band mates, songwriters, and musicians in the four years since they first appeared on the scene with a self-titled debut. This distinctive and retro-minded outfit has spent much of the early part of their run pay due deference to the rich history of country music, but these last four years has also found them expanding their purview to include increasingly sophisticated arrangements, more and more original material and discovering a wont for pushing the boundaries of the form while still loyally adhering to its expectations. There’s a lot of entertainment value spread out over these twelve tracks, but there’s also a feeling of life well lived that goes into these performances and they will likely strike a chord deep within listeners. Silence in These Walls is Flatt Lonesome’s best effort to date and sets the bar high for their future releases.

The imagination and depth of feeling that goes into realizing “Not Obsessed” make it much different than the average pop song. Severine’s single has the potential to break out in a big way commercially, but she takes no compromises to position the song in such a way. “Not Obsessed” comes off as an intensely personal lyrical and musical statement. Her youth is no impediment to projecting confidence and Severine’s vocal performance simmers with atmospherics and a satisfying emotional range. Severine was born in the United States initially, but her French-born parents soon decided to return to France and she grew up in an environment that promoted her musical development. The song’s subject matter isn’t necessarily remaking the wheel, but it’s equally impressive how Severine has established such a unique voice for speaking on familiar themes and subjects.

Recently in Toronto, Montreal's Caveboy blew the roof off at the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class Showcase - demonstrating their innate power to command a crowd with their live performance. Sneak previewing their brand new track, New Touch - OUT TODAY, the trio had the audience grooving from the first beat of this tasty jam.

Renowned Montreal vocalist and songwriter Florence K is offering a holiday treat to her fans this season with A New Christmas, an EP comprised of six brand new, all-original Christmas soon-to-be-standards. Set for release on Nov. 17 through Universal Music Canada, Florence K co-wrote four of the songs with veteran Canadian hit-maker Vince Degiorgio, with two duets contributed by famed Montreal DJ/producer Stefie Shock. Sung in both English and French, A New Christmas displays Florence K's appeal in both languages, underscored by the EP's overall festive and jazzy arrangements.

"Some of the greatest tunes in the world, in both the jazz and the pop universe are Christmas songs. I wanted to give myself a shot at writing some new melodies that people could sing along to and whistle during the Holiday season," said Florence K.

Trevor Drury’s journey from a Southern California upbringing into the world of international modeling no doubt informs the vast experience projected through his songs, but Drury’s far more than just some visually appealing young performer. There’s genuine musical substance you can hear on his latest single “Trip to the Water” born not only from his personal experiences, but just as much built from a musical life that began when he was just entering his pre-teen years and later led to higher musical education when he entered college. His voice isn’t conventionally beautiful in the manner of some budding pop stars, but it has a natural sound and emotive capabilities possessed by few of his contemporaries. There’s immense stylishness that he puts into this performance you simply don’t hear in songs from many of those same contemporaries. “Trip to the Water” resonates as a song about very human yearning and an intensely personal statement.

“8th Day” was written by Brody and his long-time producing partner, Matt Rovey. Like his previous single, “Time”, this track from Beautiful Freakshow has a more traditional Dean Brody sound. “8th Day” pays homage to strong, confident and sometimes-complicated women who were finely crafted to be in this world.

“My fans mean the world to me, and a lot of them happen to be incredible women who love country music,” says Brody. “I wanted to honour all female country fans by giving them a song that is about them and everything that makes them wonderful. It’s a fun song that everyone can sing along to on the radio or at a concert.”

In honour of the release of “8th Day”, Wednesday November 8th will be dubbed “National Country Girls Day”. Country girls (and guys) can participate by posting photos and stories on social media with the hashtag #NationalCountryGirlsDay to win a signed poster from Dean Brody.

What with the Iranian cabbie banging South Indian bhangra on the way to the transformative music of the Miles Electric Band, crosspollination was in the air this Saturday night. Miles Electric Band focuses on entirely on interpreting the music of Davis’s electric period, when he released Bitches Brew, On the Corner and Jack Johnson. This however, ain't no tribute band. It does not faithfully replicate the songs; instead it holds to the spirit of the recordings, which was all about fusion and improvisations. The original recording sessions were convened with no music written down beyond basic song structures, the playing field that Davis required for what was to come. This is the jumping off point for the music of Miles Electric Band.

The latest offering from New Jersey, US, acoustic picker, Toby Walker, is nothing short of a complete, masterful tour de force of blues-picking at its very best. Walker is a guy who has been out there many years now, always happy and prepared to push the boundaries with his music and his sheer class act. Here, with ‘From the Ground Up,’ he has glanced over his shoulder, looking back to those remarkable songs and artists that first fuelled his own interest and love for the music as a teenager.

In truth, there’s a track version cover from almost every true, traditional blues giant included within this package: kicking off with Robert Johnson’s ‘Terraplane Blues’, Walker moves effortlessly through Blind Boy Fuller, Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Charley Patton, Fred McDowell, Lead Belly, and just about anyone you care to think of, tackling each style – and these vary enormously – with complete ease and towering skill and talent. And, as Walker explains, these are the tracks, the musicians who first fired him up, lit the spark, and whose work he still adores and returns to time and time again.

Lancaster, PA's August Burns Red have released release their new album, Phantom Anthem – the follow-up to 2015’s Found In Far Away Places, which earned the band a GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance. The album is available now at AugustBurnsRed.com. Watch the official music video for new single, The Frost.

August Burns Red recently wrapped up their European headline tour for the 10-year anniversary tour of their much-loved album, Messengers (2007), and will be touring North America through the fall. Full tour dates below.

Canadian Country music has a new emerging power couple, Abby and Beamer. Each artist had already began planting the seeds of solo careers from different sides of the country. Beamer Wigley a feature in a recent Cashbox profile, from Penticton, British Columbia and Kingston Ontario’s Abby Stewart have just released a new single to radio, “What If They’re Wrong” to radio. We were fortunate to catch up with the duo while in Toronto at a CNE concert where they opened for superstar Brett Kissel.

Legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Grammy Winner, New York Times Best-Selling Author, co-founder and chief lyricist of The Beach Boys, Mike Love, is set to release a special double album on November 17 through BMG. Entitled Unleash the Love, the albumwill feature 13 previously unreleased songs and 12 re-recordings of Beach Boys classics. The album is produced by Grammy-winning producer, Michael Lloyd. To listen to the title track off of the album, "Unleash The Love," click here: http://bit.ly/2wyosO9. The album will be released on digital, double CD, and 2LP formats. It will be available for pre-order on October 27- once pre-ordered, fans will be able to stream and instantly download 3 album tracks (Do It Again, Darlin' and All the Love in Paris).

In a world where the sum of our lives is defined through another’s gaze, genuinely unchained artists like Winnipeg-bred Hamilton-basedIskwé (pronounced iss-kway) are a rare breed. Named one of the ‘Top 10 Artists to Watch’ by CBC Music, Iskwé (‘woman’ in Cree) is set to release her sophomore album, The Fight Within, on November 3rd (Independent). The album features the new single Soldier.

Her unmistakable sound weaves her Irish and Cree/Dené/Métis roots with poignant politically charged lyrics, dark soulful R&B rhythms, electronic flourishes, and trip-hop breakbeats. Iskwé teamed up with several notable producers for the new album including The Darcys on Nobody Knows, Hayden Wolf on Soldier and Will I See; and Keolya on Sometimes and The Storm.