Remember when James Taylor hummed that we’ve “got a friend”? And all we’d have to do is call out, and a friend would be delivered? Welcome Joseph Brooks Organs — a singer/songwriter, troubadour, and softly sweeping lyrical mastermind who could readily be James Taylor making-good on that 70’s promise.

Originally hailing from London, Ontario, but calling Toronto home for nearly the past two decades, this multi-instrumentalist’s charming indie-acoustic vibe is a quaint canvass of love and all its wonderment on his latest offering, Lovelorn.

The sophomore album is a follow-up to Organs’ debut EP Tape from 2013. As he recalls, “[This album was] recorded by nine different musicians all in their own apartments due to self-isolation protocol,” adding, “Lovelorn is a product of the pandemic, and a testament to the will to go on creating whatever the impediments to that process may be.”

With a mission and message towards celebrating unity, Canadian adult contemporary musician Frank Patrick has released a touching single and music video for the titular track of his new studio album, The Almighty We — available now.

While it’s an upbeat dance song, filled with a joyous and undeniable explosion of musical goodness and variety, “The Almighty We” came pouring out of Frank’s head after witnessing the horrific and unjust murder of George Floyd last year. “Watching and feeling (that video) catalyzed a massive call to action,” the veteran singer notes. A close friend of Frank’s even called “The Almighty We” a “planetary anti-racism and COVID dance song,” he adds.

Check out the video of “The Almighty We” on YouTube here:

Beirut-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and producer Gilles Jan Petersen, better known under his stage name Laszlo Jones, announces his latest single and music video, “In The Morning,” a track off his upcoming collection of work, the EP Beyond The Door. Delivering a unique sound reflecting his multiple talents and vivid creativity, Jones continues his musical journey in style with this record mixed by Kane Churko (In this moment, 5 Fingers Death Punch, Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Skillet, Disturbed) at the “Hideout” studio in Las Vegas, and featuring drummer Ralph Sammins, bassist Michael Buyens, arranger Marcos Barilari, and pianist Michael Arrom.

“In The Morning” sees Laszlo Jones express the contrast between the atrocities of a night of modern warfare (bombing and killing) and the calm and gentleness of a morning with rising sun and light breeze. For the music video, the concept was transposed into a night of ultra-violence between a man and a woman, leading to the murder of the man. In the morning the woman wakes up and goes about her day, dancing it away.

Check out “In The Morning” on YouTube here:

Breathy.  Sultry. A fusion of electro-pop with notes of R&B. Canadian singer/songwriter Jordana of Earth is back with her latest offering, an intimate love letter simply titled, “High”.

Check out “High” on YouTube here:

Her delicate vocals float like silk between the melodies, dripping with passion and eroticism in a vein not unlike Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” mingled with the edginess of The Weeknd — a near-notable nod to the indelible Toni Braxton. With “High,” the Toronto-based artist takes calculated risks with the track, tying off intricate beats with smart lyrics and a dream-like vox that transcends the listener into a sphere caught somewhere between being in love, and making it.

At upwards of a quarter-million streams worldwide, it’s more Freak on Repeat for multi-award nominated Canadian pop dynamo Andrew Cassara and his latest official music video for “Gimme More Bass” – check it out at YouTube here:

The freshly pressed visual lands on the heels of Cassara’s not one, but two 2021 Ottawa Music Industry Coalition Capital City Music Award nominations - Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year for 2020’s Freak on Repeat (Deluxe Version).

“Gimme More Bass is one of those songs that kind of surprised me,” Cassara shares of the deep-grooved and dazzling track. “It happened so quickly; at the beginning, it was just a melody that was really catchy and it felt like, in the blink of an eye, it came to life.

Prepare to thrash when you go deep with Canadian cyber-metal psy-rocker S4lvati0n and his blood soaked, sweat-stained, melodic massacre of a new single, “Weird Equals Cool” — available now.

The self-proclaimed indie metalhead leaves it all on the mix as he storms the gates with his newly dubbed genre cyber metal. A sophisticated remix of synth, industrial, heavy bass and percussion intertwined with traditional metal maximized, “Weird Equals Cool” is a welcome foray into a constantly evolving genre. Where S4lvati0n picks up is off the trail of his idols before him, blazing a new course into headbanging utopia.

“In 2019 and 2020, I was at my lowest mental health-wise,” S4lvati0n shares. “I lost my motivation completely, and I stopped being myself.

“I became a bit of a dulled, ‘chilled-out’ caricature of who I was before,” he reveals, adding, “but the thing that I find most outstandingly upsetting is that people started telling me I was ‘cool’ now, and they started talking badly about how I was before.

The latest to land alongside their newest EP, Leap of Faith, Canadian prog-metal rockers Derev have unleashed their heaviest track yet; “Turab” – Watch it here on YouTube:

Featuring guest vocalist Adel Saflou, the five-minute hard-hitter includes the Derev members Armando Bablanian, Michel Karakach, and Liam Horrigan, and picks up right where the album’s previous single, “Futile,” left off…

Think: intense guitar riffs, chest-pounding drum beats, and mesmerizingly groovy time changes — all backed by the track’s thought-provoking nature sparked by the trio’s poetic and harrowing lyrical efforts.

Meaning ‘earth’ in Arabic, “Turab” was written with the purpose of “questioning things that are culturally presumed as absolute truths,” the band says, using the culture of war as an example to question the “honour” of sacrificing oneself for “the land.”

In an homage to the bright side of life, award-nominated Halifax, NS country crooner Lisa Richard spins a tale of good vibes, good company, and good times on her single “Together” – check it out on YouTube here:

“‘Together’ was written a few years ago with my co-writers Rick Tiger and Jeff Wanex in Nashville,” Richard says of creating the track. “We wrote it after one of my trips to Europe where I got to perform in Budapest. I remember thinking that, although the majority of the audience didn't understand English, they could fully understand the music I was playing. It's true what they say… Music is a universal language!”

Music may have taken him around the world, but alt-rock singer/songwriter Mike Green knows the undeniable pull of home and the lasting power of lifelong friendship. With this, his new single “Always,” the L.A.-based and New England raised guitarist and producer pays moving homage to a fateful first crush, and the gratitude that comes when it transforms into a cherished bond that defies time, circumstance, and distance.

“When we're apart
Only seasons change
You and I will be friends always”

The song’s personal but oh-so-relatable story of looking back on young love is skillfully underscored by Green’s beautifully hypnotic guitar riff. Always “percolates on sweet guitar picking as his voice holds sway” says notable indie music blog American Pancake, calling it “honest, lovely storytelling.” 

Check out “Always” on YouTube here:

If you believe a piano can’t rock, Curtis Labelle is going to make that misconception “Run Run Away” with his pedal pumping, sing-along-able new release. Check out “Run Run Away” on YouTube here:

The Sylvan Lake, AB-based rock pianist masterfully lives up to his handle with this blast of energy anthem that irresistibly dares listeners to join in as he soars through the hook-powered “Run run away! Run run away-ay!” chorus. That same ten-fingered, passionate engine that drove Elton John, Billy Joel, and Ben Folds up the keys into stardom is also propelling Labelle and this new, rhythmically infectious release is the vehicle that will have  everyone riding along.

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.”