SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/michaelshynes/cold-day-in-hell

Minnesota based singer/songwriter Michael Shynes put in a lot of relentless time working at his chosen art before ever committing himself to recording and, since his debut, has carved out a reputation for himself as one of the most complete performers working in modern music today. His preferred mode for performance is clear – “Cold Day in Hell”, his latest single, has a distinctly retro rock influence, particularly with the subtle addition of organ at key points, and is largely carried by a mix of acoustic and electric guitar. The production chores are carried out with all of the skill one can hope for and it gives the performance a high gloss polish that, nevertheless, never dampens its spirit. Despite the suggestive humor of the song, springing in most part from its title, there’s a real sense of moving on in this song that will resonate with any adult listener who has endured a break up or separation.

URL: https://www.cameronblakemusic.com/

It’s difficult to not love a noble failure. Cameron Blake’s twelve song opus Fear Not doesn’t trifle with a mandate – this isn’t your typical collection of pop songs chronicling the vagaries of love but, instead, aspires to nothing less but an intimate exploration in song about the emotion fear and how it influences human lives. It’s heady stuff for a pop album, even one like this that certainly reaches far beyond the purview of 4//4 rock and roll or formulaic four minute pop songs. Blake confidently delivers the material, however, and despite a small bevy of influences not typically heard in pop songs, it connects with listeners without much difficulty. His musical training is undoubtedly a big part of his talent, it allows him to shape these emotional vibrant songs with a degree of finesse that furthers his ambitions for the collection. His attempt at making a serious artistic statement with this release is wholly successful; it might not prove easy listening for everyone, but there’s no doubt that he’s hit his presumed target of doing something more with the form than ruing a broken heart or wallowing in self-indulgent despair.

URL: https://www.karenlittman.com/

Karen Littman’s first album, a sixteen song collection entitled The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free, is a musical creative outburst quite unlike anything else you’ll encounter in the mainstream or indie music scenes of 2017. Littman waited until much later in life, for a variety of reasons, before recording her first album, but she’s been writing songs since her childhood and the development of years pursuing her art shows in every track on this release. There’s never any sense of her exhausting herself creatively despite the lengthy running time of the album. The melodic strengths of The Dream of Life: Set Yourself Free are considerable and she has a facility with the lyrical content that demonstrates a distinctly literary flair while still maintaining a conversational accessibility. It’s an album that’s literally been a lifetime in the making and packs all the expected punch of such a work.

URL: https://www.fxrrvst.net/

This is an album that chooses a moderately wide musical range and can literally do anything within that area and still sound mighty. The musical team of Matthew Fuentes and Holly Forrest, collectively known as FXRRVST, is modern down to the unusual name for the project they lead, but they obviously know how to write songs that appeal to a wide base. Each of the nine songs on their debut XXVI has the necessary elements to draw the attention of more discerning musical fans, but there’s plenty that the novice or casual fan will love, particularly thanks to the duo’s high propensity for melody. Even on the all out guitar workouts, melody remains crucial to everything they do and is, at least, a little under half of their whole musical equation. The other important tools in their box are a world class singing talent who has, essentially, just begin and Matthew Fuentes’ guitar contributions. He’s never club or heavy footed and, instead, I can actively hear him trying to remake the refashion these songs for a modern audience. I respect the effort here and there.

MP3RED: https://mp3red.cc/album/5962592/my-dad.html

Mike Derek’s concerts consist of a live performance at Civic Square in Kitchener, which was well received by an audience of over 300 people of all age groups. His big break came when he entered a singing competition in Nashville and was selected as one of two people who auditioned to record with famed Producer Richard Donahue. Richard set up a three-track demo at Landshark Studios in Nashville and the rest is history. Mike recorded a single “Down in the Boondocks,” then a ten-track album called Escape. He has been compared to Frank Sinatra Michael Buble in style and content. “My Dad” is his latest single.

URL: https://www.philvarcaandtheslamjammers.com/

These two new singles from New York City blues rock trio Phil Varca and the SlamJammers represent another high point in the life of a band that’s been steadily gigging through different incarnations since 1989 and currently enjoys their longest serving lineup since first forming. Their run has been distinguished by a variety of factors but, in the nearly three decades that they’ve existed as a force on the scene, they’ve opened for and supported a wide variety of powerful acts – among them, Buddy Guy, Robin Trower, and Joe Bonamassa. This sort of exposure testifies to their talents and the respect they are accorded by their peers. Their two latest singles, “Cash” and “Don’t Push Me”, reflect the skills that have propelled them through a nearly thirty year run and show them to be a band far from content merely just turning out some new workmanlike material from time to time.

URL: https://www.mynameismkx.com/

MkX is a young vocalist and writer working in a cross-section of hip-hop, pop, and R&B styles with a strong sense of visual presentation to boot. The process of writing, recording, and performing is an intensely personal journey for MkX and one that’s intended to do more than merely entertain. It does entertain, however, based on an across the board mastery of what makes top shelf pop music in 2017 while still embracing the fundamentals that have always gone into making a song memorable. The connections his music is able to establish with listeners are formidable – MkX doesn’t present himself as some budding star somehow set apart from the experiences of everyday life – his popular single “The Look” established him as a master of relating to his audience. “Ghost”, his latest single, does the same and shows exponential growth for this luminescent and wildly talented young artist.