TWITTER: https://twitter.com/kevindurrmusic

There are some who will find Kevin Durr’s songwriting a bit tedious with its upbeat point of view, but those are more than likely those with preconceived notions about singer/songwriters always maintaining some dire, self-centered aura of despair, forever wracked by love, or mending broken hearts. Kevin Durr’s artistic vision, however, is much wider than that and his musical talents back it up quite nicely. His songwriting has always incorporated both acoustic and more pop-oriented textures – the trend continues with his new album Better Angels and he sounds more confident than ever with pouring old wine into new bottles and delivering songs that say something meaningful about modern human experience without ever laying it on too thick for listeners. It’s a treat to hear a singer/songwriter who is so individual rather than yet another talented parrot mimicking their musical heroes. He’s taken lessons learned him his musical influences and his own observational skills into something uniquely his own.

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFxpZcxF6PcWZzp9ncyQaRQ

Iran’s BANAFSH gives listeners an open invitation to join them hand-in-hand the particularly peaceful “Soul Man of the East.” As Westerners, it’s hard sometimes to gain perspective from musicians from the Middle East, and our own biases might pigeon hole their sound as simply Persian. “Soul Man of the East” is a fantastic tune to help expand one’s mind, and open one’s own soul.

URL: www.nicolathoms.com

“Beautiful Mind” is the hot new single from East London’s Nicola Thoms, with a solid message to her grandfather, and everyone who loves music and people who care about those who leave this world without letting go, which the song carries on so well about. Her style of music takes strong influences from soul and RnB legends such as Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston, and older generation influences like Stevie Wonder and Candi Staton. She’s also admired current artists, with Amy Winehouse being one, and Jessie Ware and Nao being a couple more. But Thoms doesn’t sound like any of them, she’s got her own voice.

URL: https://www.nik11.com/?release=nik11-6am

The single “6 A.M.” from young artist NIK:11 heralds a powerful new musical voice fully realizing itself. NIK:11 isn’t merely content with building herself into some new figure on the modern pop scene. Instead, “6 A.M/” presents a direct challenge to those who believe modern pop, electronica, and even a smattering of rock attitude cannot blend together in an effective stew. She proves such people conclusively wrong. “6 A.M.” brings together seemingly disparate influences like The Crystal Method and Lady Gaga together without ever coming off sounding premeditated or too heavy handed. Instead, it pops vibrantly from the first and comes off as a wholly individual effort laying solid groundwork for her future work. The radio edit of this song is a potent cut from the first and should be enormously popular either over a personal sound system or, even more ideally, on a dance floor.

URL: www.SirensMG.com

There’s a real sense of cathartic musical independence here via this latest work from Washington DC 3 based musical three-some Sirens. Sirens consists of Steve Kinzer (Keyboards), Josh Barnhart (drums) Jake Barnhart (vocals/guitar).

While everything here on this latest single is shall I say exceptionally entertaining it also manages to cover a pretty wide range of musical styles in the process. When you listen to the music of Sirens you are hopeful that this is a glimpse of where music is hopefully headed. It’s easy to hear possible influences like Imagine Dragons, Tom Petty and One Republic in their music. If you haven’t noticed this is a pretty diverse list of acts. However the real magic is how Sirens blend all the aforementioned ingredients into a musical recipe that is the uniquely their own.

URL: www.therealrai.com

The single “Back to Life” from RĀI’s debut album Love’s on the Way lays down the foundation of an argument that he’s one of the best new talents working in R&B and soul music today. It’s a remarkably mature artistic work in every facet – the musical arrangement, singing, and lyrics alike aspire to level of excellence we often hear from newcomers, but a precious few can ever reach. The South Carolina based singer/songwriter is rare, too, in the commitment he shows for bringing his core personal beliefs into his music – there’s no doubt he’s an entertainer, but he’s also emboldened by the conviction that his music should say something substantive to listeners rather than just providing them with a shallow good time. He succeeds wildly on that score. Judged as a preview of what awaits listeners on his debut album, “Back to Life” promises that this first release should be a delectable platter for anyone who appreciates heartfelt and truly distinguished music.

BANDCAMP: https://palemonsters.bandcamp.com/track/all-this-time-we-wait

Tim Sour on vocals/guitar and Bill on vocals/bass, but these songs wouldn’t pack the same wallop if the band’s lineup didn’t include the presence of second guitarist/vocalist Mikey A and drummer Tony Lunni.

The CD lifts off the ground nicely with Track 1 with “Sinkin’ Down” a rock solid intro statement serving up well placed slide guitar, Cowbell, sizzling guitar solo and I the pocket horn section. Track 2 “Better Days” Keeps things moving in the right direction while “3AM” is a heartfelt flowing Piano laden ditty that serves up an twangy guitar-driven groove, meshed against impassioned vocals and sad but true soulful melody and lyrics from Sour. The EP makes a strong first impression, dashing out 3 very solid songs in a row. “All I want” shifts gears a bit with its Bon Jovi-ish “Bad Medicine” rocking feel via steady groove, methodical vocal flow painted against slamming solo guitar and grand slam chorus. “Wash Away” is another methodical groove that dishes out a rock steady R&B rhythm, sweet guitar solo, well placed keyboard accents that flows and ebbs its way through to emotional fruition.

URL: https://www.echobloom.com/

Bloom (a play on the phrase Echo Boom, describing the children of baby boomers). The first Echo Bloom record was recorded much faster - a 4-day session in 2008. Jamboree was a collection of character studies, modeled after the photography of August Sander. Each song was about a character - there was a prostitute, an English Teacher, and a truck driver, among others. I put out the record, and after playing the release show immediately moved to Los Angeles. DC had become stale to me, and I was looking for an adventure. Then release of Red, followed, and now Echo Bloom return with the Green album.