Drums! Bass! Guitar! Hammond! Horns!Loooooooord the Hammond!!!!! And the star of this song that voice. This is so soulful, I can just imagine Dakota Jones rocking up to Jimmy Fallon’s looking at The Roots, uses the Force to connect with Questlove and then him counting this off like his Afrocomb is on fire and then …
Single Review: “Only Just Begun” – Marseille
Marseille are a problem. These guys write infectious tunes that just make you want to sing along to, and “Only Just Begun” is no exception. This is a song that’s all too easily relatable being the one that the person you have your eye on knows that you want to be there for them. I …
Single Review: “Married By Elvis” – Begonia
The title of this song is what got my attention. That and the Bossa nova groove, this is a pretty sweet track, acoustic guitar over a latin groove, the claves haven’t gone unnoticed by the way, and Begonia’s vocals are gorgeous on this, very soulful and playful at the same time. This song is about …
Single Review: “Into The Groove” – Madonna
For me Madonna was part of the big three along with Prince and Michael Jackson. The 80s was full of their music, and everyone knew their songs, if they weren’t touring they’d be releasing music and they were iconic. They set stages around the world alight. So, it’s weird for me to be saying Madonna …
Single Review: “Without” – Tiger Mendoza ft. Emma Hunter
This track caught my ear because of the lush string arrangement and also Emma’s strong vocal on top. She sits right in the mix. I love the lyrics: “I am like a tree without its leaves I am like a river without its water And nothing will ever be the same…” The beat is four …
Single Review: “Blue Monday” – New Order
As today is supposed to be Blue Monday I thought I’d revisit an 80s classic. This song has all the synthesiser goodness incorporated with early samples. The version I’ve picked out is the original 1983 mix, which clocks in at 7:30 – this would have set the dance floors alight back in the day, because …
Single Review: “Winter” – The New Is Now
The New Starts Now – Winter I bet this was written over the time when there was the cold snap that we had recently…. I am not a big fan of snow, but this is the kind of song you can listen to when it starts! This is gorgeous, an acoustic number with strings, a …
Single Review: “I Need Ya” – Somebody’s Child
The thing that caught my ear the most about this song was the distorted bass, The song chugs along at a fair pace, starting off with analogue drums, I’m getting the feeling that this might be a hybrid of analogue and acoustic, but whatever it is, it’s not unpleasant to the ear for sure. Lyrically …
Single Review: “Jellyfish” – Lizzie Esau
Lizzie is back! Catchy guitar riffs, half rapped half sung lyrics with the usual fire…. Lizzie was one of my predictions for big things in 2022, and I’m glad she’s not lost any of that passion in her music since I first heard her with “Bitter Weather”. So, what’s this? Well this song is a …
Album Review: “Cabin 19 Fever” – Wild Card. Words: Sammy Stein.
Wild Card is a London-based jazz combo led by French guitarist Clement Regert with British drummer Sophie Alloway and Australian organist/keyboardist Andrew Noble. Formed in 2011 and with five album releases to their name, the trio is popular on the UK jazz scene and performs regularly, with residencies at prestigious venues including The 606 Club and Ronnie …