Single Review: “Get In” – The Great Leslie

The new one by The Great Leslie is out, and it stutters along fabulously. The vocals are strong and confident, sitting on top of a great instrumental track.  The guitars and bass play the same progression together sitting right in the pocket, switching between playing straight ahead to off beat, and it’s a joy to …

Blog interview: SAFIRE

Hello SAFIRE how are you?   I’m great! Apparently I don’t sleep anymore but that’s just from excitement for everything coming up this year so I’m not complaining!   Congratulations on the release of “Angels And Demons”, how does it feel?   Thank you! Angels & Demons was received really well. I don’t often sing on …

Single Review: “Captain Elon” – Garlen Lo

This. Is. Bloody. Brilliant.  This song is a commentary on life in the 21st century – specifically with one of the world’s richest men having enough wealth and influence to be able to make a difference.  Lyrically this references climate change, the rise of AI technology, fake news, countries tweeting other countries, and of course …

Single Review: “Voices Of Jericho” – Survibers ft. Aniff Akinola

Survibers are back and they’ve deployed a true wordsmith in Aniff Akinola.  He’s given a fantastic backdrop of slap bass  which slips between that and a squelchy synth bass, over a chilled out hip hop beat with a synth pad playing some dark progressions. The vocals are ethereal, Katrina has switched gears here as she’s …

Single Review: “Patience” – JFlames ft. Amethyst

JFlames is back with a smooth retro soul track! And he’s brought with him a singer that delivers the goods!  Amethyst is the star here, bringing a vocal that’s so warm to the ear, and boy can she harmonise. JFlames has given her a lush blanket of a beat to wrap her vocals around. The …

Single Review: “You’re My Favourite” – Alice Offley

Alice Offley is back with a funky disco track that’s got that summer energy, as the days are getting longer and sunnier this is the tonic that we need. The guitar riff is reminiscent of 80s pop, but Alice brings the bass action making it just as funky – this being her instrument it’s no …

Single Review: “Silence Is Music” – Florie Namir & Franck Biyong

Florie Namir is back with a stunning ballad and a duet partner – Franck Niyong. Their voices are very different, Frank has a soulful touch whereas Florie’s vocals are suited to folk/jazz but they find a middle ground, and this song is a perfect vehicle for this.  It’s an acoustic number, the percussion is gorgeous, …

Single Review: “Shelter” – Marie Keane

This is a gorgeous ballad. Marie’s voice is accompanied by a cello, drums with brushes, a bass, and piano. This is from her album “Mná”, and is one of the slower paced tracks on there. It shows off her vulnerability vocal wise but also shows her versatility too. In fact the whole album is very …

Single Review: “Love Has Come” – SōMuch

SŌMuch are back and they’ve got an EP! This is one of the new tracks that hasn’t yet been heard.  The sound is sophisticated, very polished – but what would you expect of a band mentored by Ralph Rolle of Chic?  Let’s break it down.  The back beat is laid back, the hats give the …

Single Review: “Mona Lisa” – Daniel Etherton

Daniel came to me as a recommendation from Neil March, Daniel sent me this track for my show and I must say… I’m impressed.  This song combines two of Daniel’s passions – music and fine art, as he is an art historian by day and musician by night.  The imagery in the lyrics are clear, …