This song has the feel good factor from top to bottom!!! What did I just listen to??!! Gospel choir? Check. Piano playing a great upbeat part??? Oh yes. Bass giving me Motown vibes? Come on now. Oh and the harmonies… yes there are harmonies. This song just made me feel a hundred times better. I’m …
Single Review: “Here, There And Everywhere” – Pat Metheny
I’ll be honest, Beatles songs to me are sacred texts. It’s almost sacrilegious to cover a Beatles song, because you have to make sure you get it right, or at least bring something new to the table for it. Thankfully most of the covers I’ve heard have been approached with reverence by true fans that …
Single Review: “Who We Are” – Ngaio
This track combines a strong soulful vocal over a fantastic dance beat that sounds exotic, I love the build up to the hook on this, the bass line is hypnotic, and the percussion wanders in and out. But when it gets going you have a song that really is anthemic, I mean it’s a call …
Single Review: “Star In A Reasonable Priced Car” – Rubberband Girl
This is the new single from Rubberband Girl and… it’s a cracker. It’s like a cleaned up “Hand In My Pocket” with a banjo in there, and the drums are “properly” recorded, not as gritty. The title reminds me of a segment of Top Gear which *shock horror* I’ve never seen but was having a …
Single Review: “You Are Not Nosferatu” – C-Beem X The Fantom Man
I picked this song as my track of the day because the synth sounds are instantly recognisable to me. The harsh clap (It’s not a snare funnily enough) is a synthetic sound that Cameo have used on “Word Up” and of course the orchestra hit sound was what I judged my synths by back in …
In The Spotlight: Sammy Stein Talks To Jo Harrop
Jo Harrop is a vocalist whose personality flows into her sound. I have seen her perform in the intimate space that is Hampstead Jazz Club and more recently in the Piano bar in Soho, where my companion, Georgia Mancio, herself a wonderful singer, was greeted by Jo and invited to join her for a song. …
Single Review:-“Every House Gets Dark When The Sun Goes Down” – Project Blackbird
This is the second single from the upcoming Project Blackbird album, and it reinforces what I’ve always known about this band. They produce damn fine songs. This starts off with an electric piano bathed in warm chorus, over which trumpet player Jon Read plays a really simple melody over this chord progression – G Maj …
Single Review: “Angel” – Sinead Campbell
Wow. This is the 70s throwback I didn’t know I needed today. This has everything – a glockenspiel, electric piano, flute, guitar run through a wah and drums and bass with a pocket deeper than Elon Musk. But let’s salute Sinead’s vocals here – she goes from playful to straight down the line jazz and …
Single Review: “Forever” – Deco
A nice slice of funky synth pop here! The most prominent part is the synth bass, I’m going to guess that’s straight off a moog. Whatever it is, it sounds so good! Add to that the big drums especially that harsh white noise clap with a touch of reverb… all in all this has a …
Single Review: “So We Find Ourselves” – Fink
Well this is a beauty of a track to start the month off with! This starts off so simply, just a piano and what sounds like a muted floor tom playing triplets. But it’s the vocals that come in low that sets it off because when the harmonies come in it’s spine tingling. They come …