Vodka regulars will note that instrumental music of any kind is a rarity here. It’s not that I don’t like instrumental music, but for it to reach the blog, it really has to be accessible. Lydian Collective, Snarky Puppy, and The Fearless Flyers are just a few whom I believe have transcended the niche status. Enter Andrew Wasylyk, whose compositions are super-accessible and blend modern classical, ambient, and jazz to create a unique and wonderful soundscape. Awoke In The Early Days Of…
Read MoreRock may have taken a back-seat to a lot of newer genres of music, but there’s still a place for good rock and roll as exhibited here by Micky James anthem, Kings, the subject of which is: Take your country back before it’s too late! It’s a simple subject, and a timely message for a world gone completely nuts and politics gone deliberately sour. Though the anthem may be dire, the music is anything but. This is indeed an anthem, a raise-your-fist-in-the-air, singable, foot-stomping, toe-tapping anthem, that will have you…
Read MoreWaiting For Smith (Harry Lloyd) makes his second appearance on Vodka with the wonderful pop encouragement song, Lines Of Love. When we doubt, when we are lost, when we just don’t know, just having someone to talk to can make all the difference, and Lines Of Love takes you there. This is instant therapy for the soul, all propped up with a bouncy melody that lifts the spirit. Waiting For Smith binds this up-beat melody, with all of those feelings in the lyric, taking the negatives…
Read MoreSometimes there just isn’t a good video, and during the pandemic, that is becoming the case more often than not, but when a song grabs you, it shouldn’t be rejected simply because no video exists. Enter Sam Valdez and the single, Clean. This is a song about a toxic love affair that should be over, but isn’t, for all of the wrong reasons. The lyric cuts like a knife-wielding attempt at metaphoric suicide: “You finally turned up clean today Your parents brought you bread…
Read MoreI’ve been a fan of the folk-pop of Emily Barker for a number of years now. There is always a good story in the lyrics and the melodies are beautiful as is Barker’s voice. This single, a tribute to the Kenyan activist and founder of The Green Belt Movement, is a masterpiece of Emily’s music to date. The Woman Who Planted Trees (seen/heard here) is a beautiful tale of Wangari Maathai’s work in empowering women in local communities in Kenya and beyond. To get an…
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