Nia Andrews is a painter of music. Her palate is full of textures and time signatures, a rich bluesy voice, a penchant for story telling and smart melodies. Her canvas is the EP Colours (February 2013), four rich songs of rhythm, blues and soul excellence-the title track for which appears here. Colours (the song) is a nice change-up from the common 4/4 time signature (I’m not a music theory expert, but I believe this is 6/8 time) and is a smart visual landscape, which…
Read MoreZelliack (a.k.a. Elliot Coleman and Zack Ordway) channel r&b and soul vibes in the same way that Tears For Fears did at their best. These super high ultra-tenors scrape the sky with soaring vocals while the music slips between jazz, soul, r&b and pop. Here on this fan-made video (kudos to Jared Witbeck) for Autumn In Analog from the bands February 2012 EP, Noir Tone, you get a feel for them at their best. The EP has some uneven spots, largely in the…
Read MoreCombining elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop, afrobeat and everything in between Mop Mop is the brainchild of Italian born musician/composer/producer Andrea Benini, currently living and producing his latest works in Berlin. Run Around from the groups forthcoming long-player (due March 2013-or now with forward posting), Isle of Magic, is hypnotic and wonderful! The radio edited version of the song is painfully short as I wanted more of Fred Wesley’s trombone fills, but that is a small complaint and given the “radio edit" moniker, alludes…
Read MoreOriginally recorded and released as a single in 2009, Smerins Anti-Social Club has re-released The Alibi as part of their first full-length, Primordial Cordial (February 2013). Combining the 20’s and 30’s influenced jazz band, with this awesome vocal from Nuala Honan, the song recalls, even though it pre-dates, the sound of Caro Emerald. Make no mistake, however, Smerins Anti-Social Club is a band first and foremost. The guest vocals used throughout Primordial Cordial, add a smattering of texture and variety to an otherwise…
Read MoreThere are decidedly very few instrumental-only posts on this blog, mostly because stories are sometimes hard to find without words, but not always. Enter the New York City 10 piece aftro-rock-funk EMEFE and Stutter, from the bands July 2012 long-player, Good Future. This is a very skillful group of musicians, borrowing from multiple styles, rhythm and blues, funk, jazz, rock and more, to create a rich and fully textured soundscape. This is music to get your groove on, to cleanse your soul, to fill…
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