Hailing from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast of Sudan, Noori & His Dorpa Band perform music reflected in the current state of the revolution there. Through their musical successes, the band tries to draw attention to the plight of the people, whose government over many iterations has denied the people the profits of one of the country’s natural resources, gold. The results for the listener are pure…
Read MoreSteeped in multi-genre influences, Zaki Ibrahim is a force of musical nature that refuses to be denied. As comfortable on the dance floor as in the living room, and as important as it is entertaining, the music that Zaki Ibrahim creates is moving on all levels. Enter Cut Loose, from Ibrahim’s latest (March 2021) LP, The Secret Life Of Plants. Elements of 70′s styled R&B and pop are everywhere, and yet this is a modern offering, not a retro affair. What those influences contribute, so, too, do modern…
Read MoreMoira Smiley is a singer and composer who writes folk songs that transcend the definitions of “folk” styles. She is a socially conscious painter of words and melodies, a weaver of intricate rhythms, voices, and refrains. Her long-player, Unzip The Horizon (April 2018) is nothing short of amazing on every level! Wiseman (seen/heard here) is a Celtic-flavored love song with a deeper meaning; Refugee is an accounting of the fear and uncertainty surrounding real refugees and has a vague reggae feel; Below is a world flavored anthem on survival and…
Read MoreAustralian drummer turned band front man, JP (a.k.a. John Milton), and Losing My Mind from the debut four-song EP, Part 1 (November 2015) is a study in bass-driven, melodic, genre blending styles. This rehearsal video, isn’t necessarily studio quality in all respects, but it certainly gives you a hint at what the EP sounds like. If you have any doubt, click over to the bandcamp.com link and listen. JP’s vocals are unpretentious and perfect for sharing a lyric. He has a pleasing…
Read MoreCombining alternative rock, world influences and orchestration that goes beyond the definition of a band, Grand Rapids, Michigan’s The Soil & The Sun have been making appearances on rotation on Serious XM radio’s The Loft and elsewhere with One Woman from their year-old long player, What Wonder Is This Universe! (August 2012). If you are trying to pigeon hole the band into a genre’, then you will have a very difficult time. The band can be tender and beautiful to hear,…
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