Monthly Archives: October 2021

British dance chanteuse @KarenHarding has another winner with “You & I (All I Need)”

KAREN HARDING, “You & I (All I Need)”

There’s no doubt that Karen Harding has had a great year. In addition to recently getting married and having a baby, Karen’s released some of the best music of her career with “Undo My Heart” (with Digital Farm Animals), “Let’s Get Together” (with Illyus & Barrientos), “Morning” (with Shift K3Y) and “Only One” (with Felix Cartal). Add “You & I (All I Need)” to that list, this time a completely solo Karen single, another beautifully touching house track with straight-forward lyrics that can only be written when your life is content. Such happiness is infectious and will certainly win fans on the dance club circuit.  However I do think perhaps “You & I” is a particularly natural follow up to “Undo My Heart” for dance radio audiences. 

Canadian dance duo @djWavesmusic return with infectious “Mr. Wilson” with American singer Benton

WAVES and BENTON, “Mr. Wilson”

Although they had some success last year with “Chase” (also featuring New Jersey-born Benton) and previously with “Blinded” (with James Delaney) and “Heart Speak” (with Dzeko and TOKA-J), the pandemic put Canadian dance duo Waves on hold for a spell.  But in that time they signed to Ultra Records and the same management company as Juno Award winners Loud Luxury.  Following that duo’s successful lead, Waves return with the highly catchy “Mr. Wilson”. Featuring a playful and enthusiastic vocal from Benton, you’ll envy this guy Mr. Wilson, who likes to hang out with celebs and party hardy to some great tunes.  The song has a terrific hook just before the first minute that helps make the rest of the song go down just as easy. With Waves’ upward career trajectory back in motion, you can expect to hear “Mr. Wilson” on Canadian radio and in clubs for the rest of 2021.

Newcomer Nick Rannikko @itsrannikko offers lo-fi, soulful and affecting “More”

NICK RANNIKKO, “More”

I’m not normally a fan of lo-fi recordings, but every once in a while a song comes along that offers way more than the sum of its parts.  Such is the case with “More” by singer/songwriter Nick Rannikko, who hails from just outside of Springfield, Massachusetts and attends the esteemed Berklee College of Music, and is also an engineer and producer. “More” is about trying to move on and to stop thinking about the other person after the breakup. Distorting vocals like on many same-sounding rap tracks can be a turnoff, but Nick cleverly uses the effect to his advantage, and his voice becomes more and more affecting as the song moves on. It also lends an unexpected soulful quality to his vocal.   “More” keeps you listening with its atmospheric melody, and is a smart and memorable release for Nick Rannikko.

Indie singer/songwriter Bishop Ivy returns with forthright “Stand Up”

BISHOP IVY, “Stand Up”

Pittsburgh-based Bishop Ivy is a singer/songwriter who grows more with each release, and there doesn’t seem to be a set pattern either to his style from song-to-song, which always leads to some pleasant unpredictability about what he will offer next.  “Stand Up” is a chill song with a forthright message. It’s about using your own power within to challenge and perhaps take control away from others in your life. The melody is eerie at times and almost seems to belong in another song, and when there’s a bit of a pause after the two minute mark, instead of shutting the song off, you wait because his story isn’t entirely finished, and neither is the wistful melody. “Stand Up” gets props because it’s an ambitious song but fans of alternative and college radio will enjoy.

It’s the cool melody that makes “To The Top” by #Natixx, @LyonBrotherz and @RobbieRosenlive

NATIXX, LYON BROTHERZ and ROBBIE ROSEN, “To The Top”

While its lyrics would usually call out for an anthemic melody that you could rock out to, “To The Top” by German producers Natixx and Lyon Brotherz and NYC singer/songwriter Robbie Rosen sets out to strike you in a different way altogether.  Its melody is carried by a flute or similar synth sound that supports its enthusiastic lyrics very well.  That sound also gives the song an uncharacteristically fun, medieval touch, which you don’t hear often in dance or electronic music outside of more progressive-sounding tracks. It’s a quick song at only 2:35 but “To The Top” doesn’t let up, becoming quite memorable and one that you will find yourself easily having on repeat.

Germany’s @TheFatRat concocts dreamy electronic ballad “Let Love Win” with Canadian singer @Anjuliemusic

THEFATRAT and ANJULIE, “Let Love Win”

If you need a break from deep house and future bass bangers, then look no further to the latest single from TheFatRat’s new album Parallax, “Let Love Win”, featuring singer and co-writer Anjulie.  Parralax also contains TheFatRat’s previous recent singles “Hiding In The Blue” and “Violet Sky”, as well as one track featuring violinist Lindsey Stirling, who often works in the electronic dance music setting.  “Let Love Win” is a song that’s easy to digest, and I appreciate all of the light and bright synth elements that TheFatRat incorporates into this production. Juno Award winning singer Anjulie – who you’ve also heard through song placements on many TV shows, as well as with her songwriting for people like Kelly Clarkson and Nicki Minaj – though is the highlight, her lovely vocal makes every word pointed and meaningful. “Let Love Win” is off to a great start; I’ve already seen it on several electronic dance playlists.

Check out the spirited, sophisticated deep house of “Play It Cool” by @Menrvamusic and @IslandBanks

MENRVA and ISLAND BANKS, “Play It Cool”

UK/Irish duo Menrva are back following up “Locked In Your Love” with another fun deep house track, “Play It Cool”, featuring British singer of Caribbean heritage Island Banks.  The punchy drum sound and quirky rhythm recall something we might hear from Aussie sensation Fisher. Island Banks’ engaging vocal reminds me a lot of Craig David, and some harmonies continue to add even more flavourful twists to the song. Despite the comparisons, Menrva have a left-of-centre original winner with “Play It Cool”, which will have no trouble at all coaxing even the most reluctant dancers out onto the club floor.

“I Kissed You Politely” is a powerful dialogue about the wise use of femininity by London’s @KittyMontague

KITTY MONTAGUE, “I Kissed You Politely”

Despite its unassuming title, “I Kissed You Politely” is a provocative new single by London singer/songwriter Kitty Montague.  It’s a powerful dialogue on how women can use their femininity to their advantage by consistently showing exactly what they mean through their actions. Somehow over the course of time, it came to be that men often think that a kiss is an invitation for affection and even more; a wise woman knows that if she provides a kiss on a cheek or a slight kiss on the lips that she’s being polite, and nothing more. So “I Kissed You Politely” is about women taking back control, because if more women do, then men will get the right message without issue – after all, it’s better to have had a nice time with someone even if it didn’t go further than you might expect. With pulsating synths and an unexpected tropical guitar sound, “I Kissed You Politely” has a rich melodic backdrop that you can delight in when your attention is not diverted by Kitty’s soul-tinged voice and fine choice of words.