Australia’s Beamish Brothers are back with the pop/R&B sounds of “Anxious”

BEAMISH BROTHERS, “Anxious”

Ben and Jeremy Beamish have a plan for their music, and it involves a whole lotta fun set to R&B-influenced rhythms and beats in a pop setting that audiences enjoy in releases by the likes of Bruno Mars and Maroon 5.  “Anxious” follows up their last release, the pointed but still fanciful “Dollar At The Heart”.  While all ears are on Jeremy’s soulful vocal which taps into his spot-on falsetto, it’s the harmonies between the brothers that are really flaunted in the production.  Add lyrics which during these strange times anyone can identify with, and “Anxious” has the total package which makes it an enjoyable and often ear-turning release.  Check out the cool animated lyric video above.

Chicago’s @AashMehtamusic taps into his Indian influences for deeply personal “Ma” featuring @iamSonez

AASH MEHTA and SONEZ, “Ma”

It’s a bit off the beaten path even for the producer himself, but Chicago’s Aash Mehta is back with a personal but progressive ode with “Ma”.  The song incorporates musical elements from his Indian heritage, as well as being bilingual with both English and Hindi verses.  Most of the song is recorded at a deliberate pace with focus on a vocal by Sonez that’s subtle and strong in all the right places.  At 4:45 it is a little long but is punctuated by two solid buildups, one which really serves as the climactic moment in the song in its last 1:30 or so.  It may take a few listens but you can appreciate the unique touches by Aash and the multi-cultural moments all the more.  “Ma” is a beautiful, relatable love-letter and reinforces the need for artists to take time to make their songs personal when they can.

Toronto’s @iamDabinLee and Nashville’s @thisisMokita team up for lovely sweeping anthem “Drown”

DABIN & MOKITA, “Drown”

Even on paper, pop and electronic music fans seeing the names Dabin and Mokita in the same song know that something good has been in the works.  “Drown” is a definite winner, and happily, not a cover of the recent Martin Garrix song of the same name.  This one is an original sweeping electronic anthem about being there for your significant other no matter what.  Dabin’s ongoing association with Illenium and his core team has undoubtedly helped give him much deeper roots as a producer. He knows how to bring the mood down to touch those raw emotional nerves, and then before it gets too deep, he brings you out of it with a magnificent build up.  “Drown” also contains one of Mokita’s best vocals to date, with his voice soaring like on no other song that I’ve heard by him.  “Drown” should become a staple at EDM festivals once they are back in swing.

NYC’s @GATTUSO_music and Sweden’s @VioletDaysband join forces for dance radio friendly “Save Me”

GATTÜSO and VIOLET DAYS, “Save Me”

After coming off a highly successful 2020 with “Bring That Back” (with vocalist Nadia Gattas and fellow producers Asketa & Natan Chaim) and a remix of Petey Martin & Lauren Daigle’s “Come Back Home”, GATTÜSO returns with possibly his most dance radio-friendly release to date, “Save Me”, co-written with Swedish vocalist Violet Days and others.  It’s also GATTÜSO’s second release for Ultra Records.  The flow between GATTÜSO and Violet Days is pretty seamless.  His production lets you get lost in the committed lyrics, which sing about the protagonist getting too deep into a relationship that isn’t working, hoping that the other person will see the light, but then boldly having to make the decision to save herself from needless pain before it gets worse.  The heavy subject matter is offset by a brisk uptempo melody that is a partner to the protagonist’s salvation.  Violet Days is more often known as songwriter Lina Hansson, but you’ve heard her memorable voice gracing her own solo hits (“Your Girl”) as well as those of others (Shaun Frank’s “Addicted”).  “Save Me” brings us a wonderful collaboration that is worth repeating.

Las Vegas neo-soul singer/songwriter @Sabrielmusic is back with old school sound of “Fox In The Henhouse”

SABRIEL, “Fox In The Henhouse”

Despite the common imagery of cheating in its title, “Fox In The Henhouse” by Las Vegas singer/songwriter Sabriel (pronounced shä brē el) is anything but ordinary.  I would like to place the music of Sabriel alongside that of Jessie Ware, who has bundled up disco and British R&B into a tightly woven, accessible package in her latest releases.  Sabriel’s music takes queues from the softer side of that genre, as well as the ballads of Janet Jackson, with even older school Nina Simone and Billie Holliday influences very apparent.  Her sultry voice is versatile, never getting tied down in a particular part of that voice within the song to make it seem one-note.  “Fox In The Henhouse” has a strong message about recognizing warning signs in relationships, but it goes down as easily on your stereo as it would in an intimate supper club.  After I enjoyed her previous release “Love Again” immensely, Sabriel continues to prove that she is a talent to watch and grow.

Boston’s @GillianHeidi returns with heartfelt and relatable “waves”

GILLIAN HEIDI, “waves”

With every release that I hear from Gillian Heidi, I hear growth, whether it’s in her vocal or songwriting.  In “waves”, it’s a little of both, a really tight and well-rounded song that ponders the pressures of becoming an adult, often feeling overwhelmed and in this case underneath the waves of life.  Her sound is similar to a lot of pop-folk artists coming out of England.  However with being in America, it seems more apt to compare her to Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo and the like, though she’s probably right in the middle of it all.  “waves” will make you hang on every word and Gillian’s sweet vocal leaves a long, savoury aftertaste.

L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist @iamJMSN returns with carefree and soulful “Rolling Stone”

JMSN, “Rolling Stone”

Ahead of what will be his 13th album in 10 years (including one instrumental release and two “chopped not slopped” reworks) titled Heals Me, it’s great to hear L.A.-based (but Detroit-bred) multi-instrumentalist JMSN (aka Christian Berishaj) back in form with his first studio release in three years called “Rolling Stone”.  It’s also a throwback to his earlier music, to me less complex and more engaging than his more recent work.   “Rolling Stone” at its essence is carefree, compelling and soulful.  Quietly dynamic, JMSN sounds great and I can picture “Rolling Stone” as the opening song on his upcoming tour.  Having seen his live show back in 2013 and written about him many times (hit the search button on my blog page), he’s an engaging and unpredictable performer, so there is no time like the present to join the JMSN train.

L.A.-based duo @OYLSdotnet help destigmatize mental illness through “Netflix (Your Product Is Too Good)”

OYLS, “Netflix (Your Product Is Too Good)”

Like a few other artists who reflect on these difficult pandemic times, new L.A.-based duo OYLS focus on the state of our mental health with “Netflix (Your Product Is Too Good)”.  The video for the song, starring actor Danny Trejo, has the protagonist staying up late binging on Netflix shows while he vulnerably contemplates his own sanity.  With lockdowns still in force in much of the world, we know how this feels as the days blur into each other, and we develop a complacent routine that could have an impact on many of us in the long run.  The vocal for this alt.pop song is totally soaked in the quieter side of Prince’s “Purple Rain” era and the song is an unexpected earworm whose title is never mentioned.  “Netflix” is OYLS’ third in a series of eight episodes which form a “pop opera” which will be released throughout 2021.

Listen to the raucous and politically-charged @BobSeger cover “2+2=?” by Spokane, WA’s @iamHEwas

HEwas, “2+2=?”

It reminds me of that Mel Gibson movie, “Forever Young”, in which he is a pilot who is cryogenically frozen in 1939 and wakes up in 1992. The latest Cosmic Wire release by new Spokane, Washington performer HEwas is a cover of Bob Seger’s “2+2=?”, originally released on Seger’s Ramblin’ Gamblin Man album in 1968.  Despite today’s technology, it’s like the song has taken an intentional step forward in time as recorded by HEwas. Written as a protest song against sending young people off to the Vietnam War, it’s politically charged message is still extremely relevant today.  The sound is unkempt raw rock ‘n roll, a nice tip of the hat to Seger’s original, the kind that you’d hear and dance to in a dive bar.  Knowing that it’s all about the song and message, HEwas’ vocal blends seamlessly into the mix.  Produced by BLAZAR, about whose own song “Enough” I recently wrote, “2+2=?” is an interesting and appropriate tonic for college and alternative rock stations.

Germany’s @_ANIQO is back with a sparse-sounding, hopeful release “Wonderland”

ANIQO, “Wonderland”

Her songs can be mysterious and brooding, or bright and hopeful, as we get to know the many facets of Berlin-based singer/songwriter/filmmaker ANIQO (aka Anita Goβ), this time through the new single “Wonderland”.  Following in a similar vein to a previous release, “LoveLife”, “Wonderland” is about love holding us together through everything, even at the darkest times.  Its sparse arrangement, only featuring piano, harmonica and vocal, is taut and compelling, and as usual ANIQO can weave us through a lengthy song without it ever seeming so long.  It was preceded over a year ago by a video release, above, which shows ANIQO’s ongoing artistry in that field.  I’ve written about the music of ANIQO for over four years now, and those songs will eventually lead to her debut album called Birth, which is now slated for this year.