Be there or Be Square: Dominic Fike
23-y/o singer/songwriter/rapper Dominic Fike went from jail to a purported $4 million recording contract in a few short years, and he delivers the goods with his hit "3 Nights," a reference to the three sleepless nights he spent in a motel... Under streetlights In...
“When Am I Gonna Lose You” is Today’s “Whatcha Gonna Do”
Vocally and melodically, "When Am I Gonna Lose You" by Southern California band Local Natives projects a retro feel that conjures up the sound of 70's and 80's Pop/Rock when acts such as Pablo Cruise ruled Top 40 with hits that asked a similar question: instead of of...
It’s Never a Good Thing When “Good Things Fall Apart”
"Good Things Fall Apart" by Illenium (the stage name of Nicholas Miller, an award winning producer/DJ/musician in the dance-music world,) is a collaboration with Jon Bellion, a singer/rapper/songwriter, also from the dance genre, that draws a parallel to the breakup...
When the Singer and the Song are More Than the Sum of its Parts.
I gave a lot of thought about how to introduce you to Brittany Howard’s “Stay High.” I contemplated a cute title: “Is it the Singer or The Song?” or telling you that when I saw her on SNL her soulful vocals and emotional abandon reminded me of Janis Joplin. Maybe...
“Help Me Stranger” is Good Ol’ American-Style Rock n’ Roll
Fans of The Raconteurs have been waiting 10+ years for the band's next album, and the recently released "Help Us Stranger" was so worth the wait. The first single, "Help Me Stranger," hit #1 on Billboard's Top 200 the week it came out. The band's front man, creative...
The Black Keys’ “Go” is Hard Driving Rock n’ Roll
Akron, OH, in the heart of the heartland, once the "Rubber Capital of The World," has a permanent place in Rock & Roll history: it was an early stop for DJ Alan Freed, and is home town to Devo, The Outsiders ("Time Won't Let Me"), Music Explosion ("Little Bit Of...
When You are in a David Bowie Frame of Mind…
We love Cage the Elephant, and have featured this six- member rock band from Bowling Green, KY numerous times. One reason we love the group is the creative genius of brothers Brad and Matt Shultz, who anchor the band’s success. Their newest, “Social Cues,”...
Lana Del Rey Slithers, But in a Good Way
George Gershwin knew what he was doing when he wrote “Summertime” and any song that even remotely claims lineage to the original has to have chops, and Lana Del Rey delivers in her cover of a hit from 1997, “Doin' Time” by Sublime, a now defunct ska band from Long...
It’s July 4th–Here Are Songs That Go “Boom”
Tomorrow, the skies will be filled with fireworks and the air with loud booms, and just as fireworks are a July 4th“must have,” “Boom Boom” by X Ambassadors is “must listen to” if your taste in music is eclectic, and you like complex, sophisticated, tight bands,...