Nicola Thoms release Beautiful Mind Single

URL: www.nicolathoms.com

“Beautiful Mind” is the latest single from Nicola Thoms, and it’s a breath of fresh air by a new Pop artist for Soul and RnB music lovers too. There is a back story to her and the song she wrote about her Grandfather that are worth sharing. Nicola grew up being surrounded by soul and R&B music, and throughout her youth, long car journeys with her parents were always accompanied by the likes of Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Candi Staton, Teddy Pendergrass, Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, and these artists very much lay the foundation for her love for music.

She also draws inspiration from more current artists including Amy Winehouse, Jhene Aiko and Lianne La Havas, but just the thought of Teddy Pendergrass being an influence on her is a point of interest because to put it mildly there was never a better Soul singer. You can hear some of these others mentioned, written all over her voice though. She compliments, rather than copies anyone, and that’s a hallmark of any great original artist. Her voice does all the rest needed to win you over with a song that hits home, where the heart always is and always will be.

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/nicola_thoms/

On this single, her voice is simply enhanced by electronics to bring out the occasional flashes of energy throughout the song. There’s no music of any dominating force, it’s all a showcase of top notch vocals and her capabilities are as strong as they come. And the song itself being about her Grandfather is where the whole thing comes together, and you feel what she’s singing through the lyrics, let alone her astonishing voice. Frankly, Nicola leaves other singers of her generation in the dust. She’s the type of singer that sticks to your mind, body, heart and soul. There’s no arguing that.

SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/track/4gbpso3Gn4ncT7zwKKyRXX?si=l7jty0K0QZO5RBH0zu9GDg

Nicola’s Granfather being the subject matter of the song, it’s about being scared-of memories drifting too far, and some of the great things about her Grandfather. It’s almost like a dream with her singing to him, and/or about him. This is a very mystifying song because of her relationship with her Grandfather, and it just makes the song everything it can be. Laughter and pain are one in the same and you get the feeling you’re living the song. It’s a live animal that way, and an untamed one too. The lion becomes unleashed the second the song begins.

SOUNDCLOUD: soundcloud.com/nicola_thoms/beautiful-mind

What a music education means is more than meets the eye, and that’s why Nicola sounds so mature for her age. She’s really been developing for some time now, so this single isn’t some kind of fluke, it’s guaranteed to come with follow-ups, as it followed up another track called “Nothing On Me” which is another story, altogether. But check out “Beautiful Mind” for all it’s worth, and you’ll be wanting to hear anything you can by this young and quickly growing singer from the East of London, while the rest of the world awaits without knowing what to expect from her. She brings fireworks to the ears.

Clay Burton

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Sirens – I Believe

URL: www.SirensMG.com

(Washington DC) Sirens is a band made up of Stevie Lee Kinzer, Josh Barnhart and Jacob Barnhart. The guys met at a show in Wyandotte, Michigan at the ZUBA music festival while playing in different bands. The band was spontaneously formed that day but technically Sirens (USA) was born after Steve Lee Kinzer decided to move from Michigan to the Washington DC in 2017.

Their latest single I Believe single lifts off the ground quite nicely with methodically layered rhythm section, hooky musical flow against a grand slam chorus. The build up to the chorus si impressive and serves up a mesmerizing melody meshed against heartfelt vocals and well placed harmonies from Jake Barnhart and the gang. I would describe this piece a captivating, mesmerizing and invigorating. As the track hits solid stride it dishes out s consistent rock-driven groove meshed with heartfelt vocal flow that flows and ebbs its way through to emotional fruition.

I can hear many different musical textures reminiscent of Muse, Coldplay, Modest Mouse, and even classic XTC. The single is extremely melodic but definitely brings to the table a lot of musical variety and much in the way of hooky melodies via a short and sweet format. You will notice rich musical textures overflowing everywhere – from thick as a brick moog bass, driving multi layered rhythms, sonic synthesizers and keyboard accents, vocal harmonies all built upon a rock solid rhythm section. I like the quirky solo and the Beach Boys-esqe type harmony ending the song – nice touch.

All band members play their parts extremely well song for song and note for note. Let me go on record to say there’s not a dull moment on the entire production. The music is passionate and just exciting and suspenseful to listen to.

It’s hard to find any noticeable weaknesses with this single no doubt. If I was producer I think would shy away from the fade out ending and just cut it off somewhere within the harmonious segment. I wish there was a bit more peak and valley effect within the song. Overall the vocal deliver comes on way too strong across the board. Maybe more live instrumentation like Sonic Trumpet, Horns and percussion. All of the above would give it more of a pop appeal without losing the hard rock edge.

From start to finish I Believe by Sirens is a rock solid musical production from start to finish. It’s an extremely consistent, catchy, and a highly melodic ride, with a powerful message to boot. Its strength – it’s just a good and consistent listen and it’s strong suit is it’s positive message. The music will grab the listeners senses refusing to let go. All in all these lads combine amazing musical talent with effective songwriting and vocal abilities delivered hot to the touch via an entertaining collaboration that will have you dancing into the unknown.

I-TUNES: itunes.apple.com/us/album/white-album-single/1351058031

Clay Burton

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Brian Hutson – Anything Can Happen

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/brihutson/

The near-certain success of Brian Hutson’s latest single release “Anything Can Happen” will likely move this young New York based singer into the upper echelon of singing talents in popular music today. His 2015 discovery by producer Joe Vulpis has lead to a number of important and entertaining releases like his idiosyncratic cover of the Christmas classic “Blue Christmas” and the EP release Midnight Sessions and his new song builds on their quality while expanding his reach further than before. Hutson’s voyage from his Hudson Valley upbringing, working on Wall Street, and finally making major forays into the popular music world is an unique tale even for these modern times and you hear that excellence reflected in every minute of “Anything Can Happen”. It’s a winning effort from a young performer who has a limitless future and a bright 2018 ahead of him.

You can hear the promise in his voice. The entirety of “Anything Can Happen” is practically a vocal clinic with Hutson dispatching one inspired turn after another and showing unflappable instincts for knowing what the song needs. A lesser performer might have been overwhelmed by the idea of living up to Hutson’s success thus far, but he sounds galvanized by the opportunity. Despite the obvious fact that this isn’t a live performance, it’s difficult to not hear how Hutson’s vocal is completely informed by the musical arrangement and spills out of him in a stylish release that explores different channels in the listener’s emotional register. He consistently shows the same mastery of song that you hear from much older artists, particularly the iconic ones, and Hutson’s supreme confidence is one of the track’s most vivid features. He especially excels during the song’s chorus and it’s one of the track’s best moments overall.

There aren’t a plethora of instruments involved in this song, but the sounds present are woven together in a substantive thread that evolves nicely from the first and has a sense of knowing where it’s going from the first. Acoustic guitar lines nearly act as a second vocalist matching Hutson’s voice at various points in the song, but assume a capable supporting role at other points as well. The bass and drumming on “Anything Can Happen” give it some additional force, otherwise it might float rather dreamily – that foundation is important to the song’s overall success. The beauty of a song like this, ultimately, lies with how natural it sounds and it moves from a rather simple beginning into something much vaster and grander sounding. Brian Hutson’s career trajectory, thus far, has been one of the most memorable in recent memory and the new single “Anything Can Happen” brings home the reality, once again, that this is one of the best young performers coming into the scene for some time. It’s a great beginning to 2018 for Brian Hutson and will only get better from here.

SOUNDCLOUD: soundcloud.com/brihutson/anything-can-happen/s-OjauX

Photo Credit Angela Talley

Clay Burton

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Cale – Good Day 

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/dearkingcale/?hl=en

Chinese performer and songwriter Cale’s latest single “Good Day” follows up his late 2017 EP release Villain with a track brimming over with the same charisma and swagger that’s been his hallmark since first coming to the music world’s attention in 2010 as a young teenager. He’s soon to turn twenty five years old and the astonishing growth he’s experienced as both a performing artist and writer suggests Cale will be with us with some time to come. His instincts for the form are embodied by the song’s four minute running time – it’s a perfectly crafted track in the hip hop style and doesn’t sound uncertain at all while avoiding any hint of the self indulgence we’d undoubtedly hear from lesser performers. He has an veteran’s assurance and the urgency of a young performer taking great strides towards his artistic destiny. “Good Day” is Cale’s finest single yet and shows that his thirst for new challenges is growing with each new accomplishment.  

There’s an understated ambition surrounding this song. It doesn’t announce itself with trumpets, literal or otherwise, but instead comes through it how it unexpectedly melds traditional musical elements like unexpected R&B influences with his obvious devotion to hip hop style. He cites American hip hop artists as influences alongside his Chinese influences and you can hear that in his music, but it has the good fortune to come across in an individual way rather than as some sort of slavish imitation. “Good Day” varies from a full on approach, emphasizing its groove at the strongest points, over to relaxing and paring away elements during certain sections. The chorus stands out thanks to a smattering of post-production effects added to his voice that fattens its sound. “Good Day” comes off as an unified effort from the first and there’s little doubt that Cale came into the studio for its session focused on a specific sound and end result for this track.

The vocal is its crowning achievement. He has a reassuring, lightly commanding presence from the first and keeps it balanced throughout without ever lapsing into any histrionic moments. There’s a definite pulse to Cale’s hip hop style that you can hook into from the first and it only grows even stronger as the song continues and musical feel for what the song needs to be most successful is unerring from the first. “Good Day” has a powerful and immediate sound that never becomes heavy handed while Cale serves up lyrical content that stays far away from the genre’s typically formulaic moments. There’s an immense amount of charisma and personality coming off this song and the confidence is palpable. Cale’s “Good Day” is as fantastic of a hip hop single as you’ll likely encounter in 2018 and has the potential for appealing to both casual and hardcore music fans alike. It’s a real corker from the first and has plenty of pop and musicality.  

Clay Burton

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Rob Alexander – Back to the Radio 

South Florida based singer/songwriter Rob Alexander proves he’s gifted on a level shared by few with the release of “Back to the Radio”, a single from his collection Long Road Coming Home. The track and album are produced by renowned board magician Gabe Lopez; in tandem, these two musical imaginations shape “Back to the Radio” in a compelling way that listeners will latch onto while showing off idiosyncratic shades that mark the tune as his own rather than something imitative. Alexander’s medical career as a successful anesthesiologist working out of the South Florida area and his role as an educator for future medical professionals shows there are depths to this singer and performer shared by few in the music world today. Based on this song alone, Long Road Coming Home promises to be one of 2018’s more affecting musical experiences.  

“Back to the Radio” has the cool, simmering stride of the mature and fully realized AOR rock song. Rob Alexander’s confidence is superficially surprising considering his long standing focus on a medical career over the musical and some of that may be explained by Gabe Lopez’s steadying presence on the recording of the single and album. It’s likely more explained by the presence of Alexander’s innate talents rather than attributable to any outside force. His songwriting is impressive in every way. The construction of “Back to the Radio” is arch-traditional, yet the spirit of the song is infused with the unique presence of a charisma all Alexander’s own rather than relying on imitation to win over listeners. It makes this song a classic example of pouring old wine into new bottles if nothing else. Alexander doesn’t sound like a newcomer; instead, he sounds like an experienced professional and an artist putting his hand to his finest work thus far.  

The classic rock leanings of the song, bringing guitar, bass, and drums together, are arranged in a pop inspired fashion focusing more on melody than pure rock muscle. It has a dramatic edge, however, that Alexander’s profoundly emotive voice capitalizes on and backs off at all the right places to make for a more nuanced performance. “Back to the Radio” recalls songs from an earlier era, particularly the late eighties and nineties, but it doesn’t sound like some inert tribute to a bygone era, but rather like Alexander has adopted a vehicle whose possibilities aren’t yet exhausted to best embody the sound he hears in his head. Rob Alexander’s “Back to the Radio” is the first song from Long Road Coming Home and represents him coming out of his corner with the impassioned energy of an artist unleashed at last. It’s a condensed, orchestrated performance that hits all the right notes and promises much about the quality to come hearing Long Road Coming Home in full. It shows off an artist who deserves to be heard far and wide.  

YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/channel/UCjsR5vSRwZU3THa6YH2nXbQ

Clay Burton

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Cap – Official 

TWITTER: twitter.com/@capishmusic

Cap’s “Official” is the new single from a Southern California music giant in the making whose four solo albums thus far has helped establish him as one of the most thrilling hip hop talents on the scene today. Michael Capshaw’s rising profile in the music world comes around as honest as it gets – he’s built his reputation through the aforementioned solo albums, video appearances, live performance, guest spots on releases like the Bones Thugs & Harmony tour album, and producing numerous artists as well as his own music. His tenure serving overseas in the military is likely an influence on his command over what his art and career needs, particularly in the area of work ethic and discipline, and the quality of this song bodes well for his soon to be released fifth project Scorpio. “Official” is one more reminder that Michael Capshaw, otherwise known as Cap, is ready for prime time.  

A little over three minutes in length, “Official” has an evocative musical imagination while never coming off as overstated. – the melodies Cap follows are his own and the unique presence of that quality in his music marks his material as distinctly different from the genre’s more common fare. The best way to describe this song is a synthesis of styles – there’s hip hop present, soul, R&B, and even a light singer/songwriter sensibility in the lyrics’ deliberate attempt to make the personal universal. The arrangement underscores the presence of guitar in the mix and it’s a relatively unexpected addition makes the tune stand out more than it already does. 

The production and playing working in concert gives the instrument an unusually stylized sound that adroitly invokes a mood. Cap’s singing balances a thoroughly traditional approach to both integrating his voice with the arrangement and phrasing while also bringing a modern approach to his singing that crowns the song for listeners.  

The remaining instrumentation is equally well handled. The production complements the arrangement nicely without ever drawing too much attention to itself and balances the instruments well against one another while still highlighting the vocal. The completeness of this song is quite satisfying; from the first, Cap’s “Official” comes off like a song that knows where its going and has a compelling rhythmic arrangement working alongside some powerful melodic strands. It’s the next big step in a career in constant ascent and points the way towards even bigger accomplishments to come. Its warm, radio friendly veneer comes across from the first and sustain itself for the entirety of the performance. We need entertainers and musical artists like this in an increasingly cookie cutter age where the lowest common denominator wins out over quality far too much of the time.  

The beauty of “Official” is Cap’s own, imitative of no one, and exudes an emotional mood quite unlike anything else you’ll hear in this style. Both casual and hardcore fans alike will enjoy his work.  

YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/user/capishmusic?feature=mhee

Clay Burton

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Joshua McClain – Coming Home

YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4vN-nEvA28

Joshua McClain’s first self-titled EP was released in June 2011. He also collaboratively released a full-length album in March of 2016 with The Handsome Brunettes, titled Is Fortune a Wheel, with critical acclaim. Highly sought after for both his composition and improvisation as a studio musician, Joshua stays busy working with many Bay Area artists, including folk/americana sensation Spark and Whisper and on Sara Lovell’s latest album You’ve Got Me, winner of the 2016 parent’s choice award. Coming Home, his latest is a concept album based on Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, and Joshua’s cello leads as the main instrument.

Joshua’s style is deeply influenced by the music of Andrew Bird, Zoe Keating, Mark Summer, Yo-Yo Ma, Sigur Rós, Dirty Three, Jimi Hendrix, Max Richter, Yann Tiersen, and Hans Zimmer, among others. These are all details you can find along with so much more at his website. The album is a lot to take in, especially in one sitting, as it plays like one track but there are eight altogether. It starts out with “Journey” which hints at what’s to come and serves as a fine introduction to the concept. The music is somewhere between classical and Americana if it fits any categories. Some might even say it verges on prog rock.

There’s a heavy-handed inclination about it, combined with some influences that certainly don’t count out the prog tag, but as McClain indicates, you can call it what you want, whatever feels right. It’s about how you see it, as well as how he intended it about himself, also pertaining to the Campbell storyline. The second track, “A New World” plays its part more-or less in the triple entendre of author, musician and audience the album covers with no secret about it. This lush piece is where it begins to take off and captivate you with its marvelous musicianship and lavish production.

The following response is musically one of the more outstanding songs of them all, with “Spirit Guide” lifting things up as high as you can imagine thus far on such a cool album. It might even be the sleeper track of the album, depending on whether-or not you like the howling female vocals which for my taste really help make this song what it is. The build-up as it closes, leaves you wanting more, and more I did get as I listened to it a few times on the first outing. If I had a favorite track this would be the highest contender for it, but to be fair and honest, to my ears there is no filler on this brilliant release.

“A Storm On The Horizon” is one of the lesser dynamic but more laid back and groovier tracks to its credit. If “slinky” is a good word for it, then it will do. It’s a mood piece that works within the concept, and if you look at it all as one big piece of music, you’ll comprehend it a lot better. Either way you slice it here there’s something for any lover of everything from classical to folk and even some rock. From the opener, to “Underworld,” and “Rebirth,” to the roaring wonders of the fantastic “Hear My Voice” which is a must hear. It might even be worth the price of admission, it’s beyond innovative, and of genius quality.

CD BABY: store.cdbaby.com/cd/joshuamcclain1

Clay Burton

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Ashley J – Satisfied 

URL: ashleyj.net/ 

Powered by some of the biggest writing and production talents working in pop music today, Ashley J’s debut EP Satisfied realizes the potential exhibited by her first two singles “Trapped” and “Unbreakable” while expanding her artistic reach with an added three songs. The five song release is the full emergence of a pop/EDM influenced songwriting and vocal talent quite singular among her generation in the way she so seamlessly brings the present and past together in one appealing package. The Orlando native, now based in the Los Angeles area, is definitely easy on the eyes, but she generates genuine musical heat in these songs, takes on considerable songwriting responsibilities, and her personality burns through the songs with a memorable charisma we don’t often hear from cookie cutter modern pop. The individuality and passion in Ashley J’s music is her own and utterly unmistakable.  

The authoritative opening for the EP’s first song “Trapped” comes about thanks to an union of attention grabbing percussion with the confident sound of Ashley J’s voice entering the mix early in the song. It continues to maintain the same dramatic edge when the song begins, only on a larger stage than before, and Ashley proves more than capable of ratcheting up the intensity of her own singing in response to changes in the performance. The song is a little longer than the average single in this vein, clocking in at four minutes, but never lapses into self indulgence and keeps listeners occupied for the duration. The shorter “Unbreakable” has a softer edge than the opener and her voice juxtaposes quite well against the song’s insistent EDM pulse. The song accumulates effects as it progresses and ends up with a rousing payoff for listeners.  

The EP’s title track comes off like a big screen tune from its first notes onward. This is a song that’s built from the ground up with tremendous passion and a clear idea of where they want to go with the writing. It also continues to show off the different sides of Ashley J’s musical character that mark her as more than a common pop/EDM songstress. “Like You Used To” has an insistent grind that Ashley J brings a lot of extra heat to, but the arrangement doesn’t content itself with following one line of attack and the musical shifts are welcome and propel the song further along. Her playful, sure-footed vocals are another highlight of the performance. The EP’s final song “When I Come Home To You” mixes much of what we’ve heard from the previous four tracks in with a strong acoustic guitar track running underneath its colorful bells and whistles. It’s an excellent conclusion for the EP reminding listeners that Ashley J’s journey will continue to be filled with tasty surprises from this point forward. Satisfied isn’t particularly long, but it will end the young year rated high on anyone’s list of top pop recordings released in 2018.  

SOUNDCLOUD: soundcloud.com/ashleyj_music

Clay Burton

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