We Plug To You... Alyxx Dione - September

Singer/Songwriter Alyxx Dione’s new album titled September dropped in my inbox on the first day of the month and being a September baby, I was very eager to listen. Known popularly for her YouTube uploaded covers to chart topping hits such as "Best I Ever Had" (Drake), "Russian Roulette" (Rihanna), "Run The World" (Beyonce) and "Do It Like a Dude" (Jessie J) to name a few, Alyxx has managed to gain quite a fan base for herself. Even more recently, after covering one of this year’s most re-made tracks - Drake's "Marvin’s Room" - her recognition grew even bigger. Her version ranks as one of the best I’ve heard, overshadowing top artists who also attempted the song. This newly found spotlight couldn’t have been a better time for Alyxx to drop her free debut album September.

We Plug to You... A.V.I.D (A Voice I Deserve)

Blog surfing a few months ago, I stumbled across A.V.I.D while one of his tracks was set to auto play on the ‘said blog’. With Neo-Soul being one of my favorite genres, I listened to the song playing and a few other tracks featured and was immediately drawn to this Tanzanian native.

Born Tinashe Bgoya, A.V.I.D - which stands for A Voice I Deserve - hails from one of Tanzania’s largest cities – Dar es Salaam. He certainly is not new to music and boasts of a burgeoning catalogue of beautiful R&B and Soul tracks. Like most artists, A.V.I.D recognized his talents early on and by the age of 7 to be precise, he started taking music lessons to develop his skills and I must applaud A.V.I.D for in a time where most would have given up as a result of not having the right resources to record having been thrust into boarding school, he instead turned to writing and based on the quality of songs he has on offer, he has shown that he is just as good a writer as he is a vocalist. A.V.I.D - apart from his solo work - is also one half of the band named Sy-Meez which he’s currently working on a project with. With no solo album to his credit yet, 3/4 available tracks on his Reverbnation page will be reviewed here giving you an introduction to his music...

We Plug to You... Ozzy B - Diaries of a Loner

It’s not so often that I offer to review a mixtape/album before I hear the finished product. That’s exactly what happened though, when my friend sent me some unfinished tracks by the artist I am about to introduce to you. So I hit my friend back to ask who this was? I had never heard of him before and I was pleasantly surprised. His voice, his delivery, and the lyrics come absolutely correct and I’m glad that with the full mixtape now out, he did not disappoint me. I have to apologize for the late review, as the mixtape came out in July, but this is a great way to start the new month I promise. Without further ado then, meet the Nigerian rapper/singer and songwriter, Ozzy B - who brings to us a fresh sounding vibe on his debut into the music industry in Diaries of a Loner.

We Plug To You... Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm

I’m almost livid at myself for not immediately recognizing the amazing talent oozing out of Benjamin Francis Leftwich until my 14 year-old sister pointed it out. But for what it’s worth, I’m glad I listened. I plug to you 21-year old singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich a native from York, England.

I find it interesting that Leftwich has decided to be known by his full name in a case where most artists tend to shorten their legal names or more often than not, alternatively come up with a catchy stage name. Leftwich grew up listening to artists such as The Rolling Stones and Nina Simone and by the tender age of 10, unsurprisingly could play the guitar and piano. Fast-forward to more recent years and a drive to pursue his musical talent, Leftwich released his first EP A Million Miles Hit in October 2010. Another EP Pictures followed in early 2011 before the release of the the Ian Grimble-produced Last Smoke before the Snowstorm; his debut album in July 2011. The debut album and previous EPs were all released under the Dirty Hit label.

We Plug to You... Cris Cab - Foreword

So my editor sent this to me and I thought to myself, "what does this preppy looking kid from Miami know about Reggae music?". Still, I downloaded because the Boss knows me well enough to know what songs excite me. My thoughts after listening were exactly this…“He cannot be 18, who writes for him, OMG This boy is amazing, he will surely get it”.

You know what they say about not judging a book by its cover? Well it is the absolute truth - PLEASE do NOT do it guys and I should know this too. I confess I was one of those people who thought Adele was this black soulful singer from the Motor City somewhere and I promised myself once I found that to be the contrary, to never be so judgmental again, but “oops, I did it again”.  Without further ado, I have the ultimate pleasure of plugging to you Cris Cab - 18 year old Cuban singer/songwriter from Miami, Florida and his exceptional recently released debut EP – Foreword.

We Plug to You... Bez - Super Sun

Help! I'm never usually starstruck but here I am completely won over by the voice of this - rightly put - Super Sun!. However, I'll get myself composed enough to put this review together. I got very excited to do the feature on this particular artist and his music and you can probably decipher the reason why as you read on. I have followed this cool gentleman (even virtually so) from his days of small cozy performances at a Jazz/Soul Jam slash Poetry Slam cafe of sorts called Taruwa in Lagos, Nigeria - a brain child of his sister Lydia Idakula-Sobogun - up to his involvement with one of the most popular and gifted Producers in Nigeria, Cobhams Asuquo and his C.A.M.P production outfit and label. We plug to you, one who many have referred to as "Nigeria's John Legend" - velvety Alternative Soul singer/songwriter by the name of BEZ.

We Plug to You... Muhsinah - Gone EP

Independent singer, songwriter, composer and producer Muhsinah - pronounced Mu•see•na - is back after a long break away from the music scene with a brand new fourth EP titled GONE which she recently released on July 20 for her 28th birthday. The Washington DC native has already performed in front of President Obama at his homecoming inaugural ball in 2009 alongside veteran Chicago rapper Common and has also been nominated for a "Best Vocal Performance" Grammy Award for her work with Hip-Hop/Soul duo The Foreign Exchange. You simply cannot categorize Muhsinah into one genre or box as I found out when I listened to Gone. I found it difficult to place her but after listening to her a few time, I came to the following conclusion: her music and production are very much Electronica/Indie/Experimental but her vocals and lyrics are 100% Soul music and it's therefore no surprise that Muhsinah's dexterity and style have attracted many audiences and acknowledgments such as this one from Radiohead's front man, Thom Yorke.