WE love G.O.O.D Music! & not just that mainstream music either! We love... anything really & from anyone too! If it sounds GOOD, we'll plug it (plug = spread the word lol)! We aim to bring 2 U G.O.O.D music that radio doesn’t play... that U won't hear anywhere!
Mellow Indie Folk/Rock singer Stuart Newman is a largely self-taught musician. Starting out first with a piano and a guitar, he began writing songs and experimented with his home recording techniques during his University years. His music is reminiscent to the chilled-out but soulful Folk and acoustic music of America and he could be described as a miscellaneous mix of Elvis Presley and Nirvana. His musical influences range from The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Radiohead to Feeder, Queens of the Stone AgeGreen Day and My Chemical Romance.
The beautiful YUNA has finally released her self-titled US debut album! First off all, I have to apologise for having slept on this album for quite a bit. I received this album a good week and a half ago but only listened to it about four days ago and no lie, it has been all I’ve listened to since then.
The 25-year old Malaysian singer, songwriter and musician came on our radar last year with her US-released Decorate EP after signing to the FADER label. She quickly caught the attention of critics and fans alike across a wide spectrum with her beautiful music and heart felt lyrics.
Nashville-based Alternative Rock band Bonaventure is made up of Dan Smyers and Andrew Albert, both of whom are already well known in the music world to their respective fans - Andy is the lead singer of Pop-Punk band Holiday Parade while Dan is a successful solo singer and guitarist in his own right. The pair met up about a year and a half ago in Miami, Florida and after realising that they were both heading down the same path musically, began to explore and share a few song ideas between themselves over the internet. That path as well as the initial exploration and sharing of ideas eventually led to the formation of Bonaventure and both artists moving to Nashville, Tennessee - the city of such great songwriters as Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix - to create what they call "Rock with a Southern flavour".
Talk of songs that tell a story... Of fresh unadulterated natural music from the roots... Of music that is organic, music that is unplugged, music that is fresh from the garden of Soul and inspiring from the garden of life and we can only be talking about the special and beautifully simple UK-based Nigerian singer/songwriter by the name of Lánre.
OK, I’m sorry but I just can’t seem to start this article in any of the conventional ways I know. I mean, right now I’m listening to a song by our featured artist and I just feel so compelled to talk about it right now! I just can’t wait to introduce this artist to you and we’ll get to that in a minute but first we just have to talk about this masterpiece of a song - which by the way is not on the album I'm featuring/reviewing (heaven knows why) but is none the less still worth PLUGGING!
"The Drowning" is the name of the very first song I am plugging to you from this artist, and not to sound too morbid or anything but if I was going to commit suicide or "drown" myself, it would have to be to this beautifully depressing song! I literally pressed play and that was it - I was utterly captured in his description of his shipwreck of emotions. He describes the love he shares with this person as an old weary boat, and how the water is gushing in and he’s more likely to drown but for her love, it’s worth it!!! If the film Titanic was cool instead of corny, it would have had this as its soundtrack. "The Drowning" - backed only by acoustic guitar strings - is so honest and deep, that it physically hurts to listen to but you just can’t bring yourself to press the stop button. The stillness in your mind it creates is just something out of this world and it’s almost like you would be quite happy to just sit on this boat he sings of while it loses its battle against the waves and just happily drown! I could really go on and on with my not so comprehensive descriptions of "The Drowning" but it might still never quite hit home so you literally have to press play below, perhaps more than once!
I first heard and saw Martyna Baker back in the Autumn of 2009 - it was a showcase for BBC Sound of 2011 nominee Daley, she was one of the two supporting acts to open for him - and despite the annoyingly noisy crowd and reception at the otherwise intimate Ruby Lo venue in London, Martyna Baker, along with her guitar, delivered a beautiful selection of acoustic songs that simply just blew me away. Unfortunately or otherwise, in the two years that have proceeded after that performance, I haven't seen or heard much of Martyna or her music except for news of an odd gig here or there but fast forward to this week and all that seems rather irrelevant because Ms. Martyna Baker has - out of nowhere - gone and released a short but sweet "introduction" if you will of her music to her wider audience by way of a 5-track EP simply titled Martyna Baker - The Demo's and can I just say right off the bat that it's an AMAZING debut EP from the London-based singer, songwriter and musician - without question!
22-year old singer, song writer and musician Lucy Rose grew up in the country side and spent her early teenage years learning how to play the saxophone, piano, guitar and drums in the basement of the family house. By the age of 19, she made a run for London and started off singing in little rooms above pubs to a highly inebriated audience night after night. It wasn't long before her unique voice and songwriting abilities captured the ears of true fans which subsequently increased her gigging and put her on the radar. She’s been on the scene properly since the start of last year, is under the management of Black Book Management - who also manage Razorlight and Ghost Cat - and is currently supporting Ben Howard on his UK-wide tour. Lucy’s voice alone is capturing but coupled with her heart felt lyrics and beautiful melodies, her songs are just magical. She sings Acoustic/Folk/Pop in a way that keeps you captivated no matter what genre of music you are into. Here are a few tracks that made me an instant fan of Lucy Rose!
Last week (October 3, 2011), one of my favorite artists so far this year and - in my opinion - one of the best new artists of 2011 released his debut album via Island Records. Born and raised in Devon (United Kingdom) and with a certain penchant for classic 60s and 70s singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens which he picked up from his very musical parents, this 24-year old British "acoustic troubadour" and "keen surfer" dropped out of a Journalism course at Falmouth College (six months before graduation) in 2008 to pursue music full-time.
The outcome - three years down the line - is a recording contract with the label home of the likes of legends such as Nick Drake and John Martyn, a BBC Radio 1 playlisted single in the very excellent "Keep Your Head Up" which we will explore much later, an army of devoted followers that have led to numerous sold-out headline gigs in not only the UK but also in France, Germany and Holland and a fifty minutes long 10-track debut LP that is one of the BEST ALBUMS OF 2011... His name is Ben Howard and the album is called Every Kingdom.
I was first introduced to emerging London-based singer/songwriter Elena Tonra, who's also now known as Daughter and her music about five weeks ago through Pigeons & Planes and I have been a huge fan of hers ever since. I have listened to her everyday for multiple times over the last month and a half and the sad fact that I am only just sharing her with you will say horrible things about me because music this good should definitely always be shared.
Describing Elena Tonra as an artist would seemingly be easy enough - She is a Folk/Acoustic singer/songwriter who plays the guitar but that is NOT even the half of it! She is an amazing, if not complex songwriter who speaks about love and hope and finding and losing both and that much more in the most real, honest and beautiful way and while the musical backdrop upon which she turns her poetry (Yes Poetry) into song are some of the most simple you will hear, her stories remain ever so compelling... Her words are simple yet they are so heavy and it lies in the way and in the cadence that she conveys them. I could go on and on about her exquisite songwriting because I feel it cannot be overstated (her songs are that good, trust me) but something has to be said about Elena Tonra's voice! Something has to be said about Elena Tonra's voice - ethereal, soothing, commanding, haunting, true, passionate, intense, lingering and all in all IRRESISTIBLE - much like her music in all honesty.
I thought I should be careful to paint Daughter to you in the best possible light not only because she's that sublime and I may not eloquently convey that knowledge to you but also so that the very next place you go to after here is to download her music but I really do NOT have to worry because the music does that all by itself.
The song you just listened to - my favourite Daughter song - is titled 'Your Kisses' and is off of her latest 4-track Demo EP. Backed by the simplest of guitar strings, Elena sings beautifully about only ever wanting her ex-boyfriend's heart and not his "kisses" and losing both to "this girl" - her ex-boyfriend's new lover. On such a musically stripped down song, all you're really left with are the vocals and the lyrics and what Elena (Daughter) does on this song is nothing short of amazing, captivating you from the start to the very last note. You can almost taste the despair and defeat in her voice.
"I bet she can't sing / I bet she can't write the lyrics to make your heart beat / Sing notes to make you go weak / But her kisses were just what you wanted..."
This next song titled 'In The Shallows' is also off of Daughter's brilliantly crafted Demo EP. I talk about Ms. Tonra utilizing her vocals and her lyrics to captivate you on 'Your Kisses' but on this here song, it is the more pronounced guitar-driven musical milieu and more so it's collaboration with Tonra's hauntingly rich and strong vocals that leaves you spellbound. The lyrics are understated on this one and although not because any shortcomings, take a back seat to the outstanding vocals/music tag team and you have to and should too really listen to this one to get it because either way (lyrics or music), it's a great song. Listen below...
Daughter's DEMO EP is one of the best collection of music that I have heard in quite a while and I instantly fell in love with it. The trip is that the quite shy and reserved Elena calls these songs "demos" but you would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with this EP as all four songs are perfect as they are. I won't include any more songs from the EP in this feature and will leave them for when you download the EP so you can get the full EP experience. What I will do however is share this song from three years ago when Elena was still known as Elena Tonra and what I will say is that her music was as beautiful, sincere and breathtaking as Elena Tonra as it is now as Daughter. In comparison, you can certainly hear the progression in her lyrics and songwriting and how much she's matured on the Demo EP as against this song she aptly titles 'Twat'... Listen below
I'm really excited for 21-year old Elena Tonra as her music is beginning to make significant headway in various relevant circles in the UK and internationally with The Independent recently putting her on their barometer, Who's Jack Magazine calling her the "Future of London Music" and songs from the Demo EP receiving national airplay from the good people at BBC 6 Music and Amazing Radio to playing at the HMV Next Best Thing gig earlier this month along Andrew Davie and charting at number 3 on the Hype Machine Popular Charts earlier this year with 'Run' (a track off of the EP). I really hope 2011 sees her music get further out there to the masses because as I attested to at the beginning of this article - music this good SHOULD be heard by everybody and with the early success of her absolutely divine demo EP, our wish just might be granted sooner than later. Whatever the case, Elena Tonra aka Daughter is a class act and her music simply needs to be heard.
This here feature on UK-based singer/songwriter Kelli-Leigh has been a long time coming as I've been a huge fan of her's ever since I saw her perform an 'open mic' slot at performance showcase 'iLuv Live' about a year ago now. On that night, she outshined even the showcase's headline acts and that was only just a tip of the iceberg that is Kelli-Leigh.
Kelli-Leigh is a fusion of Rock, Pop, Funk and Soul and her voice has been described as "beautiful, intense, passionate and powerful, yet with a freshness that cannot be compared with many of today's pop singers" and if you've heard this woman sing, you would be hard pressed to argue with that. She's toured in over 12 countries with High on Heels, does backing vocals for Adele and is on the radar of Boy George, ElectroQueer and Matt Willis (UK Music Jobs, just to mention a few but as we're never one for 'hype' and are strictly about the music - let's get right into it, shall we?
I am in love with this next song 'I Am Here' which sees Kelli-Leigh go directly at 'the industry' and those that do not wanna let her through the door on this excellent fusion of Rock and Funk/Soul music. I've chosen to share the acoustic version with you though, as there's something about her vocal presence on this one that I'm totally in love with. On it, she starts off softly as if to complement the gentle acoustic guitar strums of her long-time collaborator, co-writer and guitarist Keir More but always controlling the direction of the music and as the song progresses, the passion and intensity of her amazing voice starts to dominate this song rather beautifully. This is an instant attention-grabber! On the hook of 'I Am Here', she sings...
"Why aren't you taking me seriously, Why don't you recognise that I have magnanimously been making waves but you don't realise (No... But No) I am here"
Sonically the full-band treatment might appeal more to you so just for your listening pleasure, I'm gonna share that too and you're in for one hell of a musical treat because Kelli-Leigh's band go hard on the paint as soon as the second stanza of this song kicks in. Enjoy...
While we're still on full-band treatments, this next song 'Can't Get You Outta My Mind' is without a doubt one of my favourite songs right now. This one is heavily driven by lush drum patterns and divine electric guitar chords... Add to it, the infectiously catchy hook and you have that whole 'Arena Music' feel down to a tee with Kelli-Leigh highlighting her astounding vocal range that will certainly sing down stadiums and festivals in time to come. A special mention to Keir Moore and Ryan Haberfield on guitars because not only do they drive this song beautifully but the (short) guitar solo on this song does things to me every time.
For this next song and only as a slight detour, I thought I'd take it completely left-field and highlight some of the other music Kelli-Leigh makes with London-based Electro/Dance/Club producer and DJ Butchered Beats. On the radio edit of this song 'Without You' which takes a completely different direction (within the Dance Music bracket) from the song you're about to hear, Butchered Beats and Kelli-Leigh show that their chemistry stretches further to making sweet 'Dance Floor Filler' Pop/Dance music to the delight of not only your ears but more so, your feet. You can listen to that here... The below version of 'Without You' is an electro-tinged Dance/House record upon which Kelli-Leigh lends her amazing vocals to add an ethereal soulful touch to Butchered Beats' hard-hitting musical backdrop.
I was in a dilemna as to what song from Kelli-Leigh to share with you (as the final song) as there are so many amazing ones to choose from, with her latest offerings leaning towards more acoustic-driven Pop/Soul renditions that all come out magnificently and leaving you rather spoilt for choice. On the well-crafted, vocally perfect 'Through The Storm', you can hear Kelli-Leigh sing beautifully about needing "to be saved" over just Ryan Haberfield's gentle acoustic guitar chords while Kelli-Leigh and Ryan Harberfield collaborate once again on the catchy mid-tempo 'Easy' to glorious effects and on the not quite acoustic but equally infectiously lush 'Missing You', Kelli-Leigh continues in the same vein of creating some very amazing music enriched with live musical elements. I cannot get enough of this woman. Listen to 'Through The Storm' and 'Missing You' below...
While I've harboured on about Kelli-Leigh's vocal abilities, her lush tone and the musical dexterities of her band, something should be said about her song-writing skills because all these songs are so beautifully written and all credit to the combination of Kelli-Leigh, Keir Moore and Ryan Haberfield.
I am a HUGE fan of Ms. Kelli-Leigh and it's a honour to share her with you because she is as music should be - Nothing but Good Music and without compromise. I hope you pay attention to this woman because Kelli-Leigh is a serious problem and with a bevy of beautiful and diverse songs across the genres of Pop, Funk, Soul, Rock and even Dance music on her Soundcloud page, all good enough to make for an excellent début album, it is certainly not long before she gets all the recognition she deserves.
This is a long over-due feature and after I am done, you will see why I still felt the need to share this with you, 3 months later. Some of you may already know this artist, dare I say you should and for some, she will be totally new, so let me give you a little bit of background info.
ASA is a Singer/Songwriter (Government name: Bukola Elemide) who was born in Paris, France and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. It was while in Nigeria, that she started singing and discovered music but it was not until she moved back to Paris during her adult life, that she found and formed her musical style. Her Musical influences include Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Rafel Saadiq as well as Angelique Kidjo and you can actually tell from her songs that she does not just say this. So when we say ASA's music is a fusion of Pop, Soul, R&B, World, Funk & Reggae, it is exactly that, all beautifully sung in Yoruba and English.
I must confess that I was not a fan of her début self-titled album 'Asa (Asha)', there was just something missing that I could not quite place my finger on, although I could not deny how beautiful and soulful her voice was. With her sophomore album 'Beautiful Imperfection' which came out last October in Europe & Africa and is soon to be released in the UK & US, I must say I am quite flawed. It's everything working well together; her sound, the music, the elements of live music, the well thought out lyrics, the story in every song and the emotions they evoke. This album is bright and happy while still remaining soulful. I give this album a 9/10 without question. But I'm rambling on, you listen for yourself.
This first song is titled 'Maybe' and I absolutely love it. I love the blend of Acoustic Pop and Soul music; the lush piano chords and the soft guitar riffs; the drums patterns and the perfectly arranged backing vocals. This song is simply beautiful and it gives you so much assurance and inner peace, well it gives me so much assurance and inner peace anyway. Add that amazing voice and what she is saying on the record into the mix and you can't help but fall in love with this song.
"I'm gonna be myself, and nobody can, nobody can stop me. I'll finally be, who I'll be"
This second song is titled 'Dreamer Girl (Have You Ever Heard)' on which she encourages you to dream, because maybe someday, that elusive day we all hope for (like when I win the lottery and become a millionaire) will eventually come to pass. Asa's stripped-down acoustic sound really shines through on this and the melody of this song is without question the best on the album. This song is actually my personal favourite, primarily because I can relate. As with this one, quite a lot of songs on this album are very relatable and on songs like 'Bimpe' and 'Ore', you almost think this might be a personal story for her.
"You might think, that she is a bit naive when she says that someday she'll be queen. Is it impossible, is it a crime or is it a silly state of mind"
This next song is called 'Baby Gone' and it's four heavenly minutes of Blues-infused slow tempo guitar-driven soul music. I love this song especially because it's from the perspective of a woman who's lost her significant other and desperately wants him back, usually it's the other way round with the male character wanting the woman back so it's good to hear the contrast. This song is so raw, brutally honest and very sad, it's hard not to appreciate this. Asa's voice, the musical arrangements and harmonies evoke so much passion and the pain in this song resonates with me. Can I just say mention the violin solo from 2:30 minutes? Mentioned...
"I wish I kissed you deeper, can we find a way? A way. My baby is gone, gone, gone"
Lastly and not in the least by any chance, I thought I ought to share a more upbeat song to end things just right. A little less up-beat than the official lead single for the album 'Be Your Man' but equally as happy is the very catchy summery tune, 'Why Can't We'. This definitely makes you want to move your feet, the way only a good Pop song can make you do. I love the horns & drums combination on this one, they give the song so much energy just at the right moments and it reminds me of a Disney song and a Jack Johnson song all at the same time if that's even possible. Very enjoyable!
"What is life about? Did nobody tell you. The reason why I ask, I can see you are so confused. You worry much about the things you cannot see. You have it all with your money, you still complain"
This album is as perfect as they come. I did not skip a single track on this record and I suspect you wouldn't either. Even if you do not understand the songs in Yoruba, I am sure that the melodies, harmonies of the songs and the quality of music on 'Beautiful Imperfection' will keep you listening. ASA's voice is soooo beautiful and you'll find yourself in a very peaceful place when you listen to this album so I encourage you to definitely purchase this album at the jump.
Asa's Beautiful Imperfection is released in the UK on the 4th of April, 2011 and in America during the Fall.
Earlier today (January 9th), UK-based singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran officially released his latest project, 'No. 5 Collaborations Project' on iTunes, an 8-track EP of Folk, Acoustic, Grime & Hip-Hop infused good music featuring some of the best & his favourite rappers in the UK Grime/Rap scene and we had to make sure you don't miss out on this kinda goodness BUT if you're reading this and wondering who the hell Ed Sheeran is (as some of you might), then lemme introduce you to one of the BEST & brightest fast-rising artists in the UK!
Ed Sheeran is an emerging UK Folk singer/songwriter who came into much prominence in 2010 after appearing on UK Urban media outlet, SB.TV and since then, has become somewhat of an 'Urban Cult Classic' here in the UK with the President of Universal Records, Monte Lipman flying him out to New York for a showcase back in the Summer and none other than US R&B star Jamie Foxx co-signing Mr. Sheeran while out there. His gigs in 2010 have all been sold-out & he was a support act for Exmple on his UK tour but let's not be fooled, Ed Sheeran is NOT entirely the new kid on the block. He's been hard on his musical grind for well over 5 years now, with his début album coming as far back as 2006 and 5 EPs under his belt since 2005. Ed Sheeran was at the TOP of my 'new' artists of 2010 list and with the 'No. 5 Collaborations Project', I think he shows you just why he is & should be kind of a BIG deal but I'll spare you the rhetoric and let the music speak for itself!
What you just heard is a track titled 'Radio' which features UK Grime veteran, JME on the verses and Ed Sheeran along with long time co-producer Jake Gosling providing the amazing musical backdrop for this song (as with all of the EP). Can I just say that I LOVE this song and it's gotta be hands down my favourite song off of the EP. On this, JME & Ed Sheeran (hook & bridge) painstakingly & beautifully let us in on the perils of 21st century mainstream radio and the power of the greatly sought after 'radio playlist'. It's a beautifully crafted song and JME pours his heart and frustration out eloquently without ever sounding preachy or fake. I just LOVE it... A perfect 10!
This one's called 'Goodbye To You' and it features emerging grime artist, Dot Rotten. I really really like this song and I've got it on repeat for the longest time. Now typically I doubt that I'd ever actively seek out to listen to Dot Rotten as I'm not a huge fan of his but on this song, he is the epitome of sheer brilliance! The deep, retrospective style of his verses draw you in to the realness, pain, remorse & truth his words embody. Something has to be said about Ed Sheeran's songwriting and music-making ability, he crafted out each of these songs with each rapper/emcee in mind and it's NO wonder that Dot Rotten does brilliantly on this, the song feels and sounds like it was made for him and him only but let's not take anything away from Dot Rotten, he brings this song to life with his emotionally-drenched verses & serves as a beautiful closing track to the EP... 2 for 2 on amazingness from the 'No. 5 Collaborations Project'
The final song I'll be sharing with you is 'Little Lady' featuring emerging UK Hip-Hop artist, Mikill Pane. If you knew Ed Sheeran before this then this song already sounds familiar to you as 'Little Lady' is the remix of Ed's 2010 smash single 'The A-Team' off of the very beautiful 'Loose Change' EP. On this, Mikill Pane adds his EXCELLENT story-telling skill and ability to an already brilliant song and dare I say, makes it BETTER! Mr. Pane brings a new dimension to this song and when I first heard his verses over this (especially that 3rd verse), I was close to tears and that goes to show the realness of his lyrics. The detail in his story-telling and his carefully crafted choice of words bring the song to life and it's as if you're right there in that room and you wanna do something, you really wanna do something but you can't... Beautifully told!
'No. 5 Collaborations Project' is beautiful music! The more you listen to it, the better it gets and the fusion of Folk & Acoustic music with Grime/Hip-Hop music is genius and serves a real delight but some traditional fans of Ed Sheeran and those who fell in love with the 'Loose Change' EP may be weary of this EP and the direction it takes but I will say that they should trust it's creator because he's poured his heart & soul into this which shows from every side of this EP and it looks like his fans agree with me as at the time of publishing this, 'No. 5 Collaborations Project' seats at #9 on the iTunes UK album chart and at #1 on the iTunes UK Singer/Songwriters chart. On the other hand, staunch fans of Grime will flock to this and absolutely love it as Ed succeeds in showing some of it's (Grime) usual suspects in a new and different light, in a more accessible way if I may be so bold. 'You' featuring Wiley as well as 'Lately' featuring Devlin stand out also as foreseeable favourites amongst Grime fans.
This EP works & all in all, the 'No. 5 Collaborations Project' is a very GOOD body of work filled with amazing vocals, musical backdrops to die for + hard-hitting emotional lyrics and it's worth every penny... You really need to get this EP!
