Hip hop artist Ace Drucci has a slick new EP out called “Earotic.” It’s a lot brighter and more colorful than I was expecting. At times the backing and some of the vocals remind me of a mix of hip hop and early 90s rave music. Earotic has a very “summertime party” feel to it. Ace’s lyrics are often light hearted and deal with good times with friends and his crew. Musically, my favorite track on this EP is probably “Put Your Hands Up” which has excellent production quality and was mixed to perfection.

http://www.acedruccimusic.com/
Earotic on iTunes

Dallas hip hop/R&B artist “J-Hen” has a video out for his new single “On to the Next.” The direction and production is very high quality and though J-Hen is from Dallas, the music video has a very Miami kind of aesthetic. The intro itself (musically and visually) has an early 90s  tropical beach movie aesthetic.  The song transitions between romantic and soulful R&B hip hop that marks J-Hen’s style and assertive hip hop (featuring Virginia based rapper Yng Rell.)  “On to the Next” comes across as a solid effort from J-Hen, which I could easily picture packing dance floors in hip hop night clubs, with its infectious back beat.

For more info:
http://www.j-hen.com/

In addition to working to her commitment to making a social impact in the world, Jessalyn is also talented singer, and she uses her musical ability to help spread her humanitarian message.   Her compassionate spirit comes through in her voice on her impressive new single “Want Me.”  Her voice is  incredibly refreshing in that it is mostly natural. It has a soothing quality and doesn’t rely on unnecessary effects or processing the way so many contemporary R&B pop songs do.  There’s nothing fake about this music, and Jessalyn doesn’t ruin her beautiful song by injecting a lot of egotism or aggressive attitude.  The musical backing is almost space-like at times and provides a pleasant ambiance while maintaining energy and a lively pace. “Want Me” revels in its sincerity, which comes packaged with great talent.

R&B singer Amber Renee has unveiled her debut single and accompanying video for her song “GoGo.”  Amber resides in California and was a prominent college basketball athlete prior to pursuing music full time. Some of her athletic ability is evident in her video, which features her in a lot of well choreographed dancing  with a couple of male backups.

The song has a cool vibrato synth intro with an almost eerie quality that sets up the jam nicely.  The lyrics have a number of biblical references, indicating that Amber’s faith plays a role in her musical inspiration. The musical backing of this song is particularly impressive and could even stand on its own. Great quality production. Amber Renee has a great voice, which she demonstrates in full effect at certain climactic points of the song.   She has a lot to be proud of in this debut.

Follow her on Twitter for more info:
https://twitter.com/ofclamberrenee

After a somewhat mysterious, synth intro “Man On Fire” opens itself up and transition back forth between R&B styled pop chorus and rap verses. The transition is handled between various styles is handled very well, and nothing sounds out of place. Where Absoloot really shines though is in his speed rapping flow. It comes across as flawless and on point and is illustrative of a lot of natural ability. It’s not quite as fast as old school Bone Thugz but what makes Absoloot impressive is the way he effortlessly manages to change pace on a whim without missing a beat.

For more info checkout Absoloot on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Absolootmusic/

New mixtape out from Danjah 317, an Indianapolis based rap trio. Normally when I hear “mixtape,” I’m not usually expecting much of anything interesting, but this is actually pretty rad. The intro is some spoken word over a backing of someone turning the radio dial (or at least emulating that effect.) It works well and got me interested. The track “Guess Again” is fast paced and engaging throughout, with clear and on point vocal delivery. Their popular song, “Stress Free Zone” is aptly titled. It’s a mellow jam with a loungy backbeat. Quality vocals without any unnecessary effects and that complement the background music help make this mixtape superior to similar efforts by other artists.

For more info:
http://worldwrapfederation.com/profiles/blogs/danjah317-drop-just-breathe

A rapper who goes by the name Mirlo – The Writer’s Writer AKA Donne Darko has a new EP coming out called “Good Day to Die.”  The main single is titled “Worth it All.” The video for this song utilizes a fish eye lens reminiscent of many 90’s videos. It features an array of colorful graffiti backdrops which help to establish the tone. The song itself has a mellow vibe and a chill tempo.  Stylistically, track contains elements of reggae influences as well. With these kinds of rap releases, the video is crucial to success, and the quality of Mirlo’s video for Worth it All is good enough that I can see it gaining some traction if it reaches the right people.

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1176285403?ls=1&app=itunes&uo=8&at=11lGk6

Compass has a new song out titled “Dead Presidents.” I prefer the verses to the chorus portions of the track.  It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the chorus, but the verses are crisp and clear. I just happen to really like the vocal effects used, the backing and the overall mix in those parts of the song and found myself looking forward to them on repeat listens of the song. Compass doesn’t come off as an amateur at all on this release. He seems rather confident and polished.  I won’t get into the politics of the lyrics other than to say that Compass clearly doesn’t feel that any of the candidates represent his interests! Despite the title, his style doesn’t come across as overbearing or aggressive, and there is still plenty of focus on craft. Probably my favorite part of this song is how he manages to creatively incorporate the term cyclops from Greek Mythology into the rap.

https://soundcloud.com/godbodybingo/compass-dead-presidents

Texas based rapper Mel has released video out for his new jam, “Late Nights.” It’s a laid back, kick back sort of song, with a pleasantly mellow and entrancing beat. The video production isn’t overly flashy and doesn’t contain any unnecessary effects. Mel keeps it minimal but with some decent color usage (whether intentional or not.) His rhymes have a capable flow and the chorus “I can’t forget them late nights” it catchy enough for the song to stick in your head. Pretty straightforward and smooth jam.

http://www.soundcloud.com/omellythegreat
https://mobile.twitter.com/TheOfficialMel_
https://www.instagram.com/theofficialmel__/

Based in Phoenix, experienced and well traveled Pop-rock singer Jonathan Cavier has just released a cover of the Cheap Trick classic, “The Flame.” The style of it is a bit lighter than the original and has more of a pop feel. Jonathan is a solid vocalist and manages gives the cover his own flair while still capturing the emotion of the original. I especially liked the backing instrumentals in this version. There are some great synth hooks, and the mix works well. “The Flame” is apparently the second entry in Jonathan’s “Cavier Covers” series. We’ll be anxious to find out what’s coming next from this guy.

For more info:
http://caviermusic.com/