Was floored by this incredible song from Dan Mclean Jr. If this track is any indication of the level of quality for his upcoming album, then I predict it will be extremely well received. He’s an incredibly gifted singer, a real pro. Also, unlike many other performers in this genre, Mclean has a great sense of aesthetic and an avant garde style, as is evident by watching the video for “I’ve Seen Love,” which features an assortment of classic tv clips, put together in an artistic fashion.

You can(and should) purchase his music from iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1079088229

http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1079088229?ls=1&app=itunes

Producer: Dave Dunlop
Executive Producer: Greg Wells (Mayer Hawthorne, Adele, Twenty One Pilots, Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams)

Rich Newly is a rapper from Fontana, CA.  His songs have kind of a mellow classic 90’s California style. The beats  and samples bring to minds old school analog stuff like Tribe Called Quest. Rich’s song with the best aesthetic in my opinion is probably “Run It.” It’s catchy.  The flow is smooth, and the jam has a killer intro.

https://soundcloud.com/rich-newly

Indie singer, songwriter “STV” has another new album out called SOS on Hembot Records. It’s every bit as good as the last one which I reviewed sometime ago. STV describes himself as a multi-instrumentalist, and that’s definitely evident here. SOS features arange of different synth and guitar sounds throughout the 9 tracks. STV’s music seems to skillfully combine elements of chillwave with a sort of dark, brooding indie alternative style. The impressive vocals and complex lyrics both help to illustrate STV’s storytelling ability.

http://hembot.com/stv/

Based in western Connecticut, Catalina Shortwave spends a lot of time in the New England woods, and it shows in their music’s refreshingly organic tone. With their new album “Radio Voodoo – Songs From the Dark End of the Soul,” you get the idea right away with the opening jam, “Your Old Letters.” This is just good old fashioned, homegrown rock n’ roll.

The best way to describe their sound is that it would not seem out of place on the soundtrack to any mid to late 80s horror movie(think “The Wraith” with Charlie Sheen.) That is of course, a good thing. Connecticut and New England bands tend to trend toward indie or hipster aesthetic. Catalina Shortwave give off more of a veteran, musician vibe. The vocals stand out in particular. The singer, David Rizzo, can really sing. I’m talking Iron Maiden quality here singing here. You won’t find a bunch of autotune or pitch correction on these recordings. The guitars have the perfect amount of distortion and have achieved that tube-warmth tone every audiophile is on a quixotic quest for.

My favorite track on the album is Darkstar, an action packed track which perfectly encapsulates this style of music.

David Serero has performed in concerts all over the world, as well as appeared in over 100 films, film tv shows and film shorts. He is known for being the youngest French opera singer to debut in the U.S. when he was 26. A French actor and musician with impressive musical and theater resume, he recently released a new album in December titled, “All My Love is For You.”

His background in musical theater and shows is evident in his songs, which are an eclectic mix of Broadway, World Music, Jazz, and Adult Contemporary pop. You can almost feel the stage presence through the music, with Serero’s larger than life vocals at the helm. It all has kind of Tom Jones quality to it. Even reminiscent of big band styled Sinatra(with a slight French accent.) In fact, I could easily picture Serero being a resident performer and one of the popular hotel casinos in Vegas. Considering he has already performed in more than 800 concerts and venues around the world, it may have already happened.

The songs are romantic and all about love, but even the “unrequited” ones don’t come across as overly melancholy or depressing. My favorite track on the album is the title track, “All My Love is For You,” as it’s a little more epic and up tempo than some of the slower, more brooding songs.

Serero draws from a wealth of experience and manages to create an adult contemporary, pop rock album that shines. A dedicated performer, I have no doubt that his career will continue to grow.

http://www.davidserero.com/

What if you took 90’s style pop punk vocals and attitude and combined them with modern  EDM grooves? That’s kind of the vibe I get when listening to Belle Vex’s latest album, “15 Minutes of Fame.” His singing takes on a rebellious tone and the cadence is reminiscent of punk genres. That’s somewhat unique for EDM, which is more known for abstract, and vague “niceness.” Despite the attitude the pace of the music is energetic and upbeat.

The production quality on Vex’s songs is as good or better than anything on the radio. This makes sense given that several of his tracks have charted nationally. Especially refreshing is what a great singer Vex is.  Most modern song vocals are heavily processed and autotuned to the point of drowning out anything organic from the sound.  Belle’s voice on these recordings has only subtle and minimal effects.

Belle was born in New Bedford, MA and learned to play the cello as a child. His musical talent is evident in his music as an adult. Give him a listen for yourself.

Sometimes, an artist deserves a few points just for having a clever name alone. That’s kind of how I feel about rapper “Montey Kaloh.” His new single “My Wings” is pretty catchy though in it’s own right. “You can have anything, but you cannot have my wings” is repeated enough times, that it’s sure to stick with you after the song. My favorite portion though was the synthy intro, which had a late 70’s early 80’s electronic, sci-fi vibe. It was a good choice to start the jam. Take a gamble and give Montey Kaloh a listen.

https://soundcloud.com/monteykaloh/my-wings

Gearing up for the release of his aptly titled new album, “Monday,” Los Angeles singer-songwriter Monday Justice had put out a teaser single, “Dance and Fall in Love.” It’s a carefree club-style jam that reminds me of the music you’d hear while shopping at H&M or something. He seems to draw from a wide variety of interests and manages to create a song that doesn’t come off as cocky or aggressive(rare for this genre.) Really just a passionate nice guy who makes decent music. My favorite part of the song is around 2 minutes in where there’s a catchy little interlude.

http://mondayjusticemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MondayJustice/

Was immediately impressed by some tracks I received from Florida artist, J. Evan. His EP, “Get Up” is energetic, and backed by some pretty groovy melodies. It kind of has an early 90’s “jam” sort of vibe but with slightly more modern production quality. It’s great to see so much musical talent going in a positive direction. J. Evan’s music is sure to put you in the mood to party. He’s got his start as a vocalist in the church choir, and it shows. He has a good vocal range, and it’s refreshing to hear poppy songs that aren’t autotuned.

Follow J. Evan on Twitter @J_Evan_Music

Donica Knight is a country singer/songwriter from Montgomery, Alabama.  She has an awesome voice. Unlike most contemporary recordings, her songs aren’t loaded up with autotune and other effects. Donica’s genuinely a talented singer. Her music has a classic southern feel to it combined with modern production quality and energy level.

Here’s Donica Knight’s new video for her single release ” Love Ain’t A Prize” set for release Nov 1st, 2015.  The video  was produced and directed by Noel Maitland and composed by Donica Knight, Jim Huff and Chris Vos.

http://www.donicaknight.com/