Browsing Tag

Rock Singer Songwriter

Kentucky penned a patriotic rock-licked love letter with ‘America, The Beautiful’

Posted on 21 April 2024

Kentucky’s latest single, America, The Beautiful, is a soul-imbued tribute to the multifaceted allure of the United States, delivered with a rock ‘n’ roll heart that pulses with a distinct Americana twang.

The love letter captures the sweeping landscapes and rich cultural tapestry of the USA, offering listeners a sonic road trip across its vast expanse with pop culture pitstops along the way. With an approach that will resonate with fans of Bruce Springsteen and Guns n Roses alike, Kentucky weaves a narrative rich with patriotic pride, crafting a soundtrack that is both a celebration and a reflection.

The production melds classic rock influences with a nuanced Americana style, making it an essential addition for those who adorn their playlists with heartland rock. Despite the stripped and simplistic instrumental arrangement, there is no lack of depth. Each acoustic guitar-led progression strikes a resonant chord, echoing with rich, cathartic timbres under Kentucky’s gravelly vocal delivery that resonates with an aura of sincerity.

America, The Beautiful invites listeners to feel the pride and beauty of the American spirit. Its release, which stirred enough emotion to briefly face a ban on TikTok, underscores its impactful message and the poignant exploration of American identity that Kentucky so masterfully encapsulates in this acoustic rock anthem.

America, The Beautiful was officially released on April 1st; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zarah established herself as the powerhouse innovator the modern rock scene has been crying out for in her latest single, Blind Woman

Posted on 27 October 2023

Following the critically acclaimed reception of her debut single, What Have We Become? the LA-residing soul rock evocateur, Zarah, has proven she’s far from a one melodic masterpiece wonder with her sophomore single, Blind Woman.

The classic rock cuts may have been stripped back in Blind Woman, but the yearning atmosphere that drifts between the enticing tension in the instrumentation and her dynamic vocal range, which can deliver everything from the raw timbre of Lydia Lunch to a rock-licked iteration of Kate Bush’s high register, is a lesson in sonic alchemy. She’s a siren of pure power and soul.

In addition to Zarah Maillard’s singer-songwriter achievements, the powerhouse of charisma, creativity and talent is a novelist, television personality, producer, and performer, who has performed with Goo Goo Dolls.

If you can’t get enough of Blind Woman, your appetite for Zarah’s synthesis of classic and modern rock will be sated upon the release of her debut LP of the same title. We can’t wait to get lost in the escapism of it.

Blind Woman will officially release on October 27; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

When life gives you lemons, drink James Sebastian’s 70s rock-infused lemonade in Life’s Tasting Good

Posted on 17 June 2023

Proving that there are few things sweeter than sun-kissed optimism and soundscapes which kaleidoscopically pop with the raw energy of 70s rock and soul of 60s pop, James Sebastian put love in the air with his latest single, Life’s Tasting Good.

The wild with zeal vocal lines that will arrest you with the same cuffs of Robert Plant fused with psychedelic pop hues, which paint with the same tonal palette as The Beatles, this horn-infused rock revival revels in the future as rock as much as the past.

It isn’t the first time the UK-based singer-songwriter has appeared on our radar. We weren’t quick to forget his seminal hit, Love is Only Love; Life’s Tasting Good has just as much staying power from the first time it snakes between your synapses with the slickly sensational melodies. It’s far from your average archetypal summer single, but anyone with a soft spot for the eras rock n roll reigned supreme will undoubtedly want to make a staple of it.

Life’s Tasting Good was officially released on the second of June; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ruby Sue told her coming of age story in her bitter-sweet triumph of a debut LP, the Need

Posted on 9 August 2022

With the sweetness of Taylor Swift, the soul of Brandi Carlile, and the bite of Courtney Love, the 19-year-old Minneapolis singer-songwriter Ruby Sue released her coming-of-age debut album, The Need.

Although pitch-perfection and instrumental distinction are a constant through the 12 singles, special attention should be paid to I Remember September, which mellifluously exhibits just how fleeting youth is, and how inclined we are to cling to it through fear of the future. I can only imagine how terrifying the transition into adulthood is in this era, but everyone going through it now has a confidant in this soul-stirring debut LP.

With lyrics such as, “who will I be when I’m not young and free?” Ruby Sue proves that despite her age, she’s got more self-awareness than most lyricists. Get her on your radar.

I Remember September is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rock fuses with hexed soul in Chris Holly’s latest single, 7 Curses

Posted on 2 February 2022

“7 Curses” is the latest lighters-in-the-air worthy whiskey-soaked blues-rock single from Chris Holly. With nuances of Pixies-style production mixed in with the college radio rock vibes and the raw emotion dialled up to 11, few tracks hook you in so deeply from the first hit. 7 Curses definitively proves that there is nothing sweeter than experiencing a fusion of rock and roll and pure tortured soul.

The wanderlust guitarist, Chris Holly, has toured worldwide, rubbing shoulders with Hootie and the Blowfish, Better Than Ezra, and even Slayer and Pantera in his metal days. Now, he’s teamed up with the sensational 19-year-old songstress, Alexis Perry, who has already enamoured the indie music scene. She’s the Taylor acoustic to Chris Holly’s trusty Gibson LPs. If there was ever time to start paying attention to Chris Holly’s career, it is now. New artists as sweet as Soul Asylum don’t come along every day.

7 Curses was officially released on February 2nd; it is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raw emotion becomes anthemic in Alexis Perry’s high-octane rock track, Memory of a Car Wreck.

Posted on 4 December 2021

Memory of a Car Wreck is the latest rock n roll hit from the 20-year-old US singer-songwriter Alexis Perry, who has garnered plenty of hype since her visceral debut. Despite the offer of a major label deal, she has held onto her indie status and expressively lacerating style. You would be hard-pressed to find such piercing lyricism from any other up and coming artist.

The single starts with crashing symbols and crunching guitars; as the basslines start to grind, Alexis Perry’s effortlessly evocative vocal timbre starts to intensify until the track works up to a stadium-ready anthem. It stands as a testament to Alexis Perry’s songwriting ability that she was able to create such a massive track that sparked from something as raw and intimate as suicide. Memory of a Car Wreck finds a raucous way to depict the mercurial nature of our minds that can be on the brink in one moment and consoled the next.

Memory of a Car Wreck is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast