Browsing Tag

Soul Rock

Call Me Cannon rekindled the resonance of rock’s golden era with their latest nostalgic installation of soul, JAMEY

Posted on 4 March 2024

Call Me Cannon’s latest single, JAMEY is a nostalgically fresh breath of air. The pop-rock gem, infused with soulful undertones, is a masterful blend of past and present and echoes the robustness of rock with the catchy allure of pop.

The track is a harmonious blend of piano-driven melodies and rock-solid guitar riffs, creating a sound that carries the influence of the Human League, Billy Idol, and Aerosmith while reverberating a sonic signature steeped in a style of soul that could only belong to Call Me Cannon.

The trio, consisting of Michael Fitzgerald, Jonathan Clark, and Tony Brock, brings a wealth of experience and musical prowess to the table. Their chemistry is undeniable, evident in the seamless way their talents converge in their latest evocative earworm. The song is a testament to their philosophy of “doing what we want as long as it rocks”. We can definitively argue that it does.

Michael’s songwriting shines, offering a glimpse into his impressive repertoire of 17 independent albums and multiple award nominations. Tony Brock, with his extensive credentials, and Jonathan Clark, known for his collaborations with music legends, add endless layers of depth and expertise to the mix that you’ll turn to every time you want to feel the sanctity that only soulfully constructed rock can deliver.

JAMEY proves that sometimes, the most impactful innovations are those that skilfully revisit and revitalise the past.

Watch the official music video for JAMEY on YouTube or add your single to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NYC’s Lucid Lip synthed up their soul-rock signature in their achingly bitter-sweet release, No Ones’ Burden

Posted on 1 March 2024

Lucid Lip, a band which always knows which heartstrings to pull and notes to play, took their sound to more experimental synth rock territory while maintaining their evocatively impactful finesse with their latest single, No Ones’ Burden.

Staying with their signature sound of soulful alt-rock clearly doesn’t creatively hinder the powerhouse which has become integral to the NY live music scene after playing Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, Our Wicked Lady and countless other renowned venues in their 10-year reign as one of the most versatile acts in the NYC circuit.

After a Grandaddy-meets-Owl-City-esque synthy prelude, No Ones’ Burden kicks into a melodiously energised alt-rock-goes-pop groove as the smoky with soul vocal lines project aching melancholy into the tonally dynamic, harmonically-heightened release. Chris Cornell himself couldn’t have conveyed the emotion in the intimate lyricism better; the candour-fuelled confessionalism of the release is bound to resound with anyone who knows how bitter-sweet it feels to be beholden to no one and be perpetually resisting the temptation to live fast and loose.

No Ones’ Burden will be available to stream on all major platforms from March 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Awake latent desire with Sometimes Julie’s arcanely empowering soul rock hit, Missed the Boat

Posted on 10 January 2024

The San Diego singer-songwriter duo, Sometimes Julie, rivalled the NYE fireworks by ending 2023 with a bang by unleashing their LP, Seven Wishes on December 31st.  Navigating the tempestuous seas of rock, Sometimes Julie’s standout single, Missed the Boat, is a clarion call to the unfulfilled dreams within us. At the helm of the journey is Monica Sorenson, whose soulful vocal prowess is akin to a lighthouse guiding through foggy doubts. Her voice, imbued with raw, emotive power, intertwines seamlessly with the universal trepidation of time slipping through our fingers.

Rick Walker, the architect of Sometimes Julie’s distinctive sound, chartered a sonic odyssey that transcends sound. His multi-instrumental mastery, reminiscent of a more rock-infused Fleetwood Mac, creates a tapestry where each note resonates with purpose and passion.

If you were looking for permission to embrace your latent desires, it lies within the cultivated blend of storytelling and melodic magnetism, where Sorenson’s voice serves as both the narrator and the protagonist. It’s a journey through self-doubt, culminating in an empowering resolution to seize the moment.

As the final notes fade, you’ll revere Sometimes Julie as storytellers of the soul; their future is as promising as the dreams they inspire.

Missed the Boat hit the airwaves on New Year’s Eve. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Space out with the rock-licked soul in Church Burglars’ kaleidoscope of psychedelic shoegaze, Fairy Tale Ending

Posted on 1 November 2023

If you take your rock classically cut with a twist of spacey psychedelia, explore the riff-carved cosmos in the standout single, Fairy Tale Ending, from Church Burglars’ debut album, Subconsciously Conscious.

With soaring riffs as strident as the licks orchestrated by Slash’s fair hands fused with the soul-lavished euphonic sensibilities of the Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd, Fairy Tale Ending is a prog-rock meditation on the highs and lows of diehard romanticism. The endlessly caressing vocal lines which have more in common with the Shoegaze pioneers than your average rock outfit draw you right into the gravity of the bitter-sweet release, which stands as a testament to the LA-based outfit’s determination to make real music for real people.

After the founding members met at Berklee College of Music in Boston shortly before the COVID pandemic, frontman Mike Foltz used the international live music breather to travel to LA to record the debut LP independently with the exception of a few lead guitar parts laid down by Alec Grugel. With the full line-up finalised, Church Burglars are making waves in the live circuit; grab any opportunity to see them in an intimate setting before you have to join legions of fans filing into arenas to witness the virtuosity of Foltz.

Fairy Tale Ending is available to stream on Spotify.

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

Eddie & The Wolves riffed the blues in their latest hard rock anthem, The Coming Storm

Posted on 15 September 2023

Batten down the hatches for the latest riff-adrenalized anthem, The Coming Storm, from Eddie & the Wolves. With the soulful overtones underpinning the blues rock installation of riotously introspective rancour, you’ll be exposed to the soft underbelly of the UK-hailing wolfpack while being electrified by the hard rock alchemy their tight synergy bleeds into the airwaves.

Instead of solely keeping it superficial and glam, Eddie & The Wolves used The Coming Storm to weave a raw tale that invites the listener to take the track as a sign that you should face the uncertainty of our chaotic world head-on. With the hook-littered hit on your playlists, standing at the vanguard of change will start to seem an infinitely better option than cowering into a bottle.

The Coming Storm will arrive on September 15; stream it on Spotify & keep up to date with the band on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Palace became heirs to the rock n roll dynasty in ‘Looking at You’

Posted on 24 June 2023

Just as royal blood ran in the veins of Prince and Queen, The Palace is just as imposingly majestic in their debut album, Rainbow Shades, which hit all major streaming platforms on June 9th.

The standout single, Looking at You, is a rapturous riot of Broadway-esque blues rock, with the shimmering Organ keys aiding the transcendence of the experience around the bluesy piano glissandos and the reverent rock electric guitar solos.

Star quality emanates from the natural charisma of the frontman, who utilises his soulfully profound dynamic vocal range to bring this stellar slice of rock n roll to visceral life. If your rock playlists are lacking serotonin, give them a potent fix by making Looking at You a staple.

To launch their debut LP, The Palace performed on the main stage at Indy Pride Festival, following a series of performances to capacity crowds throughout independent venues in Indianapolis.

Stream Looking at You on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Perry Lockwood prescribed comfortingly stoic ear candy in their soul-pop-rock serenade, What If Tomorrow Never Comes

Posted on 1 June 2023

While there are no good answers, what if tomorrow comes? At least the latest soul pop-rock serenade from Perry Lockwood, which titularly ponders the same inquiry into non-being is comfortingly stoic ear candy.

With the same ascending effects utilised in Crazy by Seal and Echoes of Faith No More in their Angel Dust era, noted through the smooth crooned vocal lines and grooves laid down by the guitars and bass, What If Tomorrow Never Comes is instantly accessible. But there was plenty of room for Lockwood to scribe his distinctive sonic signature in this deeply contemplative release, which will leave you grateful for the sentience you are granted today.

The official video for What If Tomorrow Never Comes is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Infatuation takes the wheel in Amenazar’s latest slice of seductive soul rock, Get It On

Posted on 29 May 2023

If Incubus emanated the riff-driven raw sex appeal of Velvet Revolver and the soul of Chris Cornell, their records would run in the same red-hot vein as Amenazar’s latest single, Get it On.

The Kansas City prodigal sons of soul rock are renowned for their high-energy live shows; perceptibly, their alchemic approach to new-era rock n roll resonates just as well on the airwaves, given the intoxicatingly impassioned magnetism of Get It On, which allows the seduction to run as an undertone in the single which lets romantic infatuation take the wheel and drive.

The working-class emissaries of reverent alt-rock records should be on the radars of every rock aficionado keen to savour the best of contemporary rock. We can’t wait to hear what innovation they unleash next.

Get It On was officially released on May 19; check it out on YouTube and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang filled groove pockets with raucous rock licks in ‘Benign Lion’

Posted on 23 May 2023

As you can probably gather from their moniker, The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang is far from your average RnB ensemble. Their seminal single, Benign Lion, is a riot of funk and foot-stompin flavour, driven by the fiery vocal lines of Lorena Valta.

Valta knows just how to instil raucous rock elements into the groove pockets that are deep enough to leave the Grand Canyon green with cavernous envy. Adding to the eccentricity of the Austrian outfit are the layers of blues, which pay homage to the roots before embedding them in an amalgam that could only have been alchemised by The Freaky Friday Jailhouse Gang.

The serious superlative talent is one thing, but the evident fact that the powerhouse, which has kept the cogs turning since the early 2010s, doesn’t take themselves too seriously is quite another. There’s an undeniable sense that the Gang benefit from their feel-good euphonics as much as their fans.

Benign Lion is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast