Rita Ora - Your Song

One of the most slept on artists in the music industry today is Rita Ora and I feel that is a damn shame. Her voice is amazing. Her lyrical timing is spot on. She's the perfect package and I think unfortunately, in America - people don't know what to with both Rita and Rihanna. And they can't be any more different from each other. Rita has just such a cool vibe to her that is easy and free. It's just fluid and she does a damn fine job with what she's given and she makes music that people can easily identify with. Sure she's got music that's on trend with what's happening in the industry. And she's got timely guest vocalists on her tracks but when you get a song that's as polished as this is and it doesn't get the recognition it deserves in the mass American market, there's something wrong. The song is incredible. Rita is incredible. The video is incredible. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Cristina F - Dear Beauty

There's something theatrical about the production of this song. I feel like it would fit beautifully in a Broadway show about coming of age. Whether it's a song about introspection and learning who we are or if it's a song about someone actually leaving our lives. I think that as we get older, we spend a lot of time examining those things and those ideals. What we hold dear and what we hold important in ourselves and in relationships change as we grow in ourselves and our experiences shape who we are. We may face disappointment and we may have to deal with unexpected twists and turns in our lives but through it all, as long as we stand strong and work every day to be a little better - there's nothing we can't persevere and grow. Like a dandelion growing through the concrete, beauty finds a way.

Cristina F has created a song that has some life to it. Some mileage on it and it connects with me, specifically on a primal level. I know where she's at. I've felt these feelings and I know how hard it is to smile when it feels like we aren't in the place we need to be in the world. Her voice reminds me of so many amazing female vocalists; Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, Serena Ryder, Chantal Kreviazuk. Women you probably haven't heard of but women that are powerful and strong and who have been kicked around by life a little and have lived and created a creative space and outlet for their joy and their pain and given thoughts and feelings a chance to become something bigger than themselves.

This is an amazing song from an up and coming artist that you will see grow bigger and brighter as more people learn about her. I feel fortunate to have caught her this early in her career so when she's singing to sold out auditoriums I can say, I remember when. Check her out and listen to her newest Digital EP over on SoundCloud, "The Flowers". It's earthy and it's soulful. It's comfort food for the soul, for sure.

Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still

Portugal. The Man has dug into some crazy amount of groove here. I can't fully describe how hard this track grooves without just losing my shit over it. It's hands down one of the funkiest songs I've heard in a very long time. It's just one of the coolest songs ever. I don't really know what else to say about it aside from that. It's simple, it's easy and it just feels right.

Alex Sloane - Puppy Love

Unique voices are as important to me as unique point of views. And Alex Sloane has an amazing voice. It's got a fantastically unique quality to it that makes it soft and soothing but there's an earthy grounded quality hiding underneath. You can hear that in the more breathy moments in this song. It's a super cute and fun song and it just makes me smile. It makes me feel warm and content on the surface but when you listen to the lyrics it's a bit more serious. So it's got this duality to it with the softness of her voice against the intention in her lyrics. I think that people do tend to get it twisted when it comes to feelings and how connections happen. There almost needs to be a step between like and love. Something to describe how you feel that is more than just casual attraction but not as serious as being in love with someone. Alex has done a fantastic job of explaining that on this track and I look forward to hearing much more out of her.

Patients - Learn To Love Me

The amount of intensity in this video is bananas. From the striking color palate to the edit swipes to the building and swelling of the track into a tumultuous deluge of want and desire. There's something very desperate about this song and it's a bit broken and a bit scary. But not in an American Psycho kind of way but more of a deep longing and a need that has to be fulfilled. I think we've all been that person. The person that is at their wits end and we don't know how we can go on without connection and meaning. Sure, we can navigate the world on our own. We can make our way without people but we weren't designed for that. We weren't built to spend our time alone so when we find that person that compliments our goods and makes our bads not so bad, a deep seated, primal feeling can build into that need to be. To be more than we are and I think from time to time, we can forget ourselves and get swallowed up in another person.

Bright Light Bright Light - New York Pretty

There can never be enough songs about self love and acceptance. And when they're done this beautifully, please bring them all on. BLBL has made an incredible song and a better video for this anthem about being the best version of yourself. It's a beautiful love letter to queer New York City and how being in an open environment makes you just open yourself up for opportunities and you want to learn how to be better. It's such a fun, powerful song and I can't get enough of it. He's got such a magical way with creating these songs that are experiences and they get inside you and just make you feel good.

Haim - Want You Back

Simplicity at it's finest. When you've got an amazing song, you don't need much else to embellish it. The Haim sisters know that. The video is simple and it complements the song brilliantly. Seeing Danielle, Este, and Alana having a good time while walking down the street is just fun. The dance break at the end made me smile with just mega amounts of joy. I don't want to take too much away from this video as it's just a great accompaniment to the song.

Haim - Little of Your Love

You've got the perfect piece of music here. It's fun. It's catchy. It's everything Haim should be in their music. Danielle sounds amazing. Alana and Este do an amazing job supporting her and the song is just everything you need in a great summertime jam. You will be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't just find the jam in this track. You have to move along with the music and it just makes you feel good.

Their new album 'Something To Tell You' coming July 7, 2017 so make sure you pre-order it or pick it up when it releases because it's going to be amazing based on the tracks they've released so far.

M.I.A - Finally

YES! So glad to hear new M.I.A. It's been too long and I worry that the whole Superbowl drama had something to do with that. I don't know for sure but it seems like that is something that would absolutely have something to do with her hiatus in the United States. She's an amazing artist and completely slept on in the US market. This track is just easy and nothing overly complex. Just a chill jam that shows off her vocal talents exceptionally well. I'm stoked to hear her recording new music and can't wait to hear and see more from her.

Beth Ditto - In and Out

I can't describe properly just how amazing Beth Ditto is and I don't think she gets nearly enough recognition for the incredible body of work that she's put out. She's brash and she's bold and she's just an artist that has cultivated a sound that isn't like anyone else in the industry. Each track she releases just proves that she continues to grow and become a more realized version of the true artist she should be. She's got a lot of rebel in her and she makes me think of Joan Baez and Dusty Springfield and Janis Joplin. Her music is honest and it's just so freaking cool.

"In and Out" is a new single off her latest album, Fake Sugar and the bass line is just so chunky and it sounds so good against her vocals. She amazes me with what she can do when she sings. I adore her and everything she puts out. She does a great job telling a story about two people that are trying their best to be the best for each other but more often than not, we struggle to maintain the connections and ties that bring us together. It's a part of life that we have all felt at one point in our lives. We do everything we can to make sure we are being the most attentive partner we can but sometimes that just isn't enough. We just have to make sure that the fight we are fighting is worth it.

Tronicbox - Closer (The Marlboro Smokers 80s Remix)

SO DREAMY!!! Tronicbox has knocked this out of the park! It's brilliant. Halsey sounds AMAZING. Just like she should be in the 1980s. I cannot believe how incredible this remix is. This is quality work right here. I can hear this playing in the mall where there is far too much hairspray in the air, jean jackets and hair pulled up in banana clips. I adore this so hard. The nostalgia is SO strong with this one and THAT GUITAR SOLO!!! This is the most I've used caps in a review ever but this is just killer. I can't even... Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham are running late to an audition. Gertie and Billy are looking for Reese's Pieces. This is just so much damn fun.

Matt Zarley - Waving Through A Window (Dear Evan Hansen Cover)

There's no denying the universal appeal that is "Dear Evan Hansen". With it's five wins at the Tony's this year, there's no doubt that its a juggernaut that cant' be stopped. "Waving Through a Window" is Evan's song about watching the world pass by around him and how he wants to be part of something that he just can't seem to grasp and I feel that Matt absolutely captures that feeling with this cover. I think that doing it as part of a road trip where all he's able to do is watch the world pass by as he drives was a brilliant idea. Matt is one of the best voices in the industry today and I feel like he's done an amazing job capturing a lot of the emotion of the song without it just being a simple cover.

Sally Caitlin - Poison

Sullen, sultry, salt of the earth. Those are all qualities I adore in a voice. There is so much depth of character and a feeling of life experience wrapped around the breathy pronunciation and how the lyrics are punctuated. You can tell that Sally has had a bit of life under her belt as she sings. She's not phoning it in. She believes her words and she is expressing herself through the words she's singing. I hear some Roisin Murphy and a bit of Sophie Ellis-Bextor in her voice and that grounded type of singing just fills the space around her with an atmospheric quality that a lot of contemporary pop artists don't have. She's able to manipulate the landscape of her tracks without too much difficulty.

The bass line and the percussion in the song gives a powerful path that she marches down and leads you on this journey of self destruction that we have all been caught up in at one time or another. It's not something that we've set out to do, but whether it be obsession or lust or just a general sense that we will eventually come out on top even though we know better - we can't seem to get free. The song has a darkness that isn't evident until you slip into it; much like the dangerous relationship she's singing about. You don't see how it's bad for you until it's too late most of the time and there's nothing you can do about it.

I dig this song and Sally is certainly someone that I am going to watch out for as she does bigger and better things. Let me know what you think about her.

Bleachers - Making of Don't Take The Money

I don't normally feature videos like this but to get insight into Jack's creative process is pretty amazing. Hearing what his influences for the song are and how it became the song that it did is super cool. You never realize just how many layers are in a song until you see something like this and it's just the coolest thing. Take a handful of minutes and watch this and see how much time and energy he puts into creating such an amazingly deep song.

Little Mix - Power (f. Stormzy)

YES. YES. YES. So much Yes in this video. It's powerful af and I love every minute of it. Perrie looking fierce af in her Indian inspired costume just killing those vocals. Jade and the Triple A Girls. Jesy killing that rap. Leigh Ann just doing the damn thing. These women are my favorite group right now. They have been for a while, actually. I can't even express how underrated they are in America and it makes me so sick. Stromzy's cameo on the song is so grimy and fits so perfectly with the overall power of the song. This is an anthem that everyone needs to get behind.

Dua Lipa - Lost in Your Light (f. Miguel)

Holy hell. This sound is MASSIVE. This track is so HUGE and it's gorgeous. Miguel and Dua are a perfect vocal match for each other. There's no jockeying for position. There's no arguing over who should have top billing. Even though it's Dua's song they both kill it on shared vocals and I could not ask for anything better. It's a fantastic song that just immerses you in this experience and it's good. Dua Lipa is quickly entering the ranks of Little Mix and Arianna Grande for me as far as young women that just make amazing music. This is going to be one of my new favorite songs. That's for sure.

Bakermat - Don't Want You Back (f. Kiesza)

90s piano house is fucking brilliant. It's even better when it's 2017 and Kiesza is giving me all that I need and making me shake my ass. Bakermat has created an amazing track and those vocals are so hot. This song is fire and it's going to be huge on the club scene. I'm super happy to hear how amazing this song is and how much it makes me move. It's so freaking good. I feel strong and empowered and ready to kick a ton of ass after listening to this track. For sure. Kiesza sounds amazing and she owns every inch of this song. There aren't many female vocalists that can capture that pure 90s sound like she can and it's fantastic.

Scissor Sisters - Swerlk (f. MNDR)

Jake, Ana, and special guest MNDR on vocals bring this amazing brand new Scissor Sister's track to life. It's been 5 years since we've had new music from the Sisters and in the same week, we get a brand new solo project from Jake and a new single from the band. This week has been glorious.

"Swerlk" is the new track and it's great. It's very reminiscent of "Let's Have a KiKi" and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's very catchy and it's super fun. All you have to do is Swirl It, Twirl It, Twerk It, Swerve, and Work It. Do all that and you've got the newest sensation from the Sisters. Proceeds from the track are going to the Contigo Fund which was set up after the Pulse Massacre in Orlando. I think it has the potential to be as big as KiKi and I can't wait to see if this is a door opening for more material from both groups, Scissor Sisters and MNDR. I adore both groups and this is a fantastic collaboration between them.  Go to www.swerlk.com to donate to the Contigo fund and get a free download of the song. It's a damn worthy cause and having new music makes everything better!