Justin Utley - Survivors

As a potential candidate for the 2018 Eurovision contest, Justin Utley has released his newest single; an uplifting story of survival and growth. "Survivors" is a gorgeous ode to overcoming obstacles. It's about knowing the power in your own life and drawing on that to be the best version of yourself. This song is a bit of a different direction in music than what we are accustomed to hearing from Justin and it's gorgeous. It's an up tempo, dance influenced song that just makes you feel good and you don't lose any of the heartfelt performance that Justin has worked on crafting and expressing in his recordings.

There's always something very personal and very honest about what he releases. His voice has the ability to be big and full when it needs to be and small and gentle. He is theatrical and he's atmospheric and he fills up all the space he's given with his talent. I've known Justin for a while now and it brings my heart much happiness to hear him recording again. Especially when you've got a song that is going to be as important as this. It's going to touch a lot of people and give voice to experiences that are universal that we may not have had the words to express. And I think that's what makes music so important. It gives us the ability to share in universal experiences with people in a manner that connect us all together. That bring us closer to one another through a guided and curated experience that may only last 4 minutes and when that tour guide is someone as skilled as Justin; it's a good thing. You know you are in good hands and you know that you are going to come out on the other side stronger and more confident than you were when you started.

I really hope this gets selected to be in Eurovision because the world needs to be exposed to the beautiful message that Justin has to offer. He is one of the most powerful advocates I've ever known for equality and his story is important. Check out his other music and learn about him. You will be better off because you did.

Eli Lieb - Until You've Fallen Down

It always makes me happy when Eli releases new music. There are very few artists that have the consistency that he does when making decisions about what he wants to represent his art and his experience. "Until You've Fallen Down" is the latest in a long line of music that does much more than sound good. It means something. It's got heart and it's got soul and it's one of the most uplifting songs I think I've heard in a long time. The basic premise of this song is that there are times in our lives where we have to go through the bad before we can appreciate the good. We have to have the bitter with the sweet. We have to stumble to find our footing and it only makes us stronger. It makes us stand taller and fight harder because we know that there are things in the world that are worth fighting for.

This is the most mainstream song that I've heard from him. It's got the most mass market radio appeal and I think that's incredible. It's got a message but it doesn't beat you over the head with it. It's got depth and it's got an incredible amount of positivity that we aren't getting in a lot of tracks today. Eli rarely misses when he puts out a song and I want him to be a huge star so many more people can be affected by his message and his meanings. He's a beautiful artist and we are lucky to have him.

Animal Years - Caroline

Americana is one of my favorite genres. It blends so many things that I love about music. It's pop and it's rock and it's country and it's folk. It's everything about America that comes together in a musical format and it's good and it's pure. What we have here is a perfect example of how Americana should sound. It's got all the pieces that make an incredible song and it's done amazingly well. You may be familiar with groups like Of Monsters and Men or Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Those are both perfect examples of what Americana sounds like if you were unfamiliar.

Mike McFadden has an awesome voice that's heartfelt and honest. It's perfectly suited for this genre of music and this song is a perfect vehicle for him. There is longing and a healthy amount of desire in this song. It's about two lovers that haven't seen each other in a long time and the passion between them is strong and powerful. Emotions and feelings that we're all familiar with and have experienced in our lives in one way or another. Listening to other tracks by this Brooklyn based band shows they've got a broad scope of understanding in how they best show off their talent. The live recording of "Pillow Talk", originally recorded by Zayn is one of my favorites - as it's one of the coolest pop songs to be recorded in a while. It's deeply personal and sexy and Mike does an amazing job pulling it off.

I've just found this group but I'm already a fan and can't wait to hear more from them in the very near future.