Spanish Moss "Burlesque"

Rock and sex seem to have always had a deep link with each other... we could think back to the days of speakeasy clubs with scantily clad flapper girls and their alluring hip-focused dancing making for decades of Hollywood film adaptations. This attitude is captured wonderfully by the band Spanish Moss and their track "Burlesque" with an accompanying music video below. A groove, smokey vocals, a gorgeous hollow body guitar, and attractive girls dancing in lingerie make for an experience I imagine most of you will quite appreciate. 

Mowille "Ride N Roll"

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nigerian/UK hip hop artist Mowille as part of the "Ensnaring the Muse" series and I have to say he's an interesting cat. Bringing genuine African vibes to an American style of music (rap/trap) fostered in England makes for a unique, but at the same time, worldly sound. To me, Mowille's music is very much a snapshot of 2021 - much in the same way that Parlement's music makes us think of the 1970s. In the interview, we discussed "Ride N Roll.". 

Of course, the listener gets to see the human side of the artists here. With a Spotify lineup that is doing extremely well, Mowille comes off as genuine and humble. For my part, I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this guy. 

Mirko Pirozzi "Candy Almost Every Day"

There is something magical about the sound of synthesizers and heavily affected guitars accompanied by acoustic drums - I imagine that's why we saw the "prog" rock revolution of the 1970s. I remember being mesmerized by the sound of Yes, or later bands like Dream Theater, where rock, jazz, electronics, and classical compositional techniques could all come together in a stellar performance. 

It is in that spirit that I would like you to listen to Mirko Pirozzi, a composer, arranger, and performer out of Italy. His track "Candy Almost Every Day" is a hauntingly beautiful soundscape of beautiful instrumentation and powerful sounds. The guitar and synthesizer cascades play nicely against each other, while thundering drums keep the energy going. Additionally, there is such a sense of craftsmanship compositionally speaking; it's like anyone could listen to this piece and say "wow, this cat knows what he's doing." 

"Candy Almost Every Day" is part of the album "I am Not a Robot," and is available at BandCamp.

Phil Joseph "Babe You Are Mine"

Hello dear CMT readers - One of my most favorite parts of writing for this blog is to watch the development of musicians over time, and this post is no exception. Today, we have one of your favorite artists back with a new song. As of August 16th of this year, Phil Joseph (who is now a full-fledged platinum/gold artist... WOW, time flies) has released "Babe You Are Mine;" a wonderful lush reggae-esque track replete with horns and upbeat rhythms reminiscent of cool island evenings. Joseph has also cut a really lovely video to the track which you should watch below:

I remember being in my early 20's and totally loving on bands like the Cure ("Wild Mood Swings" days) for their use of horn accompaniments to otherwise pop/rock, especially on their track "The 13th." and Phil Joseph is continuing in that tradition with this newest flood in our earholes. 

The sharp drum intro with the horns gently swinging set us up for a danceable party track, yet there is something subtle and seductive about Joseph's voice. "Like the golden sun, like blowing wind, you're special to me..." is a romantic sentiment that I doubt any ladies would be immune to. When we add in the gorgeous backup singers, we've got magic!

It will be interesting to see where Phil Joseph goes from here - but wherever it is, I'm sure those sensual, artistic, and refined aspects of his performance and songwriting are sure to follow. For my part though, I'm happy to sit back and listen to "Babe You Are Mine" while sipping something delicious and letting the sound of brass and vocals put me at ease. 

Onzieb "All Grown Up"

Many, many years ago when I was working at a used bookstore, I was reading a magazine interview with Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda. She was remarking about how intrigued she was with the process of writing songs with just voice and drum machine, in short, forms of music that thrived on simplicity. And it wasn't just Ms. Honda - several years ago The Fugees had a hit arrangement of "Killing Me Softly," not to mention the numerous Bjork tracks that she did with sparse samples and vocals. 

This is an art form that I'm glad we haven't lost - Onzieb/Kitty J's "All Grown Up" is a lovely Electro/RnB ballad that shines vocally and melodically. The opening organ/synth sounds are rather plain, which is no problem at all because the vocals are so deeply beautiful. Handclaps and bass are the companions of the verse until more intense drum patterns begin. The production and talent present on this recording has me wondering why it's taken me so long to hear it. I suppose that with the barrage of music thrown at us daily, we can't expect that talent alone will equal success, but for Onzieb/Kitty J, I sure hope it comes soon. 

Vices Inc "Rolling '82"

Recently I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eleanore Langthorne and Jagger Hicks from the band Vices Inc, for my podcast Ensnaring the Muse (sadly absent was their drummer Kristy Yeaton). Among other things, we discussed their upcoming release, their album titled "Rolling '82," a fun, rocky, punky, and poppy romp through a few 70's/80's covers and several ear-wormy original tunes. If there was one thing that impressed me above all else (music-wise) I would have to say the vocal melodic mastery employed by the lead singer, Ms. Langthorne - a very close second, however; would be the beautifully expressive guitar playing and songwriting of Jagger. 

We also spoke about the collaborative nature of songwriting in a band and how hard-hit many musicians are during this second round of shutdowns (certainly something with which we can all identify). Vices Inc is a fantastic ensemble well worth the attention. It's also rumored that they are fast creators, so it seems there are plenty of projects in the works, which we will look forward to hearing.