Foy Vance and Ed Sheeran’s Heartbreaking “Blue”
You want to give the guy a hug. Okay, so we know about his great high tenor voice – a really good range. It doesn’t really matter what he sings, you just want to listen to him sing it. But he also has this sensitive soul. Ed Sheeran lives in his feelings. He takes the […]
How Musicians Actually Marketed Their Music in 2023 (with Stats)
You guys came through in the clutch. Big thanks to everyone who filled out my survey. Here’s the quick recap: And that brings us to this present day, on which I will be sharing the results from our – drumroll please 🥁 – 130 responses. You guys rock. Two caveats before we get into the […]
Gia Darcy Finds the Courage to Just “Say It”
Gia Darcy is a fast-rising pop artist from Sydney, Australia who just concluded a swing through the U.S. Her latest EP is a treasure trove of great songs, including the title song “Horror Movie” and the ultra-hooky “Toxic” (which isn’t a cover of the Brittany Spears’ hit). But the highlight of the EP is Gia’s […]
Meagan Sky has the Power of a Modern-Day Aretha
Portland, Oregon doesn’t immediately spring to mind when you think about blues-inspired singers like Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. But that’s the home of artist Meagan Sky, whose incredible voice and songwriting put her in the select company of all-time greats like that duo, plus Dusty Springfield and Adele. For someone this magnificently talented, Meagan […]
JUNGWOO’s “Cumulus” is Blissfully Liminal
I heard JUNGWOO for the first time in 2019 when she popped up in my new releases with a Kim Sawol feature, one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time. I made the grave mistake of not further exploring her music or clicking onto the album from which the song joined my playlists. Unfortunately, this […]
Art, music, and identity as a step forward
I heard this story about a songwriting class. I think it was on an old CD Baby podcast, but I’m not 100% sure. Anyway, the story involves a songwriter roundtable at a college of music, one of those contexts where students share songs and receive feedback. As I remember it, some of the students would […]
Are Spotify’s royalty changes a big deal?
I’m wading into the controversy this morning… To make it even more offensive: I think most people (including, maybe, you) are overreacting. Yeah, yeah – I know Tom already wrote about this topic in an email that was kinder and more insightful than anything I’ve written this year. So this morning’s post is fated to be redundant, slightly […]
HOW TO GROW A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST 2024
As an “elder millennial” I’m old enough to remember mixtapes — little plastic cassettes with a jumble of songs recorded straight off the radio. I loved curating the mixtapes and I loved giving them away. I remember every single mix someone else gave to me — I listened to them over and over! Mixtapes were […]
Miss Machina Finds that “Nirvana” is Bittersweet
Miss Machina (aka Ashleigh Smith) is a mega-talented L.A. artist who previously lived in Dallas and Chicago. Her songs are insightful, beautifully sung and immensely hooky. Her latest single “Nirvana” is a haunting look at how the end of a relationship can torpedo a lot of the shared experiences and memories that were once so […]
Casey Dubie’s “Older Colder” Sings with Indelible Warmth
As I write this review, a thick fog blanches the sky, and a gelid storm smatters the roof. My walks recently have developed a new phase of routine: the frigid refusal stage, where I stare out the window and think about how I should finally bust out my winter coat. Then I don’t, going out […]
