Three bluesy singer songwriters you need to hear

Emi Meyer – “Space”
-When I first clicked play on this track, I was surprised by the bluesy energy of Emi Meyer’s writing and vocal. It has a beautiful commercial polish, while still feeling authentic to the blues. It’s a bit like the Michael Buble or even Frank Sinatra style of taking blues principles to inform what is, essentially, “pop” music. This song is tailormade for a playlist for a dinner date or to play over the speakers at a shop. It’s commercial gold.

Sheldon Hunt – “Here to stay”
-I really, really like this song. I listen to so much music in a year, it really takes a lot to stand out for me and trust me when I say the vocal and soul in this track stands WAY out. Hunt brings a vocal element that I rarely hear. Picture an artist along the lines of Rayland Baxter singing with a style more along the lines of St Paul and the Broken Bones. It’s a mashup you didn’t know you needed, but you do. The bluesy organ break in the middle of the track makes me fall in love with the track all over again. This one is a heartbreaker and I’m so glad to have found it. One of 2020’s best, for sure.

Colin Neil Stevens – “Dust”
-The blues piano at the core of this track puts a smile on my face right away. Honestly, Stevens takes on a style that’s a little more like Ben Rector and Matthew Thiessen (two of my favorites!), so I was an instant fan of this one. There’s even a beautiful lyrical image at the heart of the track, thinking about how temporal we really are as people. I’d honestly be interested in hearing this one as just a stripped down acoustic version. Stevens has a songwriting gift and I’m shortlisting him after enjoying this track so much.