Jet City Sports Club – “Sunny Morning”
-Okay, admittedly this feels as much like a pop rock track as it does folk rock. But I LOVE the harmonies so much it was an easy “yes” for me. The vocals are wonderful from start to finish. I appreciate how the momentum of the rhythm keeps it all moving, yet it feels comfortable and easy going. It’s active enough to be energetic rock but not so wild that it feels aggressive. It’s a great feel good tune about being content in a relationship. The lyrics show how being in a good relationship make it seem like everything is better (like sunny mornings), but not being with that person can make you impatient. Been there.
Jeff Beadle – “Dead Relatives”
-The percussive energy in the opening of this track is something special to behold. If you wait for the vocal line to enter, you’ll feel something unique. The lyrics have a historical focus. As a person who grew up in a steel town, I immediately connected with both the mood and context of the song. The desperation in the vocal makes it feel like a song that has real urgency to it. There are elements of narrative folk blended with angsty southern rock for a composition style that truly stands out in the music scene today. This is a track that everyone should spin because it’s so fabulously unique.
Phillip-Michael Scales – “Light Up the Sky”
-If you’re looking for an incredible lead vocal and a song with an atmospheric genre-bending style, definitely check out “Light Up the Sky.” The production is clean right from the start, inviting the listener right into connection with the vocal. The dynamics are satisfying at every level from the rhythm to the horns and beyond. It feels like a song from another era in the best way possible. Lyrically, it’s about wanting to stay with someone you’re in a relationship with and celebrate it. I don’t care too much about the genre lines on this one; it’s a great song and deserves to be widely heard because it just feels so dang good!
Image courtesy: Phillip-Michael Scales IG
