Alice Russell's To Dust

Ever since Amy Winehouse left her jazzy roots behind and found her inner soul diva, the British music scene has been absolutely flooded with proper soul revivalists. This ever growing number of artists has taken the purity of the classic Northern Soul sound and added modern flourishes to it. Among those doing just that is Alice Russell. Her album To Dust is a retro fueled trip back to the past brought bang up to date with stunning production.

Russell can clearly sing the dickens out of anything placed in front of her; she's got this gorgeous near Aretha Franklin like vocal style that's just about perfect. She doesn't wail but she does let her emotions influence her and mixes in blues so effortlessly that the end results are impressive. When you take all of that and mix it in to the rest of the record the results are a constant source of goosebumps. To Dust has a modern R&B vibe to it thanks to the crisp beats but it's Russell's back to the past vocals that really make this record pop. She just makes everything sound nearly tragic and emotionally draining and that's what proper soul is all about. One listen to "Heartbreaker," and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about it; she is one heck of a blues inflected classic soul singer that lets it all hang out on every note.

To Dust is a powerful effort and sees Russell making leaps and jumps from her Pot Of Gold album. To Dust so easily mixes modern with vintage and blues with soul that it's a constant source of fascination. Russell has come up with an impressive set of songs here that are well written and produced and sound like a million bucks (the organ led tracks are awesome). There might be a zillion soul-revivalists out there but only a few rise above the rest and Alice Russell is one of those select few that are heads and shoulders above everyone else.

SLV Digs Deeper

Sandra Lilia Velasquez better known as part of the critically acclaimed band Pistolera has stepped out on her own. Known as SLV for solo purposes, Sandra has just released her debut solo EP, Dig Deeper. In being true to the EP's title that's exactly what Sandra's done; she's dug deep and come up with a huge leap forward for her as an artist.

Dig Deeper is a three song record that mixes English and Spanish and rather than Latin music seems to find more in common with a worldly jazz groove. This of course could be due to the production hand of Meshell Ndegeocello, but regardless the songs are mature, jazzy and sound fresh and modern. It's a nice step forward for Sandra and it will be interesting to see how these songs and Meshell's guiding hand will influence her the other way when Pistolera resumes. Until then though, Dig Deeper and enjoy the birth of Sandra Lilia Velasquez as a burgeoning solo artist.

Moxi Is Lost In Dreams

Singer Songwriter Moxi isn't exactly as cliche as you might think and that alone takes a lot of moxie. Her latest single In My Dreams is a slightly gauzy and hypnotic record that actually sounds like it was recorded in a dream. With lush instrumentation, sounds that caress and flow over you and Moxi's rather seductive voice In My Dreams is more like sophisticated chill wave than anything with a hint of singer songwriter in it.

At times sounding like Feist, Chan Marshall, Delores O'Riordan or even Siouxsie Sioux at one point it becomes pretty obvious that the girl sing in a variety of ways. She's got a diverse set of pipes and a diverse set of songs for those pipes to play in and that's exactly what she does on this record; she sets her voice free. In My Dreams is good stuff that caught me off guard because I was thinking she was just another girl with a guitar. Instead she's dramatic and dreamy and her songs are easy to get lost in. It's an impressive effort all around and the fifth song, "Mystery," is worth the price of the single alone.

Kiven Head Back To 1840

Kiven's single 1840 is a masterclass in writing technically gorgeous soaring pop that is instantly memorable. Sounding something like a Jealous Sound post emo sort of band mixed with the heavenly aspirations of someone like Coldplay these guys clearly know how to write a big song without actually being big. 1840 is like stadium pop for your living room.

The three songs here, "Home & Smoke," "The Blur," and "Forward," are all massive emotionally charged tunes that take off like an A380 at dusk. Soaring skyward at speed the songs are nearly ethereal, very well played and filled with enough vocal hooks to brainwash you. The stuff just sounds ridiculously good and is played even better. It's always awesome when a band can successfully blend challenging music with a pop sensibility. It's a joy to listen to and that's what 1840 is pure joy.

DJ Sun's One Hundred

Oh Friday...thank the Lord you are here. Sometimes the day is so bad you just need to decompress while you're waiting for 5:30 to roll around. It can feel like an eternity but thanks to DJ Sun, that decompression is served chilled with a slice of hypnotic on the side; let the clock watching begin. His album One Hundred is the perfect Friday soundtrack for a busy day at the office; it's pure escapism that's a slice of Saturday a day or two early.

Taking you on a near spiritual journey DJ Sun rolls out the chilled, downtempo vibes like a red carpet inviting your mind and ears to flow with the music. Utilizing lots of jazzy chilled house vibes, lush trip hop, and the occasional vocal number One Hundred moseys along it's peaceful path seemingly without a care in the world. It's a relaxing trip that melts tension away and clears your mind of stress and quite honestly on a Friday like today, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

One Hundred is all original material and DJ Suns songwriting skills are pretty solid. His ability to craft an atmospheric musical world in which we can lost in is awesome. The guy has perfected the art of Chill and One Hundred is the pinnacle of his abilities. I enjoyed this record while dealing with a gazillion things to do. It allowed me to concentrate, de-stress, and get things done...and by Friday at 5:30 that's what I want. Perfect for your home or your cube...One Hundred is well worth your time.

Good Field Are Unassumingly Good

Good Field are one of those bands that just happened to send me their record sight unseen without any information. So outside of the fact that their name is Good Field I know nothing about them (and no...I didn't go online). Their self-titled album is an unassuming thing that's neatly packaged in bright colors of paint and seems bursting with energy. On the inside, or the music itself, Good Field sound something like Spoon meets a jolly Kings of Leon. It's all very moody and smoky but has this hidden pop sensibility about it that makes the thing exceptionally listenable.

The record is impressive and the band's lackadaisical moodiness really contribute to what makes this record click. It's got this lazy nearly countrified vibe about it that seems in no hurry to go anywhere fast. As a result songs tend to meander like a rolling stream through the woods on a crisp cool day. They seem to plod along with this kind of lazy subdued pace that's almost therapeutically soothing. The songs are seemingly fragile and feature all kinds of instrumentation that are built around the hazy and half awake vocals that hold it all together. There's a lot of depth and texture on this record without a lot of additional frills which is impressive considering that Good Field is a dynamic duo.

Good Field were a nice, unexpected surprise. While I wish I knew a bit more about them I'm just happy to have this countrified pop treat in my possession. Sometimes good things do come in small packages!

The Ruby Suns Know Christopher

The first thing I noticed about The Ruby Suns Christopher album was just how much like the Happy Mondays Bummed it looked. That got me thinking was Christopher an e'd up baggy revival album? I was quite hopeful as it's time for a Happy Mondays revival again but it didn't turn out quite like that. While I didn't get 24 hour party people what I did get was one amazing synthpop record.

To say that Christopher is brilliant is to discredit just how awesome this record really is. This is a record that while obviously modern has deep roots within the 80's and 90's dance pop/synth pop scene. In fact at times Christopher sounds so much like some sort of rare unreleased Pet Shop Boys record you'd swear Neil Tennant was a member of the band. The Ruby Suns have so elegantly created this record utilizing unconventional means. Christopher is ethereal, retro tinged, and yet terribly modern and accessible. The songs are crisp, catchy, and feel as though they just stepped in from 1990; it's the sound of Creation Dance records twenty years after the fact. This will remind those in the know of bands like Pacific and Tangerine and the brilliant records they released; it's all very British sounding and brilliantly pop!

There's very little to not like about Christopher. The Ruby Suns have created a magnificent specimen of classically influenced synth pop. This is a sugary sweet record set to a hypnotic beat. Lush, opulent and focused on the future Christopher is a record about starting over not looking back. It's optimistic and bright and it's a spectacular affair. The Ruby Suns have put out one of my favorite records of the year already and it's only February.