Song reviews

“Got It Bad” nudges the urban soul genre back towards its roots with Nuela Charles having the voice and presence necessary to power her song on its journey. I don’t know if she is actually bigger than life but she ought to be.

Given the evidence she presents in “Shapeshifter”, Dee Lunar must be the kind of woman that will always follow her own path. The lyrics swerve into left field pretension but you have to admire anyone with the determination to go strange.

Taking a traditional approach does Sera no harm and, with all the boxes ticked to meet the approval of the modern day folk music aficionado, she easily makes her song “Into The Woods” into a future festival favourite. The witchfinder will have to track her down now.

Solid rumbling synths underpin this mature and pleasing song from Leanne Tennant. “Bring It All Back” throws in ear friendly hooks to keep your attention yet it is the oppressive intent of the lyrics that leaves the biggest impression.

You can’t go far wrong with engaging maximum mood mode and, with emotional intensity counterpointing the rigidity of the old school drum machine sounds, HunBjørn hits the mark square on with her song “Keep Breathing”.

A robust song with some pop chops that entice the ear, “I Should Know Better” shines the light of critical acclaim upon the musical abilities of Me Not You and this song should take them onwards into the dawn.

Feeling the retro love are Irish band Shookrah and “Notions” duly snacks on jazz funk and soul food for all of its sub three minute cooking time. Unusually for these locked to the loop days, the song has some musical class and the singer is, of course, pure class.

Showing commendable persistence, Firewoodisland gives us more of the angst powered musical complexity that has been their signature sound and “Hollow Coves” will, once again, prove effective ear candy for those who have mature musical tastes.

Grungy overdriven guitar drives “Oak Tree” forward with a persistence and purpose that marks Nate Smith out as the kind of guy who stills puts passion, and perhaps even some anger, into his music. An antidote for our antiseptic times.

The Voice Tree retro this one to the max with the ominous oppression of the sequencer once again using the drum machine of analogue descent as a weapon to get your attention while sweet female vocals provide the counterpoint that gives “Electromagnetic Pulse” life.

You can’t go wrong with the Islandman groove and “Shu!” duly mixes the organic and traditional with the kind of locked to the loop hypnotic rhythms that only a computer can create. Close your eyes and see all the colours of the rainbow.

It almost seems an insult to describe a song as melodic in these computer controlled days but that is exactly what “Those Who Stay Behind” by The Hengles is. Those optimistic sixties influences are much to the fore and the song is none the worse for that.