Web: bigphatband.com

Seeking: Review

Style: Jazz

We have recently heard from Grammy-nominated jazz composer Gordon Goodwin on Raymond Scott Reimagined, the tribute to the Gershwin contem- porary, on which “Cutey and the Dragon” achieves symphonic success. Takes on Count Basie’s “April in Paris” and “Anything Goes” are also exciting and imaginative. Horns, strings, piano, pitched percussion and a great electric guitar trade off as main voices, which keeps these compositions fresh. His Big Phat Band is an 18-piece jazz orchestra, and, with Goodwin as leader-arranger, achieve a uniform sound, while spotlighting its talented soloists.

Web: Apple Music

Seeking: Label, Film/TV

Style: Hip-Hop/Trap, Soul

MetroKidE’s rap delivery is a breath of fresh air. The artist is emotive and vulnerable, while never lacking in confidence and strength. This isn’t mumble—MetroKidE’s stories are clear and concise, while the music finds influence in trip-hop and indie rock. It’s occasionally orchestral, always gorgeous, as the artist takes the brave step of allowing the beats to take a backseat and the melodies to swim their way to the forefront. The artist has bite too; in “Ain’t Comin’ Outside,” he explains that he “wants that online money,” which is perhaps the most authentic take on the contemporary indie musician that we’ve heard in a while.

Web: bohemianinlondon.co.uk

Seeking: Film/TV composing

Style: Future soul, Neo soul, Neo classical

Hypnotic, mesmerizing, enticing, etherial—all are words that apply to British-based artist Annabelle Marie. The entirety of her “You” single is an aural massage—it washes in on a swathe of chill beats and floating melody, and proceed to carry you away on a mystical magic carpet of musical magnificence. References include Massive Attack, Faithless and Portishead—there are trip-hop elements, trance too, and it’s hard to dissect into specific elements because the music is blended into one very relaxing and ultimately effective whole. Her occasional use of piano only amplifies the sparse yet fulfilling feeling that the music provides. Devastating and thrilling, Marie’s music is an emotionally fraught, exhilarating experience.

Web: reverbnation.com/wylsnap

Seeking: Film/TV Placement

Style: Rap

Vegas rapper wyl snap lives up to his lowercase name in that he snaps out rhymes with a sense of glorious urgency. Busta Rhymes is a name that springs to mind as snap is literally busting out lines like, “Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go” on the curiously titled “Milwaukee Knows.” On “I Apologize,” the artist displays a tremendous amount of humility as he lists the ways that he has made mistakes in the past. “I was selling drugs in extreme proportions, your mama got pregnant, it was mine, we need an abortion,” he raps candidly. wyl snap doesn’t pull any punches as he keeps things as real as they can possibly be, resulting in a startlingly authentic listening experience. snap manages to stand out in a crowded field.

Web: chainreactiondetroit.com 

Seeking: Booking, Film/TV

Style: Rock

A proud product of Detroit Rock City, Eric Harabadian-fronted Chain Reaction play gritty garage rock tunes, and demonstrate a social consciousness and awareness on recent release Still in the Game. The title track is a bluesy celebration of the band’s decades-long tenure. “American Son,” from the soundtrack to the film We Thrive, is downtempo with hand percussion and wailing background singers, while Harabadian makes poetic pleas for the plight of the immigrant. The opening track “Playmaker”—cowritten with Bobby D (Drozdzewski)—was our favorite of the bunch, with catchy hooks and shredding fuzz guitars. We look forward to hearing more refined recordings.

Web: Soundcloud

Seeking: Label, Mgmt, Booking, Film/TV 

Style: Singer-Songwriter, Folk-Pop

While Teni Rane does sit in the folky singer-songwriter space, there’s a lot more going on here. She has a voice that is stunningly delicate and unwaveringly strong. Fans of Jewel will find much to love here, as will those coming from a more bluegrass, Alison Krauss-esque end of the spectrum. Rane is also an accomplished acoustic guitarist, and she works with some exemplary musicians (cellist Dave Eggar, guitarist Phil Faconti, bassist Roger Gustafsson). Rane co-produces, and she creates her own sleeve art too. She’s clearly something of a renaissance woman, and that is to be admired. But it is the evocative lyrics and the sweet brilliance of her voice that is so compelling.

Web: brendarussellofficial.com

Seeking: Booking, Film/TV

Style: R&B, Soul, Singer-Songwriter

Soulstress and acclaimed songwriter Brenda Russell’s “What Will It Take” is a new “We Are The World,” a proclamation and plea for peace, a message that bears repeating and being repurposed for every generation. Russell’s rich lead vocals command the background singers and children’s choir, backed by hand percussion and tribal flute flourishes. The song, and arrangement especially, sounds dated, as if it could share a release date with the 1985 Michael Jackson song for Africa. However, the sincerity is welcome when it comes to songs for unity. A forthcoming solo album will make for a great capstone.

Web: li.sten.to/bighit

Seeking: Label, Publishing, Booking 

Style: Hip-Hop

We encourage “the more the merrier” to extend the Tre Fo Boyz universe—led by Carolina artist CTM Boss, who already enlisted guest vocalists like Huntiee Pooh and Lil Murden, and producers Kory L and Mike Bandz. “It was me, myself and I” makes for a catchy refrain on “Big Hit.” “We get money,” repeated a bunch gets annoying on “Cuttin Up.” Nonetheless, the songs are hot. The verses and overall tracks are exciting and on par with other moody rap collectives. The music overall is generic, and since there’s interest in sync placements, that’s a compliment. Being direct gets the message across. “Can’t Cap Me” is direct, meaning “can’t catch me.”

Web: alemormusic.com

Seeking: Reviews/Interviews

Style: Latin Pop

Colombian singer AleMor blends elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and boleroin such a way that a song like “Tiempo” (also featuring the vocal talents of Rafael Pollo Brito) sounds like a gorgeous Latin muical stew, rather than a series of genres that have been forced together. AleMor has a beautifully emotive, smooth and earthy voice, yet she loves a duet. Based in Miami, AleMor sings in in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese, which keeps things interesting. But it really doesn’t matter if you don’t understand her language of choice on any particular song—the sentiments are overt. “Agridulce” sees her singing with Fabian Hernandez, and as with her other duets, their voices compliment each other. She can pick ‘em!

Web: Spotify

Seeking: Booking

Style: Hip-Hop

There’s a singsongy, nursery rhyme quality to the Boss Hippy song “Dandelion In the Chop” which brings to mind the likes of Outkast and even, at times, De La Soul. True to his name, Boss Hippy appears to be in this to have fun. His vibe is one of joy and musical freedom, which bring with it the swagger of a man unconstrained by traditional genre boundaries. The song “The Rapper” starts with a piano loop which lends the song an air of melancholy, to its immense benefit. Then “Get Out Of My Head” is a therapeutic, jaunty couple of minutes that is both thought provoking and calming. It’ll be fascinating to see where his vision takes him from here.