Song reviews

Going long and leisurely are The Trouble Notes with “Liberty Awaits” being more of journey than a song with those strong celtic muscles shouldering much of weighty meaning that this epic carries with it. It’s deep, wistful, and driven all at once.

As nicely polished as “Lessons Learned” is, I get the feeling that Craig David Johnson has more to cards to play than this melancholy, almost Americana in style, song would suggest. His voice is the clue but what’s his intended endgame?

You won’t need a time machine to find some primo pop punk as Wicked Bears have done the trip back into the past for you and the energetic and effervescent “Lucky” provides the proof of that in under three minutes. Boom!

There are retro synth stylistic moves aplenty to be found in “Influx” by Thy Veils with Maria Hojda’s voice doing an enticing yet ethereal drift over the rigidly hypnotic beats. It’s a pause for thought song that easily fills your headphones.

It says here that she is from Glasgow so Raie must be good. “Healin’ Train” does not therefore disappoint with the Nashville country rock stylistic moves being executed with no small amount of vim and vigour. The road calls out to me.

What’s this? A worthy singer songwriter? True enough for Roofman – aka Thijs van der Meulen – demonstrates that the art of mixing poetry into melody has not been lost and, yes, he even takes it all the way to the bridge. Old school perhaps, but so good.

It’s been a week for songs with a purpose and “Diggin” by Harley Olivia was no exception with solid riffage underpinning her robustly delivered words and, with the volume turned up to 11, you can truly appreciate her intentions. Boom!

if you mix irony in with plastic pop as well as Havanna Winter can then fame can’t be far away. “Hollywood” pulls together all the right commercial influences yet it is her ability to polish things to perfection in under three minutes that impresses the most.

There’s nothing wrong with being conventional as long as you can do it with some style and that’s what SJ Mortimer does with her song “Hear Me Lover”. The song exudes radio friendliness, and her voice gives you all the reason you need to listen. It’s FM all the way.

I like a robust song in the morning. It smells like blues rock to me. Emily Mac duly hits that old time guitar riff road and, whilst doing so, confidently tells it like it is. Or how is should be anyway. She’s loud, she’s post-feminist and “Whiskey Like Me“ resonates like it is 1975.

You can go far wrong with a song as resolutely upbeat as “Is This The Guy For Me”. It might well be plastic dance pop but Michael Runswick has the voice to make this particular trip down to the club rather appealing. Yes, it’s mirrorball love time again.

Rock has another new face with Devora bringing plenty in the way of brooding synths and guitar riffs along for the ride. Her song “Wild West” struts to the three minute mark with click tracked precision and forthright attitude. It’s style and substance combined.