There’s actually two versions of Hurt Somebody by Noah Kahan I like. The first version is a duet with Julia Michaels, released this year. Despite the title and the lyrics, this is actually a surprisingly upbeat song. It’s somewhat danceable. The second is Kahan’s solo version. I think I like the first, with Julia better (although I think she’s trying really hard to get that Mariah Carey sound). There voices seem to blend perfectly, without overwhelming each other’s sound. I accidentally found this song while browsing through one of those “what’s happening now in music websites.”

Noah Kahan Is A Newcomer

As far as I can tell, Kahan started gaining notoriety sometime in 2017. I really like his type of music. I guess the best way to describe his music is, modern folk, laced with pop. He writes and performs his own music. Now, I find it incredibly interesting that Noah is an American artist, but, is popular outside the us! Hurt Somebody hit #14 on the Australia charts, and reached #29 in New Zealand. I guess validates the broad reach of music streaming!

Good Music, However His Videos Are Traumatizing

I’ve watched a couple of Noah’s music videos, and although I think he produces good music, however his videos are traumatizing. Meaning, a lot of his videos seem to convey he can’t do anything right, therefore the world is falling on top of him. Which is interesting because it’s a complete contrast to how good I think his music actually is. Then again, I have to take in to account he’s in his early 20s, so I guess that’s about right.

I want to write about one last song called “Tough” by Quinn XCII, which features Noah Kahan. It’s another great song that was released some time this year. Again, this appears to be another one of those “teenage struggle” songs. However, this one is unique, and yet deep at the same time. Now, this song feels very ambiguous to me, but then again, maybe the song was meant to be that way. The song appears to be somewhat of a love song, however it appears that the song doesn’t directly identify the gender of the person Noah is singing about. Although, I could not find any information as to whether or not he’s LGBT or not, I’m going to make an educated guess he’s possibly bi.

The Song Revealed No Gender, But..

The song flows so wonderfully, if I didn’t listen closely to the lyrics, I probably would have never noticed. Noah sings about someone who tries to act tough, but Noah knows he’s not as tough as the person make themselves out to be. Read the following beginning lyric, “Maybe it’s ’cause your mom never kissed you; If you ever cried, you’d wipe with muscle tissue. You bench pressing more than me’s not the issue I know you’re actually weaker than that; Let’s hope that nothing get deeper than that.” Ok, I guess it’s a safe bet that Noah is singing about a guy. “Muscle tissue,” is not the typical lingo or phrase we’d use talking about a woman. He then sings, “You’re not so tough, I know that nightlight’s on when you sleep. You’re not so tough. Yeah, you watch Eat Pray Love on repeat.” To mention “nightlight” suggest a closer than average relationship. So long story short, I perceive this song to be beginning love story between two guys, and Noah trying to get his insecure love interest to open up. I just loved the way Noah put this together, it was very subtle, yet a great positive song. Noah has a cool website, and he posted all his latest music videos. Also don’t forget to check him out on Spotify.

Leon Bridges’s “You Don’t Know (2018),” on his new album “Good Thing” in my opinion , is the best new classic dance sound almost at the end of the year. I not only love the obvious classic look of this album cover, but I can also appreciate the authentic classic sound. Even his music videos has that old school flair to it. The mixture of color filters, while clearly capturing modern scenery is brilliant.

Spirit Of Amy Winehouse

You know, he reminds me a lot like a “male version of Amy Winehouse,” in that he’s a very young artist that has chosen the genre of classic sound. I am VERY please that I’m finding more and more younger artists that are doing this. Thank goodness there still exist parents out there who are musically cultured and pass that culture down to their children!

Esquire Interviews!

This new talented young artist has got a lot of buzz going around! Interesting that there doesn’t appear to be any bio’s about him (at least from  my research), but he has been interviewed by magazines such as Esquire. In the first few paragraphs of this article, you quickly get a sense that Leon is truly down to earth, and that he is comfortable with his art, music, and overall creative direction.

More Of His Music

There’s another song that I recommend that you check out. It’s called “Bad Bad News.” It’s on the same album, and I think the beat to this song is really hot. Please also check out his album called “Coming Home (2016) Deluxe.” It includes 5 additional songs in comparison to it’s first release in 2015.

You know, I’m still trying to get a sense of what their music is all about. Their music is kind of all over the place. Mind you, I feel these are very talented guys! I guys what it really is, is that the entire band is eccentric, and you’re left feeling like you’re not sure where to place them. When I like an artist or band, it’s still kind of important for me to figure out what style of music they represent. Kind of heart to talk about them to other music lovers, if you don’t have a concrete description of their music. If I demanded that I give you an explanation of what category the fell under, the best and closest description would probably be what I would call “Hillbilly Blues.” But, Some of their songs isn’t really that either. You’ll have to check them out for yourself.

Tearing At The Seams

The song that really caught my attention is “Tearing At The Seams.” This song is so different from all their other pieces I’ve heard. I almost want to put Nathaniel in the category of “blue eyed soul.” When I heard this song, it immediately reminded me of the kinds of music that Otis Redding would have sung if he were still alive. I must say, whatever negative perceptions you may have drawn from look of his photograph (musically speaking), don’t let that fool you! Because this man can sing! Really really sing. In 2015, he released a song called “Howling At Nothing.” Another great song that throws me back to the days of Sam Cooke almost. Check out Nathaniel and his band’s website. Looks like a lot of people follow his music.

I discovered this group while searching for another recently. I really like their song “Better Days” released this year. The song was written by Fabio Puglisi & Jason Harden. Soul Basement is actually not a group, but Fabio Puglisi’s stage name (right). He produces a lot of Italian jazz, hip hop jazz, and beats. He has actually been around for a while, since about 2004 actually. First off, I have to say this art made Fabio look like Andrew Zimmern from the food channel! I couldn’t help it, that’s all I kept thinking ?? Now, the song comes from his new album called “Oneness,” and the song features I guy named “Jay Nemor” (left). Although I’ve enjoyed this song very much, I’m not sure how I feel about Jay’s voice throughout the rest of this album (and his other albums for that matter). I’m just going to come out and say it. His voice doesn’t sound genuinely his. What I mean by that is, I get the strong impression he’s trying hard to copy another famous artist’s style. When I listen to “Better Days,” it almost sounds like I’m listening to Sly Stone. Other music I hear from him, he sounds like he’s trying hard to mimic Lou Rawls. Believe me, I’ve listened very carefully, and I can usually tell the difference when an artist naturally sounds like someone else; and when someone tries to literally mimic another artist verbatim. That is usually a turn off for me. But….. I don’t know, maybe you guys may feel differently. Listen to the album and judge for yourself. Again, I did enjoy the song “Better Days.” To learn more about Jay Nemor. Also, if you’d like to learn more on Soul Basement, he has a website, or you can just search on Spotify.

Believe it or not, I actually like this new song “Figure It Out,” by Lucas Estrada and Pawl. You know what? If Drake actually tried to sing, he’d probably sound like Lucas! ? When I listen to the rhythm of this song, it reminds me A LOT of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (1980)” for some reason. Remember that song? You know, for a very young artist, I hear a lot of soul in his voice. I think this is a very nice track.

Ok. I was never a huge fan of Drake, I only liked maybe two of his older songs. I think he made some good dance beats, but I never considered him as a “singer.” Drake’s voice is too unbearably monotone. That said, my feelings are the same concerning his new song “Don’t Matter To Me,” released on his double CD. What? Double CD you said? Yup. Back in the day, you only released a double CD/album when you’ve been in the game for awhile, and you want to put out a greatest hits album. I guess he just wanted to increase his chances one one or two songs being a hit. The background music is hot, as well as dramatic. You what? Listen to the background really close, doesn’t it remind you a little bit of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana?” By the way, you know you’re making money when you can afford to put the late MJ’s voice on your song. I give this song 4/5 stars. But the rest of this double CD…. ?

I had to do a whole lot of researching first, to make sure this was an actual new song. Theophilus made this song as if he literally time traveled; written and produced the song in the disco 70s era; made a bunch of copies and traveled back to the future to share it with us ? ? ⏳ I absolutely love this song! Theophilus’s voice sounds amazing on this song. So, “Only You,” is a brand new song that has already received 405k Spotify plays, almost 200k views on YouTube, and about 11k Shazams! Interesting that someone who is known as a psychedelic rock performer, would turn around and produce this wonderful piece. If I saw his genre first, I probably would not had bothered to listen to it. I’m glad I did. Dropping it into my albums! Hope you’ll enjoy it too.

I have so much great classic music to share, it is not humanly possible to share them all! That’s not a complaint, it’s actually the good kind of stress, of just how much fun I am having with my blog (despite the tremendous manual labor involved) ? ? ? . Did you guys know that Lisa Stansfield released a new album recently? Yup she did! It’s called Deeper+. Some of the songs on this album is definitely different from the kinds of music she used to do, yet, it’s the same Lisa. I love three songs from the new album very much. The first is “Deeper (2018) Snowboy Extended Version.” It has the kinds of rhythms you’d hear in some of Maxwell’s old music; that jazzy groovy mix. The second song that can get me on the dance floor is called “Never Ever,” which was mixed by another DJ master….. Mike Cruz. I also like the second version of “Never Ever,” remixed by Robert Hardt. It has more of a disco & R&B sound. This song is almost 9 minutes long, and it has a really nice xylophone solo. We really don’t hear that instrument anymore.

Wow!! I must have played this song about 6 times already! The first thing I was attracted to was the sick rhythms in the bass. “Without You” is a new single release by Justin de Mari. In addition to this song definitely being a head popper, I like the lyrics as well. In essence, this is an upbeat dance/pop song that describes how he doesn’t want his girl to worry about anything. If she’s tired, he’ll take over things in life she’s unable to finish. This is song is both sweet and groovy at the same time. Definitely something you can play for the dance floor (in my opinion).

Yes, I know that I put this in the 2018 category 😀 Although this was released last year, there is a new remix released this year. However, I like the original better 😀 Way better. I absolutely know nothing about this band, other than the fact that they came from Evergreen, Colorado. They appear to be a new band starting out, I can’t find a stitch of anything written about them. They do have a facebook page tho. They call themselves Vox Eagle. I stumbled upon their song and I really like it, it’s called “No Sleep,” released last year in 2017. The song has a young pop and young country boy sound. I mean REAL country. I mean, out in the woods catching crocodiles and feeding the pigs country 😀 Now, I say that not to mock them, I’m simply trying to explain what I hear in the music. This is actually a very cute song, and I’ve actually added it to my library. In fact, I would imagine if the great music mixer Calvin Harris wasn’t doing club mixes anymore, I think his music would probably sound very closely to this song. If you’re curious about the 2018 remix of this song, check it out here. The song is not bad, it’s a cute song as well. I just feel comparing them side to side, the 2017 is a much more fun song.

This new artist has got it going on. I really love his voice. Kane Brown sings the kind of country music I like. I’m not a big fan of country music that is boarder line rock music. I like the easy listening type of country music. His musical style sort of reminds me of Randy Travis. So, recently Kane released a single called “Weekend,” written by Chase McGrill, Will Weatherly, & Kane Brown. What’s interesting is… I also usually don’t like songs where the chorus portion is too repetitious. But, I love the beat of the song and his voice so much, I easily overlooked that repetition. Kane Brown is a true example that Social media works. From the release of his first album called “Closer” over 3 years ago, he’s been boiling hot ever since. His song “Weekend” got over 4+ million plays on Spotify alone. Go head with your bad self Kane!!

I came across an artist named Mac Miller while browsing other music blogs. Although I’ve read quite a few people hailing him as a phenomenal artist, I wasn’t attracted to his style of hip hip unfortunately (that’s just me). However, his partner in music, Austin Marc Flip, I’m assuming he did the background mix for this particular piece called “What’s The Use?” Which was released this month I believe. I much prefer this instrumental version. It has a style of funk, jazz, and disco all rapped in to one. It doesn’t appear that the instrumental version is available on Spotify, however, you can listen to it here on the StereoFox Blog.

P.S. I was saddened to read that Mac Miller has passed away. How ironic that they would choose that photo for his album cover. By the way, doesn’t he look a lot like Sam Smith?

Curtis harding has a brand new single out called “Where We Are.” This particular piece has a Black movie soundtrack feel to it. The song is almost 8 minutes long, and he uses that time wisely to show case his instrumental talents. I just absolutely love Curtis’s musical style! He is one of the very few new independent artists I really love. When you listen to his music, you can tell he grew up musically cultured. His voice perfectly fits the old school vibe of his music. It is so refreshing to hear a young artist like him (well technically he’s not that young (39 years old)) taking their creativity back to basics.  There’s another song you may like, which he also released as a single called “It’s Not Over.” This song has a slight hint of Memphis sound, mixed with an updated R&B kick. You know, he performed in NYC not too long ago, and unfortunately, I couldn’t go. Oh well….. Next time..