Richardine Bartee
Colour Picture Book – This Time Around (Submission)
I don’t care what you try to do, some music isn’t for the morning, vice versa. So, here’s a list of songs that I felt I would want to hear when the sun comes up–for one reason or the other. Since the start of Colour Picture Book’s ‘This Time Around’ begins like a self-assurance session, I thought it would be great for the start of someone’s day. According to the artist, Adan Webster, that pep talk is about being ready for whatever comes his way. Isn’t that notion as essential as a balanced breakfast? (It’s a good thing that I didn’t need an answer from you.)
Lyves – Certain Things featuring Jalen Santoy (Submission)
When it comes to “power singing” as we know it in America, we’ve lost it. However, the British have continued to cultivate and push the skill of vocal projection past its glory days, thankfully. Introducing modern day singers who rely on their voices more than the beat like Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran and Adele to the market, are examples of their musical tastes and integral efforts.
The record, in my mind, sounds like one that can play from real late at night into the light of day. ‘Certain Things’ is the third single from Lyves’ project, ‘8 Rooms’. Listen to the Italian-Australian singer-songwriter and producer’s track below. It features a beautiful verse, where he floats over the sultry instrumental as J. Cole would over a classic Floetry song if they were together today.
Jon Dacom – Dedicated (Submission)
If you needed to know how dedicated Jon Dacom, the skilled recording artist, is when it comes to his music, the proof is in each line of his latest record. The hungry North Carolina-based musician sounds like he has a plan in place to win. He records with a bravado many other young artists don’t have when they’re in the genesis of their careers. If that doesn’t wake you up or encourage you to be competitive as an artist, I don’t know what will. Watch the official video for the Mike Hector-produced track below.
Donnie Raven – Vapor Trail (Submission)
It’s my first time hearing about Donnie Raven, but the Denver, Colorado-based rapper’s beat selection is on point. In the morning, if I heard ‘Vapor Trail’ playing on my phone as a ringtone, I’d get out of bed because I’d want to dance. Taking us back to a sound popularised in the late 90s to the early 00s, the new artist decides to bring us into his life, so we can sit in the front seat to see him confront his demons over a Nottz Raw beat. Congratulations on your two years of sobriety, and the release of your debut EP, ‘Livelihood’!
Kin Hana – The Wolf (Submission)
Recently, someone reached out to me for a pick me up. When I want to feel alive or renewed, my go-to is music. If you’re looking for a record to wake you up inside, give Kin Hana’s ‘The Wolf’ a try. Here, all of the words aren’t audible, but they don’t compete with the backing track; it seems to give the sonic outfit an extra layer. It’s raw, intense, and emotional.
