“You” by James Arthur
I have been a fan of James Arthur now for a few years, and it is his voice that I can never get enough of. His natural rasp, his range, and his ability to convey the most desperate and heavy of emotions through my headphones or speakers makes me envious, to say the least. Many of his songs are on the heavy side of lyrical content – his struggles with addiction, anxiety, family troubles, and struggling with fame. I discovered his sophomore album, “Back from the Edge” about two years ago during a time in my life where hearing someone sing about those issues was very familiar and therapeutic. “You” is James’s most recent release, coming out only last week and it has been on repeat everywhere I go. It was hard to wait so long for new music from him, but he made it worth the wait. Overall, the album is a bit more optimistic, but his voice has lost none of its power and emotive potency.
“Truth Is” by Sabrina Claudio
Delving into the R&B world, Sabrina Claudio is one of my favorite R&B newcomers of the past couple of years. Again, it’s her voice that has me so captivated. Whoever she works with on her vocal production and recording is an absolute genius! Her lyrics are so full of imagery and intimacy that you can’t help but feel like she’s crooning directly into your ear. Her latest album, “Truth Is”, capitalizes on these strengths even more. She is growing up before our eyes, and her material continues to broach more mature themes – but she is never gratuitous. Plus, she has a song with ZAYN on this record, so One Direction fans should be excited about that!
“Forces” by Jill Andrews
I’m not sure how much I can say without giving too much away, but Jill Andrews is working on a new album and ooooooooh my god it is SO good!! “Forces” is the second single from the upcoming album, and it is just phenomenal. Her voice has such a lived-in quality to it, and her lyrics about “Forces that we can’t control” are very poignant to the close-to-graduating college student that I am. If there is one thing that I have learned over the past three and a half years of life on my own, it’s that sometimes life happens. And most of the time life is completely out of our control. After a little listening party we had with some of Jill’s biggest fans, this song just gets me so excited for the entire album!
“Turn Off the Light” by Kim Petras
If you’re a fan of pop music, chances are you’ve heard of this German pop princess in the past couple of years. She has burst onto the scene with her ear for a hook and some of the best synth-pop production in the past decade and I love every second of it! “Turn Off the Light” is her Halloween themed project that actually expands on a similar project she released in the fall of 2018. Songs like “There Will Be Blood”, “Bloody Valentine”, “Massacre”, “Demons”, and “Everybody Dies” are just a sample of what to expect from the album. Petras really leans into the camp and spectacle of the spookiest time of year, and she does so with some of the best pop songs to be released in 2019. It’s perfect to put on at your costume party this year!
“Velvet: Side A – EP” by Adam Lambert
After four years, we finally have new music from Adam Lambert. If you weren’t a huge fan of his 2015 album, “The Original High”, because of its electropop and house music roots, then you might be a big fan of this new project. Featuring all organic instrumentation, Lambert is harking back to his roots in glam rock and classic rock leaning pop music. His voice is stronger than ever (if you can sense a theme, it’s pretty obvious that I love a good singer). Listen to “Closer to You” for a master class in power balladry that is sure to blow you out of the water!
