Introducing a chance encounter, a collaborative project between two new acquaintances – the singer-songwriter partner of a renowned doctor, and a cancer researcher she met as his plus-one at a medical conference. Mandy May Blest and Dr. Steven Rosen fuse divine vocals with heartfelt sentiments and classic pop melodies, for the evocative ballads and beauty of the album Lover.
Folk
Where much of modern music feels the need to fill every moment with sound and noise and something attention grabbing, this project offers creativity and sound the time and space to breathe, and in doing so, offers its audience the same kind of serenity and intrigue.
I’ll Be Your Dog is a rather simple but stunning folk-country single, something like Micah P Hinson, but perhaps more joyful – a mellow groove, a colourful vibe, and a beautifully interesting voice. The single is self-defined as an ode to Bob Dylan’s Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, and welcomes an Americana set-up that quickly transports you to the centre of the live performance.
Spellbinding acoustic folk, a familiar style with divinely intimate vocals, reflecting on a subject matter with poignant vulnerability. Wren Arkose unite poetic short lines with a deeply introspective account of a life lived amidst the struggle of anorexia, for the powerful and gripping single Bones.
Fellow Mancunian Ben Heyworth highlights the very best of the talent, contemplation and magic of the city’s indie musicians, with his latest solo endeavour that is the beautifully organic folk EP Creatures.
Crisp acoustic guitar and boldly distinct, deep vocals, blending spoken and sung performance, throughout a heartfelt song that proudly celebrates the life-changing moment you meet your first child. Australian artist Simon Orton captures a sound both unique and classic, with The Next Me.
Acoustic fingerpicking, a crisp guitar sound, warm keys and deep folk-esque vocals – an atmospheric overtone but organic and ambient in the backdrop – The Bouquet Sessions capture a live sense of story and character, with Miss You.
Folk vocals that feel beautifully traditional, perhaps a twist of something Jake Bugg-like for the modern audience, and a classic folk-rock groove of acoustic guitars and hi-hats. UK singer and artist FRASER. brings thoughtful, poetic songwriting to the forefront, with the gentle embrace and rhythmic comfort of White Picket Fences.
Sometimes the bare essentials are all you need – great songwriting means something, sounds genuine, connects and moves a listener, and is simply enjoyable to experience. Jack Horton’s Set Me Free is a humble and timeless example of precisely those qualities.
Paired acoustic guitars, one fast-paced and rhythmic, the other meandering with a soulful sense of longing. Don Pasquale Ferone employs the bare essentials from an established musical toolkit, to deliver an organic and impassioned performance and song.
Ten original songs weave together this story of the Mystic Code, and while there’s plenty to unpack and explore conceptually, which rewards and provides insight and reflection, the music is also – and importantly – an impressive and enjoyable place to escape into for a while.
Traditional folk beauty – in poetry and melody, in fingerpicking and subtle tremolo vocals – Mikel Rafael takes listeners through the natural scenes of the world, with the three original songs of The Eternal Hour.