A product of woody Concord, MA, Diana DeMuth’s dark voice croons over funky but varied instrumentals on her new track “Act like a Stranger.” With both a voice and lyrical wisdom that sound beyond her years, DeMuth’s new record is packed with the classic themes of a young songwriter; the joys of love, traveling, the pains of love, traveling again, and the ever poignant nod to your home town. “Act Like a Stranger” breaks away from the mostly acoustic record “Albuquerque” with an energetic percussion intro and bright back up vocals out of some early 60’s pop tune. She’s already a force to be reckoned with solo, but Alain Mallet’s production props her up while never out-shining that voice. Some singers blow your hair back with their power, but I prefer those like DeMuth, smoothly pulling you in for a closer listen. Her new album Albuquerque will be coming out later this month on March 17th, be sure to keep an ear out for it. - Paul Jordan Talbot

Photo by Chris Macken

Letters to Toska, the fourth EP from Zoya, could easily be classified as “indie-folk” or “singer-songwriter”, but none of those labels would even come close to describing what takes place on these tracks. This EP reflects a perfect blend of jazz, folk and R&B, while still finding room to inject some hints of Zoya’s South Asian heritage. These influences are prominently displayed on the track “Willows”, with its smooth guitar-work and hip-hop/soul-inspired melodies and cadences. With such a dynamic mix of inspirations, I expect Zoya’s songwriting will only continue to become more intricate and mesmerizing as she continues her musical career.

For more information about Zoya, click here.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
Photo Credit: Jerome Vivino

On December 23, 2014, Troy Ramey’s first solo EP, When the Lights Came, was released, capping-off a long road of writing, recording and crowd-funding for the Vermont native. Currently residing in New York City, Troy’s first foray into solo music proves to be quite a success. His grasp of crafting a catchy pop song is incredible for such a relatively unknown artist. From start to finish, it’s clear that these songs were meticulously thought-out, and perfectly executed. His voice is so strong and powerful that it immediately grabs your ears and demands your attention. My two favorite tracks are the title track and “Rosary”, the single that was exclusively released via The Deli New England a few months ago. Both demonstrate such immense vocal performances that it’s hard not to be drawn into the music.

For more info about Troy, check out his Facebook page. To purchase a copy of When the Lights Came, click here.

Philip Lassiter is a master band leader with a resume to die for, and he's taking the fabulous funk and soul scene in DC to a new level. For the last few years, Philip Lassiter has been the section leader and horn arranger for The New Power Generation. Yes, you read that correctly. Prince's horn man is in DC, and he's set to go crazy and tear the roof off the sucker. These horns are the product of Philip's talent, and his very own band of locals is bringing that talent to the streets and clubs of DC.  

He's already written and produced two full lengths this year. In February Phil dropped Philthy, followed quickly in June by DreamZzz.  Both albums are chock full of top-of-the-line funk. Relentless rhythms drive the walls of sound to boogie. Horns, keys, guitars, choruses, blips and bloops, beat-boxing and scratching; anything and everything combines into a non-stop party. Listening to tracks like this, you can't imagine anyone else being Prince's horn man. 

Despite being a horn man to the stars, and a rising star himself, Philip is totally down to earth. He just released a totally adorable video for the track STRUT off DreamZzz. Check it out below, and keep your eyes peeeled for news of upcoming shows. --Natan Press

I first became aware of Virginia based artist Dannie in August of this year with her first single, Girls Time. Dannie is a strong vocalist, one of the few singers that are still breathing life into what I'll label pure R&B. Her second single, Wait 4 It was released on October 14th and has been doing well since that date with over 80,000 plays on Soundcloud. This sexy track highlights strong harmonies interlaced with smooth melodies that are sure to be caught in your head after first the listen. Wait 4 It tells the story of a playful seductress keeping her potential lover on his toes to the point of full desire. The track used properly accompanies the concept of this song and reminds me of what a slow jam is supposed to sound like. Emotion is clearly felt within the vocals of this track as Dannie flirtatiously explores her full range and leaves the listener yearning for more by the time they realize that the song has ended. --Opal Rose