Glenton Davis: Are You Ready

I always think it’s interesting when an artist decides to mesh two different music styles together. What’s even more interesting is when an artist combines two styles that you wouldn’t expect to work with each other.

This is exactly what Glenton Davis does, though. Davis fuses R&B with pop, presenting a style that is soulful, while at the same time being up-tempo and danceable.

It’s an unexpected mix, but Davis pulls it off well.

On the four-track album Are You Ready, Davis manages to give a little taste of all the styles he’s incorporating. He moves from the dance track “Go Get on the Floor” to the slower “She Don’t Have to Know,” finally wrapping things up with the mellow “Dangerously in Love 2.” It’s a fluid transition between the songs, and each gives a little bit different side of Davis....MORE

Jacob Merlin: Alchemy of Soul

If you’re looking for just an all-around stellar album, Jacob Merlin’s Alchemy of Soul is it.

From beginning to end, Alchemy of Soul delivers a sucker-punch of great music. The songs are fun and energized, while maintaining the mellowness typical of R&B. However, this album is by no means generic R&B.

The R&B/jazz scene tends to be very guitar-driven, with other instruments serving primarily as complements to the guitar. On Alchemy of Soul, however, this isn’t the case. Instead, it’s the songs revolve more around the trumpet and keyboards/piano, which adds a certain flair to the music.

Throughout, the album never loses its energy, and manages to completely draw in the listener...MORE

Erin Hunt: Meet Me in the Middle

In a music industry that seems to be moving ever closer to being taken over by synthesizers and electronic backing, anything that breaks away and has a sound of its own is a welcome change.

With her debut EP Meet me in the Middle, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Erin Hunt has given the music world something completely refreshing.

With a sound that can’t help but elicit images of a dimly lit jazz club, Meet me in the Middle is a fusion of soul, R&B, and pop, with a nice dash of Latin flair thrown into the mix to make for an album that is anything but generic...MORE