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Self-titled album by Baron Von FrankenPaul

Abdelrahman Khaled
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Self-titled album by Baron Von FrankenPaul

Baron Von FrankenPaul came together at a NAMM Show jam in 2022. Saxophonist Baron Raymonde, guitarist Frank Osgood, and bassist/producer Paul Ill were working with MusiCares when they started playing together and realized they had chemistry. A year later, they jammed for three days at the Cross Rock booth during NAMM, and what started as gear demos turned into spontaneous grooves that stopped crowds. That’s where this band was born.

Their self-titled debut, recorded between The Loft Studio in Bronxville, NY, and sessions in Los Angeles, blends jazz, rock, and funk with a rotating cast of world-class drummers, including James Gadson, Steve Ferrone, Matt Abts, Wally Ingram, and Jeremy Colson. Pedal steel players Andrea Whitt and Greg McMullen add texture, and vocalist Olivia Morreale appears on one track. The album mixes bold reinterpretations of Coltrane, Miles Davis, Alice in Chains, and The Doors with original compositions. They’re celebrating the release with a show at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village on December 11th, featuring Van Romaine, Will Lee, Lou Marini, and others.

Starting us off, “Camera Obscura”, the chemistry of the band is very apparent, and the saxophone’s jazzy lines flow over the rock groove in a tangibly delicious way. The fuzzy slide guitar enters with its gritty vocal quality, serving as a foil to the smooth sax and adding a rich flavor profile to the song. Surprisingly, the face-melting solo on this song is on the sax, not the distorted guitar. But as you will see, this surprise is not a one-off; this album has many musical surprises in it.

“BVFP” is a bright, funky jam with the drums just having an absolute blast with the saxophone again shining as the main lead instrument, giving that cinematic jazz flavor. This song actually has the kind of jazz flavor that was popular in the ’80s. Well, until that clean guitar enters and we’re smoothly sent to this Dire Straits moment of serenity. But no worries, the saxophone comes back into the spotlight to solo us back into the melody. The band’s chemistry is undeniable.

Next is the band’s take on John Coltrane’s “Naima”. The element with the most immediate and notable difference is the drums. The drums are much more in line with modern progressive grooves and bring a refreshing quality to it, and keep the jam cohesive as the guitars chime in.

Another re-interpretation of a classic is what the band does with “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains. I swear the saxophone sounds like a harmonica at some points; that’s how gritty Baron Raymonde makes it sound. The moment where everybody plays the chorus melody here is simply magic. It quickly became one of my favorite versions of the song.

Back to the originals, we have “Cactus”. This one has a really smooth and mellow groove, letting the interesting harmonic choices shine through. The melody here is really catchy and memorable. I found myself singing it in the shower. This is definitely an easy pick for a walk or drive at night.

Next up is “Lullaby For Zoey”. An atmospheric noir ballad, as you might have guessed from the name. The ambient guitar textures give it that unique edge that makes this combination of musicians and instruments so intriguing.

Taking a sharp left turn into progressive rock kind of territory, “Kasbah Knights” is a heavy song, and naturally, the guitars get to shine here a bit more. Carrying the headbanging groove and daring dissonant harmony to surprising places. Ultimately, it builds up to some beautiful solos that have great moments of synchronization between the band.

“Riders on the Storm” by The Doors is one of those timeless songs, and the band’s take on it is classy and faithfully recreates the rhythm section and tonal quality of it while also expressing themselves authentically. It’s a testament to their collective talent and chemistry to re-interpret the song in such a tasteful way.

Next is another re-interpretation, “In a Silent Way” by the legendary Miles Davis. It makes perfect sense for this group of musicians to play the song that marked Miles’ move to jazz fusion and the use of electric instruments. Their take on it has more of a funk groove and utilizes an arsenal of modern guitar textures to effectively modernize the tune.

Ending the album with a surprise, “Tall Shoes Mary” is a vocal song featuring Olivia Morreale on the vocals. An incredibly soulful performance from Olivia and the band’s backing vocals and warm guitar textures ensure this song envelopes you with its atmosphere. The band’s choice to end the album here is interesting because it comes as an intriguing surprise instead of starting with it and setting expectations for a vocal album.

Baron Von FrankenPaul‘s debut works because these three musicians understand how to serve the song rather than just showing off. The rotating cast of drummers keeps each track feeling fresh, and the mix of covers and originals never feels disjointed. What could’ve been just another jazz-rock fusion project instead becomes something that swings when it needs to swing and rocks when it needs to rock. The chemistry that started at that NAMM jam translates clearly onto the record. If you’re into jam bands, jazz, or rock with actual musicianship behind it, this is worth checking out.

Album: I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What by Todd Mack

Abdelrahman Khaled
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Album: I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What by Todd Mack

Todd Mack started playing classical music at eight, picked up the guitar a few years later, and began writing almost immediately. His professional career kicked off in 1989 with a self-titled debut, followed by a decade of full-time touring and six more releases through 2011. Then came a 14-year gap. “I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What” marks his return with 11 story-driven originals featuring musicians from around the country, including Krishna Guthrie (Woody Guthrie’s great-grandson) on guitar, Pamela Lynn Cohen on fiddle, and American Idol semi-finalist Katherine Winston.

Recorded and mixed with Rob Vermeulen at Robbo Music in Morro Bay, CA, the album layers guitars, keys, fiddle, and mandolin into a rootsy Americana tapestry that highlights Mack’s gritty sound and lyrically focused writing. After more than a decade away, this is Mack reminding us what he does best.

“Angel Above” is a heartfelt acoustic ballad with a gut-wrenching fiddle performance highlighting the nostalgia and the remembrance of those who moved on from this life before us. The performances respect the weight and drama of the subject matter, playing to the themes, not above them.

“On a Line” follows as a lyrically driven folk song, examining the cognitive dissonance and peculiarities of modern life. The standout lyric, “Everybody is selling something and everyone is for sale,” captures the broad social commentary Todd Mack aims to convey.

“Dreams” slows the dynamics appropriately, starting out with a Hendrixian guitar line and slowly taking us on this half-time groove, discussing uncertainty and the humanity of dreams, and how we should follow them and hold on to them and never let go. Those are why we are here.

“No More (feat. Sadie Jasper)” is a duet about trust, love, and being there for the ones we love when they need us. The music is very simple and makes the perfect bed for singing along in a big venue with a bunch of people, as everyone just begins to weep.

“Ain’t Enough” starts dramatically with a delicate piano accompaniment to the softest performance from Todd Mack so far on the record. Thematically, as the title implies, it speaks to feeling like your love just wasn’t enough. It’s an emotion that we all experience at some point, and honest songs like this help us move forward.

“River Carry Me” is a song about longing for someone and missing home. The instrumental arrangement here leans into that yearning, with the fiddle and acoustic guitar creating space for the vocals to stretch out. It’s one of those songs that sounds like it could’ve been written a hundred years ago or yesterday, and that timelessness is what makes it stick.

“The Light Within” marks a stylistic switch in the record. Going for a more straightforward blues rock style with layers of mandolin and slide guitar, propelling us forward with that tom groove. The lyrics have biblical themes about how the light of god shines within, and the bridge even features some kind of radio voice reciting a prayer. A welcome change in vibe that will carry on to the next songs.

“Undone” is another of the more lyrically driven songs on the record, where the music is more tame with fewer melodic lines and motifs to give the vocals more space to tell the story. “Everything’s broken…Everything’s wasted, yeah, nothing is no good anymore.” There’s almost nothing more straightforward than this. The lyrics lay it bare, no metaphors or anything, just a man being undone.

“Reckless” is the heaviest song on the record, with a rhythm section that will make you stomp and want to get up and fight. There is an organ sound on the keyboard, tying the whole thing together as the lyrics rile you up, “There is no salvation from above.” This is the kind of cynicism and darkness this song delivers.

“If I” takes us back to ballad land with some somber introspection, with a hint of regret. The sense of melody here is impeccable, with the intermittent musical breaks doing so much of the heavy lifting to make this song work as well as it does. The cherry on top is the album’s most melodic guitar solo to close it out.

Speaking of closing it out, we are almost at the finish line with this wholesome song: “You Are There”. Musically, it’s more like a pop country song. Lyrically, it’s such a bright song. It speaks of the power of loving someone so much that the mere thought of them during a bad day can uplift you. It’s such a great song to end an album with.

“I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What” works because Todd Mack didn’t try to reinvent himself after 14 years away. This is the same rootsy Americana songwriter who spent a decade touring in the 90s, just with more life lived and more stories to tell. The album moves between heartache and hope without feeling scattered, and the collection of musicians Mack assembled brings depth to every track without overplaying. For a comeback record, it doesn’t feel like someone trying to prove anything. It’s just solid, honest songwriting from someone who never stopped being a songwriter, even during the long gap between releases.

Album: Out Of The Shadows by Mitch Dalton

Abdelrahman Khaled
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Album: Out Of The Shadows by Mitch Dalton

Mitch Dalton‘s name appears on more major recordings than most people could count. He’s been the studio guitarist behind countless sessions, working with legends like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Melody Gardot, Ella Fitzgerald, and Quincy Jones. But Out of the Shadows, released in August, marks his debut as a solo artist. The album pulls together a stellar London rhythm section, David Arch on keyboards, Steve Pearce on bass, Tim Goodyer on drums, alongside the three-time Grammy-nominated SWR Big Band from Stuttgart and percussionist Edwin Bonilla from Miami.

Across twelve tracks, Dalton explores his love of American music through jazz fusion, blues, the Great American Songbook, Latin rhythms, and bebop. It’s a mix of original material and reimagined standards that showcases decades of musical knowledge without feeling like a lecture. This is what happens when a world-class session musician finally steps center stage.

“First Thoughts Are Best” I believe, is a reference to a person’s instinct. Though those first thoughts can hardly be categorized as thoughts, as they are instinctual reactions to the situation. But the title rolls off the tongue a bit easier. Musicians of this caliber, such as Mitch Dalton and The SWR Big Band featured on the song go by the “Thought is the enemy of flow” a motto coined by legendary drummer Vinnie Colauita. There is plenty of incredible, improvisatory “First Thoughts” of gorgeous music on this song and the rest of this record.

In “Bird Meets Cat” the band stretches their rhythmic imagination as synced lines between guitar and saxophone play the head of the song. (The head is what jazz musicians use to refer to the main melody, if you’re unfamiliar.) And then everybody gets a turn comping and another turn for a solo. It’s like a game of musical chairs, but on the highest level of musicianship, it’s a delight to listen to.

We take a moment for romance with a beautiful vocal song, “We Do It” with Jazz Morley. You probably recognize her from her stunning performance of “Landslide” on The Voice UK a couple of years back. Here, it’s nothing short of incredible, delivering that sultry passion over that bossa nova groove with confidence.

The SWR Big Band is back with Mitch Dalton‘s tasteful cover of Larry Carlton’s “Room 335”. Mitch brings the acoustic guitar’s brightness and resonance to the classic song, and the band provides an evolving, colorful backdrop of harmony all the way through. It’s a beautiful re-interpretation of the original with fresh harmonic and rhythmic choices.

“Besame Mashup” combines the iconic riff and groove of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” with probably the most recorded Spanish language song of all time, Consuelo Velázquez’s “Besame Mucho.” It’s a bold move that could’ve easily felt gimmicky, but Dalton and the SWR Big Band pull it off with genuine reverence for both sources. Sammy Mayne’s flute solo cuts through with that classic Latin jazz brightness, Marc Godfroid’s trombone work adds warmth and depth, and Jazz Morley’s vocal refrain ties the whole thing together.

“Yeh Yeh” is a smoky, bluesy song. Praise be to this amazing rhythm section. Everyone here swings like their life depends on it, and as you know, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. Jazz Morley continues to showcase her diversity with the swinging vocal lines switching to melodic harmonies beautifully.

“Night Birds / Rio Funk” is a delightful merger between jazz fusion a la Chick Corea and traditional warm jazz funk. Its combination of textures and how smoothly the band flows between them is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

“Take the YouTube” has probably the simplest and most mellow groove on the album. Letting the melody really shine. As the wordplay in the title implies, it’s a song you probably wanna listen to on the tube during a nightly commute. Sounds like something off the Fingerprints Larry Carlton album with Mitch Dalton‘s unique touch on top of it.

Next is “Freberg’s Folly”. This is a rhythmically complex and harmonically rich song. It’s a stunning combination of flamenco and jazz that tells a whimsical story about Freberg for those with the ears to listen.

“I Took the Blows” features a delicate performance on a warm nylon-strung guitar at its core. It continues that theme of combining flamenco elements with jazz ones to create something unique in its musicality.

“No Flippin’!” raises the bar of energy with its drum build-up and then goes into what I believe is a direct homage to “Sunshine Of Your Love” by Cream. Intentional or not, but those harmonized sections with the band seem to be quoting those iconic riffs in a jazzy fashion and then refraining to a more traditional style when it comes time for solos.

“LI’l Brian” is a magical ballad that takes its sweet time as it lulls us into a blissful ending to this colorful record. Starting with Mitch Dalton, with a whole minute of solo guitar somberly playing both melody and harmony, I was reminded of Joe Pass’s style of self-accompaniment, then once the big band kicks in, it’s like the credits are rolling on a classic Hollywood movie. But the music isn’t over yet. The band still has more tasteful improvisations up its sleeves. A standout among them is Sammy Mayne on the tenor sax.

Mitch Dalton’s “Out of the Shadows” is a polished instrumental jazz record you can feel comfortable recommending to your nerdiest jazz enthusiast friend. The album feels like a conversation between all of his influences, jazz fusion, Latin rhythms, flamenco touches, and classic American standards. A conversation led by someone who actually lived through hundreds of sessions, not someone who studied these styles theoretically. The SWR Big Band brings weight and sophistication, the London rhythm section keeps everything tight and musical, and the guest soloists all understand when to step forward and when to lay back. For a debut solo record, this is remarkably assured. Dalton finally stepped out of the shadows, and it turns out he had plenty to say.

Pas de danse by Riccardo Pietri

Cherine Abulwafa
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Pas de danse by Riccardo Pietri

A CHOREOGRAPHY OF STILLNESS

Italian composer Riccardo Pietri emerges from nearly two years of creative quiet with Pas de Danse, a single that feels like a meticulously staged scene suspended in time. Born from a period of personal transformation and inspired by the work of Gibran Alcocer, this composition signals a clear evolution in Pietri’s artistry. It is a work that balances classical precision with the expansive sensibilities of new age, creating a space where movement and stillness coexist.

The track evokes the sensation of a rehearsal in an empty studio; each sound deliberate, each pause a moment to breathe. The music unfolds like steps in a ballet: measured, expressive, and imbued with a quiet elegance that draws the listener in. In Pietri’s world, every note is a gesture, every silence a subtle pivot, forming a dance that is both tangible and imagined.

What sets Pas de Danse apart from his previous releases is its reflective intimacy. While earlier works often embraced melodic familiarity, this piece explores nuance, layering, and space. The textures shift effortlessly between warmth and restraint, suggesting a composer deeply attuned to the emotional potential of sound. There is a meditative quality here, a sense of listening as participation, of being drawn into a performance that exists as much in the pauses as in the notes themselves.

Pietri has done more than return: he has reintroduced himself with renewed clarity and purpose. Pas de Danse is both a quiet triumph and a promise, signaling that 2026 may bring a series of compositions that blur the line between classical formality and contemporary introspection. For those willing to linger, it offers a rare experience: a dance of sound where stillness speaks as powerfully as motion, leaving an imprint that resonates long after the final step has fallen..

FolkIndieBob – Bob Augustine’s Songbook of Renewal, Resilience, and Reverence

Michael Stover
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FolkIndieBob – Bob Augustine’s Songbook of Renewal, Resilience, and Reverence

In the long continuum of American folk music—where personal truth intersects with communal meaning—few debut albums arrive with the quiet, lived-in authenticity of Bob Augustine’s Folk-IndieBob. Performing under his fitting moniker Folk-IndieBob, the Pittsburgh-based songwriter offers a collection steeped in tradition yet unmistakably shaped by his own journey of loss, rediscovery, and artistic rebirth. This is not a record built in search of an audience; it is a record offered humbly to those willing to listen, and in doing so becomes all the more worthy of attention.

Augustine’s musical return, after a decades-long hiatus, mirrors the folk tradition’s enduring motif of renewal. Much like the revivalists of the 1960s who found in older ballads a place to set their own stories, Augustine has unearthed his voice from beneath the weight of years. The result is an album that feels both contemporary and timeless—rooted in the singer-songwriter lineage of John Prine, Bill Staines, and early Nanci Griffith, yet bearing the stamp of a man who has navigated life’s storms and returned with songs as his compass.

The album opens with “Fountain of Love,” a deceptively simple piece that reveals Augustine’s strengths immediately. With an easy, conversational vocal delivery and a melodic sensibility that hovers between modern folk and gentle Americana, the song speaks of an inner wellspring waiting to be released. The lyric “There’s a gold mine deep in my heart” carries neither bravado nor sentimentality; instead, it reads like an honest acknowledgment of the human capacity to heal. Augustine’s acoustic guitar, warm and clean, provides the steady footing the song needs to unfold.

The emotional center of the album, and likely the track destined to introduce Augustine to a wider audience, is “The Candy Wrapper.” Folk music has long thrived on extended metaphors—from Dylan’s visions to Kate Wolf’s natural landscapes—and Augustine contributes his own: the self as a wrapper discarded after one has given away their sweetness. It is the kind of idea that, in less capable hands, might feel contrived. But Augustine’s performance disarms. His steady voice delivers the narrative with a mixture of vulnerability and resolve, and his choice to keep the arrangement spare allows each word to rise clearly. Listeners of Sing Out! will recognize the folk tradition of emotional candor at work here. It is both personal diary and universal lament.

“Moon Song for Mary Ann,” with its lunar imagery and wistful chord changes, evokes the gentle storytelling of singer-songwriters like Eric Andersen or Dave Carter. Augustine’s lyrical impulse is toward narrative rather than abstraction, and here we find him tracing the contours of memory—places visited, steps retraced, moments held in the air like dust in morning light. The song’s imagery is accessible yet evocative, offering the listener room to inhabit the emotional landscape alongside him.

Another highlight, “Crystal Ball,” turns its gaze toward uncertainty, a subject the folk tradition has always handled with spiritual nuance. “Please don’t let me see forever, ‘cause I don’t want to know,” Augustine sings, articulating a fear both ancient and acutely modern. In a world obsessed with prediction, control, and endless forward-motion, his plea is refreshingly grounded. The melody lilts with a soft melancholy, reminiscent of traditional British ballads adapted through the Americana lens.

Yet Folk-IndieBob is not an album mired in sorrow. “All My Hope” rises with quiet resilience, delivering one of Augustine’s strongest melodic statements. “Life has tried to crush me with its weight / But I will grow back like a leaf,” he sings—an image that beautifully encapsulates the record’s overarching theme: regrowth through gentleness, faith, and persistence.

The remaining tracks—“Jealous of Freedom,” “I’m In Love,” and “Four Leaf Clover”—round out the album with tonal variety, offering glimpses of joy, longing, and gratitude. Each feels connected to the others through Augustine’s voice, which acts as the album’s anchor.

What distinguishes Folk-IndieBob in today’s folk landscape is its sincerity. Augustine is not chasing trends or attempting genre hybridity for its own sake. He is contributing to a living tradition—one that values story, melody, and the courage to tell the truth.

In Folk-IndieBob, Bob Augustine offers listeners a collection of songs that feel both familiar and profoundly personal. It is the kind of album that invites repeated listening, not for complexity, but for the quiet wisdom within its songs—folk music doing what folk music has always done best.

–Steven Winn

 

PIANIST ELIZABETH NACCARATO OFFERS “DEEPLY PEACEFUL AND IMMERSIVE” EXPERIENCE WITH NEW ALBUM, “SALONNIÈRES”

Sistra News Team
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PIANIST ELIZABETH NACCARATO OFFERS “DEEPLY PEACEFUL AND IMMERSIVE” EXPERIENCE WITH NEW ALBUM, “SALONNIÈRES”

Classical artist, composer and master pianist Elizabeth Naccarato has created a veritable portal through time and space on the deeply peaceful and immersive experience offered by her new album “Salonnières”. This altogether unique release not only communicates a rare pause for our modern age where the listener can engage in ethereal beauty, it projects the mind’s eye to a different time and place altogether, allowing us to reflect and bring a gem back into the now. A subtle rapture pervades this powerful and essential work.

“Who you are, is where you’ve been”

During the Enlightenment era in France, a woman referred to as a Salonnière would host salon parties in her home. She would invite and facilitate musical artists, writers and thinkers in order to engage in stimulating and inspiring discourse. Among the pianists who played at these gatherings were Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Franz List and Claude Debussy. Chopin loved performing at these intimate gatherings, as he was less fond of large public performances. He probably perfected his improvisational skills during these events, and undoubtedly wowed the guests.
My piano composing has always been inspired by The Repertoire and the great composers.

“This collection contains some of those works, as well as my compositions that were inspired by them. The alberti bass of Mozart, the appoggiaturas and suspensions of Brahms, variations of Mozart and Chopin, improvisational runs, recitatives, and meters are some of the compositional devices that are indelibly imprinted in my mind and work. I hope that you listen to this record in an intimate space, and that it gives you serenity and inspiration. Thank you for coming and engaging.

Your salonnière,
Elizabeth

A native Texan, Elizabeth began her piano studies at the age of six at the Dominican Convent in Houston. She won her first piano competition at the age of nine, when she performed and competed in local and statewide events. At that time, her voice instructor noticed her ability for composition. She became a student of Bessie Griffiths and Ruth Burr, studying piano and theory many hours a week.

Elizabeth received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from The University of Southern California where she studied with Daniel Pollack and John Perry. She was a three-time winner of the Hollywood Alumni S.A.I Scholarship and was awarded a highly coveted Teaching Assistantship at USC. Elizabeth has been a piano faculty member at The University of Southern California, University of Puget Sound and Adams State University.

Elizabeth performed solo Classical piano music extensively in Texas and on the West Coast, but it was when she moved to the Pacific Northwest that she began composing. Elizabeth released her first album Jarrell’s Cove in 1995, followed by North Sycamore, Stone Cottage, History, One Piano and Souvenir D’Italia & A Southwest Story in 2022.

In 2023, Elizabeth resumed her study with her beloved professor & concert pianist, Daniel Pollack.  Elizabeth Naccarato has received critical acclaim for her work internationally, as well as  awards &  nominations for her recordings. Her new release Salonnières marries her performance of classical piano repertoire with her own classically inspired compositions.

“GRIST FOR THE MILL OF AWAKENING”: STEPHEN MOORE’S POST DEATH SOUNDTRACK ANNOUNCES CATHARTIC SIXTH ALBUM

Sistra News Team
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“GRIST FOR THE MILL OF AWAKENING”: STEPHEN MOORE’S POST DEATH SOUNDTRACK ANNOUNCES CATHARTIC SIXTH ALBUM

Post Death Soundtrack has announced it’s mind-bending 6th full-length album, “GRIST”, due for release on streaming platforms November 30th. Post Death Soundtrack is a heavy, strange and volatile creature born of solo artist Stephen Moore’s untethered creative mind. A dark, heavy fusion of doom, industrial, gothic, darkwave, rap, avant-garde and grunge, this album is raw, emotional, and unflinchingly powerful.

“GRIST” is the second in a new series of 30 song double albums, following up “IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE”, which was itself just released on June 30th. Fans of Swans, 90’s and ‘blackstar’-era David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Nick Cave, Portishead, Chelsea Wolfe, The Stooges, Faith No More, Tom Waits and PJ Harvey should enjoy this strange yet cohesive collection. 

“GRIST”  hunts, laughs, mourns, challenges and inspires others to step into their true selves without fear. The themes are wide but related, with philosophy, mental illness, death of loved ones, addiction, spirituality, surrealism and dream language all playing strong roles. With themes like rallying baby bees for the swarm, the artist positions himself as the Queen, ready to move through chaos, come what may.


“Ram Dass famously stated that all life experience, trauma, transcendence, joy, suffering, is all just “grist for the mill of awakening”. That being said, here is the GRIST.”

GRIST stands as a beat-heavy, noise heavy riot crackling through the heart of the city, while also a testament to life, survival from nothing, a celebration, and statement for those abused or undermined, yet who posess an inner power that none can reach.

“This is a pure offering to my baby bees, my ones who know code red, my cubs who climb the mount, my bears who hold their post, my hyenas who crawl under dark of dark. This is for you, who face the weaponry, the cheap bravado, the false while grinding your teeth. Sharpening. This is GRIST. What we are is GRIST. OMEN.“


 

Divine Plan by Ditzy Desselle

Cherine Abulwafa
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Divine Plan by Ditzy Desselle

WHEN THE UNIVERSE HUMS IN HARMONY

There’s a quiet kind of confidence pulsing through Divine Plan, the latest single by American neo-soul artist Ditzy Desselle. It doesn’t rush to impress; it breathes, uncoils, and settles into its own rhythm, much like the message it carries. This is soul music not for heartbreak or longing, but for release, a meditation on surrender dressed in velvet tones and honeyed phrasing.

From its first few bars, Divine Plan invites the listener into a slow exhale. The arrangement leans into retro warmth, subtle keys, rounded bass, a percussive heartbeat that never intrudes, allowing Desselle’s voice to flow with the ease of someone speaking a gentle truth. There’s an intimacy to her delivery, as if the song were written mid-revelation, in the space between letting go and realizing that the letting go was the point all along.

The lyrics feel like a whispered affirmation. “I’m startin’ to see the Divine’s got a better plan than mine,” she sings, a line that lingers, not because it preaches, but because it understands. That humility, that acceptance, is what gives Divine Plan its glow. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t just sound good; it realigns something inside you.

What makes Desselle’s debut especially striking is its restraint. There are no towering vocal runs or grand crescendos: just a patient groove, a voice rooted in clarity, and the sense that every element knows its place. It’s soul pared down to its essence: feeling over flourish, honesty over ornamentation.

Divine Plan offers something radical: stillness. It’s an open palm of a song, a reminder that sometimes the most powerful act of faith is to trust the timing of things, and simply let the universe hum in its beautiful harmony..

 

 

Flash Bang by Shawnsosaucy

Cherine Abulwafa
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Flash Bang by Shawnsosaucy

WHERE CONFIDENCE HITS THE BEAT!

There’s a certain kind of pop track that doesn’t walk into the spotlight; it generates one! Flash Bang, the latest single from Brooklyn’s Shawnsosaucy featuring TrapSelyna, arrives in that exact blaze, radiating the kind of self-assured heat that makes a room shift before the first lyric even drops.

The production, sculpted by Kngxdior and fine-tuned by WahiBonds, leans into a gleaming mix of 2000s pop touchstones and forward-leaning textures. It’s sleek yet charged, the kind of beat that flickers like a strobe but still leaves space for personality to shine through. That atmosphere becomes the perfect runway for the song’s dual energies: TrapSelyna’s razor-edged charisma and Shawnsosaucy’s smooth, melodic bite.

TrapSelyna opens the track with a verse that snaps into place: taut, playful, and unapologetically bold. The artist sets the tone with an electric confidence, shaping the rhythm with a delivery that feels both controlled and feral. By the time Shawnsosaucy enters, the song blooms wider, shifting into a dynamic interplay that heightens the tension rather than diffuses it. Vocals move with a blend of charm and swagger, amplifying the track’s sensual core.

What unfolds is a world built on shine and sensation, a pulse that feeds off its own adrenaline. The hook strikes fast, catching the ear with a brightness that lingers long after it fades. But despite its glossy exterior, Flash Bang carries something textured beneath the surface: the camaraderie of its creation. From last-minute lyric swaps to vocal-fry lessons in the studio, the track bears the imprint of artists who were fully present in the making of it.

That sincerity gives it a distinct glow. Yes, it’s a club-ready spark. Yes, it’s built to move bodies. But it also feels personal, rooted in the joy of tapping into a version of oneself that’s larger than life: bolder, freer, louder.

With this release, Shawnsosaucy continues shaping a sonic identity that isn’t afraid to merge glamour with grit. Flash Bang steps forward as a moment of evolution: seductive, confident, and unmistakably alive. It’s the sound of an artist walking into their own aura, and inviting you to follow the light.

Only Answer by Colour Of The Sky

Cherine Abulwafa
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Only Answer by Colour Of The Sky

THE NIGHT’S SECRET DANCE

There’s a certain spell that forms when a track toys with its own darkness, never fully revealing where it’s headed, yet pulling you forward with a sly, rhythmic grin. “Only Answer,” the latest single from Prague’s Colour Of The Sky, lives exactly in that space, gliding between mood and motion with a confidence that feels both playful and deliberately enigmatic.

The opening moments unfold like a quiet neon-lit alley: cool-toned synths, a gentle electronic haze, and a pulse that hints at something brewing beneath the surface. Then comes the bassline: subtle at first, almost whispering, but with a mischievous swing that gives the track its early spark. It’s the kind of groove that promises a shift, and when that shift arrives, it does so with flair.

Halfway through, the song slips out of its darker shell and into a vibrant, 70s-tinted disco bloom. The transition is bold but unforced, opening the track into a warm, groovy stride that still carries traces of its earlier mystery. It’s a clever bit of musical storytelling: the night reveals its dance, but keeps enough shadows to remain intriguing.

What makes the track resonate isn’t just the stylistic pivot; it’s the immediacy of its creation. Michael Marek, the mind behind Colour Of The Sky, wrote, produced, mixed, and mastered it himself, all within three days. That speed shows not in roughness, but in cohesion. The song feels instinctive, unfiltered by overthinking, guided instead by the kind of flow that comes from trusting one’s creative pulse.

Acoustic textures blend naturally with the electronic framework, giving the song a heartbeat beneath its glossy surface. And woven into all of this is an emotional undertone shaped by the artist’s own moments of driving home through winter nights: quiet, reflective, and charged with the small mysteries of daily life.

“Only Answer” stands as one of those rare tracks that shifts mood without breaking its spell. It nods to disco house, synthwave, and electronic pop, but refuses to stay put. Instead, it dances in its own shadows: light on its feet, subtly magical, and just elusive enough to keep you replaying it, hoping to catch every glimmer of what it’s hiding..

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