Diane Hubka & the Sun Canyon Band, You Never Can Tell. Diane Hubka built her career as a jazz singer but on this album, she applies her unaffected vocals to folk music. Backup comes from a talented band of multi-instrumentalists as well as guest Albert Lee, the veteran British musician known for his fingerstyle guitar work.
Now, First Listen brings back The Savants of Soul spotlighting their latest single, “For Another.” A quiet soulful piano intro leads into a crisp foundation of brass and rhythm section providing the frosting for Mandy Ferwerda’s blues-drenched voice. While the storyline may reflect justified frustration (“I’m not his girl anymore”), The Savants of Soul render their stories with confidence and authenticity. A true testament to southern soul from Gainesville to Muscle Shoals and beyond. Enjoy “For Another.”
It can be tough to keep track of all the new music coming out in 2023. Impossible, really. But we can certainly try to cover the ones that stand out.
Daisy Jones & The Six: Aurora
Ella Vos: Superglue
Elvis Costello: The Songs of Bacharach & Costello
Fake Names: Expendables
Kate NV: Wow
Macklemore: Ben
Ron Gallo: Foreground Music
slowthai: Ugly
Tanukichan: GIZMO
The Minks: Creatures of Culture
Whitney Walker: A Dog Staring Into a Mirror
Xiu Xiu: Ignore Grief
A delicately heartwarming, understated ballad, “Things Will Never Be The Same” is the expansive, sweetly-sung new single from Taiwanese musician Paige Su. You can stream it on Apple Music now, and her new LP You’ll Live Forever In My Songs will arrive on February 24th.
Following up the 2021 Outrunning EP with their first proper full length, Canada’s five piece The Sarandons deliver a satisfying mix of lush indie pop, folk and roots/Americana music that occasionally flirts with more danceable rock here and there. They also manage to incorporate more than the basic guitar, bass and drums formula for a diverse sound.
“The title track is as strong an example of that end goal as any. It boasts compact guitar reminiscent of Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo work, and vocalist Suchon also seemingly follows in the footsteps of Canadian countrymen Wolf Parade – the effect is refreshing and yet ever-so-slightly nostalgic.”