Alleya
Restless
London
 
A stunning young woman with a huge talent in music, Alleya brings her latest video single Restless. Choosing to move to London from her Latvian home in order to fulfil her dreams in the music scene, Alleya has been demonstrating why she can be so confident in her direction. With what’s been described as “introspective lyricism”, she draws on influences such as Billie Eilish, Arlo Parks, Tyler and Frank Ocean, plus many more boundary breakers and homely heroes from the history of song writing. Her music has already been featured on the BBC with support from Television Centre and she’s been awarded a place on a City of London emerging artist’s scheme. No doubt, with all this behind her and plenty more to come, we’re all feeling a little restless. So, let’s hear it.
 
A swell of tone reveals a gentle bass driven rhythm that pumps like conjoined hearts, keeping each other alive. Alleya enters on soft and delicate vocals, the story is listenable, relatable, and melodic to perfection. Minimal vibes shimmer in pinpoints of tone and feeling as the rhythm unravels in catchy motions of bouncing relaxation. A shift in the melody offers a new scene, the edges of the gemstone glistening as it turns in the vibrant light. As the revolution makes full circle, the original feeling shines down from reflective surfaces and silky flow.
 
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​Pitbull and Dolly Parton
Powerful Women
United States
 
 
A collaboration between giants, the heavy weights of the field can move mountains between them and change the world when they work together. A force for good, Pitbull is the multi-award-winning educator, producer, musician, and spokesperson for create pursuits. Definitely a shrink ray for your writer, he’s made a lot of difference and has been rightfully recognised many times over for his powerful and solid contributions to the independent and hard-working talent industry. Who needs to introduce Dolly Parton? A glamourous and iconic figure, anything she does is fascinating and entertaining. She’s recently been incorporated into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, several decades too late if you ask me, and with collaborations like this, the country and western singer shows how she stays relevant well beyond retirement age. We can all look to her for how to live our lives to the best.
 
A pulsing beat opens the track as Pitbull begins his vocal acrobatics. A juicy beat begins the string of rhythms as the duet bring the dancing and energetic composition. There are times when something takes you by surprise and makes your day. Dolly Parton dives right into 9 to 5 in a modern and up-to-date version as the music created by the masterful Pitbull pumps away to the marching feet of the working population. We are reminded of the virtue of hard work and passion to succeed that women demonstrate and offer as equal members of society. We can’t all be beautiful like Dolly Parton, so if the work is to our liking, what’s the issue? Women deserve promotions, better pay, equal opportunities, and to be judged on quality rather than attractiveness. Let’s hope this song and its forerunner become historical evidence of a time overcome rather than calls to action. Until then, we had better act.
 
Find out more about Pitbull on his website

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You can find out more on the Dolly Parton website

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LZee, Toddla T, Naomi Cowan
Worries
Sheffield, London
 
The high-flying, fast-rising popular DJ Toddla T brings his Sheffield night-scene sound to an even further reach with this collaboration between LZee and Naomi Cowan. Bringing in these talents to the mix gives the music an extra level of street-cred and introduces fans to another branch of the musical family tree. The North London-based MC LZee utilises his thoroughbred performing skills, built up from the foundations in the dives of the capital city’s speakeasy scene. Bringing yet more fire to Toddla T’s deep and resonating jungle inspired heavy dance and rave is reggae icon Naomi Cowan. A soulful and punchy ethic brings the completing side to this right-angled triangle of creativity.
 
A whistling tone leans out from a summery haze with dub style vocal loops reverberated across tape reflections. A thumping bass thunders in with a melodic rhythm as hard-hats and snare rattle along a driving motion that just grabs and forces movement. A vocal from fast-paced and well-spoken LZee brings a London accented street sense to the high-energy yet laid-back move. Behind and beyond, in abstract and hushed harmonies, Naomi Cowan fashions shining layers of vibrant class to fill the unspoken voids within the bass, beat, and balls.  
 
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Blaze Bayley
Rage
Circle Of Stone
 
The Iron Wolf is back with teeth, claws, and not an inch of rust in sight. The frontman of repute and acclaim with experience from the very top is always ready to make heavy metal happen. A sense of dream and drama always follows the ex-Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane singer-songwriter with fantasy and gritty realism walking hand in hand down the sceptred isle. Concept albums and hard-hitting riff experiments give rise to a world of inspiration and a supercharged music community that carries itself around the whole world. Having seen Blaze in concert twice already, his live shows are full of energy, and he dramatizes the musical power of the band with his movements and crowd participation. As the new material from a swathe of heavy metal heroes makes its way into our streaming lists this year, we can’t go without the latest offering from the man who would not die.
 
Moody channels of breath and string open the track with an eerie violin that carries Bayley’s voice over the initial verse. Melodic soliloquies commence as the emotion gently fills the goblet until it runs over. As the liquid spills and drenches the linen, a surge of power lunges forward into an acceleration of drive. Blaze Bayley’s operatic power is projected through the prism of rock and the colours spread in harmonies, emotive climbs and soul sinking dips spell the pantomime like energy of the play. A song about anger, smooth and controlled, it’s a roof-raising progressive thump into an absolute desire for the rest of the album. We will just have to wait, don’t get too angry with anticipation.
 
You can find out more on the Blaze Bayley website

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