See for yourself below:
Reeny Smith’s “Amber Lights”
Today, September 28, sees the release of R&B powerhouse Smith’s new single “Amber Lights”, a creamy-vocalled effort that brings early-career Brandy and mid-2000s Ashanti to mind. The string-backed track is the type of slow-jam that Smith has made her signature since her 2018 full-length WW III: Strength Courage Love while folding in new softness that evokes Alicia Keys.
The tune is about to get broken in on the road as Smith sets out on tour this fall, opening for Classified on a western Canadian-focused slate of dates.
Adam Baldwin’s Concertos & Serenades
Denim-clad troubadour Adam Baldwin was a source of solace for many during the pandemic, thanks to his weekly live-streams that he dubbed “Cross Country Chin Ups”. Aside from a dose of serotonin, they also saw the singer-songwriter workshopping a new sound that arrives fully across Concertos & Serenades’s eight tracks: Less Dire Straits and more Woody Guthrie, the collection of songs—released this week—sees Baldwin double-down on his long-held instincts for storytelling tunes and acoustic, folky leanings.
Owen O’Sound Lee’s 235
Lee might’ve been raised in the rich tradition of gospel’s soft sonics, but the bars on 235 are hard from the opening note. Unafraid to flip between a Bilal-style croon on the hook and a seasoned MC flow on the verse, the musician shows his artist’s palette isn’t lacking a single shade—but a roster of guest spots including Classified and PROMISE is extra boom-bapping insurance.
Ben Caplan and Terra Spencer’s “Good Friends”
A jaunty, Randy Newman piano combines with Caplan’s baritone to open this warm-wood, jazz-steeped number that sees two local singer-songwriter legends combining their superpowers. It’s the leading single for a joint album, Old News, that’ll be dropping mid-October, redolent in the smoke of an imaginary cabaret bar where Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong often split the stage (and maybe a drink).
Gina Burgess’s “S.O.S”
This tune, by The Jerry Cans and Gypsophila alum Burgess, might’ve dropped over the summer but it’s still spinning here at Coast HQ. From the nine-track album Isnow, “S.O.S” sees Burgess continue her rich tradition of mixing Celtic folk and world influences to an absolutely infectious result. You think you know what you’re getting into here, then Burgess expertly pulls the rug out from under your ears, dropping the beat and raising your admiration.