Meagan Aversa's Luminescent is so beautiful. The vocals are sweet but somber and the harmonies are very poignant, as are the lyrics. I was immediately drawn to the vulnerability Aversa expresses through her delivery and was hooked to the song from the first line. 

In the second verse, Aversa sings "the seeds you sow made a home in my respiratory system", which is officially one of my favorite lyrics ever, and as she talks about clearing the blockages, it feels like a warm hug to oneself as they move on. The way she sings "look at the mess/you were left with" at the end of the bridge is so hauntingly beautiful.

In addition to the vocals, Aversa plays all the instruments on the track, and produced, mixed, and mastered it herself, which all accumulates into a wonderfully constructed piece that perfectly encapsulates the mood of having one's light taken from them. Fans of Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks will definitely hear the poetic influence of their work on Aversa's writing style. I love how Aversa can combine poetic lyricism with a straightforward story telling ability.

I love this song. Period.

Luminescent by Meagan Aversa is streaming on all major platforms now. Give it a listen. You won't regret it.

Bel Holiday: if you don't know her, you will soon.

Her single, Mama Mountains, off of her upcoming album, Mess of A Mind (to be released on February 12th, 2021), is a breath of fresh air at a time where the world needs an artist like her. In a song where she liberates herself from any expectation of perfection, she shines through stellar vocals and poignant, poetic, yet accessible lyrics.

The skill Holiday exhibits vocally is equally matched to her lyricism. Mama Mountains, inspired by a spiritually awakening hike, paints a beautiful picture of keeping the faith in one's journey. Her vocal styling is very unique, and the way she sings her verses as if she is climbing up and down scales is genius as it paints a physical picture of both the struggles and triumphs of healing. As the second verse hits, Holiday shifts from detailing a spiritual experience to a plea, her vocals becoming more intense and compelling, closing out the verse with a powerful "mama mountains/sense me/feel me". Combining acid rock, avante garde jazz, and dream pop sounds daunting, but she has done it so well. With the story-telling ability of the greats like Joni Mitchell and a voice that is in a league of its own, Bel Holiday is a force of nature.

(And she will be blowing everyone away on the newest season of American Idol, airing February 14th, 2021)

Kathryn Gallagher has one of the most unique and compelling voices of modern Broadway, and she shines with her solo music.

Gallagher's new single, Whatever You Can Do, is a song that belongs on playlists with the modern greats of pop music, like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Phoebe Bridgers. When she sings, "I told you not to come/now we're covered in blood", coupled with the vulnerability of the chorus "You do/whatever you/can do to/love me/hate me/erase me/replace me", Gallagher beautifully paints the story of a relationship where one gives their all and gets very little in return, while the other person is still wrapt in the person they are so ambivalent about. 

In the second verse, Gallagher sings "lying on my back in my childhood room/did you know I cry every time I hear from you", and I am OBSESSED with the juxtaposition between grown feelings and childish naiveté. It's relatable in such a heartbreaking way. The feeling of being helplessly in love and continuously drawn to someone that does not deserve your love is something that transcends age, gender, and sexuality. 

In the last chorus, Gallagher switches the narrative and says "I did/whatever I could do/to love you/save you...", and says that it wasn't enough, that this love and effort was only ever subjected to criticism, humiliation, and projection. 

She delivers these beautiful lines in a hushed tone with a hint of rasp, which conveys the emotion exceptionally well. Along with shame and heartbreak, there is an element of pleading to her voice, and it genuinely brought tears to my eyes, further illuminated by the last line of the song "please have mercy on me".

This song actually reminds me, thematically, a lot of Hayley Williams' body of work titled Petals for Armor in that there is a certain fierceness to the vulnerability Gallagher expresses. It is brave to be vulnerable.

And if I could give a piece of advice to anyone who may relate to this song: it is not your responsibility to fix or save someone. You deserve someone who is worthy of your love.

You can stream Kathryn Gallagher's Whatever You Can Do on all streaming platforms.

xo

Ann Wilson is undoubtedly one of the best vocalists of all time, and she knows just how to hit me right in the heart. With her new single, Tender Heart, which she released on January 22, 2021, her raw vocals combined with a soulful organ and poignant lyrics, cut straight to my soul.

In an email to her fans, Wilson stated that Tender Heart was written about coming to terms with an "inescapable truth". The song hits deeply as it speaks about the naiveté and innocence of heart that has not yet been hardened by experience and hard truths. Wilson says that the lyric "innocence is still a part...of your sore and tender heart" refers to the "invincible belief in the beauty and purity of love". Wilson's lyrics are just as poetic as her email, and is a song that I will have on every single heartbreak playlist I make from here on out. 

Though she rose to fame through Heart's signature 80s rock, I feel as though Ann Wilson shines the brightest when her vocals are the main focal point of the song. Her voice is smoky and vulnerable. Every line she sings initiates an intimacy with the listener that is hard to achieve, and she has a knack for making people feel less alone. The way Wilson delivers this song feels like a much needed warm hug on the coldest of days. As we, as a human race, are reconciling with some hard, unforgiving truths regarding the world around us, Tender Heart reminds us that though the world may try to harden us, and though we may feel heartbroken, we can remain soft. There is a pureness and a uniting quality to feeling love in its truest form, and through this love, hope can never die.

Thank you, Ann, for reminding me of how wonderful it is to love. This song is brilliant. It brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it.

You can stream Ann Wilson's Tender Heart on all platforms.

Originally written for and published by Affinity Magazine.

On Thursday, Idina Menzel announced that she would be releasing a live album, idina: live, on October 5th via her instagram story, and subsequently posted about it on all her social media channels, also announcing the pre-order will begin Friday, September 7th, prior to joining Josh Groban on his Bridges tour. 

Of course, as a fan of Menzel for close to 15 years now, I immediately pre-ordered the album when it became available, and with the pre-order, she released the studio version of her cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which she and her band recorded in a studio in New Orleans when she was on tour in the summer of 2017. 

Having seen the tour twice, I knew that her rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water was beautiful, but I did not expect it to be as absolutely breathtaking as it was. 

Using more soulful instrumentals in comparison to the folksy instrumentals of the Simon and Garfunkel version, and clearly pulling musical and vocal influence from the late Aretha Franklin, who Menzel has cited as her "idol" and as the "greatest singer ever", Menzel shows off her vocal agility and finesse. She moves through vocal runs and navigates through the low end of her chest voice, into her belt range, and even a bit into her head voice, effortlessly and seamlessly, proving once again that she is one of the most skilled vocalists of her generation. 

Including her vocal prowess, which is a quality generally missing from many music artists today, Menzel brings such power and emotion to every single note she sings. She sings every note with intention--it's not just about the vocal acrobatics that she can masterfully perform; it's about the way she can make her audience feel--which is what makes her one of the greatest artists alive today. 

Idina Menzel represents everything an artist should want to be: someone who can leave you speechless regardless of the notes they are singing; someone who can bring tears to your eyes with certain phrasings. 

I have never had a cliché rom-com movie moment with my partner until last night, when we sat on the roof and listened to Menzel's cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water and both started crying because of how that song was able to make us feel, and because of where Idina Menzel's vocals could take us both within ourselves and within the universe. 

Music and artistry is not about perfection. It never has been. It shouldn't be about charts and perfectly hit notes. It should be about a deeper connection to oneself and the world around them, and every time Idina Menzel sings, she does that for her audience. 

Music needs more of that. 

Image Credit: 

https://www.facebook.com/IdinaMenzel/photos/p.10158642481719616/10158642481719616/?type=1&theater