By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Happy New Music Friday, Everyone! At the end of each quarter, Jake’s Take’s New Music Reviews will turn over the reins to Artists to Watch. Artists to Watch highlights the solo singers, groups, or bands that might make big waves in the recording industry. Let’s get this party started!
Sing to Me Instead by Ben Platt
Actor-singer Ben Platt made waves in the theatre world with his powerhouse performances in The Book of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen. Recently, the Tony-winning actor released his debut studio album. Atlantic Records, which signed Ben Platt to a recording contract in 2017, did an impeccable job letting Ben showcases that he is more than a Broadway performer. Sing to Me Instead puts Ben in an impeccable position, where he has potential to be on par with Josh Groban and Michael Buble vocally. I predict that Sing to Me Instead has potential to play a significant role during the upcoming American Music Awards and 2020 Grammys. A-
Tracks to Download: “Ease My Mind,” “Temporary Love,” “Grow as We Go,” “New,” & “Better.”
A Place We Knew by Dean Lewis
Apple Music named Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis its Up Next artist for March 2019. The Island Records-signed artist showcased his promise as a songwriter as he wrote (or co-wrote) a majority of his debut album. A Place We Knew paired Dean with some top talent such as Neil Ormandy, Evermore’s Jon and Dann Hume, Nick Atkinson, and Hayley Warner. I believe that Dean Lewis has impeccable potential to be Australia’s latest breakout star. With his catchy songs and superb lyrics, Dean Lewis has a bright future in the music industry. B
Tracks to Download: “7 Minutes,” “Stay Awake,” “For The Last Time,” & “Be Alright.”
Jai Wolf’s outstanding ‘The Cure to Loneliness’ makes him one of ‘Jake’s Take’s’ Artists to Watch. (Album courtesy property of Big Hassle Media)
The Cure to Loneliness by Jai Wolf
On April 5, EDM producer Jai Wolf (Sajeeb Saha’s penname) will release his studio album, The Cure to Loneliness, from Mom + Pop Records. The Cure to Loneliness is Wolf’s full-length debut record following his 2016 EP Kindred Spirits. All throughout his 12 tracks, Jai Wolf showcased why he is one of his generation’s most gifted EDM music makers. He is able to weave a story together that would perfectly fit an EDM festival such as Coachella or Dancefestopia. The Cure to Loneliness is a brilliant album and I cannot wait to see what Jai Wolf does next. A+
Tracks to Download: “Telepathy,” “Still Sleeping,” “Manic Pixie Dream,” “Better Apart,” & “Your Wave.”
Retrovision EP by Kat Holland
Charlotte, North Carolina-based singer Kat Holland just released her debut EP, Retrovision. The four tracks showcase Kat Holland’s stunning vocals would satisfy Leona Lewis and Nicole Scherzinger fans. The Retrovision EP also showcases her unique artistic blend of jazz and pop music. The only small problem is that I wished the EP had more songs to be featured on this album. Otherwise, these morsels showcase an up-and-coming artist that the music industry should invest in immediately. A-
Tracks to Download: “The One,” “Stay,” “Losing Balance,” and “Happy Pill.”
“Outside In” by Fabriq
Los Angeles-based artists Fabriq is making a lot of noise in the pop music arena. The duo, Daniel Davila and Cooper Bell, shared the stage with Gladys Knight, Hunter Hayes, and Stevie Wonder. Also, Fabriq has amassed over 500,000 Spotify streams, and its music videos have been viewed over 1.3 million times. Their latest single, “Outside In,” is a brilliant trip to funk music central that is radio ready. I could see “Outside In” be an early contender for the 2019 edition of Song of the Summer. B+
“Welcome to Bearizona” by Zr. King
New York City rockers Zr. King is preparing to release new music for the first time in five years. Following the success of 2014’s Potentially Lethal Game of Chance, “Welcome to Bearizona” is the first single off of their upcoming sophomore release: Musically & Morally Bankrupt. Zr. King’s powerful rock sound will electrify metal fans! Also, I could see these artists with other bands like Black Oxygen and Shinedown in the future. This music lover is waiting to hear more from this talented group of musicians in the future. B
“Play It Cool” by Monsta X & Steve Aoki
South Korean K-pop group Monsta X has the privilege of closing out this edition of Jake’s Take’s New Music Reviews. The group is the latest K-pop band to break into the United States following BTS and Blackpink’s successes. The septet teamed up with DJ-producer Steve Aoki to for the English release of “Play It Cool.” The song not only will satisfy K-pop fans’ ears, but the track also has potential to be a chart-topping hit for Monsta X. B+/A-
I do not own any of the clips that are featured in this article. They belong to the artists and their respective record labels.
[…] with another amazing voice. MJs’ Big Blog reported that Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning actor Ben Platt invited the singer to join him on stage during his San Francisco tour stop. Both of them performed […]