Music & Lyrics
The following music and lyrics were selected by the editors.
Thanks to all musicians and songwriters who shared their work.
Click on photo to view lyrics and listen to their performance.
Thanks to all musicians and songwriters who shared their work.
Click on photo to view lyrics and listen to their performance.
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Becca Stevens is the October Featured Artist of the month. She is a Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn-based and North Carolina-bred singer-songwriter and musician who has established an outstanding career blending an effortless vocal talent with exquisite compositions that draw inspiration from pop, jazz, indie-rock, and Appalachian folk music. Her most recent album, WONDERBLOOM (GroundUP ’20), which she produced and engineered with Nic Hard, displays Becca’s skill of layering profound and discerning lyrics with funky and dance-ready beats. The track “Slow Burn” from WONDERBLOOM was nominated for a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals in 2020. Becca is a highly respected collaborator who has worked with the likes of David Crosby as an active member of his Lighthouse Band, and many other notables.
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Queen Sheena is the February 2022 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a Tennessee-based singer-songwriter. When she was ten years old, she began writing poetry and singing in her church youth choir. Over the years, she developed a deep passion for writing poetry, singing, and expressing herself through the arts. After writing her first song, she knew she wanted to reach a broader audience and has since performed at venues in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Queen Sheena released her first single in 2018 titled “1964” which tells the story of the civil rights movement. In July of that year, she released her highly anticipated, self-titled debut EP, which showcases her soulful voice and incredible songwriting abilities. Since then, she has released two more singles – “A Long Way from Home” and her most recent hit song, “Amen.”
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Ruth Davies is the September 2021 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a Bay Area native who has performed with jazz and blues greats Charles Brown, Elvin Bishop, Clark Terry, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Jay McShann, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Etta Jones, Elvis Costello, Eric Bibb, Keb' Mo', Sammy Hagar, Terry Gibbs, Jimmy Witherspoon and Little Jimmy Scott. Her discography (including several Platinum and Grammy-winning recordings) covers various jazz and blues styles as well as movie soundtracks. She has recorded with Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Jackie Ryan, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others.
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Bettye LaVette is the January 2021 Featured Artist of the Month. Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the great soul interpreters of her generation,” this six-time Grammy nominee is a vocalist who can take any type of song – jazz or country, pop or rhythm & blues – and make it her own. Bettye’s commitment to artistry has earned the admiration of musical peers, such as Jon Bon Jovi. “She doesn’t just sing the song, she lives in each of them,” he said. Singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt also praised her as “…one of the most incredible R&B singers singing today…a force of nature.” After a career spanning close to six decades, Bettye was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (The Blues Foundation) in May 2020. Her latest album, Blackbirds, has garnered Bettye her sixth Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” In curating the songs for Blackbirds, Bettye has established a dialogue with the great women who preceded her while reaffirming herself as a vital, living presence.
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Jacelyn Holmes (a.k.a. JACELYN) is the July 2020 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, actress and former host of CTV. Awards include “Emerging Vocalist of the Year” (MARTY Awards), “Artist of the Year, Adult Contemporary” (Niagara Music Awards), and “Single of the Year, ‘Growin’ Up’” (Niagara Music Awards). Internationally recognized composer/arranger/pianist, Amina Figarova, partnered with Jacelyn to arrange and produce her upcoming debut album, Dovetailing, which will be released in the fall. Her latest single release “Kaleidoscope,” a song that addresses mental health issues, is a collaborative effort with Figarova, and ASHA, an American rapper.
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Leanne Weiss and Derek Allan joined forces to form the country music duo October Rose in 2016. Since then, they've been touring nationally and writing new music. Their debut EP All In has received critical acclaim from various media outlets, with their first single “Heartbreak Song” hitting country radio last year. Leanne and Derek are also finding ways to give back to the communities that support them. The duo recently partnered with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit, to raise money to help with the war on opioid abuse. Readers will find their newly released video "Different Kind of High" in the May issue and can donate to the cause.
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Monica Pasqual is the January 2020 Featured Artist of the Month. She is best known for her work with the Bay Area "super-group" Blame Sally, of whom rock critic Joel Selvin wrote: “…one of the most powerful word-of-mouth success stories I’ve heard in recent years." However, Monica has managed to maintain an impressive solo career both before and during the Blame Sally years. Already the winner of six Independent Music Awards (IMAs) and six Emmy Awards, she took home three more IMAs with songs from her new album release and sixth solo effort, "You Can't Kill Light." Her songs have been used on numerous network television shows, and she has composed soundtracks for PBS, The History Channel and National Geographic TV.
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Alexis P. Suter is the September 2019 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a three-time Blues Music Awards nominee. Her dance song “Slam Me Baby” put her on the map, and she became the first African American woman to sign with Epic/Sony Japan. In addition to being a featured artist in over 50 blues and roots festivals nationwide, Alexis and her band have been the opening act for the following artists: B.B. King, Etta James, Bo Diddley, Trombone Shorty, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dickey Betts, Coco Montoya, Buddy Guy, Allen Touissaint, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Winter, Elvis Costello and for the 20 year reunion of the Muddy Waters Band.
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Amina Figarova is celebrating 20 years with the Amina Figarova Sextet with her newly released album, Road to the Sun. Amina is an internationally-known jazz pianist and composer who was born in Baku, Azerbaijan. For decades, she has played with musicians from across Europe and the U.S. The Amina Figarova Sextet (which includes flutist, Bart Platteau, Amina’s partner and husband of 27 years) has triumphed at the main stage of the Newport Jazz Festival. The sextet has been invited repeatedly to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has won critical and popular acclaim in Chicago, Detroit, Paris, Amsterdam and New York.
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Kate Amrine is a prominent young trumpet player balancing a multifaceted career – everything from developing new repertoire and curating concerts to freelancing with many different groups in the New York City area. Kate is co-leader of eGalitarian – an ensemble of women brass players playing music by women composers and advocating for women in the community. She is also half of the team behind Brass Chicks – a blog dedicated to celebrating the work of female brass players with guest posts and interviews. As an educator, Kate enjoys teaching private lessons in her own studio and as an adjunct instructor at New York University.
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Photo Credit: William Clark
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Jonatha Brooke is the November 2018 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been creating and performing richly constructed, melodic songs with complex harmonies and poetic lyrics for more than two decades. She began her solo career in 1994, and her 1997 CD 10 Cent Wings earned Jonatha a review in Billboard Magazine. In 2014, Jonatha opened in her one-woman play My Mother Has 4 Noses off-Broadway in New York City at the Duke Theater. The critically acclaimed project documents the poignant journey of caring for her mother, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's-induced dementia, during the last two years of her life. In February of this year, the show ran for three weeks at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.
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SPINN: New Jersey natives Stephanie Spinner and Cheryl Lynn Spinner describe themselves as "city girls with country hearts." The sisters play traditional country music, inspired by artists like Dolly Parton, and write their own songs (with help from a best friend from high school). Both play the piano, and Cheryl Lynn plays the autoharp. In 2016, Spinn won country music station NASH FM’s NASH Next regional competition - which featured over 750 bands - earning them a trip to Nashville to perform in the finals and tour with the other Top 10 finalists from around the country. With three successful EPs already under their belt, Cheryl and Stephanie are enjoying living out their dreams, as they’re well on their way to being in rotation alongside the giants of the genre. On May 9th, Spinn released their single “Crazy for You,” a heart-warming, upbeat love song that is making audiences smile and sing along.
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Adison Evans is the May 2018 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a saxophonist known for her work with Beyoncé, Jay Z and Demi Lovato. She draws on her influences, travels and life experience as well as those who have influenced her both musically and personally. Her music exudes a love for jazz, R&B and positive affirmation. Adison made her debut in the pop world playing in the 2013 Super Bowl with Beyoncé. After graduating from The Juilliard School, she toured with Beyoncé in the “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” and, afterward, with Beyoncé and JayZ in the history-making “On the Run Tour.” In 2016, she released her debut album, Hero, a tribute to those who have shaped her into the young woman and artist she is today. Her new album, Meridian, will be released on July 6, 2018.
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Photo Credit: Garth Woods
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Najwa Parkins is the March 2018 Featured Artist of the Month. Najwa is a jazz vocalist, bandleader, songwriter, composer and educator from Philadelphia, PA. She graduated from Temple University with a B.M. in jazz studies and vocal performance. In 2011, she released her self-produced, debut album, Not the Next Someone Else. Najwa can be seen and heard on the Emmy Award-winning television show, Alex and the Kaleidoscope, which premiered in March 2014. In the winter of 2016, she toured nationally, portraying Rosa Parks in the Mad River Theater Works production of “Walk On: The Rosa Parks Story." Najwa currently leads her own trio and quartet and is an adjunct faculty member in the vocal jazz department at Temple University.
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Derek Allan and Leanne Weiss began writing songs together in 2016 and joined forces to form the country music duo October Rose. Since their inception, October Rose has been a force to be reckoned with on the New York City country music scene, with featured appearances on Ty, Kelly and Chuck’s “10 Minute Tune” and opening slots for Drew Baldridge, Russell Dickerson, and Sara Evans. Their debut EP, “All In,” will be released in early 2018.
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Arischa, pronounced (Ah-rish-sha), has been singing since the day she heard Stacy Lattisaw singing “Let me Be Your Angel" when she was a young girl. Since then, she has been the lead vocalist for various bands and jazz ensembles. Arischa says, "This song is written in the memory of my sister who lost her battle with cancer. We called her Dee Dee. We take for granted that our loved ones will always be here. I had never thought that there would be a time where I would miss her because she was no longer here physically. This song is to honor her and our story."
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René Marie is the January 2017 Featured Artist of the Month. René is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, composer, arranger and theatrical performer who has entertained audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe. Her latest release in her ever-expanding body of work is Sound of Red (Motéma, 2016), which recently garnered a second Grammy nomination for René in the category “Best Jazz Vocal Album.” It’s her first music CD containing all-original material, which provides insightful glimpses into the many small but profound turning points that are part of an individual life. “I wanted to make a record that people could go back to again and again to excavate their emotions,” says René. “We cover things over every day. We have to in order to move through the day and move through our lives.”
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Amina Figarova is the October 2016 Featured Artist of the Month. The Amina Figarova Sextet has been invited repeatedly to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has won critical and popular acclaim in Chicago, Detroit, Paris, Amsterdam and New York. Thomas Conrad of Jazz Times says, “Figarova is among the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium.” Blue Whisper is Amina’s 13th album since her 1994 debut titled Attraction.
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OPEN ROAD performs regularly for public and private events in Connecticut, bringing acoustic originals and harmony together. Nancy Burger, co-founder and senior editor of Sanctuary, is a lead singer and songwriter with this band. Other members of the band include Sue Broudy, Scott Weber, James Allen, and Dan Berg. Sanctuary shares "Indigo Child" written by Nancy Burger and Scott Weber.
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