FRESH NEW KICKS: Piano Song- Eryn Allen Kane

‘Piano Song’ is somewhat of a misnomer for Eryn Allen Kane’s latest delight. Sure, it kicks off with a twinkling little key sequence, accompanied only by Eryn’s gorgeously full voice, all peaks and ebbs like a whirl of meringue. Yet less than halfway into the track the presence of those signature layered harmonies and- more excitingly- bold and brassy horns have made themselves known. Perhaps dubbing this beautiful track ‘old school soul’ is a bit of misnomer too; there’s a tendency to constantly hold up new bluesy offerings to the ‘classic’ standard, in much the same way rap conversations always pay homage to Biggie or Pac. By now, Eryn has woven enough originality and spark throughout her work to be seen as more than just an imitator of bygone musical eras- a lack of synths doesn’t automatically denote a lack of modernity. Beyond that, ‘Piano Song’ possesses a timeless message: ‘Sometimes clinging to a cloud/Ain’t as easy as it seems’ she sings, pondering the sheer, hard graft that goes into maintaining a successful relationship before erupting into a climatic series of belting riffs that repeat the message to ‘never give up’ if you really want to make something last. It’s a message that’s just as easily applicable to success in her chosen industry yet slowly but surely she seems to be making her way.

Follow @ErynAllenKane on Twitter now. 

FRESH NEW KICKS: Slipping- Eryn Allen Kane

To be honest, Eryn Allen Kane could sing the alphabet and I’d still recommend you pay top dollar to hear it. Thankfully, she’s willing to give her fans slightly more than ABCDEF rendered in a brassy mezzo soprano belt; latest soul-soaked single Slipping is a worthy successor to phenomenal gospel debut Have Mercy. Dealing with the difficult subject of outgrowing both lovers and locations, Kane marries her fantastic ear for melody with a keen eye for lyrical detail. ‘You can tell I’m not content/But bitten nails prove some relent‘ she informs her paramour, a bad little habit spotlighted as evidence of her desire to move onto to greater things. Later, Kane dangles a relationship lifeline with an invitation to join her on the road: ‘ditching this town before I drown and there’s one more open seat’  but by the softly cooed coda it’s pretty obvious that the entanglement’s beyond CPR. Slipping is a farewell missive slid under a door one sunny morning; Kane proves herself capable of conveying impressive emotion even when she’s not stretching her voice to full capacity. Beautiful and bluesy, this compact little track will leave you ready to hitch yourself to her wagon.

Eryn Allen Kane’s EP Aviary is out later this year. Follow her @ErynAllenKane on Twitter now.

FRESH NEW KICKS: Temporary- Saba ft. Tink

Even at this stage in her burgeoning career, Tink has achieved immediate name recognition from anyone who frequents rap Soundcloud thanks to her furious work ethic: 5 solo mixtapes in 3 years, with the 6th dropping soon and her first studio album also scheduled for a 2015 release. That’s not counting the numerous stellar verses and hooks she’s lent out to other artists as part of her come up. Now Tink racks up another standout appearance on Temporary, a wrenching examination of unpredictability from Chicago’s Saba.

Saba is mostly concerned with the ‘everything burns’ approach, ruminating on the eventual, inevitable destructive properties of time that will render everything he holds dear to rubble. Then Tink breezes in, her melisma fluttering above a pulsing beat, reminding us that while our existence may only be temporary, so are the challenges and obstacles we face. Essentially: it gets better. It’s a great performance from two emerging buzzkids and the contrasting discourse lifts Temporary from simply being another earnest rumination on how fleeting life is. More songs like this & Saba can dismiss his fear of the future for good.

Follow @sabaPIVOT and @Official_Tink on Twitter now. 

FRESH NEW KICKS: Kings- Kweku Collins

Closed Sessions is a pedigree label; they only fuck with the brightest and best Chi-town hip hop talent. It’s an obvious fit for Kweku Collins, a rising rap star whose output thus far has firmly classified him in the Allan Kingdom school of artists who clearly have music scored into their very bones. There’s a lyricism and innate understanding of beat present in Collins that he attributes to a upbringing courtesy of a literary mother and a percussionist father but probably runs even deeper than he knows, passed down through the DNA that built him. These qualities are gloriously evident on Kings, Collins’ latest single, dropped to promote his July 21st release of Say It Here, While It’s Safe, his first EP as a signed artist. Kings is a euphoric, star-reaching track concerned primarily with identity philosophy and Collins’ progression into that rare beast: a person who has come to completely accept themselves for what they are. 

STOP EVERYTHING: Have Mercy- Eryn Allen Kane

Eryn Allen Kane belongs to Detroit by birth but her decision to up sticks to Chicago is one that’s paid dividends. Already she’s managed to hook up with some of the Windy City’s hottest exports, most recently bagging a feature on the much lauded Towkio/Chance The Rapper joint Heaven Only Knows. Now Kane’s dropped a stunning solo track Have Mercy, built solely on an acapella foundation of harmonies that recall the sparse melody of James Vincent McMorrow’s Cavalier. An absence of typical production allows Eryn’s not-so-secret weapon to shine through: her voice is a glorious golden instrument, powerful and passionate. When Kane lets rip, it is startling to behold, her notes either spiraling towards the heavens in fluttering runs or whacking the listener right between the eyes with the force and purity of their delivery. The Social Experiment and their affiliates seem to be on a gospel kick right now but with Have Mercy Kane has claimed the crown, managing to harness that elusive soul-stirring quality that lifts a song from ‘rousing’ to ‘unmissable’. There’s a reason she counts The Purple One among her disciples and with a few more releases like this, we’re betting the church of Kane is on route to save a lot more sinners.

Check out visuals for Have Mercy here and follow @ErynAllenKane on Twitter now.