So good, so so very good.

 

The other day I posted crap ton of new songs that I'm really digging of late, and while there's something about all of them that I really like, (and I kid you not, there's a lot of hot tunes surfacing these days), this perfect little gem by Londoner Michael Kiwanuka "Cold Little Heart" after multiple listens is bleeding it way solidly into my soul.

 

Just like most songs on first listens the brain doesn't quite yet know where it's going, so the heart doesn't always initially grasp fully the emotions, but wow I'm right there now to the goose bumps, lump in the throat stage where I've become one with it to the point that I can't get enough while wondering how I've missed knowing about this guy until now.

 

He's a 30 year old English soul musician who has been compared to Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, and Otis Redding among others while already being nominated and winning numerous awards.

 

His 2nd and current release "Love & Hate" reached Number 1 in England though so far has only made it to 170 in the States. I've heard and liked a few of his tunes on WNKU, and while they only reach a certain type of audience, I have to believe that there's a wider varied range of other folks who would dig this guy.

 

I will first post the studio version w/ video that is the radio cut, but immediately following I will also post the live extended studio version that is pure gold.

 

When I became more familiar with this song, the brilliance of that extended version just reached out and grabbed ahold of me having me feel like something is terribly missing from the radio version.

 

My anxiety with sharing new music with others is that I realize that I've already listened to this song 15 times and that no way in this world could others already get to the worship stage that I'm at on first listen, and since I'm raved about it, it can even more so make a new listener think "What the hell is he hearing that's so wonderful"?

 

Extended Studio Version:

 

Arcade Fire feat. 78 year old Mavis Staples...

 

I Give You Power

 

I just can't get enough of this tune.

 

Here's a tune "Primrose Green" that came out a couple of years ago by Illinois native Ryley Walker, 28 that has a throwback sound of a bit of CS&N and perhaps also a bit of Tim Buckley.

 

Thought @mcpapa might be intrigued to hear a young songwriter today who is continuing in this kind of musical tradition.

 

"Wish I Knew You" - The Revivalists

 

Newish? I think this peaked a few months ago. I'm a sucker for any band with horns. Throw in a pedal steel and I'm all in. The lovely lady planned a weekend for us at the Pilgrimage Festival (TN) in September, and we definitely plan to see these guys.

 

Based on our "strong like" for this, does anybody have suggestions for other artists that we might enjoy?

"Wish I Knew You" - The Revivalists

 

Newish? I think this peaked a few months ago. I'm a sucker for any band with horns. Throw in a pedal steel and I'm all in. The lovely lady planned a weekend for us at the Pilgrimage Festival (TN) in September, and we definitely plan to see these guys.

 

Based on our "strong like" for this, does anybody have suggestions for other artists that we might enjoy?

 

Sounds like a very cool festival, and as with many of these fests there's tons of new acts I've never heard of before (which is great for new discoveries), and some real decent headlining heavy hitters.

 

Not familiar with the band The Revitalists, but enjoyed that song and video. I see that they were here in Covington back in March at the Madison Theater, and judging by photos I located of that show, the house looked packed, and they are also returning to this area play in Hamilton, OH on Sept. 9th at an outdoor Amphitheater called RiversEdge, a venue I still have yet to see.

 

With a few searches, one associated act that keeps coming up are a Nashville, TN band called Moon Taxi.

 

Here's a recent tune by Moon Taxi, called "Two High" that I'll place in the next post, where I can somehow see why the comparison, and it also sounds like there's a bit of horn action going on in this tune.

Here's also a recent Moon Taxi in-studio session that gives you a nice close up of the band to see if they're your thing.

 

Both The Revitalists and Moon Taxi look to be no-angst bands not afraid of a good melody, along with accomplished stylish musicianship.

 

Now if you're first interested in horns, rather than exactly what these two bands bring stylistically, then that can open the door to a lot of other acts, but as a test I'll first drop this your way, and then see by your feedback if we can zero in on even more stuff that might float your boat.

 

While listening to this in-studio I'm not hearing a ton of horns, so not sure if it's what you're looking for exactly, but they do have an appealing groove.

 

I'm digging this because it's introducing me to stuff I wasn't familiar with, and I like what I'm hearing.

 

One act that is coming to my mind a little bit, but not so much in a horns way, but more so in vocal tone and melody way is an L.A. band called Local Natives...

 

[video=youtube;N2kYC4H-70k]

Here's a snappy little tune by Portugal the Man that you might dig...

 

I'll keep brainstorming, and try to ponder some cool bands that are a bit more horn heavy.... well come to think of it there's horns in Alabama band St. Paul & The Broken Bones...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8YowjS7Ebs