Sophia Urista

I’m exploring the music of a new-found artist. A tip from a colleague had to be looked up. Unfortunally I couldn’t find much about her though. If the sources I found are correct she was born in Detroit but is now based in New York.

However, I did find quite a lot of her music and that’s enough to put her on the blog. It’s dificult to find good funk today, but this sounds promising. I can only hope she’ll be sticking to it and not ending up becoming yet another RnB-diva. In some ways she is a modern version of Betty Davis and she’s got a cool voice. Look her up pn soundcloud, facebook and youtube. The following clips are not the best clips I could find but these were the only ones I could embed, so look up Please Don't Let Me Down, her cover of Betty Davis If I'm In Luck..., and To Know You Is To Love You.

Jessica Lea Mayfield

I woke up way too early this morning (6 o'clock). And instead of doing all the things I should be doing I ended up making a list of my top 100 favorite albums. In the process of doing this completely unnecessary list I realized I had forgotten write about one of my absolute favorite female artists. She wasn’t even on my list of potential artists to write about. So to rectify my error, here goes:

Jessica Lea Mayfield is a singer-songwriter from Kent, Ohio. As a child she performed with her family bluegrass band. I guess that her background put a mark in her own music. There may be tons of chicks singing mellow songs to the tunes of a guitar but she does it with a unique melancholic vibe and with a touch of country.

When I first heard her music it reminded me of another favorite of mine: Dan Auerbach. As it turned out he had gotten hold of her demo and later ended up producing her first album – With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. Auerbach describes her as “dark and moody in a mysterious way, not unlike Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds”. A great compliment and a very good description, in my opinion.

Oh, and another thing: I love how she sings with an accent.

Big Mama Thornton

This lady, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, died the same year I was born at the age of 57. She was born in Montgomery, Alabama where she was introduced to music in the church where her father worked as a minister and her mother was a church singer. 

She was the first artist to record the song Hound Dog and it sold almost two million copies. Three years later Elvis recorded that same song and made it into a classic. However one of the songwriters, Jerry Leiber, considered Big Mama’s version his favorite. I’d have to say I agree with him.

Sleigh Bells

I love spotify! You’re always just a click or two away from new interesting music. This morning I stumbled upon Sleigh Bells and now I can’t stop listening to Rill Rill. 

I don’t really know how to describe what I like about their music in a second language. But I’m going to try anyway, just for the fun of it. It’s like a solid stream of noise that forms embedded melodies. All instruments sound as if entwined with each other.

Singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller started their collaboration in 2008. Krauss and her mother were dining at a restaurant in Brooklyn where Miller worked. Miller talked about his new project and expressed an interest in finding a female vocalist to collaborate with. Krauss was volunteered by her mother and this led to Krauss meeting up with Miller in a park listening to his demos through headphones.

Ane Brun

This beautiful Norwegian artist has a talent for capturing a mood so accurately in a way few musicians can. Listening to songs like Undertow, This Fight, Wooden Body and Du Gråter Så Store Tåra you get the feeling that time stands still. The melodies of One and Worship almost brings a touch of magic with every note. And who can sit still to the beat of Do You Remember?