Lisa Heller - U LIKE THAT [Music Review] December 30, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Commercial, Alternative, Pop, Rock Rating: 4 out of 5 “Lisa Heller utilizes her vocal talent and energy to unleash ‘U LIKE THAT.’ The track is about an ongoing relationship that both parties know isn’t going anywhere but hey fun is fun while it lasts and sometimes those urges take over our common sense. The high energy track has a Commercial edge and is right at home in the Alt Pop landscape. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
JESSIA - I'm Not Gonna Cry [Music Video Review] December 15, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Commercial, Alternative, Pop Rating: 4.5 out of 5 “JESSIA unleashes a POp masterpiece with ‘I’m NOt Gonna Cry.’ The emotion and lyrical range of the track gave me Freddie Mercury vibes. I’m not saying JESSIA or this track sounds exactly like QUEEN, because the styles differ. This is definitely a Pop song, but there is a bigger more complex edge to her talent, and the way the track did the unexpected while showcasing massive talent definitely had the flair not many artists can pull off.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Damien McFly - I'm getting older [Music Review] December 12, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Indie Pop, Folk, Pop Rating: 4 out of 5 “Italian singer/songwriter, Damien McFly wrote ‘I’m Getting Older’ as a letter to his younger life. The track is meant to mark his feeling ten years into his music career and despite the personal nature of the track the lyrics have a broader relevance we can all understand and appreciate. Life’s journey is fraught with ups and downs, and we all need to take some time to celebrate the growth and miles we’ve put behind us. This song does a great job and I dare you to listen because we all should take stock of our lives from time to time. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Joshua Golden - The Moon Is A Spaceship [Music Review] December 06, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Folk, Pop Rating: 4.5 out of 5 “Loving someone and watching them struggle with mental health issues is a gut-wrenching thing to do. Joshua Golden highlights the track with a touch of wry humor and a whole universe worth of compassion. ‘The Moon Is A Spaceship’ takes a tangible look at a journey fraught with pitfalls and dangers, but man is it absolutely full of humanity.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Alba Rose - Sunshine [Music Review] December 06, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Neo-Soul, Indie Pop, Alternative, Pop Rating: 3.5 out of 5 “Alba Rose unleashes some ‘Sunshine’ with her Neo-Soul single. The hard drum beat did get in the way for me at times but her smooth vocals still carried the day and I could feel the golden warmth of the sun on my face as I listened to her performance. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Caroline Romano - Born To Want More [Music Review] December 06, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Pop, Commercial Rating: 4 out of 5 “Dreaming helps keep us all alive and hopeful but when those dream never quite come to fruition or always feel out of reach we lose hope. Caroline Romano dives into the resulting emotions with her track, ‘Born To Want More.’ This Alt Pop track highlights her tender vocal vulnerability as well as her songwriting prowess. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
The Real Mack The Knife - Rio Magic [Music Review] December 02, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Pop Rating: 3.5 out of 5 “This time of year we all begin to dream of a warm escape to sit on sandy beaches under a warm sun. ‘Rio Magic’ from The Real Mack The Knife just might be the next best thing. The light, airy tone and exotic glow of the track makes it easy to close your eyes and imagine you are heading out for a night in Rio, or at least sitting on the beach imagining one. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Cooper Phillip - One Sweet December Night [Music Review] December 02, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Holiday, Pop Rating: 4 out of 5 “If you are looking for a bit of fresh Holiday Pop then let me present to you, ‘One Sweet December Night,’ from Cooper Phillip.The track has an almost 80’s Pop vibe and the uplifting, fun lyrical build pulls you along like Santa’s magical sleigh. Give me this on repeat instead of the worn our Mariah Carey song any day of the week.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Gabe Lopez - Long Road [Music Review] November 30, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Commercial, Alternative, Pop Rating: 4 out of 5 “Gabe Lopez is a successful musician but you might not yet be aware of this solo work. As a music producer for RuPaul’s Drag Race, Belinda Carlisle, platinum KPOP artists and more, Lopez has already made a mark in the musical landscape, and now this new track , ‘Long Road,’ might elevate this talented artist to even greater heights. The song has an haunting, heavy quality that makes the emotions inescapable. A track that means more with each listen, this is a song that has a timeless sound and appeal.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Ava Valianti - Wishing Well [Music Feview] November 24, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Commercial, Alternative, Pop Rating: 3.5 out of 5 “The vocal tone and emotive delivery is what held me initially to Ava Valianti’s latest single, ‘Wishing Well.’That said the writing is poignant and meaningful and offers a melancholy type of nostalgia we all feel from time to time. The world marches on, and with it change is inevitable, but as we say goodbye to the many little things that were part of our childhoods we also lose little pieces of ourselves. Those losses do as much to shape who we are as the new additions that replace them. We are all constantly shedding our skin, in both a literal and figurative sense and this song captures it so well.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Halo Kitsch - BETWEEN YOUR TEETH [Music Review] November 05, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Pop, Rock Rating: 4.5 out of 5 “Halo Kitsch has some fun calling out the fake hypocrisy of those who work so damn hard to be perfect. Perfect and predictable is a manufactured illusion fed these days by social media likes and follows. ‘BETWEEN YOUR TEETH’ is an ode to the real ones, the true friends that will tell you not what you want to hear, but what you NEED to hear.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Luci - Loner [Music Review] November 05, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Future Bass, EDM, Electro Pop, Dance, Pop Rating: 3.0 out of 5 “Luci began her career as a an EDM producer and that influence is clear on this track, though the vocal side certainly has Pop sensibilities. ’Loner’ is an emotive and vulnerable track in its best moments, though for me the harder drops and production that turned toward a Future Bass/EDM style got in the way of the emotions at times. For me this track shined the brightest with Luci’s emotive delivery and less production behind it clouding the song. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Aiida - Got No Strings [Music Review] October 31, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Commercial, Pop Rating: 4.5 out of 5 “Oslo, Norway’s Aiida wastes no time getting right to the pint on ‘Got No Strings.’ The attitude is palpable, and the writing as sharp and pointed as the delivery. This is pure Pop Gold in the vein of Britney at her best. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Joshua Golden - I Can't Wait To Meet You [Music Review] October 31, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Trap, Rap, Pop, Alternative Rating: 4.5 out of 5 “Most of us long to find that elusive soulmate, and while waiting, we come up with our ideas and ideals of what that person will be like. Joshua Golden taps into those expectations with his tack, ‘I Can’t Wait To Meet You.’The song straddles that line between Pop and Rap to create a Commercial track that should appeal to a wide audience. The emotion and performance and added snippets of conversation on each end really come together to feel true and genuine.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Dead Rose - Losing Oxygen (ft. Stella Smyth) [Music Review] October 31, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Dance, Future Bass, Pop, Trap Rating: 2.5 out of 5 “This track is a classic example of so many submission we receive here at LA on Lock. There is clear and obvious vocal talent, and even the arrangement has musical potential, the overall track lacks a clean production and build. From a few pauses and skips that at least felt unintentional, to the mix, which left the vocals feeling too distant at times this track just didn’t quite realize its full potential for me. And yet, I can tell the artistry and talent it is simply a matter of getting it all put together in a tidier package.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Ingrid Avison - Time Travelling Cowboy [Music Video Review] October 31, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Music Videos, Alternative, Pop, Americana Rating: 3.5 out of 5 “Ingrid Avison unleashes her debut single, ‘Time Travelling Cowboy.’ The emotive delivery highlight Avison’s songwriting and vocal talent. With a slight tremble at times that sells the words well, Avison has that classic Americana vibe that feels like a kinder softer Lucinda Williams mixed with some of the strong emotion of a Brandi Carlile.I did at times crave a stronger sense of build and escalation from the arrangement.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Kylie Rothfield - The Barrel [Music Review] October 31, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Pop Rating: 4 out of 5 “Kylie Rothfield caught the attention of Alicia Keys and afte rthis track you’ll understand why. ‘The Barrel’ is a smooth Alt Pop track dripping with emotion and vocal talent. The track ahs some late 80s or early 90s vibes yet still has a contemporary vibe thanks to the writing and strong emotive performance of Rothfield. ” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Eden Rain - Taking [Music Review] October 30, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Alternative, Pop Rating: 3 out of 5 “London-based artist Eden Rain takes an Alt Pop angle on her latest single ‘Taking.’The track comes from her highly anticipated upcoming EP, ‘Anyway, How Are You?’ The narrative style lyricism works well here though I did crave a more emotive edge given the vocal side is produced to give a low-key distant kind of vibe. Rain does offer a nie look at the complexities of human relationships, while unraveling the intricate dynamics of the people around her.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Richard Tyler Epperson - All My Life [Music Review] October 30, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music, Pop, Rock, Alternative Rating: 3.5 out of 5 “Richard Tyler Epperson taps into his personal history with the track, ‘All My LIfe.’The talented songwriter has taken a song that his father first recorded as a, acoustic demo and put his own spin on it to create a link and legacy with his father. Motivated by the recent passing of his father, Epperson utilizes the emotion and meaning to give us a song that is personally meaningful to him that also has the ability to resonate with others in an impactful way.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger
Dax - Lonely Dirt Road [Music Video Review] October 11, 2024 by Travis Erwin in Music Videos, Alternative, Rock, Pop, Country Rating: 4 out of 5 “Dax is a versatile artist adept at conveying emotion via a variety of genres, but you can always hear and feel the passion fueling his artistry. ’Lonely Dirt Road’ straddles that line between the Rock and the Nashville style of modern Pop Country. The delivery is deliberate and emotive. A few times I craved a touch less production on the vocal side because I have faith Dax could have delivered these emotional words straight up with quite so much production coloring the sound. That said, this is a track that is accessible to all and one easy to feel as much as you hear.” — Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger