Limandi - Put The Blame On Me [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Limandi put her spin on toxic relationships with her track, ‘Put The Blame On Me.’

Emotional abuse comes in many forms and constantly blaming the other person is certainly one of those. Told anything often enough you just might start to believe it and shaking off that cloak of self-loathing can be tough. This exotic and intricate arrangement matches the sort of disarray or minds mist go through to emerge on the other side a new and stronger person.

Limandi delivers this track in a sort of subdued control that sells the emotions well. There are Pop and songwriter vibes with hints of a brooding brand of dark Folk as well but the song is a tough one to categorize as anything beyond a talented worthy effort well worth your time.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Kurt Lee Wheeler - Girl From California (Acoustic) [Music Review]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Starting over is never easy and in this track about losing yourself for the purpose of reinviting who you are, Kurt Lee Wheeler tell the story of a girl running from her past. The emotion and pain is evident in the delivery and this Folksy track tell a tale we can all relate to on some level. Stripepd downa dn bare this one resonates best as a solo endeavor to allow your brain to truly listen and process.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Mantocliff- Centuries [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“The flow of the song has a peaceful yet tranquil sound to it. If you was looking for something to listen to and relax this would be it. Mantocliff carries a subtle emotion through out the song that doesn’t drift a listener away but allows them to build an emotional connection.”

— Kreadiv Kesh [LA On Lock Blogger]

Mary Middlefield - Atlantis [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Mary Middlefield has that deep bottomless kind of emotive voice that hooks a listener without theattrics or tricks. Like a deep inviting pool of cool blue water on a hot summer day, you can’t help but want to jump right in.

”Atlantis’ is a quiet, yet powerful track with well-written lyrics and the straightforward delivery of a confident songwriter. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Daniel Ellsworth - After All [Music Video Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Daniel Ellsworth’s new track, “After All’ hot me like a psychedelic Elton John. Sure, Elton had his days of altered state and had some out there songs but Ellsworth hasn’t created anything derivative here in his vibe. Was more of a feeling for me with hints of Elton John and Grateful Dead as a loose connector to the sound.

The video is also trippy by Ellsworth and his band the Great Lakes also infuse emotion and a strong sense of build in the track so besides the talent I was pulled in and took the full ride.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Bree Rusev - Summer Memories [music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Ever wonder what Jimmy Buffet would sound like as an Australian Pop Folk singer?

Okay, probably not, because that is a bit out there. However, that was my first thought while listening to Bree Rusev’s new track, ‘Summer Memories.’

Rusev is in no way derivative of Buffett, or even similar in style, though both are selling the same laid-back beach vibes and they do so with talent and emotion, the way few can.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Mae Krell - who we said we'd be [Music Review]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Mae Krell unfurls this slow tempo track with an emotive and tender vocal delivery. A track that paints a picture and leaves the listener the mental space to conjure up their own emotional remembrances. This is the type f track best listened to alone when yo can simply allow your mind to fall back and reflect. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Lily Kershaw - Depreshmode [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Lily Kershaw comes in with heartfelt and vulnerable vocals that reminded me of vintage Emmylou Harris.

’Depreshmode’ is as tenderly written as it is performed. The emotion and gritty realness of depression is perfectly rendered and delivered. A song that will speak to all of us that have experienced dark times and deep holes and kept on battling through to the other side.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Michael Isaak - Okay With This [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

“Michael Isaak lays himself bare with an honesty that would make most uncomfortable. With lyrics that feel like Michael is trying to convince himself as well as his lover that they’ll be ok, I don’t know who needs to believe it more. With blue tape acting like a totem from inception, Michael is fixated on that safe space this brother made for him all those years ago. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Kacia - Plastic Straws [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

“Kacia is a young artist who is finding himself, and he does it with a transparency most established artists haven’t figured out. Stepping into adulthood is never easy, and for a long time you still have teenage emotions just with adult responsibility. Kacia’s lyrics are so innocent, from painting the vivid picture waiting on his letter to Hogwarts to wondering which friends will be around as soon as the school bell rings for one last time. Plastic Straws is a beautiful fist step into adulthood. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Matt Storm - Idle Hands [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Idle Hands feels like rushing water in a creek on a summer day in 1998. It’s honest in a way I don’t think people are often “I can’t sit still, I just need to run, I’m just like my Mum”. It’s self-reflective but in a way thats not beating down on yourself but almost smirking as you watch yourself spiral slowly. “Can’t help but laugh, at the state I’m in, it’s like imprisonment” is one of the most honest lyrics I think I’ve heard. Now excuse me whilst I go back to procrastinating away 2023. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

MICHA - Do Me Like You Do [Review]

Rating: 5 out of 5

“When you’re opening verse includes the lines “She knows she could sell, lies to the devil, I’ve bought them myself” you mean BUSINESS. Do Me Like You Do feels like being ripped apart and being put back together by the person who ripped you apart in the first place. Vocally MICAH has the rare ability to let him self be consumed in the moment but maintain control over his voice. As out of control as his lover makes him feel he keeps himself composed in the storm. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

April Jai - I Kissed A Girl (Cover) [Review]

Rating 4 out of 5

“April took a big and almost cheesy pop song and brought it right back down to earth and made it her own. Aprils version is so tender and and vulnerable. The lyrics are totally reframed into the honest self-reflection that they are. Absolutely beautiful. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Femke - Love Somebody Else [Music Video Review]

Rating 3 out of 5

“Even the devil was an angel sometimes” is such a poignant line, and thats what Femke does so well on this record. No word is wasted, Love Somebody Else is vidid poetry. The vocal performance is so honest and pure you can’t help but daydream of every love you’ve ever lost.”

— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock blogger)

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Taba Chake - Halfway [Review]

Rating 4 out of 5

“Tabe hits us in the feels with this gut wrenching ode to figuring out why the hell we’re all here, how to make sense of our own little worlds. Vocally the record is arresting and lyrically so honest and reflecting. This is a special song. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock blogger)

DeeOhGee - Don't Give Up On Love [Review]

Rating 3 out of 5

“DeeOhGee deliver an infectious nostalgic chorus on Don’t Give Up On Love. This record transports you right to the 60’s but still manages to feel like now. ”

— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock blogger)

Ariana Fig - Cherry Coke [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“I love the use of good imagery to set a scene and convey the world in a tangible way. Ariana Fig uses ‘Cherry Coke’ as a substitute for alcohol and addiction the way those in recovery find a new fixation but these new infatuations rarely fulfill the user in the same way leading to a constant struggle and this song highlights that so well both in the writing and emotive delivery. Fog’s tone is talented but also vulnerable and genuine and you can feel every word. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

The Sweeplings - Just Like That [Music Video Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Light airy vocals deliver The Sweeplings ode to love, ‘Just Like That.’ The duo delivers tangible emotion both vocally and with a carefully created arrangement that pairs perfectly. The track has a slight theatrical edge that adds an almost brooding haunting quality and instills the intensity and fragility of love to the mix. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Starpainter "Let It Pass"

Rating: 3 out of 5

“Taken from his sophomore LP ‘Rattlesnake Dream”, Starpainter brings us along for this ride of letting go and growing pains. Love is sometimes a tug of war and ‘Let It Go’ paints the perfect picture of the push and pull of love.”

— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Rachel Newnham - Nobody Loves You Like I Do [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Rachel Newnham is a rising artist out of the UK. Her new single, ‘Nobody Loves You Like I Do,” is an emotive and heartfelt ode to being underappreciated in a relationship. Newnham’s talented tone and genuine vulnerability is evident in every line and note. The track has a stripped down, bare feel that works well with the writing and this one will hit home for those of us who have been there. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger