Wax Owls - The Appetite [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Chasing a dream comes with some sacrifices and tough decision but when you have true passion and follow your heart those decisions are almost a relief. This song is about Wax Owls vocalist, Gerry Hirschfeld given in to his creative hunger and transitioning from a career as a lawyer to full-time songwriter and performer.

’The Appetite’ is an Indie folk ode to passion and faith that things will work out when you allow yourself to be free and chase your dreams.. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Leroy From The North - Push [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Leroy From The North gives us a track that feels a bit like sitting on a bar stool and having a beer while listening to your buddy tell you about the girl he just met. You could call this Southern Rock or Americana as it has both Petty and Sturgill vibes for sure. Easy to listen to and find your own emotional relevance ‘Push’ is a track I will be adding to several of my personal playlists. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Social Drag - Remind Me [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“This track from Social Drag feels a bit like a 90s throwback. Could have been released then as Country with an edge, or a Sheryl Crow-esque track about the emotions of failed relationships, but that is not to say the single is dated. It’s not.

And while ‘Remind Me’ doesn’t quite fit the Outlaw or Americana sound of today’s Alt-Country, labels are not what good music is about anyway, and neither are timestamps. This track simply conveys the emotions it was intended with solid talent behind it so for me or anyone to place it in a strict category is a waste of time.

Listen and enjoy, or feel and wallow if you prefer, but either way the intent of the song was established and delivered, and in the the end ... that’s all that matters in the subjective world of expressive art. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Someone Else's Rain - Cry Them For You [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Reemerging after a difficult breakup is tough, and comes on a unique timeline for everyone, though the magical realization that suddenly you are going to be okay is a true revelation and that is exactly what this track captures.

Someone Else’s Rain delivers the song with a smooth easy groove and ‘Cry Them For You,’ is a timeless emotional jam as a result. Heartfelt and genuine this is a song that will have lasting power as it transcends both time and genre. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Will Solomon - Crazy Kid [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“This track is an ode the dreamers, the chasers, the ones that defy the odds and achieve their goals despite the odds and the critics.

Will Solomon hails from Kentucky, but now calls Seattle home, and you can almost hear the influence of both places. There is a rustic Americana vibe that John Prine would be proud of, as well as an attitude and defiance that could be found in the 90s in the grunge sound. This track certainly isn’t grunge, but there is a subtle edge and bold resistance to what others say that is certainly Rock and Roll at its heart. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Lauren Rintoul - Lost Art [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Lauren Rintoul takes us on a breakup journey though this isn’t necessarily a track about heart break and the ache afterward as much as it is the guilt and uncertainty of being the one to end it and wondering if you did the right thing.

’Lost Art’ is an emotive and honest look at knowing you aren’t in love but also wanting to be a good decent person and handle the break up in the right way. Delivered in a tender, singer/songwriter kind of way the song is easily relatable.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Filippa Borgman - Broken Man & A Shoe [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Written in the height of Covid lockdowns amid a landscape of widespread global depression, Filippa Borgamn gives us a story of sorrow that rings not only as plausible, but outright believable.

’Broken Man & A Shoe’ takes elements from Elton John, Folk, and Pop to create a track that is as full of life as it is sadness. This is a song of the human condition created by a talented artist that transcends any one genre or style to create an artful and meaningful emotional response.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Omar Rudberg - She Fell In Love In The Summer [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“ Swedish songsmith, Omar Rudberg might not be on your radar yet, but he should be. ‘She Fell In Love That Summer’ is songwriting at its best, an emotional movie unfurled in under three minutes.

The delivery is emotive and powerful and sweeps the listener up and along. There are a million love inspired songs, so it is never easy to create another that takes you for the same up and down ride relationships often do, but Rudberg has certainly delivered on this track.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Amelie Patterson - The War [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“I suppose it is rather ironic, but there is a lot of great Americana music being created by Canadians these days, and Amelie Patterson certainly joins that select group. ‘The War’ has Folk and Indie Rock elements and is tough to categorize like a lot of Americana.

No doubt there will Brandi Carlile comparisons, and that is an apt similarity, but no mistake, no matter what artists served as her inspiration, Patterson is a talented and capable artist creating her own sound. Deeply emotional and brooding in the build, this is a track that I will listen to over and over again to extract every last drop of nuance and meaning.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Annie Bartholomew - White Chapel Woman [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“I was immediately intrigued by the subject matter and writing of this traditional Folk tune. Alaskan folksinger Annie Bartholomew spins a track detailing the hardships and survival of a frontier era sex worker.

In case you missed that, let me repeat it— we are talking about traditional Folk detailing the life of a Victorian era sex worker.

Originality points aside, Bartholomew unfurls her emotive vocal talent along with a lively musical build that really does tell a complete story in a short few minutes. And she does it with an engaging flair that will have me listening on repeat and digging in to hear more from this talented artist.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Chris Kläfford - Maybe It’s Just Me [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“If you wonder what Chris Kläfford sounds like, imagine an Adult Contemporary hit sung by Chris Stapleton and you will have a petty good idea. I am very intrigued by this Swedish artist and can’t wait to hear other works by him.

Emotive and vocal strength are the first attributes that caught my attention, though this is also a very well-written track delivered with power and an emotive touch that rises above the fray. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Grayson Foster - Like a Fire [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“A strong emotive track perfect for the Singer/Songwriter genre. Grayson Foster delivers this song with passioned, emotive strength and the end result is a timeless sound that will appeal to fans of artists ranging from the rock flavor of Springsteen to the Folk of John Craigie and the the Pop style of Harry Styles. That said Foster hasn’t created a derivative track, but rather one simply rooted in genuine artistry utilizing his own sound. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Dylan Dunlap - Right [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Dylan Dunlap delivers his single, ‘Right,’ with emotional precision and a delicate, yet deliberate build that highlights his vocal range and talent. Diving in on his own vulnerability and longing, Dunlap gives us a song we can all relate to as we struggle to find solid ground after a rough breakup.

A beautiful track that makes sense of what can be a disorienting experience. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Dot. - Indigo [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Dot. has the kind of vocal tone that simply invites the listener in. Soft and tranquil and rich in tone much like Norah Jones, Dot. takes us an a smooth easy vocal journey through being proud and happy with your work and not succumbing to the outside pressure of bending your art to the needs and wants of others. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Hayley Warner - Breakups Ain't Goodbye [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Can you end a relationship and still be friends? ‘Breakups Ain’t Goodbye’ addresses the emotions when the other person wants a clean break, but you hope to hold on for a while longer even if it is in a different capacity. The vocal delivery is emotive and heartfelt.

The track has a Bedroom singer/songwriter vibe and lands somewhere between Brandi Carlile and Harry Styles on the musical scope. ”

— Travis Erin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Courtney Govan - at least [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“A painful heartfelt ode to the end. In this case it was a friendship that abruptly ended via text without much of an explanation. But the emotions are the same for any relationship, and here, Courtney Govan offers them up in singer/songwriter perfection.

The track feels a touch theatrical at times, but never at the sacrifice of the emotional pain that is tangible from the first note of this soaring number.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Ava Della Pietra - Happy For You [Music Video Review]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Ava Della Pietra has the kind of talent that immediately commands your attention. Of course her stellar vocals are not Ava’s only talent, as this Broadway actress is no stranger to the spotlight. The theatrical influence does come through in her vocal style, though not at the sacrifice of the Indie Pop vibe that also conjures thoughts of Taylor Swift at times.

’Happy For You’ is an emotional journey well worth taking. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Bright Kelly - Shake Til the Fever is Gone [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Bright Kelly offers up an emotive Indi Folk track that has hints of Springsteen, John Prine, and a more obscure but equally talented Tom Russell. ‘Shake Til the Fever is Gone’ is not the kind of Commercial track we generally feature but is the kind of song that is honest and genuine and speak to the heart. A songwriter’s ode to acceptance I guess you might say, the track is one that delivers on its emotions with purpose. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Jenn Howard - Microphone [Music Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Jenn Howard offers up a bit of New Orleans flair on this track that falls between a funky Jazz sound and a singer/songwriter vibe. Maybe you could call this Americana if hard-pressed to place the track within a single genre, but either way the song has soul and heart and comes with one of those melodies that gets down in your bones and makes you move. Joined by Ivan Neville, this one reminds me of my nights down on Frenchman Street in NOLA.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

The Collection - Love at the End of the World [Music Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“The Collection brings a fresh new approach to the world of love songs. ‘Love at the End of the World’ is about finding love in a world that is falling apart and how we all need to keep living as best we can in the face of conflict and turmoil. The emotive vocals hooked me the writing is smart and intelligent while maintaining an emotional relevance.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger