Willis Earl Beal - Too Dry To Cry

 I'd like to begin this post by apologizing to people living in the apartment below me.  My bad about all the foot stomping (this will make sense in a second).

I'm not going to pretend like I know a whole lot about Willis Earl Beal, I just stumbled across this song and I had one of those moments where a song just mesmerizes you.  The 'Stomp, Clap' beat just drives this song forward while Willis Earl Beal's soulful, gospel-style vocals spin a tale of heartbreak.  The raw emotion behind Beal's vocals reminds me of soul/blues legends such as Gil Scott-Heron and BB King.

So give this song a listen and I challenge you to keep your heel planted to the ground.

Good luck.

Kavinsky feat. The Weeknd - Odd Look (Remix)

Kavinsky is far from a household-name, but he very well may be on his way to becoming one with his latest release. The French-born DJ achieved notoriety when he contributed the sultry, Nightcall to the opening credits of the Ryan Gosling (let me emasculate every man in the theater) flick, Drive. Although this tune has already been remixed by the likes of A-Trak and Surkin, the one that will catch the most attention features Toronto's own, The Weeknd.

In an age of bubblegum pop and whatever the fuck 'PSY' is, the eery, almost haunting vocals/writing style of 23-year-old Abel Tesfaye are a welcome addition to the music landscape. Like me, here is a kid who was able to see the genius in Michael Jackson's Dangerous and Blood on the Dance Floor albums while every one else was bopping their heads along to B4-4. Sweet flow on the boys though.

Needless to say, The Weeknd is building up even more suspense to the September 10th release of his debut album (2012's, Trilogy doesn't count according to him), Kiss Land. I was in attendance at his sold-out, Mod Club performance last month and am confident in saying that if he keeps his nose clean (well not literally), he'll have a long and promising career ahead. XO.