‘Heart and Soul’ is the fifth record from Nelson King; an independent acoustic solo artist who wrote and produced this EP. The album features ten tracks. The first track ‘All The Madmen’ speaks about ‘us’ and ‘them’ in the world and questions perception alongside a beautiful acoustic strum. Nelson voice is relaxed and drags making the track a little more alternative folk. ‘Life’ is the second track on the album and takes a slower pace than the first. The guitars are subtler and so are King’s vocals. The lyrics speak about a surrealist vision of life and how unexpected it can be. Both the acoustic and electric guitar mixed in this track make a great composition. The third track ‘Things You Say’ is a meatier track with a better quality recording of King’s vocals and a predominant electric guitar to and acoustic strum. ‘Mystified’, is the fourth track, a romanticised track about being drawn to someone and captured by someone without knowing why. Once again the track balances an acoustic and electric strum to Nelson’s steady vocals. The fifth track ‘Moment’, takes on a more country acoustic sound. The lyrics speak about enjoying a ‘moment’ at a simple time and a place, something that we usually take for granted.

The sixth track ‘Why’ is a song that sounds like it could be a first single, it’s very generic to a pop/country sound and there are some electronic tones in Nelson’s voice. It’s catchy and the rhythm is very steady. The lyrics are philosophical, full of wonder and intrigue. This is one of the tracks I took an automatic liking to, very easy listening. The seventh track ‘Lonely Spies’ is about desensitisation and being alone, King’s voice is very faint and metaphorical. The sound has a dominant acoustic strum that rarely changes. The eighth track ‘ This Could Be Heaven’ speaks about a life and its unexpected paths, it’s about a relationship that can take many turns. King plays a lot with perception in this song. The guitars are once again layered with a constant acoustic strum to electric rifts. In the ninth track ‘Colour Me’ King’s voice is a little hard to make out over the electric guitar but becomes louder in the chorus. The electric guitar is key in this composition and the acoustic guitar is very subtle. This track is not very clear and hard to get lost in because of the lack of clarity in King’s vocals. The last track ‘For You’ is another reverts to King’s acoustic strumming folk sound. His vocals suit this style better as they are much clearer and his lyrics can be heard and felt. The lyrics are a beautiful dedication to someone, very repetitive but catchy and simple.

The album has a nice acoustic sound that is very relaxing. King writes in a metaphorical tone about life and his experiences. His vocals aren’t very strong but have a light husky tone reminiscent of a folk or more country sound but rarely differ or experiment in any track. The EP is a relaxing monotone album with a consistent sound. If you like acoustic folk with a British country twang and mystified lyrics about everyday life King’s album is perfect.

Thomas Dybdahl is a Norwegian folk singer with a soft tone and acoustic sound. His new single is Cecilila produced by Last Suppa Recordings.

‘Cecilia’ (Ash Howes Radio mix)

This remix by Ash Howes is a little more upbeat than the original and has changed the acoustic folk sounding track to a pop more mainstream sound. The track has an easy listening tone, a steady acoustic strum alongside Thomas’s soft tone.

The track features a repetitive chorus and the lyrics are very metaphorical. They paint a beautiful picture of a girl who is reluctant to love. I prefer the original because is feel that not only does the remix change the sound to a more pop mainstream sound but also take away from Thomas’s soft tone that suits an acoustic tone. His voice is a little lost because the music is much louder. However his voice inviting and has a very subtle beauty.

‘U’

‘U’, is another track from Thomas Dybahl. I prefer this track to ‘Cecilia’, its very soulful. Once again Thomas’s soft tone compliments the subtle composition of a steady drum, keys and horns. The track is a hopeful pouring of his feelings. IS passionate and romantic but not as obvious as a rhythm and blues sound. The composition is beautiful very emotive and uplifting and the lyrics are short but meaningful and very colourful in the sense that they paint a picture. I really like this track; it prefect for easy listening and engages your very subtly.
Thomas has a great unique blend that mixes his soulful voice and the acoustic folk compositions. His lyrics are also very emotive and engaging without too many words.

Zalinski are an alternative rock band from South East London who came together whilst doing a one-off charity concert but are now playing numerous dates in London. ‘Actions, Reactions and Misunderstandings’ is the title of their first official EP. The album is recorded and mixed by Tim Harnill and mastered at the infamous Abbey Road Studios. It features four tracks and one live track; titled ‘Apology to the feminine’, ‘Revelation’, ‘Soar’, ‘God’ and ‘Alive’ (live).