HOT HALF DOZEN 4/4/23

177 songs and albums and videos submitted this week. These are my favorite 6.Hope you like it.

177 songs, videos and albums submitted for reviews this week.

Luna de Xelajú, single/video by Gaby Moreno with Oscar Isaac.  Simply beautiful. Moreno is an unparalleled songbird who brings beauty, and human and emotion to every word in every song she sings. But  this is beyond even that. There is muted, nostalgic electricity between Moreno and Isaac. This is first single from her upcoming album X Mi vol. 1.  Simply beautiful.  Video on Video on YouTube.  Stream on Spotify.

Hold on (festival mix), single  by KC Light and Kye Sones. This  Friday, KC Lights will unveil this festival edit of his hit “Hold On”  featuring  Kye Sones . The song has an intro and topline that will stick in your head and ears and then flows into melodies and beats that are lovely and electric at the same time. A perfect party dance mix, but a tad bit more. Check it out on Spotify this Friday, just in time for a weekend dance jam.

Bad Lover, single by Abigail Osborne. For such a young singer, she packs a lot experience and emotions into a song. Clever lyrics that seem simple, but are not,  melodies that carry you away. Arrangement and production pull it all together and tie it with a carefully faded gold ribbon. Stream on all major platforms.

Bonita, single by Ramona. The TJ-based Mexican band knows how to create dreamy, almost psychedelic explorations of the problematic effects of the border culture on their music. But at the end of the day, the music will just carry you along, like a cockleshell boat in a slow stream. Stream on major platforms and YouTube music. Spanish.

Bailo Pá Mi, single, video by Letón Pé & Ana Mancebo. Just plain fun, the upcoming Dominican diva has her sound down pat and makes you get up and dance. Every line of the tropical dance banger is perfect – this is an expert having fun and you will too.  Stream on major platforms. Spanish. Or YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c-XmRnDCPA

Quem Me Dera, single/video by Maiza. Fado  –  sometimes called the blues of Portugal – is mournful, melancholic, and deeply emotional music of love, loss, longing, and the hardships of daily life. Maiza does it superbly in this song, breaking your heart and then lifting you up with soaring vocals. An experience you will treasure. Stream on major platforms.