HOT HALF DOZEN 6.19.23

300+ submissions this week

Dawn, album by ALBA Musik. Powerhouse vocalist Bárbara Martínez  and master guitarist Albert Alabedra have blended the rhythms of flamenco withs  salsa, pop, funk, blues – you name it, in a hypnotic 7-song album that will keep your energy up all day.  Stream on  Spotify. Spanish

Earthquake, single by Kis Angelis. Angelis does it again. The award-winning songbird gets a little crazy with a punchy clap beat, soaring gut-grabbing vocals, and a hook that won’t let you go  And she has put out a dance version. Stream/buy on Bandcamp.

Desde Lejos, single by Ley Line. The four women of Austin’s fast-rising multilingual folk fusion group sing a poetic samba about the far distance  (desde lejos in Spanish) good works can travel. Beautiful, hypnotic, unique.  Stream on Spotify. Spanish

Bring Back Samba, album by Gafierira Rio Miami .  The 10 men and 1 woman of this high, high energy band pump out Gafieira ( a type of samba danced in pairs)  with a big, band sound that is impossible not to move to. They are happiness with musical notes. Stream on all major platforms.

“¿Dónde se llora, cuando se llora?”, single by Francisca Valenzuela. Singer, songwriter, model, businesswoman, activist – she seems to have it all, yet Valenzuela has produced a song that explores the private grief of the public façade of adults. Powerful, so powerful. Her voice, composition, soaring arrangement and simple question almost stops your heart, while they start your tears. Stream on all major platforms. Video on YouTube.  Spanish

All Love Begins with You, single by Dessy Di Lauro. You can’t move forward until you love yourself  –  we are our own beautify standard,  is the message of DiLauro’s solo project. Half of the hep- hep jazz duo Parlor Social, DiLauro uses her unique, almost painfully beautiful voice to carry her message. Put this one on repeat. Stream on Spotify.

BONUS

Untitled,by Raquel Denis . Rising young singer in English and Spanish. Check her first song out on Spotify.