Falling in love is always a risky proposition. Alongside the exhilaration and pleasure of opening one’s heart to a new relationship can come worries about getting hurt, or maybe even heartbroken.

Wasaga Beach, ON singer/songwriter Emily Power explores these feelings in her emotional, wistful, and ultimately hopeful new pop single, “If I Fall.” Check it out on YouTube here:

“I wanna feel, I wanna feel these moments
I wanna taste I wanna touch them all
I wanna be wanna be swept off my feet
I wanna know that you will catch me if I fall”

Powerful vocals accompanied by heartfelt acoustic expressions are what make Vancouver’s Tissa Rahim’s newest single, “Done, Done, Done” such a gem.

Check it out on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/1dBEWKqJ0RUr1sTohgYo9W

Tissa’s emotional dumping about a one-way relationship comes off as an authentic and empowering anthem as a slew of seasoned musicians paint the canvas for a soulful retelling.

Featuring Berlin’s own Dominique Fricot, Tissa and Dominique approach the idea of processing heartbreak and manipulation, bringing each respective artist’s own experiences into the studio as they produced this smashing retro-soul single. Tissa’s vocals on “Done, Done, Done” can be affectionately compared to the love child of Amy Winehouse and Corrine Bailey Rae’s stylizations.

The new single from Calgary, Alberta band Mystery Romance is “Story of We” from the album Flying Thru The Moon (Current Records). Mystery Romance enjoyed mainstream success in the late 80s and early 90s charting three singles domestically, and one song (“So Far Away”) internationally.

Check out “Story of We” here on YouTube:

Toronto reminiscent rock trio, Fake Magic released the album Sad Dad, which reflects on all the intricacies and responsibilities of being a man. Particularly a dad. A sad dad.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/0rlgrUVuvLnAqxX2YM5DGg

 However, the group - Greg Markham, Bryan Paccagnella and Cory Williams - didn’t limit their inspiration to forlorn fathers. No. The album pays homage to men they've known, heard about, or encountered through media representation.

“Good dads. Flawed dads. Dork dads. Stepdads. Substitute dads. Sad dads. Randy Marsh. Homer Simpson. Hank Hill. On the surface, it’s a thumpin’ good time. Below the surface, it’s about ego and acceptance. It’s fun, dark, funny, sincere, and sometimes all of them at once,” the band said.

Sad Dad’s opening track, “Saturday,” recounts the power of getting out of bed to complete a simple task, even if melancholia overwhelms you. The driving guitar and keys inspire the lead vocalist to reclaim a bit of power he has lost.

Hell has never sounded this good. “Welcome To The Hell,” the new single by the eclectic Regina, SK-based pop maestro known as nasmore, taps into his unique sonic formula: an amalgam of stadium rock, goth-industrial textures, modern R&B and cinematic scores. Like most nasmore singles, it’s a collaboration. Returning to the nasmore fold is guitarist Neil Taylor, best known for his work with Tears for Fears in the mid-’80s and Robbie Williams in the early 2000s. New to nasmore is an operatic pop singer from Italy, La Strange. On this lively, edgy and stark single, Taylor lashes out with gritty vocals and fierce guitar licks that perfectly mingle with La \ beautiful and yet powerful voice. This is a no-brainer for fans of artists like Paramore and Dua Lipa, to mention only a couple. In nasmore’s own words, “Some songs make you cry, and some songs you skip forward, and then there are songs that immerse you into their world, putting a sarcastic smile on your face and dragging your mind to visit dark places—like Hell, for example. Just for a day? Stay in a hotel situated by the burning sea of lava with a nice view of torture and punishment.

From the ashes of a band called Glass Atlas would rise the jet-fueled sound of The Flakes; founded in 2017 by guitarist Adam Sweeney and drummer Kyle Merson, they’ve been on a rampage since they hit the scene. In 2018, the band would be accompanied by the electrifying vocals of Tynan Moors, prompting several blazing singles that summer. Bigger shows like the Mount Funky music festival raised their notoriety and culminated in an appearance by The Flakes at Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

Most artists fumble the first time they get into a studio. In the case of Montreal singer Silka Weil, and her debut single, “Capsized,” she knocked it out of the park. Maybe that’s because the song dates to her days in her parents’ basement, and “polishing it into a finished piece of work has been like framing an old photograph,” she says. Maybe it’s because Weil has been singing since before she knew how to speak, and has been playing guitar since she was nine years old; she was more than ready for her first closeup. Maybe it’s because the lyrics are deeply personal for her, about using art to unlock one’s inner potential. Which Silka Weil has clearly done here.

Check out “Capsized” on YouTube here:

Playing With Fire could refer to the feeling emanating from any member of Maqueque, the all-women band formed by veteran Toronto jazz musician Jane Bunnett with young female grads of the Cuban conservatory.

Check it out on YouTube here:

 A decade ago, Bunnett met the core of the band at a jam session with her band Spirits of Havana, at the Cohiba Hotel in that city. Ten years later, Maqueque has created opportunities for composing and performing extraordinary jazz that has taken the pioneering ensemble around the world. It has expanded to include not only women players from Cuba, but also the brilliant vocalist Joanna Majoko (from Zimbabwe) and musicians from the Dominican Republic, Latin America, Spain and Lebanon.

Toronto's feel-good folk-rock performer Evelynne Ross has released the stirring new single "Old Oak Tree," - check it out on YouTube here:

Taken from Ross' new EP, Against the Fence, "Old Oak Tree" is built on twanging, riffing guitars, mid-tempo percussion, and Ross' own soulful vocal. Thematically about strong family roots, Ross weaves a tale about a woman ready to make a difficult decision in her life: "Nobody, nah nobody is gonna hold her back/ Throw her off the track/ You'll see/ She's got her roots from her mother/ She’s like an old oak tree."

Not all breakups are bitter, and sometimes you part ways wishing the other person the best even though it hurts like hell. Cobourg, Ontario-based singer/songwriter Harry Hannah captures a breakup’s bitter-sweetness with his easy-galloping, alt-country new single “Baby Don’t Look Back” – check it out on YouTube here:

With mellow rhythm, a little bit of twang, and chock full of philosophical introspection, “Baby Don’t Look Back” tells the true story of a breakup Hannah went through years ago, knowing the whole time it would eventually have to end:

You always told me you’d be leaving soon
bum town just got nothing to do
there’s a world that’s been needing you
Cut the chains off and go let loose 

How many friends do you really have—and not just online? How well do you know the members of your family? How many times do you promise to make a date to catch up, and never really do? Do you know what your friends and family take in their coffee? Maybe it’s time to make a New Year’s resolution to follow through and find out.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/0tE9huFhDNms1O8whC8nhw

Lynn Miles has earned her reputation as one of Canada’s most formidable songwriters, having written more than 900 songs and released 15 albums over her remarkable career.. She’s racked up multiple Juno Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, had two albums voted #1 by readers of Penguin Eggs magazine, and had her songs covered by a multitude of artists including Claire Lynch on her Grammy-nominated album North by South. The Ottawa-based singer is a producer, professor and public speaker, a paragon of excellence in everything she does. You could say she is reliable. The songs on her 16th album, TumbleWeedyWorld, however, are about unreliability. About shaky situations. About a time when cracks begin to appear in everything.

Listen and pre-Order here: truenorthrecords.com/lynnmiles

The new single by Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Manitoba’s Low Budget Rock Star, “More Than Ever,” sounds like it’s about a lover: “I need you more than ever / baby don’t you ever go.” But that chorus was written about drummer Richie Cudmore, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. It was written as a “what if,” scenario: How would the Indigenous three-piece rock band survive without Richie? Would the remaining two members of the anthemic trio, from the remote northern community of The Pas, Manitoba, find themselves thrust into the unknown, wandering the streets of Winnipeg, feeling lost, tired and alone?

Check it out on YouTube:

What’s it like “to live in endless fear of tragedy?” You don’t have to be naturally anxiety-prone to feel that way in 2023, a time of plague and war, among other ails. Sometimes a letter from a friend can be the balm to soothe frayed nerves. A letter that is “Addressed to You,” like the new single from Dillon Ryan and the Dream Romantic. Check it out on YouTube here:

Dillon Ryan and his goth-tinged post-punk band can make you believe that the New Brunswick towns of Miramichi or Moncton in the 21st century could well be Manchester circa 1985. With melodies like the best British ’80s pop bands and new-wave guitar textures that emerge from a Maritime fog, the Dream Romantic sound like they fell out of a John Hughes soundtrack, with all the requisite romantic melancholy.

At the drop of midnight on New Year’s Eve, an explosion of positivity erupted in Toronto. No, not the city-sanctioned fireworks display on the unfortunately foggy night. It was Blaine Walker’s new single, “Party in the 6ix,” a song destined to go down in Toronto history. It’s not just a civic anthem—it’s consciously written as an anthem, designed to celebrate everything Walker loves about his city. Especially its sports teams. When the Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championships, or when Toronto FC won the 2017 MLS Championship or the recent Grey Cup win by the Argos, there should have been a song tailor-made for just such moments. Blaine Walker didn’t think there was. So, he wrote one.

Check it out on YouTube here:

Canadian through and through, Sharron Katz's gentle soulful storytelling gives us a double A-side with 'Leaving Eden' from her album Portrait, and an original special holiday song 'Santa Soulmate.' Arriving now, the double A-side shows Katz's ability to deliver truthful emotion straight from the heart without any frills.

Check out “Santa’s Soulmate” on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/15UVHFgoKv3r3Z1ggWO2xY

 Throughout both tracks, there is Alanis Morrisette style-storytelling present with a foundation of roots, blues, and folk. Plus, an added nod to the 90s with a Seattle-sounding production, delivering a welcoming nostalgia to Katz's sound.

A move to Stratford Ontario from Toronto and a change of circumstances 7 years ago mixed-up Katz's life for the better. 'Leaving Eden' was the result of this experience with Katz offering a new perspective on the Adam and Eve story.

Check out “Leaving Eden” on YouTube here:

The Otherness, a 4-piece Argentine band now based in Berlin, provides the listener with a cool, catchy mix of joy and provocation. The group, which has a new video out for their single “We Can Be One,” consists of Martin Cativa (guitar, vocals), Gonzalo Cativa (bass, vocals) Pablo Gaggioni (drums) and Nico Kleihn (guitar). Check out the vido on YouTube here:

Ethereal vocals and a multitude of carefully layered synths make it impossible not to dance to the catchy new single from Toronto-based pop outfit Techno Westerns who dazzle with a tale of losing oneself on “Mystery Man” – check it out on YouTube here:

The electric single “Mystery Man” can be found on the new Techno Westerns EP “Midnight,” a collection of music meticulously crafted by New Zealand native and Techno Westerns frontman Wyatt Hautonga.

“’Mystery Man’ at face value is supposed to be a Halloween song, but once you push that aside, it’s more the tale of someone losing their sense of self.”

The song stems from Hautonga’s own experience of questioning what behaviour was a defense mechanism to keep others out, and which behaviour was a genuine reflection of personality.

Ron Robertson released his latest album “Bristol” today. The Alt Country album was recorded in Toronto, and features some of Canada’s finest musicians. Produced by Ron Robertson and CCMA Hall of Fame member Wendell Ferguson, “Bristol” stretches the lines that define today’s country music to create a sonic treasure.

“Bristol” contains eleven original tracks, which showcase Robertson’s gift for storytelling. The singer, like the characters in the songs that he writes, are a little worn around the edges, but that only adds to the charm. Wendell Ferguson’s guitar playing is featured front and center. John Dymond and Gary Craig round out the bottom end.

Burke Carrol brings his talents on steel guitar , while multiple Maple Blues Award winner Suzie Vinnick guests on the duet, “I Said Goodbye”.

For more on Ron Robertson visit:

instagram.com/ronrobertsonmusic/

music.apple.com/ca/artist/ron-robertson/1655090650

More toys? More tech? Not so fast, sings a voice of reason.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/0L4aic5RF7JYABrw2TtrFY

Lynne Taylor Donovan’s stirring old-school alto delivers a potent—and perennial—holiday message in “Dear Santa.” Adult contemporary- as well as country-friendly, the ultra-listenable track lends itself to multiple playlists and diverse formats. The timely lyrics by Tony Koenen offer both an appeal for peace to the universal Father Christmas and a plea for family spirit over excess spending to the Santas on the home front:

It’s not the gift, it’s the thought
And I’ve thought this one through
Giving of a gift is so easy
But giving of yourself makes wishes come true.

Recording this song was a no-brainer for Donovan: “I was conditioned by advertising as a child into believing that Christmas meant gifts and gifts meant love.” “Dear Santa” dispels that seasonal myth with a classic melody and the singer’s trademark warmth and style.

Check out “Dear Santa” on YouTube here: