Natalie Prauser – Cocaine
Similar artists: Sierra Ferrel, Margo Price, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn
Genre: Southern-rock, Country, Folk
Country music is one of the last great “take it or leave it” genres. People either love it, or they are almost violently opposed to it. It’s music that either rings beautifully in the ears or sounds like noise to some people.
It’s also the most important music genre to have this kind of widespread polarizing opinion. Sure, not everyone gets along with black metal or witch house. But that would be the reaction you’d expect from most people.
Country music is one of the last styles obsessed with storytelling. Most modern pop songs, even the good ones, aren’t really written about anything in particular. The vast majority of country-inspired tunes have a beginning, a middle, and, usually, a tragic ending.
Natalie Prauser’s Cocaine is a song written on the premise listeners will need to lean in to understand the story being told. Besides this, Prauser’s voice resonates beautifully off of the reverb-drenched guitars and minimalist instrumentation. In many ways, this is outlaw music. Outlaws need a story.
Luke De-Sciscio – The Tourist
Genre: Indie Folk, Folk
Looking for a great new trend in modern music? It’s going to involve a singer with a great, beautiful voice. It has to! Things just work out that way. No matter how far we move away from tradition, great singers are simply the most prized assets in all of music.
This must be hard to hear for all the producers, the wild drummers, and the punk rock guitarists. I know, I know! The world is rarely fair. Still, if you want to know what future pairs of ears will listen to, it’s this.
Being a great singer must be a lot like being a very attractive person. It takes a lot of work to be that way, and everyone will pretend that it doesn’t matter. But it does. It opens doors. And if gone, doors are not opened again.
Luke De-Sciscio’s The Tourist is a pretext for the singer to showcase his ability by bending songs through his voice and using silence. He does both well. And just like Jeff Buckley on a night at Sin-e, he goes wildly overboard. Still, there’s something to be said about a singing voice that demands the public’s attention in this way.
