We Plug 2 Y.O.U... Holly Rubenstein

Happy New Year Ladies & Gentlemen, I do apologise that we had to wait until February for our first feature of 2010. We will FIX UP, LOOK SHARP as from now on so expect some great features and music from the very best NEW & Emerging Artistes... We'll also be introducing two new contributing writers into the WPGM website so look out for them BUT unto the REAL reason we're all HERE...

Only by a stroke of luck did I bump into this amazing Singer/Song-Writer sometime last year on Facebook & I must say that I have been hooked ever since. Her name is Holly Rubenstein and this Surrey native + LSE student (Social Anthropology) describes her sound as a fusion of Pop, Soul and R&B and after one look at her biography, I should say that it is such a travesty that this lady with countless bundles of talent has remained under our radar until now...

Finalist at the UK Song-Writing Competition for two years in a row... From performing at the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall from an early age of 15 to now gracing prestigious live music venues such as Ronnie Scotts, Cafe De Paris & The Bedford, this 21-year old Starlet might be unto something when she calls herself one of 2010's most exciting additions to the Music scene. The Guardian and Paul Gambaccini of Radio 2 seem to agree...

Let's JUST dive right into the Music, shall we?



What you just heard was 'Rose Tinted Spectacles' and if this isn't just a beautifully crafted song then I dunno what is! The first thing that grabs me about this song is the subtle musical arrangement, courtesy of Grammy-Award winning producer Mark Eldridge aka Kipper (Think Sting, Gary Numan, Clay Aitken, Mary J. Blige!) and how well it gels with Ms. Rubenstein's sultry and somewhat soothing voice. You can immediately tell that Holly's voice has been well-honed over the years, you can hear the precision in almost every note/pitch & the amazing thing is it doesn't take away from the purity of her voice. I quite like this song.

What do you make of it though?

Some more Holly Rubenstein after the jump? Yeah why the hell Not!!!



This record is titled 'I Know You Know'... Very different vibe from the first record we heard from Ms. Rubenstein but I think I prefer this one if I'm being honest. The production on this doesn't take the backseat as much or even at all compared to 'Rose Tinted Spectacle' and it's got that Pop/Dance vibe to it that I just die for when it works & it works very well on this record + is it me or does this record have just a pinch of some Jazz/Funk in it? Just a tiny bit? What else can I say about this lady's voice? I mean, you can hear it for yourself... Why don't you tell me what you hear? This is the voice that renowned NYC Radio Plugger, Paul Brown described as 'even more soulful than Adele or Duffy'... I hate comparisons personally BUT I believe that Holly Rubenstein can easily hold her own with the likes of Adele & Duffy, her voice is definitely edgier and I Like Edgy!

OK So I think it'd be safe to say that Holly Rubenstein + Mark Eldridge = A WIN! OR what do you make of their partnership? I think it works and you could ask how I can tell from just two records but I think 'two records' is more than enough to tell if there's that needed chemistry between an artist and producer. On this occasion, the chemistry is bursting at the seams.

However this is just my opinion and you know we need your opinion as well to make anything official around here... So let's hear it, what are your thoughts on Ms. Holly Rubenstein?

Until the Next Time...

Peace, Love & G.O.O.D.M.U.S.I.C

#sidenote - Check US out this Monday Night, 8 - 10 PM and Every Monday Nights thereafter at the same time on Melody One for some amazing music from the Very BEST New, Upcoming & Underground Artists from all around the World... Click HERE to catch last week's show!

Enjoy x

We Plug G.O.O.D Music Radio Sessions #1

SO The We Plug G.O.O.D Music Radio SHOW Aired this week on MELODY ONE & as we promised, we've got the Tracklist and Download links for that show right after the JUMP...

#1 - Wale - Say Something Freestyle

#2 - Donny Goines - Closer (Breakfast Club)

#3 - Beazy - Successful Freestyle (The Affidavit Volume 1)

#4 - S.A.S Ft. Haze - Flight School (Euro Gang Volume 2... And Then There Was Us)

#5 - D.N.A Ft. Francesca Belamonte - Never Wanna Leave You

#6 - Bashy Ft. Sirach Charles - Living My Dream (Catch Me If You Can)

#7 - Chockz Ft. Beckz Winter - Beautiful (More Than A Rapper Volume 1)

#8 - Siris Ft. Viollet - Didn't Wanna Let Go (The Promo Volume 3)

#9 - Luck-One & Dekk Ft. Randa Smith - Coulda Been Me (Beautiful Music)

#10 - M.I - Lonely (Illegal Music)

#11 - The Foreign Exchange - Be Alright Remix (Connected)

#12 - Drake Ft. Andreena Mills - Closer (Comeback Season)

#13 - Daley - Rainy Day

#14 - Eric Lau Ft. Sarina Leah - Time Will Tell (New Territories)

#15 - ZO! Ft. Phonte - My Flame (Just Visiting Too)

#16 - Oddisee Ft. Nikki Jean - Tell The Truth (Odd Autumn)

#17 - Ms. Elizabeth - Only You

#18 - Ohdichi - Standing Still

#19 - Christiana - I'm Too Nice - Acoustic Version

#20 - Grace Obika - I'll Be All

#21 - Shanaz Dorsett - Battle Scars

#22 - Obenewa - I Wish (Therapy)

You can listen back on the show right after this JUMP if you missed it...

We Plug G.O.O.D Music Radio Session #1 by We Plug G.O.O.D Music on Mixcloud

& BE sure to tune in Next Monday & Every other Monday evenings on MELODY ONE between 8PM & 10PM to listen to the We Plug G.O.O.D Music Radio Show...

Until the Next Time...

Peace, Love & G.O.O.D.M.U.S.I.C

We Plug 2 Y.O.U... Tosyn Bucknor The CON.Tra.Diction

OK I honestly DO NOT know where to start with this feature... I've been staring at my Laptop Screen for a couple hours tryna put pen to paper or in this case, fingers to keyboard on this feature BUT alas... Seldom have I worked with or come across a new/upcoming artiste that is quite as enigmatic, ambigious and press-shy as The Con.tra.diction, an 'alternative' Singer/Song-Writer from Lagos, Nigeria...

The BIO information on her Reverbnation reads 'First a writer, but also likes to perform her own material' while her Facebook page simply muses 'Con.Tra.Diction is the MUSIC PERSONA of Tosyn Bucknor' & I hear you ask 'SO well, who is Tosyn Bucknor?'... That's just the thing though, there are more than a million answers to this here question that we'd still be here answering it come Next Year's Christmas! There's Tosyn the Radio Personality... Tosyn the Blogger... Tosyn the Philanthropist... Tosyn the Columnist (trust me, its ALOT) & we'd still be nowhere near to knowing who the Con.tra.diction was???

She says she calls herself a CON.tra.diction because she is an 'old soul living in a young woman's body, a lady and a tramp. deep and playful, melancholy and chirpy, here, there, everywhere!' but her 'Con.tra.diction' name holds so true in that a figure so in the public eye (or seemingly so) can try and be somewhat inconspicuous at the same time... In a world where the line between artistes and their music is so thin at best & very blurred at its worst, the Con.tra.diction has so far succeeded in keeping it strictly about the music SO we'll oblige and keep it exactly that way...

That record titled 'First' was one of the first records I heard of Con.tra.diction back in the Winter of 07/08 and I have been a big fan of hers since then. This song is so simple & beautiful... The keys and strings that largely make up the backdrop for this record, coupled with the slight hints of violin strings at times, give the lyrics to the song some added life (don't sleep on the lyrics! You actually can't lol!) & help to showcase the Con.tra.diction's vocals quite perfectly, the instrumentals are never over-bearing and they burst unto the centre-stage in small doses at the best of times... I REALLY LIKE THIS SONG! Kinda reminds me of Fiona Apple/Tori Amos a little bit... What do you think of it though?

What about this one?

What you just heard is 'Dreams', the NEW single from Tosyn Bucknor the Con.tra.diction & on this one, she fully unleashes the ROCK CHIC from within... The Alanis Morisette influence shines through so much on this record that it could easily be a reference track for Ms. Morisette & it's really GOOD & damn catchy as well. What about the production on this though? The Electric Guitar & Drums infused musical arrangements are courtesy of another Nigerian Singer/Song-Writer (& also Producer) by the name of Coldflames... DUDE GOES HARD!

I am really impressed by what I just heard... This is the kinda stuff you get when artistes let their hair down and just BE creative! There's no overriding or ulterior motive or notion of chart sales or commercial acclaim with this record.. It just is what it is! It's what happened when the Con.tra.diction & Nigerian Uber-Producer Kraftwork got together in the studio... They sample the 70's record 'Love and Affection' from one of the best Soul Musicians to come out of Nigeria, Segun Bucknor and His Revolution, to create what I can only describe as a GREAT listening pleasure.

SO I have to ask, what do you make of what you've just heard. I quite like the Con.tra.diction. Very very different from what I hear outta the Nigerian Music scene, that's for sure & she definitely gets a WePlugGOODMusic CO-SIGN because I love off her records... Can't wait for more records from her #in2010!

& Just so you know it isn't all fun & games & for a taste of what she's got in the bag for us #in2010... check out this exclusive record that's set to be released next year HERE! It speaks many things to me, this one...

Until the Next Time Beautiful People...

Merry Christmas x

WPGM Recommends... Mystrogen - F.D.T EP

OK for those who don't know, Mystrogen a.k.a MysDiggi has been in the UK Hip-Hop game for a loong minute now... 11 years to be exact! A Veteran in every right... He's collaborated with several other Vets, the likes of SkinnyMan (1999's 'The Word's Out'), Rodney P (2003's 'You Know Who You Are') & Black Twang (2002's 'Half n Half')... He put Daniel Merriweather on a track years before the kid blew up (2006's 'Come Fly')... He hosted the now infamous UK Hip-Hop showcase & club nights, Kung-Fu in Camden, London... He is quite frankly one of the very few reminders that real Hip-Hop ain't dead in the UK... & All these, without having yet released a full-length album (not taing into account 2006's 'Diggi Down Unda')

Enough of the history lessons then... Fast Forward to December 14th, 2009 & the big homie Mystro is back with this 10-track E.P aptly titled F**K D TAXMAN (F.D.T) with all the pun intended (ask me later to break it down)...

The EP leads with the single, 'Live and U Learn' produced by Earth Hip-Hop, the video to which you can check out HERE but I'm leading with my favorite record off of the EP... Check it after the jump!




This one's titled 'Aquarius' and its produced by Super T & Mystro goes into superb social commentary mode as he discusses diverse issues from religion to medicine to 9/11, in the midst of an eerily good musical backdrop of mesmerizing chimes & obscure keys as provided by Super T... What is present on this record as with on the other records on this EP is Mystro's ever-present wittiness, the intelligent & hard-hitting lyrics, his mature and succinct flow!

& with that said, let's check out another of my favorite records from the F.D.T EP...




On this 3 odd minutes of what is a straight Hip-Hop Head's dream, DJ Thor on the production comes up with a monster of a beat... The Drums, those daunting keys, the spazmatic horn arrangements??? They all come together to create what I envision is an Emcee's dreams come true in a way that only a few DJ/Producers can manage & by how Mystro spaces out all over this backdrop, I doubt I'm wrong... The song is called 'Thorish' by the way!

I've listened to the F.D.T EP a good few times since I got it and it sounds better after each listen, Earth Hip-Hop comes up with an opus of a hip-hop production on 'Maintain' which sees Mystro shouting-out & bigging-up the rest of the very few UK Hip-Hop artistes, producers & DJs that refuse to sell out & who still churn out quality hip-hop that remain unadulterated & NOT what the A&R says will push numbers... & on 'Banishment', Mystro is on amazing 'sending' form & that hook is mad catchy as f**k! A few listens and you'll be screaming 'RUN HIM OUT THE HOUSE' to any little thing (truss me)... All the records on this EP are pure Hip-Hop records and you'd expect nothing less from MysDiggi. Quite simply this one's for all the Hip-Hop heads out there, if you like good Hip-hop, you'll appreciate this EP.

Alright Beautiful people, that is all I can share with you from the F.D.T EP unfortunately BUT what I will say is this... Mystrogen's F.D.T ep is out on Itunes, Amazon and all other major Music retailers on Don't BizzNizz so go out (stay IN) and get your copy, you will NOT be dissappointed & you can QUOTE me on that one!

Until the Next One...

We Plug 2 Y.O.U... Chromatone - The Ripple Effect EP

OK so a few good people at Fortello London put me on to this London-based Pop/Rock (they say Funk/R&B however) band only a few weeks ago & I must say that I was (still am) impressed with what I heard. I was invited to one of their live performances only the other day & it was very different to what I had expected (I mean it was a 'Rock' set but with B-Boy dancing & R&B musicianship & quite an Organic feel! Don't ask, you'd have to have been there to understand lol!)... Anyway it was different but VERY GOOD different & I was priviledged to leave their showcase with a copy of their debut E.P which I am about to share with you... It's titled 'The Ripple Effect EP' & the name of the band? Chromatone... Before I go into it, let me introduce the band right quick!

Philipp Cerny - Vocals/Lead
Emmanuel Adeniran - Bass
Kieran Dwain Guy - Drums
Jesse Byrd - Keys

Chromatone, ladies & gentlemen!!! I've always wanted to do that lol!




That was the first song off of the 4-track EP, titled 'One Half' and the first thing that occurs to me as the vocals drop into the song (that i failed to notice in their live show) was that they sound quite like Maroon 5, OR what do you reckon? Now that's not a bad comparison at all BUT the other thing that strikes me on this opener is the sheer musical spectical that it is, from start to finish... However it's Philip Cerny on lead-guitar (who is also on Vocals) shocking out at the beginning of the record... & at the middle & at the end (what showmanship heh? I love it though!) & Kieran Dwain Guy on Drums who's gliding beautifully between the easy breezy verses & high octane hooks on this record effortessly, that steal the show for almost all of the song. All in all, it's a great way to kick-off the EP in my opinion... I enjoyed it!




Now unto my favorite record on the EP, 'She Tries' and the one thing I like the most about this song is its lyrical content... Especially on that 1st & 2nd verse! It's nothing out of this world BUT I find it quite witty & funny & so true of certain male idiosyncrasies & insecurities... You know what strikes me (there's alot of 'striking' on this EP, isn't there lol?) on this track? It's how the band have intentionally let the music take the back seat to the vocals and the lyrics which have a starring role on this record as against the previous record, 'One Half' or on the other records on the EP... It may be just me but it works perfectly because they let the song tell its story quite eloquently, one of regret, one of subtle disdain & Philipp on vocals is NOT a vocal powerhouse let's be honest but his sultry, easy-breezy & organic voice (a tenor if I had to say?) brings out the R&B flavour in Chromatone's otherwise Pop/Rock infused records. A quick look at their musical influences - Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock (I know!), Jamiroquai, Earth Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and you can tell where that R&B flavor stems from.

What are your thoughts so far?




For the third track of The Ripple Effect EP, Chromatone give us 'Funky Dory' which is heavily-laden with a beautiful mash-up of sounds from Jesse Byrd's Keyboards & Emmanuel Adeniran's Bass-guitar with Kieran on the drums again serving as the final piece to the puzzle on the musical arrangement on this record... Philipp Cerny is allowed free 'roamage' as lead-guitar on pivotal points in the song to rather mixed results... On some listens, I enjoy Mr. Cerny's guitar-play but on other listens, I don't. What do you think? This would be my least favorite record on the EP...




As the curtain call to this stellar 15 odd minutes that is Chromatone's debut EP, we have 'Say What They May' which kicks off with a nice lil neat interplay between both Lead & Bass, before both Vocals & Drums have their own little moment together on the 1st & 2nd verses of the song... I like how Chromatone don't try to be overly complicated on this record, 'Say What They May' is NOT trying too hard, it's a thoroughly enjoyable record if you don't try & analyse it too much so we're NOT, we're just gonna enjoy it...

All in all, I like this E.P. Would I have liked to hear more Bass-guitar generally on this E.P? YES (I'm in my The Beatles' 'Revolver'/U2's 'Achtung Baby'/Red Hot Chilli Peppers' 'By the Way' phase lol)... but this is for all purposes & intents, a lead-guitar EP & the guitar solos are actually really enjoyable... The lyrics to that last record say 'Do what I want, say what they may!' and on the whole, you kinda get a sense that that's exactly what Chromatone have done... They've just come together, experimented with different arrangements & created music that they enjoy... that is in turn enjoyable & that is NOT engineered in some lab somewhere... They sound like a band that's in control of & quite comfortable with their music, without any puppet masters dictating their musical journey & we hope it stays that way for their next project... The Ripple Effect EP is WE PLUG GOOD MUSIC certified!!!

BUT you are the real taste-makers here so what do you reckon?

The E.P is up on ITUNES for less than $4 (thats about £2) so please show these guys some love and purchase their EP... Support GOOD Music!!! Also if you want a physical copy of the EP (PS the musical backdrop sounds quite amazing when played on a solid sound system!), you can get it for £4 (including postage & packaging), contact Philipp Cerny @ philipp_24@hotmail.com or leave them a message on thier Myspace page...

Until the Next Time...

Peace, Love & GOOD Music