Reviews of the latest music available for streaming.

Billie Marten / Writing of Blues and Yellows

It’s refreshing to see someone so young take the bull by its horns and make a name for herself so quickly. Billie Marten, born Isabella Sophie Tweddle, is a mere 17 and has already been making waves in the music scene’s ocean of artists. I had actually heard her song “Bird” in an airport and had no idea who was singing it, but I thought it was beautiful. I then heard it again in an episode of Shadowhunters and looked up the artist and was shocked that someone with such a mature and defined sound could be a teenager from a little town in England.

Marten’s coffeehouse, acoustic style is calm and reflective, emotional and true to heart. She is the female version of well-known bands such as Coldplay, Radiohead and Muse. If you like those bands, give her a listen. She also reminded me a bit of Tori Amos, but with a raspier and more relaxed and youthful vibe. She has mastered the art of “good things take time” with her music, never rushing and allowing the note to resonate before moving onto the next.

I found the album to be unassuming and yet impactful. My favorite song on the album is “Bird,” but that may be because it was the song that caused me to be interested in her in the first place. I also really like “Hello Sunshine,” something that immediately brings to mind waking up slowly on a Sunday morning. “Heavy Weather” is a thought-provoking song, with a quiet and cool melody paired with some interesting changes. This is a perfect album to download if you are just looking for some quiet time and stress relief or a mellow weekend day at home, sitting in the yard or relaxing on a beach.

For more information, visit BillieMarten.com.

Jennifer Russo

Billy Porter / Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers

When it comes to easy listening music that won’t make you actually snooze, nothing is more soul-soothing than some R&B. Mix that in with some classic Broadway, and you get Tony and Grammy Award-winner Billy Porter’s new album featuring R&B-infused renditions of classic Richard Rodgers songs.

You might be asking: Richard Rodgers who? Well, you’ve heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein, right? He’s one half of the prolific musical team behind such showstoppers as The King and I, Carousel, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. And while Rodgers was a composer for almost 50 Broadway musicals, with more than 900 songs, we’re only going to get 12 of them here. This album is not Porter’s alone, either. He shares the honors with some of Broadway’s brightest new stars, including Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), as well Grammy Award nominees Deborah Cox and Ledisi.

It’s hard to pick favorites from the list, but some of the more familiar titles given knew interpretations that stick are Cynthia Erivo’s take on “My Funny Valentine” and “Carefully Taught,” sung by India Arie and Porter himself. If you’re a fan of Rodgers’ litany of hits, you’ll be transfixed by “Bewitched” and “The Lady is a Tramp” and find – like it or not – that a politically-charged “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” is speaking directly to POTUS.

Only Porter’s take on “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music – though modernized and matching the sound of the previous 11 tracks – seems somehow out of place, even if Porter offers his own spoken-word reasoning for its inclusion beyond its mere existence as part of Rodger’s songbook.

For more information, visit billyporter.com.

Mike Wood

Shallow Side / One

Shallow Side’s One is a slick package of ready-to-go rock. It combines a unique hybrid of new-century radio rock with hints of familiar tropes that work to the band’s advantage on this quick six-song release. Whereas some of the record tiptoes dangerously close to generic sludge rock, those moments are few and far between, making One worth a listen.

Shallow Side favors the 21st-century alternative rock edge, but if you listen closely, you can hear shades of blues stomps and classic rock DNA. Shallow Side doesn’t necessarily make an effort to hide it either, most notably in the safe cover of “Renegade.” While this is a welcomed addition and one that fits right in the band’s wheelhouse, you’d rather hear a young band perform its own originals. Shallow Side ends up doing that with songs like “We Roll” and the memorable “Fight or Flight.” Most numbers here sound made for radio, including “Start a Fire,” but when singer Eric Boatright drops an F-bomb in the gleaming “Rebel,” it seems counterproductive despite the rogue title.

Although it is relatively short, One gives enough of a good impression to make you curious to hear more from Shallow Side.  These guys are sophisticated enough to catch some of their own original twists while having a familiar quality that successfully sucks you in.

For more information, visit shallowside.net.

Jason Savio