Lana Winterhalt/KTheChosen
Lana Winterhalt
Hold On To Me // Independent
How utterly lovely. I feel like some kind of magical prairie princess listening to this. It feels like I'm traveling, and there’s a lot of floating and emotions involved. This is the happy-sad sound perfected. Lana Winterhalt has skillfully combined genuinely moving songwriting with sweet production and tender performances to create a beautiful gem of joyful wonder.
“Hold On To Me”, the opening title track, slowly and softly nudges you upward using vocal harmony building blocks and instrumental dynamics to gently lift you up. By the end of the song it feels like you're flying and it sets the vibe for the whole EP. The EP sustains a constant focus and never stumbles as each song progresses. Each moment listening refreshes and prepares you for the one that follows. The sound is orchestral and smooth and perfectly suited for the movie that plays in your head. The one that is the heartfelt romantic comedy.
You get a little breather about half way through with a gorgeous and thoughtful piano instrumental. It clears your head and allows a little processing time before “Right,” the pinnacle of the EP, casually steps up, grabs on to your heart strings and jumps off the roof. It's… how to put it… a tear jerker for the true love people. With a choral closing track to follow up, the EP is stylistically diverse, each song it's own chapter in the same love story.
Fully conceived, recorded, and self-produced in lockdown since the pandemic began, this is Winterhalt's 5th release in 6 years, establishing her presence in Canadian music. All proceeds from Bandcamp sales of this EP will be split between two organizations: in Minnesota, the Black Visions Collective; in Winnipeg, the West Central Women's Resource Centre. So give this one a listen, add another slice of cake to your collection and feel good about it.
- Joel Klaverkamp
KTheChosen
Jouska // Independent
By the time you read this, it will have probably been one month since the release of KTheChosen’s latest album, Jouska, hit the scene. Jouska is a celebration of community, talent, and collaboration – but I’m hoping you read my interview with the young Calgary rapper back in June and are already aware of KTheChosen’s passion for brining different platforms together.
Typically, in my experience, I find that as I listen to an album I’m really digging the first few tracks – often I find my favourites near the front end of the album, and almost get “listening fatigue” as the tracks go on – maybe I just made that term up, but I think we can all relate to that feeling at some point *cough cough Views cough cough sorry*. With Jouska, on the other hand, I actually found the opposite. Moving through the album, you can almost hear the tracks maturing as you make your way along, each song stronger than the next. My favourites started at about the middle of the album onwards, from the killer beat switch in “15 Minutes/Fame” (and a sample that would make Kanye West proud, might I add), to the powerful and thought provoking “M.A.M.A”, heartbreaking “Blue”, and the dance-worthy personal storytelling on “Nomad’s Tale part 4” - you really can’t go wrong. And I feel like that’s not something you stumble upon too often in an album, especially one where each track is so unique from the last, making it varied yet cohesive and giving us a range of ability from K and his immensely talented featured artists.
Speaking of immensely talented featured artists…
Can. We. Talk. About. The. Featured. Ladies. Wow! Prepare to have your brain melt out of your ears thanks to the crooning tones of Jeziah, Jo-Ann Jackson and Mbe. If anything pulls the pieces of this album together, it’s the consistent and soulful melodies of these talented individuals. Jouska is an exciting new chapter for KTheChosen, showcasing his exceptional flow and clever lyricism, and absolutely deserving of 27 minutes and 50 seconds of your time.
Jouska Pairings – A Synopsis:
Perfect to listen to while: walking down the streets of Calgary (any street, you pick)
Best enjoyed while eating: Shawarma
Pairs well with: Your morning cup of joe
Next steps: Listen to Nomad’s Land, his 2018 album, where you can find “Nomad’s Tale” part one through three – I mean, you were probably wondering where the story started anyway, right?
- Carly Weiler
