Monday Morning Mixdown // Bring on the Week – Mailbag Edition!

Jah’Mila – “Roots Girl”

Long before the paradigm shifted due to this incessant virus, Jah’Mila traveled to Jamaica to record the video in support of her track “Roots Girl”.  This is a song that pays homage to Israel Vibration’s “Rudeboy Shufflin”, but twists the focus from a male protagonist to the titular female one.  In a genre that is largely male-dominated, Jah’Mila has taken her spot in the spotlight and dropped a great tune that showcases some typical Jamaican hang-out spots, while warming up this cold Maritime winter.  Jah’Mila is one of the most exciting artists to emerge in recent years, and I’m looking forward to what she is planning next.

 


Ian Janes – “Shouldn’t Be Calling You”

Ian Janes is a stalwart of the Nova Scotia music scene and has recently dropped his latest single “Shouldn’t Be Calling You”.  From the instrumentation to having backing vocals supplied by the ever-talented Zamani and Owen O’Sound Lee, this is an infectious pop-rock tune, that is interwoven with R&B and Soul vibes.  It’s an ear-worm that you can’t jam into your ears fast enough, and will serve as a great kick-start to your week.


Kaleb Austin – “Sound of the South”

As a Gen-Xer, I’m quite familiar with a time before YouTube, let alone TikTok.  While I can educate my daughter about a lot of my favourite bands (see Arkells, and Matt Mays),  I tease her about new pop tunes by asking “Is this a TikTok tune?”.   The funny thing is, when I finally broke down and installed the app, I never expected that it would give me some great food recipes or introduce me to new music, but lo and behold, I came across this fella Kaleb Austin and his catchy country tune “Sound of the South”.  It’s definitely a song for the summer months when you can sit around a campfire and tip a few back, but it does serve to warm up a cold winter’s evening too.  Check out Kaleb Austin, and his great track.


Speak Easy Circus – “Lions Should Hunt”

There are plenty of requests that flow through our inbox that are exactly as they appear, but sometimes we get requests that are far from what they appear. And that is 100% the case with Speak Easy Circus‘ track “Lions Should Hunt”, as it is this fantastic amalgamation of Funk, Jazz, and indie-rock.  There are elements of Moon Hooch, Dispatch, and Reel Big Fish, and as disparate as those acts may sound, it just works.  The first time I pressed play, the track jumped from the background, demanding my attention, and once the 4 minute track wrapped, I was reaching for the restart button.  This is a jam that will definitely perk up your standard Monday Morning playlist, and brings with it the notion that to live in a modern society, there is no place for misogyny.

 


Paul Caldwell – “Monday”

This might not be the song you want to kick your week off with, but it is a great song to curl up with at the end of a long Monday.  It’s a smoky, low-key tune that should be best enjoyed with a spirit and the lights dialed down low.  It’s a fantastic track off of the Irish singer-songwriter’s EP Headlines, which was released one week ago.  Do yourself a favour and press play on this Monday evening.

About the author

Trev

A proud and over-caffeinated husband, father, runner and writer. I've written for the local weekly The Coast for over a decade and have since taken to creating and writing for HAFILAX for even longer. I hope you enjoy the musings of a guy who has loved music for the better part of 4 decades, and has an album of concert tickets to show for it.

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