Do you know that feeling when you discover a new musical artist? It's almost like the secrets of the universe are opened up and laid out on display for you. You want to dig into every single thing they have put their hands on and meditate on it.
I'm still a firm believer that the first listen of an album should happen with headphones in the dark. There is something about the sensory deprivation that allows you to absorb the album as opposed to just listening to it. The notes are more defined, the lyrics hit just a little harder, and what was simply a new artist an hour ago becomes one of your new favorites.
Today, for my #threetunetuesday post sponsored by 
I am going to point out that each of these artists have a bit of an old feel to them. I think that is part of the reason I like them so much. That new old soul style that has become kind of popular over the past two decades or so. Think Amy Winehouse, she really opened the door for this sort of thing when she came on the scene in 2003. It's too bad that she passed away so suddenly, I would have loved to see what she could have continued to do.
Adele fits the bill to a degree as well. Though I would classify her more pop as opposed to soul. Okay, now that you have an idea of the style that we will be looking at today, let's get started.
In case you haven't guessed, this is the one I was talking about above. If you were in the US in the past decade there is little chance you didn't hear the song "Rise Up" at least once. It was used in every commercial, sporting event, and inspirational whatever that you can imagine. It is a good song, but honestly, it isn't my favorite from Andra Day.
Andra has one of the most amazing voices that I have heard in quite some time. It's strong, it's gritty, it just has that smooth feel to it. There is something pretty special about it. Her (only) full album Cheers to the fall is just about as close to perfect as I can imagine. "Red Flags" is one of my favorite songs from the album. I would put it right up there with the title track.
Meanwhile, Rise Up would sit somewhere down past the number 10 spot I think. Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but her other stuff is better I think. My biggest beef with Andra is the fact that she only has the one album. She took some time to do some Broadway stuff I think as the incomparable Billie Holiday.
If you are into the Tiny Desk Concerts, she does have a session you can check out on YouTube. I highly recommend you do so!
Cruel Youth is another artist that just recently hit my radar and unfortunately, her appearance establishes a pattern that I have to admit, I am quite unhappy about. Her album +30mg came out in 2016 and she hasn't released a full album since. Like Andra Day, she has a few singles here and there that she has dropped, but nothing substantial that I can really dig into.
It's unfortunate because these artists are way too talented to simply be a flash in the pan. "Mr. Watson" was the first song I heard from Cruel Youth and it really reminded me of Andra Day with a little bit of Lana Del Rey mixed in and I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. It has that same old style feel to it and it just slaps really hard.
Fronted by Teddy Sinclair, Cruel Youth was apparently on the New Zealand version of The X Factor before they were removed. It sounds like she has some solo stuff that I really need to think about checking out. Like I said, this one is really new to me and I haven't had a lot of time to dig into it. In fact, I just mentioned to 
You better believe I am going to be looking into Teddy Sinclair or her alter ego Natalia Kills.
Finally, that leads me to Serena Ryder. I've know about Serena for a while now thanks to her hit "Stompa" that many of you might be familiar with. Today though, I want to share the song "Got Your Number". It's an upbeat song that still has a bit of that old school feel to it, but the tempo is fast enough that you can't help but dance.
While I wouldn't say her voice is as unique as Andra's or Teddy's, Serena still has a really strong set of pipes and her control of them is really impressive. I was actually on the fence about whether I should include Serena or throw in a Lana Del Rey song in here. I'm always down for some Lana Del Rey.
I feel like I have shared her before and I wanted to try something new this week. I actually almost skipped this week because I already have another theme for next week that I am really excited about.
If I was going to include a bonus song (I'm not), it would probably have to be one of the tunes off Dolly Parton's new album. Recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame much to her own surprise, she decided to do an album of rock and roll tunes. I haven't listened to it yet, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. It's on my slate for later today.
That's all I have for you this week. Be sure to check back next week for some more music. Like I said, I am really excited about the theme.
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