Uncovering new gems

MANILA, Philippines - Discovering new musical acts that merit our attention is always a joy. In this case, here are two acts that come from different music genres but uniformly have something substantial to offer. While possibly unknown to many, they both are well into their music careers and coincidentally, have new albums to showcase their maturity and depth.

Goapele — Strong As Glass (available on Amazon.com). Pronounced Gwa-puh-LAY, Goapele is the daughter of a South African exiled because of apartheid and an activist Jewish mother. Her name comes from a South African word that means “forward” and her music falls under the category of R&B and neo-soul. While there is something retro about her outlook in music, recalling soul sirens of the ’80s and ’90s, there is something refreshing in her lyrics and music that makes it undeniably contemporary. The carrier single Hey Boy has Snoop Dogg guesting and back in form. The song with Eric Benet, My Love, is also a winner. I loved the title track Insanity and the syncopated Powerful. There’s just a lot of quality soul to be found here.

Jukebox the Ghost — Jukebox the Ghost (available on Amazon.com). A three-piece power pop band that hails from the Washington, D.C. area, this is Jukebox’s fourth album and it’s a smartly assembled trove of radio-friendly pop songs. The Great Unknown is the first single released, but I love tracks such as Sound of a Broken Heart and Girl. The band excels in time changes within a song. While Jukebox’s signature songs may be upbeat and reminiscent of bands like Fun and Rejects, the group can go plaintive and reflective, as in the closer, Show Me Where It Hurts. It may not be treading new territory, or creating a new brand of music, but if you’re looking for something new yet solid in terms of music, check out this new, unheralded release.