A couple of years ago, soul powerhouse Pam Steebler graced The Deli 's NYC as one of its Best Emerging NYC Artists. Now she's back with a new track called "Noise", from her upcoming EP of the same name. "Noise" takes the Brazilian-Canadian songwriter's soulful voice and layers it over bubbling electronic synths and drums, which add a depth to the passionate sound she released to the world on her 2015 Give In EP. It's certainly a song to keep in your pocket for the approaching dog days of summer. More songs are on the way from Noise, but The Deli is proud to premiere the title track, which you can stream below. - Will Sisskind

It's time to focus our attention on the bands that did well in our recent Best of NYC 2015 Readers/Fans Poll for Emerging Artists (we wish there was a shorter way to say that... what about BoNYCRFPfEA 2015?). Let's start with the Sould category, since it features that poll's overall winner and third place artists. 

With her powerful voice and a solid production team behind her, Pam Steebler qualified to our Best of NYC poll through the Open Submissions. Her "Give In" EP, paired with a full band churning out confident, top notch live performances, are a great asset for a young artist whose soul-rock has the potential to appeal to almost every music lover out there. Check out her single "Me and You" below, and see her at Webster Hall's Studio on March 1st.

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With a slightly poppier approach to soul music, Lawrence boasts classic songwriting forged by sibling duo Clyde and Gracie Lawrence. Gifted with both superior piano skills and incredibly powerful vocals, Clyde leads the band with the confidence of a veteran. The band just wrapped up a east coast tour and will celebrate the end of it with a show at Webster Hall's Marlin Room tonight (02.18)

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Merging electro, hip hop and soul, Tangina Stone offers a less classic interpretation of soul music Her 2015 EP 'The Fall' surprises with a sound that develops in various directions, highlighting the singer's range and its production team's ability to work with dirrent genres and sounds.

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The other three artists in this category are Cory Henry, Connell Cruise and Justin Baron.

Happy New Year, Deli-rious seekers of new, exciting, emerging music!

If you've been following us for a while, you should know that January is the month when our regional Year End Polls for Emerging Artists are in full bloom!

The first leg of our poll is called "Open Submissions," and, in it, we allow all local artists (in this case NYC ones, since you are reading the NYC blog) to submit their music for consideration. After a screening process involving three of our editors or writers, we pick a few per genre - here are the first results for the Songwriter/Rootsy Pop category!

Total submissions in this category: 18

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Pam Steebler - 7.87

We are rarely entranced by bluesy pop/rock, maybe because - to be pulled off properly - the genre requires monstrous chutzpa, as in... "the balls of those who are really good at something." But we've got to concede to Pam Steebler that her "Give In" EP's two opening songs are... "da bomb." "Mind Reader," in particular (streaming below), has the power and the beauty to light a flare of soulful passion even in the heart of the most unflappable of indie rockers.

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2. Laura & Greg - 7.5

Curiously enough, the second placed band in this chart couldn't sound more different from the first - how are these two acts in the same category? The answer is in the word "pop" and "roots" - elements these artists shares, but with different approaches. Laura & Greg's folk pop is gentle, intimate, sparse and DIY. Their peaceful harmonies and placid atmospheres refer back to the folk-pop explosion of the '60s, revising and adapting it to our DIY days.

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2. Afternoon Men - 7.5

Afternoon Men's song and video for single "Parking Lots and Basements" (streaming) has an edge that screams "Manhattan" - you know, that borough offering the "bourgeois" kind of fun. (Oh yeah, you can say that about Williamsburg too!). Whoever wrote that song, certainly knows how to navigate that scene, where sophistication and charm can go farther than good looks - at least with the smart ladies who can support a broke musician! This (besides their obvious talent) is why this band may have a future.

Honorable Mentions: Caitlin Mahoney, The Next Great American Novelist, The Bone Chimes, Ashni, Bill Bartholomew, Diana Zinni, Frank Bell.

Jurors: Michael Colavita (Deli Philly), Cody Wright (Deli Toronto), PDG (Deli NYC)

Stay tuned for more results, and then for the readers' poll!