Based off the latest single, "Ride Off," off her upcoming debut LP ELEVATE, Tangina Stone is adding additional musical and emotional layers to her already rich RnB sound. While "Wasn't Love Cafe" offered much of the same catchy, guitar-driven goodness found on much of her The Fall EP, "Ride Off," shows a different side of Stone and her music. Written in response to the passing of a loved one, Stone's vocals cast a sad shadow over the listener with long-held notes and echoing backing vocals. The instrumental, crafted by CJ The Great, provides the perfect paltform with its haunting synths and sparse guitar licks. An assist from emcee Crystal Caines brings the track to close with a different perspective about a different person. ELEVATE is a record to watch out for, and you can catch Stone live at The National Sawdust on 12/10. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

While the term “singer/songwriter” may connote such masters as Sufjan Stevens, Brooklyn-via-Ohio’s Tangina Stone radiates the troubadour spirit in her girl-group poetry. Favorite quip: “Your love so bright you're giving me a suntan.” Her EP The Fall highlights both the singer's colloquial talent as well as her pipes, while her latest remix of single 'Don't' (video streaming below) interestingly steers towards soulful, electronic hip hop.  The Brooklyn-based singer will play for the first time music from her new album "Elevate" coming this summer on Monster/Empire. - Brian Chidester

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.

It's time to tackle the ROOTS category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists - you can see the results we published so far here.

ROOTS

Total submissions in this category: 13

Jurors: Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), Juan Rodriguez (The Deli LA), Zach Weg (The Deli NYC).

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

1. Janita- 7.6 (out of 10)

When Brooklyn-via-Helsinki singer/songwriter Janita shared her album ‘Didn't You, My Dear?’ back in July, she not only gave precious voice to such seemingly universal hardships as melancholy and frustration but practically whispered to the listener: "Hey, these things happen. I'm right there with you." As heard on the soul-lined "Easing into Sanity" (streaming below), the smooth-voiced singer did in fact seem to come from a pressingly personal place yet. Like every great vocal poet, spoke for everyone striving to emerge from a fog.

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2. Howth- 7.2 (out of 10)

Having just played the venerable Downtown New York venue Le Poisson Rouge, Brooklyn quartet Howth are deservedly gaining wider recognition as the lighthearted yet affecting quartet that they are. A drum-tumbled track like “April I Will” (streaming below), for example, off their latest “Trashy Milky Nothing Town” album conveys an impossibly pure sweetness that can only come from a passionate band such as this. Howth plays Shea Stadium on 2/1. 

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3. Tangina Stone- 7 (out of 10) While the term “singer/songwriter” may connote the heartbreak and longing of such masters as Sufjan Stevens, Brooklyn-via-Ohio’s Tangina Stone refreshingly radiates a kind of experienced joy in her soul-lined songs. Her November-released track “Suntan” (music video playing below), for example, details young love not just with optimism but with the deep soulfulness of someone who has experienced its wondrous impact. Tangina Stone plays at Pianos on 2/17.

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Honorable Mentions: Rue Snider, Fireships, Jesus On The Mainline, Matteis, Tacoma Narrows

Zach Weg - The Deli Magazine

A few days ago, Brooklyn singer/songwriter Tangina Stone dropped her gently searing new single "Wasn't Love Cafe" (streaming below). Beginning with "Push It Along"-esque drum hits, sprinkled by warm electonics, and closing on guitar-fuzzed spoken-word, the genre-melding song has the Ohio-born Stone imbuing the timeless love-conquers-all theme with fresh passion. As marked by her heart-buckling belt, the early-twenties musician definitely shows promise of brave music to come but, meanwhile, stirs with this bold love song. Tangina Stone plays at C’mon Everybody next Tuesday (8.25). – Zach Weg