HEAR: Michael McQuaid – “Vibes”

Michael McQuaid

“Vibes”

Michael McQuaid came as a big surprise to me.  I was expecting just another white soul singer, the good ole blue-eyed soul, but McQuaid is completely out of this world.  He has the pipes to compete with Sam Smith and James Blake, but he brings some psychedelia to the sound, like Sam Cook on acid.  What a fantastic song.  For his previous album, which was very good, McQuaid tread safer ground; for this EP, expected this fall, McQuaid has pulled out all the stops.  This is not a safe sound; this is a challenging listen.  THANK GOD.  I really love this sound.  To me, this is what soul/blues/hip-hop should sound like.