Songs of the Week: Misha Fair, Joh Chase, & Estella Dawn

Welcome to Songs of the Week, a running series with new selections.

Misha Fair – “Beg”

Misha Fair possesses a monstrous voice. She bowls you over and leaves you flat on the floor. There’s no way you can’t be awe-struck by the beauty of her performance. “Beg” is among the year’s most fire-soaked, a torrential blues-country number that finds the singer taking no prisoners. “So open up wide / And swallow your pride / I’ve got your supply / But only if you beg,” she howls into harvest moon. The arrangement sizzles, stormy with smoldering electric guitars and the throb of percussion. Simply put, it’s a thrilling piece of music.

Joh Chase – “Another Lover”

Joh Chase aims for simplicity, in their lives and in their work. With “Another Lover,” Chase sculpts a charming and magnetic performance. “Fairy tale of my life / Find that one and make her a wife / But nothing sticks like they said it would,” they sing over a guitar’s wonderful warble. The melody slides into the eardrums, silky and smooth. Yet there’s a heaviness by which Chase relates their emotions. It sticks to their lips, an almost tangy-sweet ode to what life means. “I want it all back,” they later sing on a loop, a refrain that leaves an indelible mark on the brain. It’s that good.

Estella Dawn – “Didn’t Occur to You”

Love goes wrong. It just does. Estella Dawn knows better than anyone. Putting pen to paper, the singer-songwriter cooked up “Didn’t Occur to You,” an R&B-flecked musical anecdote to a soured relationship. “I swear I’ve tried moving on / It’s been about a year / I still want you back,” she admits with thick emotion dripping from her tongue. In such vulnerable honesty, it’s almost a cathartic experience. Dawn exorcizes her demons through a stinging confession. She still might feel those things — the blinding love, most of all — but she’s much better for admitting the truth. Sometimes, you just have to pour your heart out to find absolution. Dawn can now fly free.

Check out our handy-dandy playlist:

Follow B-Sides & Badlands on our socials: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram