HEAR THIS: Michael McQuaid
Michael McQuaid’s music doesn’t fit the profile of what first comes to mind when you think of his home base of Nashville, Tennessee. Despite a hint of bluesy guitar on a few tracks, including lead single “Vibes,” his newest EP, Glasshouse, has more in common with soulful R&B crooners The Weeknd and Miguel than Nashville’s fabled country twang.
McQuaid’s brilliant voice delivers lines that tug at heartstrings over tunes that are both classic and forward-thinking. McQuaid’s songs tend to be full of heartbreak, lamenting what happens when love goes wrong, but you don’t need to be freshly hurt to enjoy him. Even the most in-the-throes-of-happiness folks can groove to jams as good as the woundedly hopeful “Cat + Mouse.” Check out Michael McQuaid if you’re not afraid to experience the dark side of love.