One great thing about owning a subscription to a digital music distribution service like Rhapsody, Napster or Musicmatch is that you can discover new music in a way that is much like being locked in a huge record store and having it all to yourself.

Some people faced with this dream head right for the music they already love or the records they haven't heard since high school. Those with a bit more savvy head for the new releases bin or to the magazine rack in search of respected reviews.

However, after a while you long to find that diamond ring lost in the sand. Let's face it, it's much more fun to find something as yet undiscovered

I am constantly sifting the sands by listening to a ton of independent, non-major label music on Rhapsody in search of gems. This can be a painful process as the majority is well ... not very good. I hope to highlight the promising up-and-comers I find here.

For my first selection I present AñaVañA.

AñaVañA (pronounced anya-vanya) hails from New York City and consists of Annastasia Victory Kuporosova aka Aña (singer / songwriter / pianist)
and Ian C. Bouras aka VañA (songwriter / guitarist).

Their self-titled release is being distributed on the Australian Zip Records.

The music is a bastard child produced by a ménage a trois between Evanescence, Peter Tosh and No Doubt with a little Sade thrown in and watching it all.

The production is good, but not so good that the soul is sucked from it, which is a big problem for bands without the experience of a world-class producer. AñaVañA mixes rock, pop and reggae in a consistent and creative manner that deserves some attention.

Annastasia's voice is on fire, not in a Rock & Roll way, but in a torch song way.
First-class drums, guitar, bass and piano instrumentation support her vocal prowess. Throw tasteful and competent songwriting into this mix of talent and you have a sound that any A&R person worth their salt should be seriously considering. But then again have you looked at the Billboard charts lately?

My hat is off to AñaVañA for being able to produce such a quality record while swimming against the stream.

I can say with certainty that they have at the very least, one new fan.

AñaVañA - AñaVañA

Track Listing:

1. "Colors Fading"
2. "Let Me Be"
3. "Bow Your Head"
4. "I'm Responsible"
5. "Captain Careless"
6. "You Can't Read My Mind"
7. "Had Me Fooled"
8. "One Good Reason"
9. "Just Wanted To Love You"
10. "Backstabber"
11. "Perfect Harmony"
12. "Taken Away"

Listen to the album on Rhapsody

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