In the latest iteration of The Big Baltimore Playlist, we found five local songs, ranging from roots-fueled funk and electronic instrumentals to country western ballads, for you to listen to right now. Check back each month for new top songs of the moment, and follow our Spotify playlist as we continue to build a soundtrack for our city.

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“Painted Roads” by Cris Jacobs

The King of Baltimore rock-and-roll is back and he’s bringing the funk. Where 2016’s Dust To Gold was full of Southern trimmings—roadhouse blues, twangy ballads, thunderous stomps—this new tune off of Jacobs’ upcoming Color Where You Are is a downright groove, fueled by a flurry of piano, undulating bass, and spunky drums, speaking to the strange chase of stardom, and finding success on your own terms, wherever you are. The soulful sound is tried-and-true Jacobs to the core, but it’s also fresh territory for the veteran musician. It adds an instant pep to your step, and leaves you hungry, in these heavy times, for the lightness that the rest of the record could bring.

“Dis Ting” by Funsho

By now, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen or heard of Funsho. Be it on your television set—where the Nigeria-born, Maryland-raised musician first garnered national attention last year on NBC’s The Voice—or around the Baltimore region, where he’s been performing seemingly nonstop ever since. As the second single of his upcoming NUMB3RZ EP, this track is an early song of summer, featuring a swaggering Afrobeat melody, Funsho’s silky smooth vocals, and guest flows by fellow DMV artist King Kanja. Combining pop, soul, hip-hop, and R&B, he creates instant feel-good vibes. See for yourself when he performs before Harbor East’s FashionEASTa fashion show in late April.

“Ecola” by The Honey Dewdrops

The first day of spring is officially upon us and few songs feel more fitting than those off of the new album, Anyone Can See, by local folk duo The Honey Dewdrops. This light-as-air instrumental features hearty acoustic strings and a lilting melody. But don’t let its simplicity fool you; it’s a deeply intimate tune propelled forward by the authentic chemistry of bandmates Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish. With each plink of banjo and strum of guitar, it builds and beams outward, rising like the sun at dawn.

“Requiem for Yaya” by Infinity Knives

It’s hard to pick a favorite track off the new full-length debut from DIY artist and Station North stalwart Infinity Knives. On In the Mouth of Sadness (Ugly Nigga from Heaven), each experimental number is a short snippet into another world—one you’ll want to explore for hours, be it a twinkling cosmos, a chaotic underworld, or a glitchy technicolor other dimension. Wavering between minimalistic melodies and complex compositions, this collection is a masterful collage of sound, some six years in the making, featuring special guests such as local rappers DYYO, Josh Stokes, and Giddeon Gallows. We found this heart-tugging fourth track especially transformative.

“Long Gone” by Jesse Hanlon

Out of obscurity, we stumbled upon this new two-song EP from Towson High grad, fledgling musician, and apparent old soul Jesse Hanlon. He makes the sort of hypnotic outlaw country music that’s making a comeback on the national stage, thanks in part to other young backwoods musicians like Tyler Childers and Colter Wall. If these two debut tracks are any indication, Hanlon should keep it up; they’re tall tales of hard luck and heart break—the sort of jangly, guitar-busting blues of a dusty spaghetti western (or the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)—and they’re persuasive. This title track, featuring a hint of psychedelic and surf inspiration, sounds as if it was written from another lifetime.

Say it ain’t so! Last night, viewers of NBC’s The Voice voted off Park Heights native Davon Fleming. The proud Baltimore resident made local headlines back in September when he wowed the judges with his rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Me and Mr. Jones” and quickly became a fan-favorite on team Jennifer Hudson with his effortless singing during every performance week to week. 

After a stellar performance on Monday night of “Gravity” by John Mayer, and an unbelievable rendition of The Weeknd’s “Earned It” with Brooke Simpson on team Miley Cyrus, Fleming was in the bottom for the second week in a row. He was ultimately eliminated from the competition and, to put it mildly, fans weren’t too pleased. 

Although his fans were saddened by the results, in typical Davon Fleming fashion, he thanked and encouraged his supporters with this uplifting message.

Jennifer Hudson threw her shoe at him. Adam Levine refused to sit down. Miley Cyrus’s jaw dropped. And Blake Shelton said, “You deserve to win this show.” All four judges were equally impressed with Baltimore native Davon Fleming’s blind audition for season 13 of NBC’s The Voice. Singing his rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Me and Mr. Jones,” Fleming wowed the audience and coaches, receiving the coveted four-chair turn.

“You’re praying that they turn around,” Fleming told Baltimore. “When they do, you can’t get excited and stop singing—so I just smiled really big and kept going.”

Each coach was given a turn to plead for him to join their team, but after singing a Whitney Houston song with Hudson, there was no doubt in Fleming’s mind that she would be his coach. Since then—under JHud Productions—he’s won his battle round and, most recently, the knockout round. Next he will compete in the playoff rounds which air on November 13. Should he make it through, he will perform on the live shows that begin November 20. 

On Fleming’s recent visit to the Baltimore magazine, we learned so much about him—he has a twin brother (Tavon), he wasn’t accepted to attend the Baltimore School for the Arts (gasp), and he wants to be the male Whitney Houston. (The magazine’s staff was also lucky enough to witness an intimate performance of his right in our lobby.)

Back in Los Angeles, Fleming has had plenty of memorable moments, namely meeting Hudson’s musical advisor, singer Kelly Rowland. Fleming’s reaction to seeing Rowland was a mix of shock and raw emotion, crashing into the door as he caught a glimpse of her.

“We didn’t know about Kelly—they don’t tell us who the advisors are,” he said. “Kelly was so sweet. It’s so cool to see that the people you grew up listening to are actually like that in real life. I couldn’t help but cry—it was humbling.”

Aside from meeting new people, making life-long friends, and working with some of the most successful artists in the world, Fleming has grown as an artist since being on the show. He’s more assured than ever of his true purpose in life.

“Win or lose, I’ve already exceeded my expectations,” he said. “My goal isn’t to win, it’s to just be a light and inspiration in my community—to let people all over know that you don’t have to be a product of your environment.”

Having grown up in Park Heights, with a background rooted firmly in the Bethel Temple Church of Christ on Rogers Avenue, Fleming took a chance when he chose to perform a rendition of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The advice he received from guest advisor, singer Kelly Clarkson, helped him to win the round and stay true to his beliefs at the same time.

“I knew it was risky doing a gospel song, but I wanted to show my faith,” he said about his performance. “She told me that I’m the ‘vessel for my message.’ I started in the church, and I want to be able to cross over and still bring Christ to them.”

Since the episode of his blind audition aired, Fleming has returned home but will be traveling back to California for the live shows this week. His life has been forever changed since being on the show—including pure pandemonium on a routine visit to Mondawmin Mall—but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I love the love,” he said. “I will never turn down a picture, or an autograph because I’m always going to be that little kid from Park Heights that wanted to sing.”

What is your go-to dance move?
There’s this little shuffle thing that I always do. I did while I was on the show too. It’s like a double two-step while you kind of look like your shoveling. It’s like a dig—that’s what I am going to call it, “the dig.”

How have you evolved as an artist since competing on The Voice?
So much. It has really disciplined me. Before, I was never on a schedule. I would rehearse when I would rehearse; do vocal warm-ups when I felt like it. I couldn’t have that mindset on the show because there was so much to do in such a short amount of time that I had to be on a schedule. Every performance really counts on the show, so there is no room to make mistakes. I’ve never done so many vocal warm-ups in my life.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
I would like to have everything that I want to do musically accomplished. There are so many other things that I still want to get into like acting, but I have to do one thing at a time. My focus for the past few years has been music, but I’m really passionate about it all. I just want to make sure I am doing them correctly and putting the right amount of time in each thing. In five years, I would like to have been able to tour the world and for my music to be popular. I would really like to have made a name for myself in the music business—Grammys and VMAs. So then I can focus on getting myself back into acting.

What advice would you give to a young artist starting out?
It is not easy. It is very hard and it takes a lot of discipline, patience, and focus. You have to invest in yourself and you have to put time in yourself because it’s a business. If you really want to make a career out of singing or dancing or acting, you have to set that time aside as if it was a job. You have to set that schedule and it takes discipline and hard work.