With such a beautiful voice, good, relevant lyrics, and hot production, Janine and the Mixtape is definitely that next big thing to hit the music scene. She gave us Dark Mind in 2013, and that was then re-issued last year. Now, she’s surfaced again, this time with XXEP, a 6-song EP offering what I consider to be some of her best music to date.

The mood is still dark with this album, and the tracks are mostly filled with pain and heartache. I’ve said before that she reminded me a little of Aaliyah, and I hear it more in her style and delivery with XXEP, but it’s honestly a good thing. It definitely isn’t at a level where you feel she’s trying to emulate. It’s evident that there’s a lot of influence in general, and it comes out in the music.

Nevertheless, Janine and the Mixtape is an artist all her own, and is destined for great things. She's a much-needed breath of fresh air in an industry that has become inundated with copycats and downright theft. I, for one, am eager to hear more from her.