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Best Neo Soul Music Blog

Bristol singer-songwriter Dolly Doo put the soul into ephemeral connections with ‘Aint Nothing Serious’

Posted on 14 July 2023

Hook-up culture may get a superficial rep, but as the siren of soul, Dolly Doo, alludes to in her latest single, Aint Nothing Serious, no-strings-attached arrangements can be the ultimate ephemeral remedy.

The jazzy RnB pop amalgam is an extension of the Bristol-based singer-songwriter’s limitless genre fluidity; whichever stylistic territories her harmonically ethereal vocal lines and richly Elysian instrumentals drift into as she is following the muse, one thing remains a constant, the grace with which she brings to life her complex metaphorical concepts.

Her songwriting style and the genre pools she dips her superlative toe into evoke a certain amount of nostalgia, but there is just enough contemporary light bleaching her harmonious hits to give her sound swathes of contemporary appeal.

With a debut EP in the pipeline and performances at Boomtown and Bristol Harbourside Festival behind her, she is definitively one to watch.

Aint Nothing Serious will be available to stream from July 14 on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Never Do You Wrong: Rumi drops lovetorn debut single Amelia

Posted on 8 July 2023

Showing so much calmness despite being let down so much by his ex-lover who showed her true colours via a voice message, Rumi has dropped a rather hot first track to get our moods into a hugely reflective place on Amelia.

Rumi is an emerging London-based afrobeats/afropop artist with a Nigerian heritage who has made a single to remember here as our hearts are flown into a moment that so many of us have felt rather intensely before.

This is a promising debut from Rumi who sings with deep meaning and heartfelt honesty about a moment which causes fragile souls to break in half.

Amelia from the exciting newcomer Rumi is a quite dynamic single which will change moods and take us back into a whole different world. There is raw emotion here which might get many to think twice about opening their heart, in a swipe-quick world which will ghost you in a nanosecond.

Turn this up louder on Spotify.

Check out the IG for more news.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Get close to Kameron Waller with his psycho-sonic soul single, Therapy

Posted on 31 May 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTywV4XsFhs

As smooth, sultry, and cinematic as the most iconic items in D’Angelo’s discography, the standout single, Therapy, from Kameron Waller’s EP, Rose Coloured Lens, is a postcard to 80s nostalgia, signed, sealed, and delivered with modernist lyricality. If you need a late night soul fix, delve into the smorgasbord of it superlatively laid out in Therapy.

After finding his voice in church choirs while independently writing songs, Kameron Waller was primed to make his unforgettable 2022 debut with his single, Traveler. The Maryland-born and raised soul singer has scribed his unique sonic signature through the amalgam of powerfully smooth vocals, lyrical storytelling and focus on honest emotion and empowerment. All of which are present in the confessionally fervent release, Therapy. By the time you reach the outro, you could very well be left with unrealistic romantic expectations.

Stream the official video for Therapy via YouTube or purchase the single via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Play That Funky “Bound by Desire” Till You Die

Posted on 13 May 2023

Smooth Retsina Glow’s “Bound By Desire” is a funky and infectious party anthem that is sure to get people up and dancing. The song features a pulsating muted guitar riff that drives the groove, complemented by virtuosic unison sections from the band that add to the energy and excitement.

Smooth Retsina Glow is a band from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that has been gigging hard and releasing music for four years. Their upcoming album, Gemini Reign, promises to continue their streak of electrifying and soulful music. The band’s latest single, also titled “Gemini Reign,” has been making waves across the globe since its release on April 1, 2023. With radio stations in the UK, Japan, Canada, and Australia charting the song high in weekly playlists, it’s clear that Smooth Retsina Glow is a band with a bright future.

“Bound By Desire” is a standout track from Smooth Retsina Glow’s discography, showcasing their ability to create infectious funk/disco grooves that are impossible to resist. The song’s catchy melody and driving rhythm are expertly crafted and showcase the band’s tight musicianship. With Colin Wolf’s smooth vocals, Sarah Stoll’s soulful backing vocals, Jacob Wolfe’s grooving bass, and Brian Derkacs’ tight drumming, “Bound By Desire” is a testament to Smooth Retsina Glow’s musical prowess.

Overall, “Bound By Desire” is a must-listen for anyone looking for a fun and energetic party track. Smooth Retsina Glow’s unique blend of funk, disco, and soul creates a sound that is both classic and fresh. With Gemini Reign on the horizon, it’s clear that Smooth Retsina Glow is a band to watch in the coming years.

The Cinematic with Soul Alt-Rock Originators, Underblue, Will Wrench Your Heart Strings with ‘Hold On’

Posted on 9 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/officialunderblue/hold-on-1/s-559ighovA93?in=officialunderblue/sets/maybe-now/s-BpdS4Ok66Bd&si=8916f5a5546a4993b9827910ab17ed9c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

‘Hold On’ is the latest slice of filmic funk born from the ingenuity and superlative talent possessed by the NYC alt-rock outfit, Underblue, who have been creating inner-city waves since 2016.

This seminal release is an undeniable testament that it is their time. The soulfully smoky siren-ESQUE vocal lines from Kimberly Torres, the devilishly jazzy basslines from Simon Luk, and the ornate flourishes from keyboardist Ilvi Calderon is almost too much alchemy to handle – almost. Entwined with the guitars that straddle the timbres of the Cramps and My Bloody Valentine and the drums that punctuate the soundscape with flair, Hold On is a progressively interstellar triumph.

With heavy, hopeful, happy, and heart-wrenching being the cornerstones of the ethos behind the upcoming LP, you’re damn right you should save space on your radar for the powerhouse, which has enough innovation between them to rival Mars Volta – not an overstatement.

Hold On will officially release on May 19th followed by the full album on June 9th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Just Like Honey: Maya’s Radio Orchestra Let the Light in with her jazz blues rendezvous, Suntrap

Posted on 3 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/mayasradioorchestra/suntrap/s-SzD5YkM1Cav?si=bb9f31ab5e3446218e53aa0d7eb231ce&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Maya’s Radio Orchestra brought sun-bleached luminosity by the smorgasbord with her latest baroquely beguiling single, Suntrap. Just as the sun illuminates dust when it hits a room, the radiance in Suntrap through the honeyed vocals and swirling harps suspend the dusty underground jazz bars while the piano arrangement underpins the warm arrangement; contributed to by producer Lauren Gilmour’s scintillating synth lines. With the dreamy and lofty drum fills bringing a lemon slice of Portishead-reminiscent glamour, Suntrap becomes a sonic plateau that you will want to visit time and time again.

Maya says: “When I wrote this song, it was the end of February, and the midst of a very long dark, damp, Glasgow winter, and I was feeling very down. We underestimate how difficult the winter in Scotland can be, all whilst having to continue with our day-to-day lives as if we’re not affected by nature and the lack of sunlight.

Writing this song was my way of processing this uncomfortable realisation that capitalism and the need for productivity are incompatible with our human nature and that it’s having a detrimental effect on our communal mental health.”

Maya is a Glasgow-based British-Nepali singer-songwriter, harpist, pianist and vocalist. She is highly revered for her texturally intricate harmonies, which cathartically coalesce with her classy instrumentation and lyricality that unravels as conceptually philosophical poetry.

The sun will hit the airwaves on May 3rd. Stream Suntrap on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unshackle your soul with Imelda Gabs’ latest alt-RnB single, Free Spirit

Posted on 29 April 2023

The innovative soul singer Imelda Gabs took back control in her empoweringly enlightening alt-RnB single, Free Spirit, which is just one of the standout singles on her debut LP, Synopsis. The track is for anyone that has ever encountered a fuckboy/girl and been left reeling with questions confounded by insecurity and self-doubt when actions have no cohesion with their words in the cold light of day when they’ve had the usury way.

Any fans of the Weeknd will be instantly enamoured by the synthetically sweet instrumentals that fuse elements of future pop with the soul of RnB to create the perfect platform for her vocal lines as they evolve from ethereal to convectively powerful.

‘Moving on’ songs proliferate the airwaves, but few lyricists prove that the pen is mightier than the sword as well as Imelda Gabs, who will take you on an inner-healing journey with this introspectively emboldening release which takes all of the guilt away from naivety.

Free Spirit hit the airwaves on April 14. Catch it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AŸA is anything but pedestrian in her jazzy RnB pop single, Sidewalk

Posted on 22 April 2023

Singer-songwriter, producer, and artist AŸA has beguiled the Berlin scene and beyond with her latest RnB pop rendezvous, Sidewalk, which is anything but pedestrian for the way it breaks the monocultural mould by pulling on her Moroccan and Yemeni Roots while keeping the production refreshingly contemporary.

If I’m being honest, I dread the run-up to summer for the swathes of superficial sun-soaked singles that land on my metaphorical desk, but AŸA couldn’t be trite if she tried. The revolutionary soul in the ethereally warm vocal lines melding with the dominant percussion is a lesson in Summer pop alchemy. If the sax lines and the lyrics that narrate a story of romantic stagnation don’t leave you wanting to dive into realms of fulfilment, you may as well hibernate through summer too.

“The lyrics of the song are a metaphor for an ongoing relationship that is actually not going anywhere. Instead of riding into the sunlight with the one you love, you find yourself taking dark paths and compromises for the one you love even though it feels so wrong.”

Sidewalk was written, composed, and produced by AŸA, with help from Kurtis Wells, Johnny Kulo, and Gavriel. Executive production and mixing were taken care of by the #1 Billboard music producer, Ido Poleg, and the single was mastered by the award-winning engineer, Manon Grandjean.

Stream the official music video for Sidewalk on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chazz Oliver & Amanda Marie dug deep in the trenches of their soul to come up gold with their single, Feelin’ Fine

Posted on 16 April 2023
https://soundcloud.com/amanda-marie-official/chazz-oliver-feelin-fine-feat-amanda-marie/s-JZy2jL5ynUV?si=08ae6829255f4ddbbfac4630f98f68e0&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

In their latest single, Feelin’ Fine, the neo-soul sensations Chazz Oliver and Amanda Marie flipped the script on feel-good RnB. Instead of creating another run-of-the-mill track soul track to flood your psyche with superficial positivity, the dynamic collaborative duo dug deep into the trenches of their impassioned imagination.

If you have ever known true love, you will also know that it is synonymous with the compulsion to make reality glisten around whoever stirred those feelings in you; their happiness not only becomes paramount, but your sanctity rides on it. Feelin’ Fine mellifluously flows through the groove pockets around Amanda Marie’s divinely magnetic vocal lines to send compassionately sweet vibes surging through your senses. The London-hailing artist isn’t an icon in the making, she’s fully and flawlessly formed.

Feelin’ Fine is due for official release on April 14; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jazz Blues songstress Senobia is demurely pure in her single, Time to Breathe

Posted on 7 April 2023

Jazz, RnB, and blues fusionist, Senobia has declared it Time to Breathe in her new four-track EP, which soaked the airwaves in organically absolving soul on March 31. The standout title single is a sublime reminder of how sweet music used to be when it came straight from the soul, away from the strain of chart success.

The smoky blues layers enmeshed with the swaying jazz breeze and the ardent RnB piano keys pull together to create a superlatively impassioned platform for Senobia’s celestial vocal lines that are enough to compel you to take time in our fast-paced era, which forces you to feel that we should keep on moving, especially when it comes to moving on.

Before Senobia turned her talents to jazz, she projected her voice in the realm of gospel, doo-wop and pop; evidently, she hasn’t left her roots far behind her. Her demurely pure vocals will leave evocative surges ricocheting between your synapses, even when she’s harmonising her non-lexical vocal lines that will subdue you to her mesmerising grace.

Stream the Time to Breathe EP on SoundCloud and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast