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Best Neo Soul Music Blog

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

Stole My Heart: Glancy Kelly senses this special moment will change everything on Take Me Away

Posted on 26 March 2023

Feeling like he is on a whole new planet as the love is so surreal, Glancy Kelly is treasuring each moment with a supreme beauty who has a vibe and aura like no other on Take Me Away.

Glancy Kelly is a Texas, USA-based indie RnB/neo-soul singer-songwriter who is best known for his outstanding vocals and bravery to mix other genres into his sound.

”He has a unique way of expressing his views and emotions through the eloquent storytelling of his music.” ~ Glancy Kelly

Recalling that incredible kiss and yearning for two hearts to combine as one forever, Glancy Kelly is in a whole new world of desire and shall sway our souls into a slow dance for the ages.

Take Me Away from Texas, USA-based indie RnB/neo-soul artist Glancy Kelly is one of the more strikingly enticing singles likely for release in 2023. There is a ravenous appetite on offer which might get chefs knocking on the door, on this rather magnificent soundtrack made for all the lovers in the world.

When you know you want to be with, the world seems like a better place.

Hear more on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Groove back to the 90s with Mike Di Lorenzo’s RnB hit, Holding All My Love, ft. Anna Moore

Posted on 24 March 2023

By fusing 90s RnB with his signature jazz soul textures, producer Mike Di Lorenzo and vocalist, Anna Moore created a sonic nostalgia atom bomb which ignited through the contemporary bold stylings with their latest single, Holding All My Love.

With the hooks sharpened by the pop elements and the grooves riding through the dance licks, few tracks are as efficacious in their ability to make you move and feel in the same funk-dripping breath. The instrumentals are just as passion-slicked as the vocal lines that wrap around the lyrics, which prove that instant gratification can never match the real thing.

After the success of his charting 2022 album, What We Need, which also featured the resolvingly impassioned vocal lines from Anna Moore, Mike Di Lorenzo is right back in the Grammy-worthy groove with Holding All My love.

Holding All My Love will officially release on March 24th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tre. Charles melded soulful undertones with resonantly mantric vocals in his ambient indie dream-pop single, Lately.

Posted on 15 March 2023
https://soundcloud.com/user-927736750/lately-2/s-0bEGiubGPfS?in=user-927736750/sets/tre-charles-currently-ep-demo/s-vyUjqvhKQ7t&si=b3399ccd97c44b2398eab32ecc2c9458&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

I’ve been around the shoegaze and dream-pop block a fair few times, but the latest single, Lately., from the alt-indie artist, Tre. Charles, is a strikingly crystal-clear cut above the rest.

With his soulful vocals bleeding into the choral amalgam of trip-hop, Avant-Garde RnB, ambient electronica and indie rock, the quiescently powerful release is a feat of unparalleled consoling alchemy.

Staying true to his brand of soulful undertones, resonantly mantric vocals, and evocative crooning, the East Coast-born artist orchestrated an efficaciously disarming hit that will make your soul as perceptible as the one poured into the lyrics.

Any fans of James Blake, Frank Ocean, Sampha, and Moses Sumney won’t want to miss out on this reverb-drenched opportunity to form a connection with the award-winning D’angelico Guitars-sponsored artist. We’re officially stoked for the upcoming EP due for release in 2023.

Lately. will officially release on March 15th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast