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Best Neo Soul Music Blog

Lank G brought in a new era of pure soul with his contemporary RnB single, I’LL SEE YOU SOON

Posted on 15 October 2022
Lank G

In his fervid music career, the dynamic up-and-coming artist and producer Lank G has eclectically experimented with RnB, hip hop, and gospel. In his latest single, I’LL SEE YOU SOON, he euphonically converged them all to bring in a new era of pure soul.

At just 20 years old, Lank G is bringing an air of ethereal maturity to his soundscapes, especially on the basis of I’LL SEE YOU SOON, which goes all in on the sincerity to the tune of the ambient lush reverb that cushions his soft percussion and velvety vocal timbre that reaches the pinnacle of smooth. Within the lyrics, Lank G finds the perfect balance between cheeky grit and ride-or-die devotion. It’s a potent mix, one that is sure to leave RnB fans hooked.

I’ll SEE YOU SOON will be available to stream from October 15th. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

N.O.A & The Goodest Ones keep the spirit of multicultural soul alive in ‘Say Things’

Posted on 14 October 2022
N.O.A & The Goodest Ones

N.O.A & The Goodest Ones’ latest single, Say Things, is a melting pot of genre, style, and culture. Through the upliftingly smooth brass section, you will soak in nuances of jazz; through the rhythm section, you will find nods to funk and reggae, and the vocals transfuse some of the sweetest vocally-delivered catharsis you could care to drink in.

With the RnB harmonies gelling with the rap bars from Tray God Tha MC over the mellifluous flow of the melodies, Say Things is a conversation you will want to indulge in time and time again. The spirit of soul is well and truly alive through this timeless record. It is escapism music at its finest.

Say Things will officially release on October 14th. Check it out for yourselves on Spotify and connect with N.O.A & The Goodest Ones on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Art Crimes Band painted in metropolitan soul in their latest jazzy synth-driven single, Neon Skyline

Posted on 10 October 2022

The Art Crimes Band have been lauded as Cork’s most promising new band; their latest single, Neon Skyline, affirms just why so much hype has been amassing around their soul-driven indie synthwave sound. If you can envisage Nina Simone’s vocals fused over The Midnight’s soundscapes, you may get a fair way to imagining what the Art Crimes Band have stirringly amalgamated in Neon Skyline.

To the tune of seductively jazzy sax, shimmering synths and ambient funk dripping rhythms, Neon Skyline metropolitanly unravels around the timeless female vocals that could have been recorded at any time in the last century, but they fit right into the juxtaposing classic temporary timbre of this artfully consuming serenade, which calls out into the cruel cold world to make it infinitely more accommodating and less alienating.

Neon Skyline is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rachel Burns beat the odds in her theatrical retro-soul track, I Did It

Posted on 30 September 2022
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Slip into the retro soul of Rachel Burns’ latest pop single, I Did It, which spins a tale of triumph over trauma and adversity. The journey from surviving to overcoming to thriving is scarcely pretty; the Washington, DC-based singer-songwriter brought a profound amount of grace to the subject matter regardless.

The Gospel-Esque backing vocals take Burns’ soul-awakening vocal timbre to mind-blowingly celestial heights. When she stretches for those stridently high vocal notes, you’ll get a first-hand account of her resilience and the resilience that most of us have to muster to piece ourselves back together.

Inspired by Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, Rachel Burns has exactly what it takes to become a legend in her own right with the theatrical twists to her signature sound, which plays with nuances of blues, country and jazz.

I Did It will officially release on September 30th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spener blurred the lines between indie-rock and neo-soul in his compassion-driven single, Dial Away

Posted on 21 September 2022

North of England-born, Barcelona-based artist Spener blurred the lines between indie-rock and jazzy neo-soul in his slickly smooth seminal single, Dial Away.

I’m not entirely sure what is more enamouring in Dial Away, the euphonically consoling soundscape or the lyrical compassion that extends a sense of unconditional empathy that is scarcely found elsewhere to the listener.

While the mainstream media leaves us inclined to believe that artists like Amy Winehouse only come around once in a generation, Spener blows that notion out of the water with the sheer visceralism of his down-to-earth candour that can easily become addictive through his hook-laden vocal lines.

Dial Away is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laeeqa verses a lesson in mindful moderation in her stylistic neo-soul single, BALANCE

Posted on 18 September 2022

Leeds-born, Manchester-based musician and model, Laeeqa, taught a lesson in mindful moderation in her latest blend of neo-soul, RnB, jazz and reggae, BALANCE. Always an advocate for mental health, the artist that effortlessly embodies femininity in her soulful vocal flows makes it easy to see why so many have connected with her sound, which is just as vibrantly arresting as the image she puts before the world.

With her vocals intricately in sync with the mellifluous instrumentals which mesmerizingly spill trippy yet tranquil RnB emboldening ambience, BALANCE is one hell of a luxe aural aesthetic.

Along with playing in some of Manchester’s most iconic venues, Laeeqa’s music has also been in heavy rotation with BBC Introducing and 1Xtra; if you’re sleeping on her at this point, you may as well be in a coma.

Check out the video for BALANCE by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ella Hayes sold soul-pop sanctuary in her debut single, Recovery

Posted on 18 September 2022

Essex soul-pop singer-songwriter Ella Hayes paraded her vanquished skeletons and shared her growing pains in her debut EP, Colour Me In, which follows her through her journey of addiction, awakening and expressive creativity.

The standout single, Recovery, was a means of catharsis for the artist, which she extended to the airwaves as a powerfully inspiring affirmation that addiction doesn’t have to be a life sentence. The pop-rock orchestral layers set the perfect tone for her candour, which leaves few stones unturned around the epiphanous lyrics, which resolvingly prove that sanctuary is always in reach, despite how low your rock bottom feels.

“All my life I’ve been terrorised by the lies my head tells me” is one hell of an opening lyric; one that sets the bar she continually transcends throughout Recovery.

Recovery is now available to stream on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Michelle Ayers sets the pace in her soul house anthem, Fast Steppin’

Posted on 10 September 2022

Newark-born, Atlanta-based veteran recording artist Michelle Ayers has been projecting soul into the EDM scene since 1988. In 2022, she is on zealous form in her latest single, Fast Steppin’.

As cool as a New York club kid in the 90s, as soulful as Houston, she was best placed to bring the funk, groove and euphoria in her escapist retro disco house anthem, which shows the vast range of her soaring vocal dynamism over the solid beats and Nile Rodgers Esque synthesised guitar chops. Feel good tracks have never felt so good.

Fast Steppin’ is now available to stream on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Transcend Outer Stace’s latest single, Smoove, featuring Mobbin101

Posted on 9 September 2022

Feel the heat of the chemistry in Outer Stace’s latest RnB pop single, Smoove, featuring the rap icon in the making, Mobbin101. The Bay Area artist brought the sun-kissed tropic tones of her hometown in the exotic production, which pours plenty of warm saturated delay on the smooth trappy beats to set the cinematically affectionate tone.

Clearly, Outer Stace, who is now signed to Exotic Mob Music, had no issue asserting her autonomy in the mellifluous track, which was crafted to get you in the mood by capturing the innocent side of the outset of romantic affection. There’s a lyrical tentativeness, which efficaciously contrasts the strident romanticism between the layered vocals. Get ready to fall head over heels.

Smoove is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zackwa is on his own experimental plateau in ‘All Praise and Glory’

Posted on 6 September 2022

With the fluid transitions between the Prince-Esque vocalised harmonies and the blazing rap bars that are just as convictive as RZA’s, Zackwa’s latest single, All Praise and Glory transcends the constrictive nature of genre boundaries. That is before you account for the experimental accordance in the ambient electronica meets new age hip hop instrumentals.

Zackwa strives to rise above the mundane energy of the world, and it’s safe to say he is not only in another league. He is operating from a new dynamic plateau, constructed by his autonomy and inclination to verse introspective gold into the strained atmosphere of the 21st century.

Check out the lyric video for All Praise and Glory on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast