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Best Neo Soul Music Blog

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

Posted on 30 September 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-833584567/i-did-it/s-6UmFsIbrglA?in=user-833584567/sets/rachel-burns-living-my-breast-life-ep/s-IriEnnKxT4F&si=2c05c690b2fc476f8e1252532534154c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

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

The claws are out in Harmonical’s latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring Élan Noelle

Posted on 5 September 2022

It has been a phenomenal run for the effortlessly distinctive RnB artist Harmonical (AKA songwriter & producer James Stretten) with his cinematically contemporary songs appearing on the credits of Hollyoaks and constantly spun on BBC Introducing.

His latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring the enrapturing robust vocals of Washington RnB soul singer, Élan Noelle, is yet another reason to fall head over heels for his funk-riding euphonic sonic signature.

With a narrative as compelling as the Copacabana, the lyrics in Cat on Heat are almost enough to bring out the popcorn. The dynamic that the lyric “she’s my best friend, but she is like a cat on heat” sets up a scenario that most will be able to relate to.

The music video to Cat on Heat premiered on August 11th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bradley Foster advocated self-love and responsibility in his hazily optimistic hip hop track, SOMEDAY

Posted on 24 August 2022

For his latest single, SOMEDAY, the UK hip hop luminary, Bradley Foster, collaborated with the sensational neo-soul vocal dynamist, Izzy Foster. The jazzy earworm is driven by Foster’s introspectively insightful bars that find the perfect position in the mix above the hazy hip hop beats, which will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz and Loyle Carner.

Optimism may be in short supply these days, but Bradley Foster brought it by the smorgasbord in SOMEDAY, which makes a compelling case for self-love and eases you into the enlightenment through kaleidoscopic grooves.

With his debut LP, which flows in the same vein as SOMEDAY, in the pipeline, adding Foster to your radar is one of the best acts of self-care you can do for yourself today.

Here is Bradley Foster’s take on his latest release:

“SOMEDAY is the lead single from my album, expressing hope and self-belief. I was inspired to write this song after coming back from Sri Lanka, where my perspective shifted, and my mentality progressed into a state of wanting to address my problems and grow.”

Check out Bradley Foster’s latest single on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Keep up to date with all the new releases via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Good Time: Honey Made grows tired of the games with the groovy delight Upstairs

Posted on 24 August 2022

After delighting our faces with 2019’s Perfect Getaway, Honey Made are rather incredible on a sensually loving single that will have many embracing their lovers tightly Upstairs.

Honey Made is a 9-piece Austin, Texas-based indie primal-soul RnB band who are inspired by the greats such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Earth Wind and Fire.

Gliding in swiftly with a classy tone that might cause uncovered necks to blush suddenly, Honey Made makes that silky treat that is so easy to digest. Vocally excellent and with an aura that shall take you places in your mind that you had forgotten, which brings your mood back to true freedom. There is a hum in the speakers that can’t be taught, as their intuitive melodies bring great joy to all who listen closely.

Upstairs from the 9-piece Austin, Texas-based indie primal-soul RnB band Honey Made is one of the more crisply woven-into-your-soul singles that will make you smile. There is an incredible quality attached here that is rather magnificently created and world class to the max, as you just imagine that sparked up night that has turned into something memorable.

When you look inside those eyes and see that romantic flame, it’s best to keep it alive.

Listen up to this top new track on Spotify and see more news via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen