Browsing Tag

Jazz RnB

Rya welcomed in a dreamy new era of electro-soul with his latest single, SHOW OFF.

Posted on 25 August 2023

With his latest single, SHOW OFF., the trailblazing emissary of soul, Rya, wrapped the roots of RnB around modernist electronic dream pop tones and created a solid backbeat by infusing the track with rhythmically tight hip-hop nuances.

Rather than attempting to be everybody’s cup of tea, the London-based electro-soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer chose to take the visionary path to explore his experimental sound and create escapist worlds that you won’t need inviting to twice.

The emotion implanted into his singles may be raw, but by staying true to his distinctive production style, which melds jazz, R&B, and neo-soul tendencies, he always delivers ear candy sweet enough to give you a sugar rush.

SHOW OFF. Will hit the airwaves on the 25th of August. Hear it on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip into the sonorous soul of Jamie Toomey’s latest single, My Love is Real, featuring Syauqi Destanika

Posted on 26 September 2022

Taken from the sophomore album, Second Sunlight, from the eclectic Irish musician Jamie Toomey, the ambient jazzy RnB single, which comes laced with loungey folky instrumentation, My Love is Real, featuring Syauqi Destanika is a mesmeric offering of sincerity.

The tenderness to the uniquely uplifting melodies amplifies the luxe Gospel-Esque vocal timbre of the Indonesian vocalist, Syauqi Destanika, to the nth degree in the stripped-back soundscape which makes minimal demands on your attention but tugs on your heartstrings all the more viscerally for it.

You can delve into My Love is Real for yourselves from September 23rd by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA Jazz Scene Icon Sam Hirsh Created Melodic Chemistry with Amber Navran in His Seminal Single, Hot Slow

Posted on 3 August 2022

Taken from his LP, Quarantine Dreams, Sam Hirsh’s standout single, Hot Slow, featuring Amber Navran, is everything it says on the tin. Rather than cooking up a tried, tested, and uninspired blend of soul, Hirsh delivered jazzy melodies which artfully blossom around the smoky – almost trip-hoppy – whispered vocals.

In the LA jazz scene, the pianist, composer and educator is renowned for the soulful energy in his compositions; they are everything people who bemoan ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ could ask for. Better yet, right from the first hit, Hot Slow is smooth enough to melt into. For the same reasons I fell in love with California by Mr Bungle, I will be giving Hot Slow plenty of repeat attention.

Hot Slow is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

South Australian soul singer, Bree Gregory, has made her sultrily smoky debut with Only You

Posted on 1 July 2022

With a vocal timbre as smoky as the bluesy RnB groove pockets, The South Australian soul singer, Bree Gregory, is the epitome of seductive soul in her debut single, Only You.

Inspired by contemporaries such as Black Pumas and Erika Badhu and the icons of soul, her soulful love letter fuses nostalgic warmth with cutting style while delivering an open invitation to drink in the highs of affectionate intoxication that ebb and swell through the soundscape.

By the time the outro rolls around any sense of pretence or restraint tears away through the intensity of Gregory’s strident vocal dynamism. So yeah, it is one hell of a debut from one exceptionally talented artist. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Only You will officially release on July 1st; you can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Michele Thomas lends her gospel neo-soul vocals to easy listening jazz in her single, I Know Because You Told Me So

Posted on 14 March 2022

The jazzy soulstress, Michele Thomas, has recently released her mould-breaking neo-soul single, I Know Because You Told Me So, which may be one of the most narratively-immersive jazz-fusion singles ever released.

The questioning, bold and introspective lyrics come into play once you’re suitably pacified by the mellifluous instrumental grooves. Becoming invested in the narrative that sheds a light on Thomas’ experience in the world is non-optional. Her gospel-Esque chanteuse vocals allow her vibrant and pure-hearted energy to radiate in the single that carries enough ease to fall into the easy-listening category. Yet, thanks to her vocal performance, I Know Because You Told Me So certainly isn’t without its revitalising zeal.

After finding her voice through gospel music, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and educator turned her stylistic grace to the freedom in the improvised nature of jazz. The airwaves are infinitely better for it.

I Know Because You Told Me So is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Cache-Cache pulls back the curtain in their soul-funk single, ‘Pantomime’, featuring Alice Grace and Ken Masters.

Posted on 8 June 2021

‘Pantomime’ is the latest quirky, jazz-instilled RnB soul track from the up and coming alternative North-East based ensemble, Cache-Cache; an artist quickly becoming renowned for their quintessentially eclectic sound. It’s theatrical without feeling novel or pretentious, thanks to the playful sense of accessibility behind the grooves that were made to melt into.

You’d probably need a serious concussion to forget the lyrical hook-filled chorus. After Pantomime has demonstrated its earworm potential, the grimy, gritty, almost nu-metal-style rap bars allow the track to take a tectonic shift in tone, leaving you even more immersed in the colourful melodies.

Pantomime is due for release on June 4th; you can check it out via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Musical Doc serves a sonic smorgasbord of aural culture with her latest single ‘LOFI’

Posted on 1 April 2021

There’s an art to lo-fi, and RnB soul singer, The Musical Doc, may be the Picasso of her generation. Her latest single, LOFI, produced by Aravind Reddy and LO, is a carnally protestive attack on the duality which consistently presents itself in our conformist society.

Not only does The Musical Doc allow the listener to enjoy a brand-new sonic experience. But through lyrics such as, “They don’t see colour, they’re living so blind, wish they could see the rainbow in my mind”, The Musical Doc can utilise meta poetry to add light to the dark dystopic times we’re all enduring.

With her praises sung by Rolling Stone Magazine and her hits being selected for Track of the Week by BBC Radio, London, it’s hard to imagine that anything could stand in her way to the top.

LOFI released on March 26th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sulu and Excelsior has poured euphoric soul into the airwaves with their infectiously funk-driven single “AntiMatter”

Posted on 17 November 2019

If you’re looking for archaically punchy mixes of Soul, Blues, Funk, Surf Rock and Jazz look no further than the latest single “AntiMatter” from Sulu and Excelsior. I can’t imagine there are all too many other purveyors of music offering the same soulfully rich genre-deconstructing soundscapes. So, you might as well.

In a bold feat of experimentalism, the Alt RnB artist weaved together the most euphoric elements from decades past to serve up a potently high energy track. There’s a unique rapturous air to their sound which you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. If Sulu and Excelsior started a cult, I’d probably be inclined to join it.

Within AntiMatter you’ll find reminiscences to a myriad of artists. From the B52s to James Brown, it’s all infused in this feat of infectiously indulgent, dopamine teasing Alt RnB.

You can check out AntiMatter for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast