Browsing Tag

neo-soul

Ride the new wave of UK RnB with L’Rockett’s ‘Ain’t My Love Story

Posted on 12 December 2022

Cambridge, UK-hailing singer-songwriter and producer L’Rockett has pushed the envelope of RnB by writing his antithesis of a love letter, Ain’t My Love Story.

Fully owning up to the recklessly dumb assumptions that spring to mind every time someone causes our hearts to skip a beat, the RnB pioneer ripped up all of the fantastical tropes and refused to sell even more unrealistic romantic expectations to his listeners. In his track which melds elements of synth wave, alt-pop and neo-soul into the instrumentals that cradle his vulnerably inviting vocals, L’Rockett stands by his word of taking you to places you’ve never been before.

After making his debut, the exceptionally promising artist has been on heavy rotation on BBC Introducing, with his music being selected for ‘Track of the Day’. Perceptibly, the best is yet to come for the up-and-coming artist as he continues to say the unspoken and breaks boundaries with his sultry electro-pop RnB flavour.

Ain’t My Love Story is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Uriel J. Winfree III brought in the future of RnB with the cinematically sensuous ‘Stranger of Mine’

Posted on 4 December 2022

Uriel J. Winfree III’s latest genre-fluid single, Stranger of Mine, will school you in sensuality. The Brooklyn-based artist takes influence from Chino (Deftones), Black Dante, Sam Cook and Hendrix for his hypnotically seductive amalgams of R&B, Indie, Rap, Hip Hop and Soul.

Stranger of Mine starts with a futuristic hyper-pop prelude before the smooth demure energy starts to flood the intricately layered electronica instrumentals, which push RnB beyond the contemporary curve. He single-handedly created a new trajectory in the evolution of the genre while keeping the impassioned soul and romanticism that the genre’s roots will always be implanted.

The tattooist, actor, filmmaker, singer-songwriter and performer seems to have cinematic multi-faceted talent from every pore. The best part? None of his elevated and artful creations feels too stylised to resonate as inaccessible.

Stranger of Mine is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gothenburg singer-songwriter The Moniker painted a future we all want to embrace in his celestially soulful single, Someday

Posted on 2 December 2022
https://soundcloud.com/the-moniker/someday/s-ZRC2WdxLgEa?si=6ec15790cef14465bc77dab09efd5b97&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Gothenburg, Sweden singer-songwriter, The Moniker, used his optimism to look to a brighter future, where pure souls such as the one pertaining to his single, Someday, can experience more than just ephemeral bliss from fleeting connections.

He’s been elevating the Scandinavian music scene for the past decade since the launch of his debut album, Oh My God! It is more than about time that he started illuminating the airwaves in the UK with his secular gospel soundscapes and vocal range that rings with celestial beguile. If Purple Rain by Prince has the capacity to drive you to the brink of tears, Someday, with its resonant longing for meaning, will tip you right over the emotional brink.

The reverb-swathed production oozes class as it sweeps through the cinematic crescendos, leaving you more immersed in the shimmering orchestration with every progression.

Someday will officially release on December 2nd. You can hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

It’s all in the soul of Laura Vida’s timeless seminal single, Thank You for Sayin’ Goodbye

Posted on 19 November 2022

In anticipation of her in-production upcoming music, we delved into the redemption-soaked RnB album, Healin’ Love, from the Southern California-born singer-songwriter Laura Vida, who has spent the past thirty years working with some of Nashville’s finest.

After recording with Giant Records and being produced by James Stroud, Laura Vida turned her talents away from country to RnB to give us one of the most impassioned RnB records of the last few decades.

The standout single, Thank You for Sayin’ Goodbye, is definitive proof that even on the darkest days, there’s always a silver lining – if you are prepared to look for it. The smooth rhythm and blues release soulfully testifies to the strength that can be found in the wake of the most bitter goodbyes which follow infidelity. It’s a timelessly powerful playlist staple for everyone who wants the reminder that with enough faith, in anything, you can always brighten the next corner you turn. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Stream Thank You for Sayin’ Goodbye on Apple Music and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lia J sips bitter memories in her ground-breaking indie-RnB-pop single, Chardonnay

Posted on 19 November 2022

Indie RnB pop sensation, Lia J, oozed sophistication in the jazz-tinged melodies of her latest single, Chardonnay, which melancholically reflects on how a shift in dynamic can sour the sweetest of memories.

The soft bluesy instrumental layers cushion the blow of the bruisingly honest accounts of her new-found loneliness in the wake of heartbreak. We’ve all been there, bravely attempting to figure out how to find new meaning in our surrounds when all we can feel is the ghost of our former selves.

There’s a beautiful idea that we don’t really miss people; we miss the person we were with that person. Chardonnay reflects that sentiment with overwhelming soul. But even if Lia J was singing her shopping list, the effortless class in her semi-vibrato vocals would awaken your senses with the invigorating stir of her vocal timbre.

Chardonnay is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Alejandra sells sonic sanctuary in her ethereal RnB house single, the people look like flowers (at last)

Posted on 15 November 2022

Inspired by identity issues imposed by her Mexican-American heritage, the Atlanta, Georgia-blossoming artist, Alejandra is here to affirm that identity is a construct and prove the collective power in raising our individual vibrations.

Her third single, the people look like flowers (at last), dropped on November 11th to create a safe and sensuous space for her listeners to explore their identities while basking in the soul that radiates from the feat of ethereal house. After an almost ambient Avant-Garde intro, the lush layers kick into downbeat house grooves while Alejandra lays her arrestingly dreamy vocal lines over the mellifluous melodies that effortlessly transplant you into a more peaceful state of mind.

“This is the latest instalment in my genre-bending discography, which aims to bridge communities together through the perspectives of a bicultural lens. The song is a lush, ethereal house track that explores the interconnectedness of this world and the power that can be harnessed through raising individual vibration.

The song uplifts the listener in love and freedom by curating a dream world for people to experience the sensations of the divine forces circulating through their physical environments. The track infuses disco, soul house, chillwave, hip hop and RnB to deliver a meditative blend that invites the listener to dance, play, and breathe deeply.”

Her commitment to reversing polarity while exploring the complexities of identity with her already awe-inspiring body of work is a sure sign of even greater things to come from the socially aware icon in the making.

Listen to the people look like flowers (at last) on Spotify.

Follow Alejandra to stay up to date with her latest releases via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alicia Michilli revived the soul of Detroit Motown in her latest single, Full Moon

Posted on 10 November 2022

With a voice that saw her go far on America’s Got Talent, a timeless lyrical style, and a compelling spin on soul, America should be upholding the Detroit-based Alicia Michilli as a national treasure.

Her latest single, Full Moon, eases you into the smooth, smoky late-night atmosphere where perpetual love lights up the twilight. Her influence of Detroit Motown sounds is easily legible in the consoling timbre of the release that serenades you from the first vocal note. For non-believers in true love, you only need to tap into the demure soul of this caressively sincere release, which celebrates the unconditional love we all yearn for.

So far in her career, Alicia Michilli has opened for Andra Day, Nelly and her long-time hero, Keb’ Mo’, and provided background vocals for Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their TaiMo tour. Although, based on Full Moon, she always deserves to be on front and centre stage.

Full Moon is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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