Browsing Tag

r&b

Fitch Means Brings Old School Soul to Life in Contemporary R&B with Single “2am Drive”

Posted on 4 September 2019

Since breaking R&B artist Fitch Means dropped their latest single “2am Drive” this summer it hasn’t failed to attract plenty of hype. And with his tangible ability to mix old school vibes with contemporary slick beats, there’s little room to wonder why. The romantically steeped single offers the perfect rhythmic grind from start to finish.

The Philly-based artist definitely wasn’t shy about the amount of soul that he served up in 2am either. Hearing so much authentic passion wrapped up in a mellifluous soundscape doesn’t happen every day, which is why Fitch Means is an all too welcome addition on our radar. So, if you’re wondering what a true testament of talent sounds like, you’ll find the answers in this radio-ready mix.

You can check out the official music video to Fitch Means’ latest single 2am Drive for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

M unknow – Mouv Your Body: Sun-Soaked Rhythmically-Rendered Reggae R&B

Posted on 14 August 2019

Summer may be almost over, but there’s still plenty of time to soak up the vibrant Reggae beats found in up and coming French artist M unknow’s latest single “Mouv Your Body”.

The lyrics may switch between French and English, but even if you’re ignorantly unilingual like me, it’s more than easy to get swept up in this sticky-sweet mix of simple yet primally rhythmic beats which create the perfect platform for M unknow’s unflinchingly charismatic vocals.

So, if your up-vibe playlists are sounding a little flat, Mouv Your Body will be an incredibly welcome addition. There are no frills or excessive effects in Mouv Your Body, just efficaciously arrestive euphoria which serves as the perfect introduction to M unknow’s high-vibe approach to Reggae R&B.

You can check out M unknow’s single Mouv Your Body for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Justin Ragland – Jamaican Me Crazy: Salaciously Up-Vibe R&B Hip Hop

Posted on 19 November 2018

Admittedly, the title to Jamaican Me Crazy is a little cheesy, yet, up and coming Hip Hop R&B artist’s latest single is anything but. The R&B beat to Jamaican Me Crazy is kept fairly simple for an instantly accessible rhythmic feel. But what will really grip you with Justin Ragland’s latest up-vibe single is his approach to seamlessly mixing Hip Hop with R&B and Reggae. Whilst there may be many artists who blend elements of the genres, the Kennesaw, US-based artist uses the authoritative attitude of a Hip Hop artist combined with the romanticist tendencies which you’d expect from an R&B Soul artist. The result? A salaciously sweet infusion of fresh urban soul.

You can check out Justin Ragland’s latest single Jamaican Me Crazy along with his previous singles by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chima – Macie: The Snaring Hooks of Alt Pop R&B

Posted on 9 November 2018

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and overall aural enigma Chima has recently released his third single “Macie”.  In his latest perfectly-produced single Chima’s emotively soulful sound carries elements of contemporary R&B and Alt Pop which comes together more seamlessly than you would think. To ensure that his sound transcends the vibes from your average R&B track, lush layers of synth are placed down upon a tentatively paced beat to create a uniquely fresh yet commercially appealing sound. Whilst the downtempo rhythm to the track is slow and steady the hooks contained within Macie are enough to snare you into the evocatively poignant sentiment to Macie.

In the short time since his first release in May 2018, Chima hasn’t failed to gain well-deserved recognition for his overwhelmingly ethereal radio-ready sound. And it looks like this is only the beginning for the breaking artist.

To check out Chima’s latest single Macie for yourselves head over to Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lee Clark Allen ft. Britney Jane – Mud: Soul-Fuelled R&B

Posted on 25 August 2018
https://soundcloud.com/leeclarkallen/mud-feat-britney-jane

It takes a while for the resonant grip of Lee Clark Allen’s latest single Mud to sink its aural claws in, yet, once you’re there, you realise you’re in the midst of one of the most sonorously soulful R&B tracks you’ve heard in a long time.

Up and coming artist teamed up with Britney Jane to create a sumptuously slow ballad which progresses through pure vibe, evocatively organic vocals and a sultry rhythm which has carries just bring the Gospel euphoric feel to the track, his charismatically pure vocal style didn’t fail to have me hanging off his every word. The Denver, US based Indie Singer Songwriter and musician shouldn’t be hanging around on the underground if he carries on creating piously pleasing compositions such as Mud.

You can check out Lee Clark Allen’s latest soul-fuelled  R&B single Mud which was released August 7th, 2018 for yourself by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Keep up to date with the artists latest releases by following him via Facebook

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Johanna Klingfors – All the Same: A Jazz-Soaked Debut of Contemporarily Style 70’s R&B

Posted on 23 June 2018

As a recording artist Johanna Klingfors is as captivating as she is eccentrically playful in her aurally alchemic approach as shown with her first Jazz soaked single All the Same. The girls got a point, you get to a certain point in your life and you realise just how repetitively monotonous and predictable behaviour becomes.

Johanna projects her earth-shatteringly resonant lyrics into the mic through her not so self-apologist low range vocals which absolutely dominate her single All the same; no matter how much Funk & Groove is thrown in by the instrumentals. You don’t need an artist bio to tell you that the raw lyrics round the Swedish singer, songwriter and pianists lyrics are highly personal, that much is perceptible for how she carries her soulful, attitude-riddled vocals throughout the track. Even with her stylised inclination towards the vintage sound, it can’t be said that her sound isn’t prodigal; Christina Aguilera may have attempted the soundscape many moons go, but she didn’t even come close to Johanna’s Bluesy expressionism.

You can check out Johanna Klingfors’ latest single All the Same on Spotify now, if you have a particular penchant for 70’s R&B you really don’t want to give this one a miss.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jovian – Nascar: Charismatically Flawless R&B Hip Hop

Posted on 13 June 2018

He’s got the style, he’s got the charisma, he’s got the beats and now Jovian is the proud owner of one of the most beautifully melodic R&B Hip Hop tracks which has been dropped this year. It was the lyricism in Jovian’s latest tack Nascar which really caught my attention, his elastic wit of the irrefutably talented up and coming artist allowed him to create ridiculously catchy verses. Anyone who verses about Game of Thrones is a winner in my book.
The prelude to the track is reminiscent of what you’d hear contained within an old black and white film soundtrack however around the lifted high-vibe beat it adds a creeping haunting energy which somehow translates as pure hype.  If I had to pick one flaw within the track I’d have to say I didn’t really ‘get’ the whole nascar concept behind Jovian’s latest track, whilst there was a fair offering of metaphorical lyricism pertaining to the theme it was still somewhat lost on me. Then again, so has the Arctic Monkey’s latest album concept.

You can check out the official music video to Jovian’s latest single Nascar on YouTube now or head on over to Jovian’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sam. – Wreck my Soul: Pensively Passionate, Rhythmically Raw R&B

Posted on 7 June 2018

There’s something about up & coming R&B & Soul artist Sam’s track Wreck my Soul that crawls into every inch of your being as you absorb the pensive melancholy. Each element of Sam’s track is uniquely stylised to enable you to feel the pure passion which she’s projecting through her lyrics, vocals and beats. The Toronto based artist has created a track that stands as true testament to her soulful style as the track runs completely free of ego or any notion of grandeur. In short, Wreck my Soul is raw, organic, and mesmerizingly blissful. Whilst the production quality may not be quite there after her vocals were allowed to fade into the sound multiple times throughout the track, you really can’t expect more from an emerging artist. I have no double that her sound will be radio ready in no time.

You can check out Sam’s latest single for yourself which was released earlier this year on SoundCloud now. You can also check out Sam’s latest release If He Knew which dropped May 2018 where Sam’s urban groove was taken into a brand-new R&B arena.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sadie Jemmett – OK.WOW: Succinctly Sweet Soul Tinged with Political Insanity

Posted on 6 June 2018

Whilst Sadie Jemmett’s latest single OK.WOW started off with a rather questionable use of sampling, the rest of the track was one of the purest offerings of R&B Jazz Soul that you could hope for.

Sadie created one of the most succinctly grounding tracks I’ve checked out this year. As the track flows through her domineeringly blissful voice that pours out pure pensive soul is accompanied with some Donald Trump sampling to create the perfect contrast between his belligerent idle rambling accompanied with Sadie’s cathartic vocal offering. The brass used in the track allowed the Jazz roots of the soundscape to bleed through, whilst the contemporarily fresh trap style beat reverberated through the synergy laid down through Jemmett’s vocals.

If you want to be sobered by some succinctly sweet Soul you can check out Sadie Jemmett’s latest single OK.WOW on Spotify now. The track title will make a lot of sense after you do. Each one of Sadie Jemmett’s eloquent tracks stand as testament to her uniquely potent potential, yet with OK.WOW the singer songwriter may have surpassed herself.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nic Snow – Reconciliation: An Immersive Cocktail of Soul, Pop & R&B

Posted on 16 April 2018

Nic Snow’s latest R&B Hip Hop track is potentially the saddest upbeat track I’ve ever heard. Reconciliation, is a sonorous mash up of Pop, Soul and R&B which creates an immersive ethereal edge to the emerging artists sound. As debut tracks go, it doesn’t get much better than this. My only criticism would be for the use of the overly hyper female vocals that were used in the prelude to the track which has you itching to crank down the volume. His vocals stand radiantly on his own alongside the deep, poignant lyrics that tangibly demonstrate the weight of his passion.  Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom, strangely enough he’s packed the sound of Summer into Reconciliation into his debut track. I can’t wait to hear more from Nic Snow and his enviable array of talents, I’m just hoping there’s an album in the pipeline for 2018.

You can listen to Nic Snow’s latest debut hit Reconciliation on Spotify now

Or follow Nic on Facebook & keep up to date with his new releases and tour dates.

Review by Amelia Vandergast