Browsing Tag

soul

Mainline that ‘Summer Feelin’ with the soul singer, Beth Macari’s latest single

Posted on 6 August 2023

With her latest single, Summer Feelin, the up-and-coming pop sensation and soul singer, Beth Macari, proved that generic pop couldn’t be further from her aural gene pool.

The singer-songwriter pulled the top down and navigated her sun-bleached melodies on cruise control to deliver a tropic slice of pop served with an Afrobeat twist to the beats and a little bit of funk fed through the guitar chops that efficaciously carved the ultimate summer pop earworm that you will want to turn back to year after year.

The timelessly infectious hit carries hints of 90s pop energy while embracing the future of the genre with sonic boundary-blurring instrumentals that will take you to transcendent heights when the chorus hits and you’re exposed to the sheer soulful dynamism in Beth Macari’s vocal lines.

Summer Feelin was officially released on July 28th, stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fatmowf created an odyssey of romantically die-hard soul-pop fantasy with ‘Imaginary Lover’

Posted on 3 August 2023

Get lost in the romantically die-hard soul-pop odyssey, Imaginary Lover, from the up-and-coming San Diego artist Fatmowf, who established himself as a rap artist before wearing his heart on his hazy RnB vocal lines in this pastel-hued daydream of a release.

Just as we constructed imaginary friends in childhood, who helped us to feel more assured and connected in an alienating world, the tendency to create idealised romantic relationships as our needs become more amorous is more prevalent than we acknowledge.

Who can truly say that the mere idea of someone has never created an obsessive tailspin that becomes all-consuming as a perfect future is depicted while the other person is completely unaware that they’re the co-creator of your sticky-sweet fantasies that will never materialise?

We’ve all been there, and we’ve all dealt with the subsequent disappointment when we note the disparity between idealism and realism. Fatmowf is just in the minority of people willing to admit it. The breezy indie R&B euphonic melodicism of the track is just the added bonus to his vulnerably magnetic candour. Ironically, we are now obsessed.

In his own words:

“I made the song after I met this girl at Starbucks. I got her phone number and started daydreaming about her…. a lot. Probably way too fucking much to be honest. But I did. And the crazy part was I barely even knew her! I knew her name, what she did for work (obviously) and the fact that she likes cats. She could have been a serial killer for all I knew but I was so attracted to her. Wrong, I was attracted to the idea of her, and the person I wanted her to be…”

Check out the official video for Imaginary Lover, which premiered on July 7th on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brandon Blvd’s single, The Outcome, ft Mai Ty, is a melodically mindful revelation.

Posted on 2 August 2023
Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness by Brandon Blvd

Taken from his LP, Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness, the Memphis-hailing breakthrough rap artist Brandon Blvd’s seminal hit, The Outcome, featuring Mai Ty, is a melodically mindful revelation.

All too often, rap artists glamourise aggression and emotion-driven reactions in a bid to instil conviction in their hits; Brandon Blvd rose above it all to flood his single with introspective gold and soul that won’t just make you think twice; it will shift your entire perception in a positive direction.

Working with Mai Ty’s ethereally pure vocal timbre, Blvd offered direction and sonic solace in equal measure in The Outcome, which stands as a testament to his talent that is intrinsically entwined with his determination to shine lights on better ways of living and better the world while he is making his mark on the Memphis hip-hop map.

Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness was released via Problematic Nation LLC in April 2023; purchase the album on Apple Music or Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mario Bonds fired with all soul cylinders blazing in his sensually bold single, Chocolate

Posted on 26 July 2023

Meet the D’Angelo of this decade by streaming his latest sensuality-swathed RnB single, Chocolate. Mario Bonds is best known for his appearances on The Glee Project, American Idol, and Blind Love; when the Washington DC native isn’t cooking up melting pots of 80s-inspired neo-soul, he’s inspiring millions as a fitness model, motivational speaker, and writer.

Around proving that adverse odds are there to be beaten, the blind songwriter and RnB crooner invites his fans into dreamily decadent singles. Chocolate stands as the ultimate testament to his ability to cook up a soulful storm with his ear candy vocal melodies and instrumentals that groove around romantic motifs. Even though there’s no anticipating what Mario Bonds will pull out of the pipeline next, if there is anything constant in his discography, it is the boldly sexual empowerment he delivers to his brothers and sisters.

Chocolate was officially released on July 7th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Amytra – Writ of Love: Soulfully Socially Conscious Hip-Hop.

Posted on 17 July 2023

After watching Malcolm X and MLK speeches, Amytra launched the most socially conscious hip-hop hit of the summer by debuting her playfully soul-driven fourth single, Writ of Love. Writing on difficult topics doesn’t typically result in serotonin-spilling sonics, but Amytra defied the odds and broke new ground with Writ of Love.

After starting with a definition of the word Writ provided by Siri, the funky basslines feed the liberating high-vibe atmosphere, which will throw you right back to the 90s as you drink in the empowering lyricism inspired by recent acts of injustice and the pervasive influence of systematic oppression on society.

The only people who could bring themselves to love to hate this infectious hit are the regressively abhorrent zealots who cling to discrimination under the illusion of falsified superiority and throw their new favourite buzzword, ‘woke’, around like it’s an insult.

Writ of Love was Co-Produced by none other than Dr Ron Moton, best known for being a 22-year member of the Platinum, Grammy award-winning group, Confunkshun.

Watch the official music video for Writ of Love on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: OTH€LLO introduced the future of Afro Fusion with his debut single, SZA 4 NGAZ

Posted on 17 July 2023

The Montreal-born, Harlem-based Afrobeat innovator OTH€LLO took gospel out of church and implanted it firmly in his ethereal dream of an Afrobeat RnB debut single, SZA 4 NGAZ.

Fittingly, after his music journey began by being introduced to Congolese gospel and secular soukous tunes by his Congolese immigrant parents, the sensuous single, which celebrates staying true to your roots while practising radical acceptance, finds plenty of room for religious imagery and tonality.

After a sensuously ambient RnB intro complete with saturated in warm delay indie guitars, SZA 4 NGAZ starts to tease hip-hop elements with the fiery canter of his verses before winding it all back down in the dynamically versatile hit that reached the pinnacle of Afro-Fusionist authenticity.

SZA 4 NGAZ is a sublimely promising start to OTH€LLO’s career. His carresively pure vocal lines paired with his down-to-earth lyrical style are enough to kickstart a new revolution in soul.

In the words of OTH€LLO:

“This song is an exploration of how growing my dreads again after cutting my first set was like falling again. It sonically narrates the process of self-love and self-acceptance through a fiercely Afrocentric and sexual perspective.”

After releasing SZA 4 NGAZ, OTH€LLO is back in the studio orchestrating his debut EP. If the forthcoming material is as arcane as his debut, you’ll want to save plenty of room on your radar.

SZA 4 NGAZ was officially released on the 1st of July; hear it on Spotify and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keep your RnB playlists pious with Freedom Worship’s single, I’m Gone

Posted on 17 July 2023

Keep your summer RnB playlists pious with ‘Summer Vibes The EP’ from Freedom Worship; the collaborative sun-soaked EP was created with the vision of providing the ultimate soundtrack to the summer while keeping gospel at the core of the soul. It is safe to say the passionate group of enthusiastic artists who banded together from a range of backgrounds succeeded in their mission.

Driven by their belief that they can positively influence the direction of culture, the limitless artists and innovators orchestrated one of the smoothest RnB releases of 2023. The standout single, I’m Gone, featuring vocals from Charlie Hill, is the perfect reflective soundscape for chilled summer nights. With lyrics that show you the way to humbled and emboldened gratitude and vocal lines so consoling that the single becomes a sanctuary, I’m Gone delivers endless solace to faith followers and those who find their own path alike.

Stream I’m Gone with the rest of the 5-track EP via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bristol singer-songwriter Dolly Doo put the soul into ephemeral connections with ‘Aint Nothing Serious’

Posted on 14 July 2023

Hook-up culture may get a superficial rep, but as the siren of soul, Dolly Doo, alludes to in her latest single, Aint Nothing Serious, no-strings-attached arrangements can be the ultimate ephemeral remedy.

The jazzy RnB pop amalgam is an extension of the Bristol-based singer-songwriter’s limitless genre fluidity; whichever stylistic territories her harmonically ethereal vocal lines and richly Elysian instrumentals drift into as she is following the muse, one thing remains a constant, the grace with which she brings to life her complex metaphorical concepts.

Her songwriting style and the genre pools she dips her superlative toe into evoke a certain amount of nostalgia, but there is just enough contemporary light bleaching her harmonious hits to give her sound swathes of contemporary appeal.

With a debut EP in the pipeline and performances at Boomtown and Bristol Harbourside Festival behind her, she is definitively one to watch.

Aint Nothing Serious will be available to stream from July 14 on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London pop luminary, Maria Manuel, sold ‘Sanctuary’ in her emotion-driven slice of soul

Posted on 11 July 2023

If Maria Manuel can still be considered a rising star, she’s already beyond our galaxy with her engrossingly progressive singles. The South London soulstress’ latest single, Sanctuary, digs deep into the evocative trenches to allude to how we are all the sole architects of our own refuges.

With harmonic crescendos which will allow your heart to catch in your throat, visceralism isn’t in short supply in the RnB-infused pop hit, which succeeds in keeping in line with the contemporary curve while borrowing a few synthy reverb-heavy tones from 80s pop icons.

Any fans of Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke will find themselves instantly enamoured with the arrestive propensities of the chord progressions in Sanctuary. It is safe to say Manuel created yet another radio-ready hit. Jump on it while the hype is hot and embrace one of the most promising pop acts of this era.

Stream Sanctuary on Spotify.

Follow Maria Manuel on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ease the Pain: Sound Liberation are at its brilliant best on Time Does Not Bring Relief

Posted on 13 June 2023

Taken off the brand new 10-track album and 9th studio release called Better Now, Sound Liberation are rather excellent on the brand new single to hug our heart, Time Does Not Bring Relief.

Led by composer/rapper Gene Pritsker, Sound Liberation is a Composers Concordance Records-signed indie band that loves to explore soul, jazz, RnB and so much more with glorious energy.

Delighting all senses into a much better planet away from all the smoggy confusion, Sound Liberation has made a special single which will ease the mood of millions. This is must-listen stuff, which is a comforting release which will please those who love an old-school single made with scintillating significance.

Time Does Not Bring Relief from the USA music-fusion project Sound Liberation is a rather superb display from excellent musicians who seem to only get better like fine wine. Delightfully true to their craft and calming all scared cats into a zone of mellowness, this is a stunning effort made with an expert appeal.

If the day has been tough, this is the kind of release to soak in a hot bath with the volume on full.

Turn up more good vibes on Spotify.

See the vibrant adventures on Twitter.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen