Browsing Tag

soul

Bella Moulden soaked synth wave with soul in her latest single, Wire

Posted on 11 March 2023

The moody stabbing synth lines and caustic rock guitar cuts create an intoxicating contrast to Bella Moulden’s soul-soaked vocal lines in her ode to 80s synth wave, Wire.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist may have achieved viral acclaim via TikTok with her earlier release, SelfCare, but if any artist has what it takes to create a sustainable career with her juxtaposingly absorbing creativity, it is Bella Moulden.

The Buffalo, NY-born artist has already received plaudits from everyone from Peaches to The Black Keys to Juliette Lewis; her latest single will undoubtedly garner her even more acclaim for the way her sultrily sincere vocal timbre wraps around the lyricism that alludes to the hesitancy that gnaws away at the nectar of the honeymoon phase in a relationship.

Stream Wire on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ANGELCONCEPCION is emboldeningly iconic in her RnB Soul instant classic, Like I Was

Posted on 9 March 2023

Here to take to the sting out of retrospective romantic regret is the emboldening RnB icon, ANGELCONCEPCION, with her latest single, Like I Was.

The lyrics may not explicitly verse that deceit and someone degrading you to drag you down to their lowly levels happens to the best of us, but given the elegance and grace of every inch of this elevated instant classic, it’s heavily implied through ANGELCONCEPCION’s heavenly vocal beguile.

Fusing a modernist tonal palette while pulling at the roots of RnB and soul allowed the Philadelphia-residing Filipino artist to reach the crux of the contemporary curve before transcending it through her effortlessly flawless energy. The bluesy guitars shimmering behind the lush reverb is a lesson in aural intoxication. Grab a glass and get your fill.

Like I Was dropped on March 1st; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Two To Many epitomised decadent devotion in their modernist take on RnB, Fasho (Fall in Love)

Posted on 26 February 2023

Two To Many turned up the heat with their simmering amalgam of RnB, Hip-Hop and Pop, Fasho (Fall in Love). Capturing the unparalleled sensation of falling so deeply you see stars, Fasho isn’t a track you listen to; it is one you feel.

The single by the duo featuring the silky-smooth vocal timbre of Markus Shields leaves no room to wonder about the sincerity of the devotion projected through the ardently melodious grooves and the lyrics that flirt with salaciousness while rising above the lascivious fray.

The modernist spin on RnB may pay tribute to the roots of the genre, but the contemporary production styling allowed the duo to establish itself as one to watch while it brings in the future of the genre. The LA-based songwriter, dancer, choreographer and producer, Markus Shields is a soulful force to be reckoned with.

Fasho (Fall in Love) is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Blue gazed into the twilight of the soul in his jazzy feat of soulful folk, Saphire

Posted on 24 February 2023
Mike Blue

The soulful rhythmicality of the folk singer-songwriter, Mike Blue’s latest single, Saphire, will tattoo itself to your memory from the first euphonically melodic meeting. As a departure from his previous sound, along with his band, Blue melded elements of blues, jazz, prog and rock to construct a track visceral in authenticity and sticky sweet in emotionally balanced sentimentality.

The first single taken from his forthcoming album, The Unbearable Weight of All Things Considered, stands as a soul-stirring testament to his ability to envelop you in the stories he eloquently weaves atop his acoustic guitar strings. The sax solos, which soar as high in the mix as the electric guitar riffs, amplify the intimacy of the lyrical expression while never compromising the resonant impact.

If the singer-songwriter was born decades ago when folk raconteurs were celebrated in modern culture, there would be few names as revered as Mike Blue. After the release of Saphire, the luminary artist will take his full band on tour across the UK, which also featured on the accordantly-bodied release that has the capacity to captivate a stadium.

Saphire will officially release on February 24th. Hear it via Mike Blue’s website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ninali reached the pinnacle of ‘Smooth’ in her latest feat of jazzy soul pop nostalgia

Posted on 17 February 2023
Ninali

There was no forgetting Ninali after hearing her affectionately wanderlust track, Tokyo, which hit the airwaves at the end of 2022. To start 2023 with a sultry bang, she’s amalgamated a sentimentally demure cocktail of pop, jazz and RnB.

The mid-tempo piece, Smooth, was co-produced by the legendary producer M. Shanks, who also applied their deft touch to the tantalising timbres in Tokyo, which marked the first release for Ninali in over a decade.

With Smooth, sensuously 80s-nostalgia-soaked instrumentals swell and tropically groove around the aphoristically harmonised vocal lines, which simultaneously put you in the mood while facilitating the purer purpose of reminding you how sweet it is to meet someone that defines serendipity. It is worth falling in love just to fully appreciate this delicious track.

Smooth will officially release on February 17th. Hear it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gonçalo Santana penned a reflectively compelling RnB memorandum with ‘Note to Self’

Posted on 6 February 2023

Swiss RnB visionary, Gonçalo Santana, has spent the last two years spilling soul onto the airwaves with his distinctively potent approach to the genre. At the start of 2023, he released his debut EP, Brainless, which concludes with the reflective philosophy in Note to Self.

Note to Self keeps 90s RnB at its core while elevating the multi-sensory experience with elements of gospel, which will easily leave you pious to the singer-songwriter’s poetic graceful beguile. The neo-classic-ESQUE piano melodies also go a long way in implanting gravitas within the soul-stirring intimate memorandum.

Like the best things in life, there’s a bitter-sweet emotionally complex sentimentality to the quiescent RnB ballad, delivering the definitive proof that Gonçalo Santana is the real sincere deal.

Note to Self was officially released on January 27th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Superlative RnB Soulstress Jaai. Emanated Sensuously Celestial Grace in her Sophomore Single, God is Real

Posted on 3 February 2023
Jaai.

After the RnB soulstress Jaai. left us spellbound with her dreamily festive debut single, Christmas Mornin, and rendered our souls as her own; she’s back on sensuously pure form with her sophomore Christian & Gospel single, God is Real.

The Charlotte, NC-hailing artist delivered a mellifluous reminder of how sublime it is to find trust and sanctity in knowing there is a higher power. All desire for control our mortal coil will never grant us legibly ebbs away  in the smooth, easy-listening ensemble of jazzy RnB, which is radiant through the balance between nostalgic grace and contemporary trip-hop-y beguile, which puts Jaai. right back on brand to how we heard her from her exceptionally promising debut.

God is Real will be available to stream from February 3rd. Hear it on Jaai.’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chris Spruit is star-roving in her spacey blues pop single, LifeSway

Posted on 2 February 2023

Bowie and David Lynch never came together when the sonic star man was of this earth; if they did, their combined artistic alchemy would have undoubtedly had the same disarming appeal as Chris Spruit’s latest single, LifeSway.

With the singer-songwriter sharing the same timelessly spiritual timbre as Stevie Nicks, there was no better pairing for the instrumentals, which pull together as a sonorously virtuosic amalgam of blues, jazz, pop, and soul.

When Chris Spruit isn’t orchestrating her solo singles, she’s pouring soul into the blues rock band Blue Attitude. If LifeSway has given you an insatiable need for more sonic beguile, you will be gratified to hear it is the first of eight tracks from her forthcoming album, Trip to Mars, due for release in February 2023.

LifeSway was officially released on January 29th. Hear it on Spotify. Check out Chris Spruit via her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chloë Lupton is set to lift the collective mood with her intoxicating amalgam of RnB, Funk, Disco and Pop in ‘Midnight Radio;

Posted on 20 January 2023
Chloë Lupton

RnB Funk Pop fusionist, Chloë Lupton, has transmitted the ultimate soundtrack to intoxicated euphoria with her latest single, Midnight Radio.

The catchy disco grooves that pulsate through old-skool-inspired production are seductively efficacious in their ability to reflect the heat when sparks fly from a chance encounter on the dancefloor as you connect through music.

The 22-year-old Suffolk-based artist is a creative powerhouse after spending the last seven years studying and working in music, acting and dance, including training in performing arts and musical theatre.

After realising she has an ear for soul, jazz and RnB, which also happens to be where her stylish signature vocals lie best, she worked on adding her own individualistically amalgamated sonic style to the airwaves. Now signed with Radical Lounge Studios, there is no telling where the soulful prodigy will be a year from now. She’s definitively one to watch.

Midnight Radio will officially release on January 20th across all major streaming platforms. Check it out via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DMK takes us ‘Higher’ with his alt-RnB single

Posted on 17 January 2023

With a similar tonal palette to the one used in Nirvana’s iconic track, Something in the Way, in addition to the faint reminiscences to Hozier, the up-and-coming independent RnB artist DMK, well and truly came into his own through his artfully experimental single, Higher.

We fully attest to the single’s ability to take you higher through the transcendental feel of the soundscape, which breaks through from the grungy indie guitars in the prelude. The calm and collected nature of the vocals makes it all too easy to meditate on the laidback lyrics that illuminate a more mindful way of living. For your own sake, make it a playlist staple. The hypnotic textures of the track have what it takes to strip ennui from the soul by sonically alluding to the emotional quiescence we should all be striving for. The Houston-hailing artist and producer is definitively one to watch.

Watch the official music video for Higher on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast