Browsing Tag

UK RnB

Dara Blaxx poured straight from the soul in her stripped-back Afro RnB single, In My Cup

Posted on 24 September 2023

If you take your Afro-fusion tracks stripped and laid back, you will get right into the mellifluous groove of the latest single, In My Cup, from the breakthrough soulstress, Dara Blaxx.

Setting the mood for seduction, the British Nigerian singer-songwriter pulled out a front-row seat to a hot date you will want to be a voyeur for. With the smooth cadence in her crooned vocal lines, you couldn’t ask for more sensual proof that pace is the trick.

The independent artist may be reigning supreme in the underground right now, but it is only a matter of time before she ascends the charts with her velvety rich vocal register and her playfully compelling melodies that bring a touch of exoticism to our blighted and often bleak British waters.

Listen to In My Cup on all major streaming platforms from September 15 via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK songstress, fii, cut constricting ties in her empowerment-advocating debut, Goodbye

Posted on 19 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/fiithecuratorr/goodbye-explicit-mp3/s-6g7bvK15PRA?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=C54F5D0844644717B6B8B68311C6FB25&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Fans of Kehlani, Teyana Taylor, and SZA will want to prick their ears up to the empoweringly assuring debut single, Goodbye, from the Milton-Keynes singer-songwriter, fii, who fuses RnB & pop elements across the eras to speak to every generation with her introspective gold lyricality and hook-rife melodies.

The strength in Goodbye is gorgeously multifaceted; the sultry smooth rhythmics and stellar production melded with her soulfully convicting vocal presence affirmed that she’s one to watch. The UK RnB scene is infinitely richer for her elevated contribution.

The lyric “I might get lonely in December but right now I’m better than ever” is a testament to how raw and heartfelt the release is despite the infectious testament that you’re always better off missing the person who an ex pretended to be in the beginning than trying to re-manifest a person who never truly existed.

“Goodbye is inspired by the feeling of relief and freedom after a toxic relationship has ended. I wrote it to encourage myself to get over someone; music was the most cathartic way of dealing with all the confusing feelings. I want my fans to hear it and think, yeah, I’m not scared to say goodbye to a situation that isn’t serving me either.”

Goodbye will hit the airwaves on May 19; catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

bhxlu serenades novocaine in his melodically memorable hit, Wild

Posted on 7 April 2023

Indie RnB crooner bhxlu laid the laidback soul on thick in his latest single, Wild, which hit the airwaves on April 7th. The East London-hailing artist carries a fair amount of the dead innovative weight dropped by the rest of the contemporary RnB artists in the game with his fluidly smooth hit that pulls alt-pop, drill and trap tendencies into the colourfully sultry grooves.

With his tendency to mix dark themes with light instruments, you will always tune into a raw and real sonic rendezvous when immersing yourself in bhxlu’s innovation. Taking inspiration from Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown and The Weeknd could have resulted in an assimilated sound, but few artists hit the autonomous mark as distinctively as bhxlu, who never shies away from narrating toxic dynamics that are disturbingly rife in contemporary culture.

Stream Wild on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

8rii put the soul in indecision in her latest single, Stay

Posted on 5 March 2023
8rii

Independent singer-songwriter, 8rii, earned herself a spot on the East London RnB map with her latest emotionally elevated latest single, Stay. Putting the soul in indecision, the Ashanti & Aaliyah-inspired artist created a compelling exposition of how jarringly contradictory our minds become when the right romantic path is impossible to discern from the wrong one.

Any artist able to paint the complexities of the human psyche is more than worth having on your playlists, and that’s without mentioning the melodic mesmerism of the lo-fi RnB instrumentals that deliciously flirt with the Afroswing style.

Stay will officially release on March 10th. Until then, check out the artist on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

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

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

Femi Jaye poured soul into seduction with his UK Afrobeat RnB release, Love Language, featuring Mulako

Posted on 27 September 2022

For his latest feat of seductive Afrobeat RnB, Love Language, the up-and-coming Essex, UK-based artist, Femi Jaye, collaborated with Mulako to create a tropically lustful earworm that embraces the euphoria of love.

There’s no feeling like surrendering to love. And there’s no soundscape quite as flavoursome as this groove-led melodic triumph, which accurately reflects the beauty of intimacy through its mellifluous progressions and kicking percussion. Love Language brings the right energy to tease salaciousness while keeping the vibe incandescently pure.

Love Language is just one of the singles to feature on the upcoming LP, Gardener, which defies the premise that men can’t be in touch with their emotions. Speaking on his new LP, here’s what Femi Jaye had to say:

“With the recent “Andrew Tate” era of toxic masculinity gaining traction, the concept that men can be vulnerable and in touch with their feelings presents an opposing view and is one of the main overarching themes of the album.”

Love Language will officially release on September 23rd; check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The claws are out in Harmonical’s latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring Élan Noelle

Posted on 5 September 2022

It has been a phenomenal run for the effortlessly distinctive RnB artist Harmonical (AKA songwriter & producer James Stretten) with his cinematically contemporary songs appearing on the credits of Hollyoaks and constantly spun on BBC Introducing.

His latest single, Cat on Heat, featuring the enrapturing robust vocals of Washington RnB soul singer, Élan Noelle, is yet another reason to fall head over heels for his funk-riding euphonic sonic signature.

With a narrative as compelling as the Copacabana, the lyrics in Cat on Heat are almost enough to bring out the popcorn. The dynamic that the lyric “she’s my best friend, but she is like a cat on heat” sets up a scenario that most will be able to relate to.

The music video to Cat on Heat premiered on August 11th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Beth Macari bites Ouroboros’ tail in her Indie RnB single, Circles

Posted on 1 July 2022

To say that Beth Macari’s latest single, Circles is one of the best UK RnB singles from the past few decades doesn’t come close to hyperbole.

“I don’t think you know what it’s like to be a woman” is something that every woman will have felt in her lifetime. That makes it no less profound when Macari uses it to let solidarity spill from her soundscape, which proves that soul and emboldening energy fit hand in glove; when the grasp of the gravitas is so tight.

The jangly indie-pop elements in the emotion-driven single are nothing short of electrifying as they find their charge through creating friction between the sonic past and an empowered future. We honestly couldn’t love her more.

Circles drops on July 1st; check it out on SoundCloud or by heading to Macari’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DRCY preserved the timelessness of old school soul in ‘Small Talk’

Posted on 6 June 2022

Pairing old school Olivia Dean soul vocals with contemporary and conversational lyrics, the Liverpool/London-residing singer-songwriter DRCY brought a resonant air of modernity to the timeless style in her latest RnB pop single, Small Talk.

The sophomore single is a natural continuation of the artist’s debut single, Butterflies, which also mused on the honeymoon phase of new relationships. This time, there is a particular focus on the addictiveness of small talk during the early stages of a relationship, where every trivial fact feels like a new beguiling piece of the puzzle.

Her radiant vocals paired with the bass-carved grooves and jazzy instrumentals don’t make for the average 2022 love song; DRCY could never be that unauthentically pedestrian.

In her own words

“For so long I have cared about what other people think of me. Insecurities held me back for so long, I just need to own it now. I want my music to inspire people to feel good in their own skin, to feel sexy in their own skin. And I hope that everyone who listens to my music knows that life is not as serious as you’ve been told.”

Small Talk is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast