Browsing Tag

90s RnB

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

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

Raymond Theard & Frannie EL delivered luxe euphonic soul in their latest single, She Wants Me

For their latest single, She Wants Me, the New Orleans born and raised RnB luminary and owner of 4u Productions, Raymond Theard, roped in the vocal cords of Frannie EL to deliver luxe euphonic soul, served with a slice of seductive rap that effortlessly coalesces with his 90s-ESQUE harmonies that turn up the heat on romantic gratitude.

The perfect soundtrack to a late-night drive through a glistening metropolis, She Wants Me reached the pinnacle of sonic sex appeal as it cruises through the mellifluous progressions with groove pockets so deep that you could bed down in them. Instead of solely pulling at the roots of RnB, Theard planted a few soul seeds of his own, enabling the hit to set the bar for any contemporary looking to tattoo themselves in their audiences’ memory.

She Wants Me hit the airwaves on March 31; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Groove back to the 90s with Mike Di Lorenzo’s RnB hit, Holding All My Love, ft. Anna Moore

By fusing 90s RnB with his signature jazz soul textures, producer Mike Di Lorenzo and vocalist, Anna Moore created a sonic nostalgia atom bomb which ignited through the contemporary bold stylings with their latest single, Holding All My Love.

With the hooks sharpened by the pop elements and the grooves riding through the dance licks, few tracks are as efficacious in their ability to make you move and feel in the same funk-dripping breath. The instrumentals are just as passion-slicked as the vocal lines that wrap around the lyrics, which prove that instant gratification can never match the real thing.

After the success of his charting 2022 album, What We Need, which also featured the resolvingly impassioned vocal lines from Anna Moore, Mike Di Lorenzo is right back in the Grammy-worthy groove with Holding All My love.

Holding All My Love will officially release on March 24th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Evelyine found the poetry in intimacy in her RnB single, Moonlight + Cotton Sheets

Finding the poetry in intimacy, the up-and-coming RnB soulstress, Evelyine, reached evocatively ethereal heights with her latest single, Moonlight + Cotton Sheets.

Between the contemporary kick of the trip-hop textures, the contrast of the smooth rap bars from the featuring artist, Adrian Wright, and her elevated harmonies, which reminisce with 90s pop and RnB nostalgia, the soul in the standout single from her album, NEW LIFE, is hypnotising.

The Grand Rapids, MI singer-songwriter has been polishing her RnB pop edge since the age of seven, when she started writing lyrics. Under the influence of Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion, she found her voice, leading to her becoming a regular performer by age 16. After touring the circuit with cover material, she returned to her songwriting passion and penned her first single, New Life, which hit the airwaves in January 2022.

Whatever her next move is, we know it’s going to be embellished with soul, talent and intrinsic grace.

Moonlight + Cotton Sheets is now available to stream on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

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

C Note91 calls for an end to ambiguity in his old school RnB single, How Deep ft. SIR Linho

After the success of his 2022 debut single, Hear No Lies, C Notes91 harmonically laid his love down on the line in his sophomore single, How Deep, featuring the rap artist SIR Linho.

The authentically 90s RnB single keeps the focus on the sweet and smooth vocal lines while the piano keys amorously intersect with the drum pads. SIR Linho’s rap verses which come mid-way through the track with soaring guitar notes add an incredible dynamic to the release that drags you deep into the impassioned outpour of emotion which calls for an end to romantic ambiguity.

It is almost impossible to believe C Notes91’s bio which covers the start of his journey when he had the passion but none of the vocal talent. He’s living and breathing proof that if you endeavour, you’ll get to where you want to be.

How Deep is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vonsíwel – I Love It: And So Do We

Urban fusionist, Vonsíwel is hotter than a fever dream in his latest single, I Love It, which melds layers of RnB with smoothly evocative pop textures to pay a romantic ode to the object of his all-consuming desire.

The boundary-pushing singer-songwriter may be uniquely wired, but that hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of fans from revelling in the resonance of his modernist spin on RnB.

Honestly, I Love It is enough to give me unrealistic romantic expectations (as if I don’t have those anyway). Although, bravely, Vonsíwel isn’t afraid to explore the lows in life as intrepidly as the highs with his music, which is inspired by the likes of Ne-Yo, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Prince and Michael Jackson.

I Love It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CRVS Serrano – all of a sudden you know whats best: darkly era-defining RnB

‘all of a sudden you know whats best’ is the darkly era-defining latest single from the Philadelphia-born, Florida-based songwriter, artist and songwriter, CRVS Serrano. The 90s and 00s influences are easily legible around Serrano’s dark signature, which is signed through the trippy yet melodic flow and the beats that melt against the lush modernist RnB production.

Lyrically and vocally, Serrano doesn’t fail to bring you into the plaintive frustration the single transpired from. But there’s enough urban alchemy in the mix to guarantee you’ll have more oxytocin than you did before you hit play.

After signing to the label, Bounce House in 2020, he’s taken his career to new heights alongside artists such as Karol G, G Herbo, and IV4. With an EP in the pipeline, he’s undoubtedly one to watch.

CRVS Serrano’s latest single is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Balaciaga spliced demure conviction with emboldening soul in her third single, Like It

After winning over swathes of RnB fans with her versatile style in her sophomore single, Nothing to Me, the Floridian RnB singer-songwriter, Balaciaga, has released her soulfully convictive single, Like It. The demure single takes a different tone from the preceding releases, proving that Balaciaga’s talent in matching tone, temperament and key leaves little room for improvement.

Like It combines scathing tendencies and emboldening vibes with an old-school sense of romanticism, proving that affection and empowerment can fit hand in glove. The up and coming artist takes influence from a vast array of artists for her well-rounded and instantly distinctive style, including but not limited to Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Beyonce.

Like It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

A1 Ali has delivered yet another flawlessly evocative fusion track with ‘Mia’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMVGRkc7y1E

A1 Ali is fresh from the release of yet another flawlessly evocative fusion track that melds hip hop, RnB, pop and Latin to bring authentic world music vibes along with an earwormy structure that almost demands that you give the sun-kissed track repeat attention.

The Bahamas born artist poured plenty of timeless soul into the rhythmically exotic track, which comes with an intimate indie feel, thanks to the production that leaves the raw elements incredibly visceral as the lyrics that flit between salacious lust and old school romanticism.

The Bahamas-born artist spent some time in Santiago de Cuba before perusing his goal of becoming a global sensation. Based on Mia, we’d say he is well on his way to reaching the heights he’s aiming for.

You can check out A1 Ali’s latest single, Mia, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast