Browsing Tag

neo-soul

Alicia Michilli revived the soul of Detroit Motown in her latest single, Full Moon

With a voice that saw her go far on America’s Got Talent, a timeless lyrical style, and a compelling spin on soul, America should be upholding the Detroit-based Alicia Michilli as a national treasure.

Her latest single, Full Moon, eases you into the smooth, smoky late-night atmosphere where perpetual love lights up the twilight. Her influence of Detroit Motown sounds is easily legible in the consoling timbre of the release that serenades you from the first vocal note. For non-believers in true love, you only need to tap into the demure soul of this caressively sincere release, which celebrates the unconditional love we all yearn for.

So far in her career, Alicia Michilli has opened for Andra Day, Nelly and her long-time hero, Keb’ Mo’, and provided background vocals for Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their TaiMo tour. Although, based on Full Moon, she always deserves to be on front and centre stage.

Full Moon is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lank G brought in a new era of pure soul with his contemporary RnB single, I’LL SEE YOU SOON

Lank G

In his fervid music career, the dynamic up-and-coming artist and producer Lank G has eclectically experimented with RnB, hip hop, and gospel. In his latest single, I’LL SEE YOU SOON, he euphonically converged them all to bring in a new era of pure soul.

At just 20 years old, Lank G is bringing an air of ethereal maturity to his soundscapes, especially on the basis of I’LL SEE YOU SOON, which goes all in on the sincerity to the tune of the ambient lush reverb that cushions his soft percussion and velvety vocal timbre that reaches the pinnacle of smooth. Within the lyrics, Lank G finds the perfect balance between cheeky grit and ride-or-die devotion. It’s a potent mix, one that is sure to leave RnB fans hooked.

I’ll SEE YOU SOON will be available to stream from October 15th. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

N.O.A & The Goodest Ones keep the spirit of multicultural soul alive in ‘Say Things’

N.O.A & The Goodest Ones

N.O.A & The Goodest Ones’ latest single, Say Things, is a melting pot of genre, style, and culture. Through the upliftingly smooth brass section, you will soak in nuances of jazz; through the rhythm section, you will find nods to funk and reggae, and the vocals transfuse some of the sweetest vocally-delivered catharsis you could care to drink in.

With the RnB harmonies gelling with the rap bars from Tray God Tha MC over the mellifluous flow of the melodies, Say Things is a conversation you will want to indulge in time and time again. The spirit of soul is well and truly alive through this timeless record. It is escapism music at its finest.

Say Things will officially release on October 14th. Check it out for yourselves on Spotify and connect with N.O.A & The Goodest Ones on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Art Crimes Band painted in metropolitan soul in their latest jazzy synth-driven single, Neon Skyline

The Art Crimes Band have been lauded as Cork’s most promising new band; their latest single, Neon Skyline, affirms just why so much hype has been amassing around their soul-driven indie synthwave sound. If you can envisage Nina Simone’s vocals fused over The Midnight’s soundscapes, you may get a fair way to imagining what the Art Crimes Band have stirringly amalgamated in Neon Skyline.

To the tune of seductively jazzy sax, shimmering synths and ambient funk dripping rhythms, Neon Skyline metropolitanly unravels around the timeless female vocals that could have been recorded at any time in the last century, but they fit right into the juxtaposing classic temporary timbre of this artfully consuming serenade, which calls out into the cruel cold world to make it infinitely more accommodating and less alienating.

Neon Skyline is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spener blurred the lines between indie-rock and neo-soul in his compassion-driven single, Dial Away

North of England-born, Barcelona-based artist Spener blurred the lines between indie-rock and jazzy neo-soul in his slickly smooth seminal single, Dial Away.

I’m not entirely sure what is more enamouring in Dial Away, the euphonically consoling soundscape or the lyrical compassion that extends a sense of unconditional empathy that is scarcely found elsewhere to the listener.

While the mainstream media leaves us inclined to believe that artists like Amy Winehouse only come around once in a generation, Spener blows that notion out of the water with the sheer visceralism of his down-to-earth candour that can easily become addictive through his hook-laden vocal lines.

Dial Away is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laeeqa verses a lesson in mindful moderation in her stylistic neo-soul single, BALANCE

Leeds-born, Manchester-based musician and model, Laeeqa, taught a lesson in mindful moderation in her latest blend of neo-soul, RnB, jazz and reggae, BALANCE. Always an advocate for mental health, the artist that effortlessly embodies femininity in her soulful vocal flows makes it easy to see why so many have connected with her sound, which is just as vibrantly arresting as the image she puts before the world.

With her vocals intricately in sync with the mellifluous instrumentals which mesmerizingly spill trippy yet tranquil RnB emboldening ambience, BALANCE is one hell of a luxe aural aesthetic.

Along with playing in some of Manchester’s most iconic venues, Laeeqa’s music has also been in heavy rotation with BBC Introducing and 1Xtra; if you’re sleeping on her at this point, you may as well be in a coma.

Check out the video for BALANCE by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Char Elizabeth – Rock with Me: An RnB Meditation in Passion

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=EQbW7vI0FmY&feature=share

Taken from her latest EP, In2me, which delivers 20 minutes of unadulterated ethereal soul, Char Elizabeth’s standout single, Rock with Me, is a meditation in passion.

With the prominence of the trappy bass-driven beats in the minimalist production, it is all too easy to get lost in the sultry flow of Rock with Me as it acts as the ultimate soundtrack to sensual seduction.

The Canadian-born NY-based award-winning singer-songwriter and producer started by working with local bands at the outset of her career; today, her list of successes is almost as infinite as her gravitas. To name a few, she has signed to a sub-label of Def Jam records, contributed to Run DMC’s album, Crown Royal, and her vocals have appeared in Disney films. In other words, she’s an unstoppable force in the industry. Affix her to your radar and watch her ascend.

Check out Rock with Me on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Anne Musisi speaks to our loveless world in her seminal single, BE NICE

The fearlessly lyrically confrontational artist Anne Musisi has never been one to mince her words. With her seminal single, BE NICE, she pulverised the notion that women should continue to meekly skate by on their vulnerability and nicety, while the rest of the world treats them with contempt.

Even though I was raised on a steady diet of 90s Riot Grrrl, for the first time in what seems like an eternity, I’ve heard a fresh voice delivering vindicating empowerment. The moody, dark and synth-heavy track sees Musisi seamlessly switching between spoken word dominant bars and hyper-smooth neo-soul vocals that do more than hitting the spot; they caress it.

“Why should I be nice?” a seemingly innocuous question; under Anne Musisi’s fiercely demure duress, which sees her spill frustration for the way she’s been disregarded, infuriated, and mistreated, it’s an emboldening inquiry into the dark world of misogyny and prejudice.

The official music video for BE NICE is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jimmy G. $hi takes it slow in his RnB single, Drown Tonight

Give your RnB playlists a fresh soul fix by introducing it to the lead single, Drown Tonight, from Jimmy G. $hi’s 2022 album, P.T.H.B.

After warm saturated tones have eased you into the smooth contemporary track that unfurls around hip hop percussion and spacey electronica synthetics, Jimmy G. $hi goes in heavy with the sultry romanticism. The affectionately demure energy resonates through the lyrics as much as the steady vocals that affirm the message of the single; pace is the trick.

With the stellar production, the mellifluous soul that spills from the vocals and the evocative heights that Drown Tonight takes you to, the up-and-coming artist can definitively be seen as a triple threat.

The official music video for Drown Tonight was released on July 22nd. Check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J. Jeaux exhibits blissful command over rhythm in his RnB debut, More Than Enough

Taking a brief reprieve from composing for video games and media, the singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist J. Jeaux released his debut single, More Than Enough, in June 2022.

Exhibiting his world-building melodies, sweetened R&B vocal lines and songwriting tenacity, More Than Enough rewrites the R&B rules through the warm analogue atmosphere & cuttingly contemporary resonance.

Few breaking artists excel in bringing RnB into this era without assimilation, but the Mexico City-based artist is so much more than your average Frank Ocean carbon copy with his blissful command over rhythm. Even with the tinges of sorrowful sentimentality, More Than Enough is a touch of serenity in our chaos-encompassing times.

More Than Enough is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast