Browsing Tag

neo-soul

Elocin Cole brought contemporary style to classic soul with her artfully aware single, There You Are

Posted on 24 April 2022
https://soundcloud.com/locinole/there-you-are/s-FiOeguaCz2P?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Elocin Cole brought swathes of contemporary style to her classic soul meets RnB single, There You Are, which explores the adage “wherever you go, there you are”. Elocin Cole artfully intellectualised the idiom by running it through a prism of self-awareness and translating it as a signifier that the past will always catch up to you unless you turn and face it.

The single has the capacity to move you emotionally through the honeyed vocals and make you want to move through the drum beats colliding with the sticky-sweet synth lines. We can’t wait to hear what the eloquent soulstress has in the pipeline.

There You Are dropped on April 21st. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: FEAT delivered all of the curatively cathartic soul in his indie RnB single, This Time

Posted on 6 April 2022

‘This Time’ is the latest single released from the Philadelphian alt-RnB artist, FEAT, who has been on a home run with his soul-baring hits since making his debut in 2020.

Some of the tracks that featured on his debut album, For the Lovers Mixtape, have made it onto the OST for the indie film, The Unhinged, and his smooth sonic signature works just as well on the airwaves. Lyrically, this Time explores the very human tendency to stay in toxic dynamics for longer than is healthier while channelling compassion for others in the same situation. Aurally, This Time is a rock and indie guitar-licked distinctive triumph that stands as the ultimate testament to FEAT’s originality. It was a bold move to be so artfully authentic, but it more than paid off in This Time.

Here’s what FEAT had to say on his latest release

“This Time was a song written during a breakup. After numerous attempts to make the relationship work, I was left with disappointment and dissatisfaction and hurt. This song became a way to relieve the undesirable emotions; it was time for me to realize my potential, what I am capable of, and to disconnect from a love that was so very tragic.”

This Time is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 6 April 2022

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

 

MIXED COMPANY have released their bite-worthy RnB debut, SOUL FOOD

Posted on 28 March 2022

The freshly formed duo, MIXED COMPANY, put their own distinctively introspective spin on RnB with their debut single SOUL FOOD.

While the jazzy, hazy, and tonally bright instrumentals bring the soul you’re accustomed to, MIXED COMPANY took a mindful hip hop-ESQUE approach to their lyrics. As the lyrics breeze through their easy and mellow canter in the two-minute earworm, you’ll pick up on the pioneer’s ability to perfectly balance high vibes with wisdom bombs that were constructed to help the listener navigate their way through our torrid times that deprive the soul of its essence. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

SOUL FOOD is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chuck Starr shows us the beauty in unconditional love with ‘Come Back’, taken from his debut LP.

Posted on 26 March 2022
Chuck Starr

Taken from his debut record, Love Math, Chuck Starr’s sweeter than a sugar rush old-school RnB hit, Come Back, definitively hits the spot.

Come Back stridently yet elegantly runs through all of those jarring and disjointing feelings that can be paralysing at the end of a relationship you never wanted to lose. Yet, its nuance lies within its recognition of self-sabotaging behaviour and proving the beauty in unconditional love. Even in the ears of a romantic cynic, Come Back succeeds in stirring the listener’s soul to match the euphoric soulful swells in the high energy performance.

The Columbus, OH born and raised artist cut his vocal teeth in a church choir before moving to New York to peruse his music career. After the release of his debut record, it is easy to see Starr’s career being a luminous one.

Check out Chuck Starr via his official website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shelia Moore-Piper has released her profoundly awakening soul single, Love is a Beautiful Thing

Posted on 21 March 2022

In a time when pure soul is becoming increasingly scarce, affection-stirring serenades, such as Shelia Moore-Piper’s latest single, Love is a Beautiful Thing, resonate even more blissfully.

Instead of fixating on one facet of love Shelia Moore-Piper lyrically caressed the entire context leaving it open to infinite ambiguity in a profoundly awakening way. Love is a Beautiful Thing finds an all too persuasive way to remind the listener that our capacity for love is a major part of the human experience.

While many artists set out with the intention of making the world a better place, the award-winning Christian Soul artist is amongst the few that truly succeed.

Love is a Beautiful Thing is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Michele Thomas lends her gospel neo-soul vocals to easy listening jazz in her single, I Know Because You Told Me So

Posted on 14 March 2022

The jazzy soulstress, Michele Thomas, has recently released her mould-breaking neo-soul single, I Know Because You Told Me So, which may be one of the most narratively-immersive jazz-fusion singles ever released.

The questioning, bold and introspective lyrics come into play once you’re suitably pacified by the mellifluous instrumental grooves. Becoming invested in the narrative that sheds a light on Thomas’ experience in the world is non-optional. Her gospel-Esque chanteuse vocals allow her vibrant and pure-hearted energy to radiate in the single that carries enough ease to fall into the easy-listening category. Yet, thanks to her vocal performance, I Know Because You Told Me So certainly isn’t without its revitalising zeal.

After finding her voice through gospel music, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and educator turned her stylistic grace to the freedom in the improvised nature of jazz. The airwaves are infinitely better for it.

I Know Because You Told Me So is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Samiyyah wonders why they won’t see her for the kind soul that she is on ‘How Much Time Do You Need’

Posted on 13 March 2022

Taken gently off her recent 4-track EP called ‘Insane‘, Samiyyah projects frustration with why her crush keeps her waiting for so long when she is ready for more on, ‘How Much Time Do You Need‘.

Samiyyah is a youthful neo-soul, RnB/pop solo artist who sings with a really peaceful style and will have your head nodding with her exquisite ambience.

With a comforting atmosphere that has so much love and tender care wrapped beautifully inside as she waits for that phone call, Samiyyah performs with sweetly-sung energy that will have you thinking back to when you couldn’t stop thinking about that ideal lover. This is a highly promising musician who is truly herself and sings from the heart as she lifts the lit on those emotions – that she has been hiding away – as he hoped things would have been clearer by now in her path for romance.

‘How Much Time Do You Need‘ from the indie neo-soul/RnB singer-songwriter Samiyyah, sends a message that should be heard loud and clear. This is single that will strike the heart like lightning to so many, who have wished to be with someone who perhaps doesn’t deserve your kindness.

In a world filled with selfish souls who don’t actually care about how you feel, this is a reminder to be so careful with who you let into your heart. Being with that special soul who connects yours kindly to theirs without a sketchy motive, is the only way to avoid wasting time on something that is perhaps not meant to be.

Listen to this new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Lawsvn questions the complexity of affection in her debut RnB single, Have You Ever? 

Posted on 13 March 2022
The Cleveland, Ohio-residing RnB songwriter and soulstress, Lawyvn, has made a feistily unforgettable debut with her single, Have You Ever? 
As the lyrics question the complexity of affection, the beats groove through the mellifluous melodies that are all too easy to connect your rhythmic pulses to as the luminary newcomer makes the most out of her effortlessly rich vocal timbre.
Even though there are some notable hints of 90s RnB in the warm mix, this hit was definitively made for the 21st-century’s airwaves. With the high-quality production and the sheer artistry in the vocal harmonies, Lawsvn is one to watch. She deserves a coveted spot on every RnB fans’ radar.
Have You Ever? Is now available to stream on Spotify. And you can connect with Lawsvn via Instagram.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

The RnB soul singer, Tarnisha Bruce is sensational once more in ‘Keep the Love We Make’

Posted on 6 March 2022

After Tarnisha Bruce wowed us with her alternatively old school take on RnB with her single, Love Therapy, she’s back on soulful form in her seminal ballad, Keep the Love We Make, which finds an impassioned way to pay homage to the beauty in perpetual love.

Scroobius Pip may have said that the idea of unconditional love is simply being in love with the idea of love, but Tarnisha Bruce proves that there’s plenty more to the desire to find a light that will never go out behind someone else’s eyes.

Once again, it’s a stunningly serene release that doesn’t fail to fill you with a flood of warmth from the first jazzy RnB piano progression. As for the lyrics, you’d be hard-pressed to find a sweeter or more sincere proclamation of affection.

Keep the Love We Make is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast