Browsing Tag

Old School RnB

Dupree and Niche Redefined Old-School R&B with ‘Wait’

Posted on 20 March 2025

Dupree and Niche brought R&B right back to its golden era with Wait, exploring uncharted paths towards the sanctity of nostalgia. The dual-layered harmonies effortlessly synergise, spilling arcane chemistry into the dreamy atmosphere, while the luxe, kaleidoscopic haze of the production leaves inklings of modernism lingering in the mix. When the rap verses land, hip-hop’s timeless conviction takes hold, broadsiding you with impassioned bars that breathe new life into the track. If you know that loving means being prepared to wait, Wait is the ultimate love story you’ll want to lock into.

Dupree has never been one to stand still. As a singer, actor, dancer, and host, he is dedicated to disrupting reality through entertainment that transcends the mundane. Raised between the close-knit South Chicago suburbs and the vibrant pulse of the inner city, he embodies a deeply embedded hustler’s mentality and a strong connection to Black culture and identity. Music has always been his anchor—his mother encouraged him to join the church choir at six, where he first found his voice. From there, he took every chance to perform, whether in school plays or community productions, shaping an artistry influenced by Aaliyah, Beyoncé, and Usher.

Fusing R&B with House, Urban Pop, and Neo Soul, Dupree channels authenticity as though it’s as natural as breathing. With Wait making waves globally, he’s setting the stage for a fresh run of R&B singles and his debut EP; you will want him on your radar sooner or later.

Wait is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

jfons Ignited the Flames of Devotion in His RnB Earworm, ‘You Got Me Baby’

Posted on 19 March 2025

jfons dials up the heat and the heart in his seminal RnB and hip-hop-fused single, You Got Me Baby. With over 65k SoundCloud streams, the Atlanta-based emissary of scintillation, soul, and seraphically nostalgic melodies proves why his sound is a siren call to anyone craving raw passion wrapped in funk-filtered grooves.

Every note spills with firebrand romanticism, fusing old-school soul with modern sensuality. The bassline struts with intention, the beat hits with precision, and his velvety vocal runs lock onto the listener like a magnetic force. It’s a love song that doesn’t just simmer—it sizzles, throwing embers into an era where commitment is often cast aside.

You Got Me Baby serves as an impassioned ode to devotion, flipping the script on the nonchalant, lust-fuelled anthems that dominate the airwaves. jfons goes all in, letting the weight of unconditional love lift the track beyond the ordinary. Every groove, every falsetto-wrapped lyric, testifies to the sanctity of knowing someone has you, mind, body and soul.

You Got Me Baby is available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aric B. Sinks into the Shadows of Lost Love with ‘ALWAYS U’

Posted on 27 February 2025

There’s no rough to take with the smooth in this hazy dream of an old-school soul serenade. ‘ALWAYS U’, taken from Aric B.’s hotly anticipated LP, THINGS NEVER SAID, is a love song unafraid of its own vulnerability. Mellifluous layers of nostalgia meld around the teasing tempo of the beats, while reverb-soaked synths spill into every corner of the track, enveloping Aric B.’s voice in an atmosphere thick with longing and regret.

Unlike the polished bravado often found in R&B heartbreak anthems, Aric B. doesn’t play the victim here. He paints himself as a less-than-perfect protagonist, taking full accountability for the love that slipped away. That candid honesty makes every lyric cut deeper as he mourns the one that got away with no ego left to shield him. As the track swells towards its multi-layered harmonic crescendo, Aric B. broadens his vocal range with a skill that reflects the depth of his talent.

The Decatur-born singer, songwriter, and producer has been shaping his sound since childhood, influenced by gospel roots and an extensive career spanning jazz, pop, and soul. From singing at Fenway Park to collaborating with Grammy-winning producers behind icons like Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, Aric B. has spent years refining his voice—both literally and artistically. ALWAYS U is proof that he’s arrived at a sound that is unmistakably his own.

The single is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Let your body and soul talk with ANYAH’s latest RnB single, Last Night

Posted on 19 November 2023

ANYAH’s latest single, Last Night, is a testament to her ability when it comes to redefining the RnB genre with her sultry, multi-layered style that effortlessly intertwines the smooth, nostalgic vibes of old-school RnB with a vibrant Latino pop flair. Her Fil-Am heritage brings an intoxicating diversity to the track which echoes the soulful depths of Aaliyah, the raw emotion of Ashanti, and the rhythmic prowess of Janet Jackson, and transcends mere mimicry.

Educated in the performing arts, the singer-songwriter’s academic prowess shines through in her meticulous craft. Her multilingual vocal ability, spanning German, Italian, French, and Russian, adds a cosmopolitan monocultural mould-smashing sheen to her music, which goes a fair way in enhancing the emotional resonance and appeal of her work. Her background in dance manifests in the rhythmic pulse of Last Night, which guides the listener’s body and heart through a smooth narrative.

The single’s outro is a clever subversion, revealing the entire emotional journey the single took you on to be a voicemail, a twist that lingers in the mind long after the song ends. It is safe to say ANYAH is painting herself as one of the most promising artists in Orlando’s music scene, not just through her music but through her impressive and well-rounded artistry that promises even more depth and surprises in the future.

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

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

cp howes plays the ‘Situational Worldwide Blues’

Posted on 27 February 2021

Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, cp howes, lyrically captured the monotony of a lockdown lifestyle while freeing us from it with his liberatingly soulful infusion of Blues, RnB and Gospel in their latest single ‘Situational Worldwide Blues’.

‘situational worldwide blues’ sounds like it should be a paradox, the clever juxtaposition drives home the devastatingly unifying reality of our lives while refusing the listener to be saddened by it. The honkytonk piano, shimmering organ wails and the unique acoustics of a cigar-box-6-string guitar ensure that nothing but good vibes are transmitted on the airwaves through Situational Worldwide Blues.

You can check out cp howes’ latest single here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get lost in Byron Freeman’s RnB labyrinth of conflicted emotion offered through their latest single ‘Maze’

Posted on 17 December 2020

‘Maze’ is the latest single to be released by NJ-based artist Byron Freeman which paints a poignant picture of the complexity of the human experience. Conflict runs through the lyrics which are delivered with unadulterated soul so that the listener’s inner conflict can find resolution and validation.

Smooth reverb-soaked Trappy beats trickle away under Byron Freeman’s absorbing vocals which pull you into the tender compassion from the first vocal note. With plenty of space in the verses, there is plenty of room for reflection as Byron Freeman’s evocative soul-deep wisdom meets your own consciousness.

You can check out Byron Freeman’s single Maze for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Damian Eskridge – “Somebody Else”: Soulful West-Coast R&B

Posted on 21 August 2020

Damien ‘the artist formally known as Prmise’ Eskridge’s soulful take on West-Coast R&B in Somebody Else tells the story of a lyin’ and cheatin’ behind-closed-doors affair – “You can be my mistress, baby/ I can be your Mister”. It’s got some groove and melody behind the unapologetically sexual lyrics, the low-down sultry vocals of collaborator Nijahe (“I can say I’m at the movies/you can say you’re at the mall”) adding grit and grind counterpoint to Eskridge’s more silky-smooth delivery.

There’s plenty of space in the track, a little high-end boost giving clarity to the vocals, T-Pain style, between some nice minimalist 808-style hi-hats and handclaps, and yeah, it’s chilled and laid-back, dirty and seductive all at once; pretty much perfect old-school R&B.

You can hear ‘Somebody Else” here.

Review by Alex Holmes