Browsing Tag

RnB Jazz

Harmony Serenaded Hope in Camille Rose’s Jazz Pop Installation of Optimism, Be Alright

Camille Rose’s recently released EP, Be Alright, is a sojourn of warmth in the murky waters of early adult life. The title track encapsulates a journey of inner reflection, set against a backdrop of jazz-pop reverence. As Rose navigates through themes of self-development, her soulful voice serves as a comforting guide through the turbulent tides of coming to age in an imperfect world.

Released on the 18th of April 2024, the three-track EP is a blend of introspective lyricism and lush musical arrangements, kicking off with the title single which sees the sax elevating the listening experience with its vibrant and cinematic presence that pierces the soul with serotonin and pull listeners into the very core of the music’s optimistic spirit.

The title single weaves together the complexities of life’s challenges with a narrative that reassures us, in Rose’s tender timbre, that everything will “be alright”, which becomes a soulful reprise throughout the release, which follows the high bars set by previous releases which showcase Rose’s growth as an artist who not only understands her musical roots but also knows how to enthral her audience. Her ability to blend jazz, soul, and R&B into a sonic experience that resonates with authenticity and emotional depth is a testament to her evolving, and increasingly honed artistry.

In essence, Be Alright is a therapy session wrapped in melody and harmony, promising solace and a sunny-side-up disposition for anyone needing a moment of musical catharsis.

Be Alright is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jess Fuller lent her jazzy RnB etherealism to soulful realism in her post-breakup redemption arc, My Enemy

Jess Fuller’s seminal single, My Enemy, taken from her debut EP, Alchemy, unravels as a mesmerising blend of jazzy R&B grooves and soul-aching poetry. It’s a luxurious auditory journey, guided by Fuller’s smoky vocal timbre, her masterful command of the keyboard, and the equally as sharp command she holds over her audience as she keeps them captive to her luxe aura.

Fuller, a Los Angeles-based maestro of melody draws inspiration from eclectic influences like Hiatus Kaiyote and Stevie Wonder before crafting soundscapes that are as dreamy as they are grounded in soulful realism. The Jess Fuller Trio, with its rhythmic versatility, adds layers of depth to the track, making it resonate with anyone who’s ever navigated the turbulent waters of love and loss.

My Enemy delves into the complexities of affection turning into affliction. Fuller’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of the post-breakup journey. From the ashes of a relationship marred by control and power play to the triumphant stride into newfound independence and regained strength. The production is a cinematic masterpiece, directed by dreamy vox and catchy melodies. Yet, it is the fatalistic shots fired towards the protagonists who need to deplete your power to hold any of their own over you that become the defining feature of this scintillating redemption arc.

Stream the Alchemy EP by Jess Fuller in full via 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

Raelle transformed grief into grace in her orchestral RnB Jazz Fusion, Cruel Nostalgia

Following her phenomenally successful single Grace, the London-based breakthrough artist and producer Raelle is here with a gleaming fusion of jazz and orchestral RnB, Cruel Nostalgia.

After losing a close friend to suicide at the start of the year, Raelle was locked in a spiral of grief, where nostalgia was the only comfort and reprieve. Anyone who has ever suffered loss will know how impossible it is to envision anything but the wrenching depression that alienates you from everyone else that carries on in their on-kilter world.

Without the context, Cruel Nostalgia is a stunning score of soul, complete with cinematic flourishes which embrace the fleeting beauty of the bitter world through the live orchestral arrangements and acid-style percussion. In context, it radiates even more beguile by resonating as a sonic redemption story and definitive proof that even if you have to look to the innocence of youth to feel joy, it is still there for the taking.

Cruel Nostalgia will be available to stream from December 2nd. Check out the sensuous single via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JEF P – Pull Up: An Ardently Intoxicating Jazz Infusion

If you think that the artwork to JEF P’s single Pull Up is archaic, just wait until you hear the ardently intoxicating levels of old-school soul in the RnB track.

Pull Up resonates as more than music, you can tell that the Washington-based artist’s audiophilic tendencies heavily influenced the soundscape, but there’s sticky-sweet meta poetry breathing through the melodic verses which swing in perfect tempo with the Jazz-laden instrumentals.

I don’t bound the term ‘masterful’ around lightly, but with Pull Up, it’s impossible to find a more apt adjective for the dreamy, hazy, contemporary vibes.

Pull Up is available to stream via all major platforms through this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Koreyography – Misguided Love featuring Adrian Crutchfield

Jazz, Swing, and Neo-Classical may be commonly regarded as fairly archaic genres, yet, Koreyography’s latest single Misguided Love featuring Adrian Crutchfield on sax which makes inventive use of all three is easily one of the most captivatingly vibrant tracks we’ve heard this year.

It’s an explosively effervescent medley of tone, style, and culture which may be lyrically light, but the smoothly animated melodies provide all of the visceral upraising emotion and soul you could possibly ask for. The soundscape is so colourful it’s practically carnivalesque.

The sheer talent in from Koreyography on keys and  Adrian Crutchfield on sax is one thing, the amount of soul which pours out is quite another.

You can check out the official video to Koreyography’s single Misguided Love which premiered on February 29th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wade C. Long – Norm’s Place: Arcanely Constructed Alt Jazz

https://soundcloud.com/wade-long/norms-place

Up and coming LA artist Wade C. Long’s mesmeric blend of RnB, Jazz, House, and Gospel has made him one of the most distinctive artists we’ve heard in quite some time.

Their recently released single “Norm’s Place” is arcanely stunning. Yet rather than just offering a pleasant aural delight to lose yourself within, you’ll be hooked into each progression as you come to appreciate the ingenuity of Wade C. Long’s improvisational style. He found the perfect balance between chaos and catharsis in Norm’s Place. Dare I say David Lynch wouldn’t be able to orchestrate a soundscape as mind-melting as this?

With the usual time signatures safely out of the window, the jarring stabbing notes cut through the concordance of the lucid instrumental harmonies and efficaciously invite you into an aurally altered state.

You can check out Wade C. Long’s single for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast