Browsing Tag

RnB Soul

ANGELCONCEPCION is emboldeningly iconic in her RnB Soul instant classic, Like I Was

Posted on 9 March 2023

Here to take to the sting out of retrospective romantic regret is the emboldening RnB icon, ANGELCONCEPCION, with her latest single, Like I Was.

The lyrics may not explicitly verse that deceit and someone degrading you to drag you down to their lowly levels happens to the best of us, but given the elegance and grace of every inch of this elevated instant classic, it’s heavily implied through ANGELCONCEPCION’s heavenly vocal beguile.

Fusing a modernist tonal palette while pulling at the roots of RnB and soul allowed the Philadelphia-residing Filipino artist to reach the crux of the contemporary curve before transcending it through her effortlessly flawless energy. The bluesy guitars shimmering behind the lush reverb is a lesson in aural intoxication. Grab a glass and get your fill.

Like I Was dropped on March 1st; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 2 January 2023

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

Janockeil showed us ‘The Way’ in his latest RnB single and official music video

Posted on 22 November 2022

The up-and-coming RnB artist, Janockeil smoothed out the airwaves with the release of his sensuously fervid single, The Way, which dropped with the official music video that packs in plenty of hot under-the-collar flavour.

The Charleston-born Newark-residing singer-songwriter and musician transcended to the RnB, pop and soul genres after refining his incandescent vocal timbre by singing gospel in church from a young age. But clearly, there was no outgrowing the uplifting style of gospel, which resonates within the passionate vocal performance as Janockeil shows us the way to sated satisfaction through the lyrics that enlighten the soft touch of the contemporary RnB instrumentals.

The Way was officially released on November 4th. Check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

South Australian soul singer, Bree Gregory, has made her sultrily smoky debut with Only You

Posted on 1 July 2022

With a vocal timbre as smoky as the bluesy RnB groove pockets, The South Australian soul singer, Bree Gregory, is the epitome of seductive soul in her debut single, Only You.

Inspired by contemporaries such as Black Pumas and Erika Badhu and the icons of soul, her soulful love letter fuses nostalgic warmth with cutting style while delivering an open invitation to drink in the highs of affectionate intoxication that ebb and swell through the soundscape.

By the time the outro rolls around any sense of pretence or restraint tears away through the intensity of Gregory’s strident vocal dynamism. So yeah, it is one hell of a debut from one exceptionally talented artist. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Only You will officially release on July 1st; you can hear it for yourselves by heading over to 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

Throw away romantic inhibition with Ze-LuJ’s seminal single, Say You Love Him

Posted on 6 October 2021

Contemporary RnB artist, Ze-LuJ’s seminal single, Say You Love Him, is the perfect introduction to his sublimely smooth take on neo-soul. The ease of the minimalist 80s-inspired electronic instrumentals allows the single to groove at a meditative pace while the singer-songwriter croons the lyrics that tempt the listener to throw away romantic inhibition and go all in.

The production may be a little raw and simplistic, but that simply gives the intimacy of the single more space to breathe.

You can check out Say You Love Him, which was released in July 2021, for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

PJ Best gives us a glimpse of beauty with his single, the Sun Through the Trees.

Posted on 14 September 2021

‘The Sun Through the Trees’ is the catharsis breathing latest album from up and coming soul-pop artist PJ Best; his serenading melodies are best enjoyed through the meditatively mellow title single.

Over the soul-steeped electro-pop grooves, his vocals implore you deeper into the tonal bliss of the instrumentals that synergise with his old school RnB style crooned harmonies. His ode to nature which refracts into an exploration of beauty in connection is stunning, to say the least.

PJ Best’s debut album is now available to stream in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dvme The Artist is gonna make us ‘Pack’

Posted on 22 April 2021

Soft, gentle rhyming vocal flow mixes with killer beats and funky guitar parts to tell a story of a breaking relationship and that feeling of ‘should I stay or should I leave’ that surely we’ve all felt from time to time; that’s what Dvme (pronounced ‘Dame’) brings us on new single ‘Pack’, a mellow, laid-back slice of Hip Hop-tinged-R&B (or R&B-tinged-Hip Hop).

It’s chilled, it’s got some bounce, the guitar and sampled female spoken-voice parts add interest, and the poetic lyrics have got some serious groove and flow. It’s a strong, solid track, and it bodes well for Dvme’s new EP, due later this year.

You can hear ‘Pack’ on YouTube. Follow Dvme on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Chadwick Station keep us ‘Coming Back For More’

Posted on 22 April 2021
Chadwick Station

After hitting the coveted Number One spot in the Beach Music Top 40 with their Northern Soul single ‘Cryin’ Ain’t Gonna Win Her Back’, Britain’s Chadwich Station have gone full-on R&B swing-time with new single ‘Coming Back For More’. A lot of Harry Connick Jr, a dash of Jamie Culham, and a certain splash of ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ Robbie Williams’ mixed up with beach music, swing, and jazzy R&B, ‘Coming Back For More’ grooves like it’s just bought its new tuxedo and it’s determined to show it off to you in the absolute best way possible. A dash of neat bourbon, some table tea-lights, and a groove that hangs on the three-beat; the horns swing, the piano adds some sparkle, and the bassline bumps and bounces along nicely underneath. It’s a quality tune, and adds just a little bit of alternative spice to regular R&B swing to keep it fresh and interesting.

You can hear ‘Coming Back For More’ here, and follow Chadwick Station on Facebook or Twitter.

Review by Alex Holmes

Dara Blaxx drops the stunning lead single from her new EP, with ‘Before I Leave’

Posted on 20 April 2021

Dara Blaxx is a 25 year old British Nigerian singer-songwriter who discovered her voice at the tender age of sixteen; and wow, what a voice. Soulful, sultry, and powerfully seductive, Dara has all the smoky, late-night elements of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz rolled up into one beautiful vocal performance. There’s elements of Sade, Joss Stone, and Dina Carroll in the timbre of her lower register, for sure, but also older classics like Etta James, Betty Wright, and Brenda Holloway.

‘Before I Leave’ is a beautifully performed tale of love and loss, and the indecision around staying or leaving; deep trap-soul beats and groove, a real R&B feel, added to the emotional vocal, make ‘Before I Leave’ – from Blaxx’s debut 6-track EP ‘Arrythmia’ – an absolute powerhouse soul track. Already hitting playlists on BBC Music Introducing in the West Midlands and in the Solent, this deserves to be all over daytime radio this summer. It’s beautiful.

You can hear ‘Before I Leave’, and the rest of the “Arrhythmia” EP, on Soundcloud. Follow Dara Blaxx on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes.