Browsing Tag

Soul Pop

Gaby K embodies the nectar of the honeymoon phase in her latest RnB pop single, Everyday

Posted on 31 October 2022

With quirky vocals reminiscent of Kate Nash which simultaneously embrace the roots of RnB, Gaby K’s latest loved-up hit that embodies the nectar of the honeymoon phase is an all too efficacious reminder of how sweet it can be.

Refusing to bow to the trend of hypersexual lyricism, Gaby K versed in the same vein as her icons, Amber Mark, Joy Crookes and Emeli Sande and encompassed the sweet motifs of new-found love in Everyday.

For most, the feelings that transpire when you’re in the idealisation stage of a relationship are unexplainable, but with the help of the playful reverb-wrapped Afropop-Eqsue melodies, Gaby K got to the crux of the intangibility of the energy and emotion.

The Birmingham-born and raised artist who made her debut in 2019 is well on her way to racking up 1 million streams with her singles that always come straight from the soul. Something tells us that the best is yet to come.

Everyday is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gratitude envelopes platonic love in Lizzie Hosking’s latest alt-pop single, Skye

Posted on 29 October 2022

Platonic love may take a backseat on the airwaves for fawning declarations of lust; if anyone can push it to the forefront, it is Lizzie Hosking with her uplifting ballad, Skye which soulfully celebrates the lifelong friendship with the person who has lifted her from every downward trajectory.

After realising that she’d written songs about people that don’t deserve an ounce of her time, Hosking delivered this timeless feat of pop which starts with minimalist ambient production around her soulful vocal timbre before building into an epic outpour of gratitude, soaring electric guitar riffs and all.

Skye, titled after her best friend, is a taste of what is to come on Lizzie Hosking’s upcoming album, which will keep the focus on folky storytelling instead of the punchy upbeat sonic style that she’s become renowned for since making her promising debut in 2020. We wholeheartedly approve of this wholesome move.

Skye was officially released on October 21st. Check it out for yourselves on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kouvaris The Universal Prince affirms his royalty in his pop floor-filler, The Universal Prince

Posted on 25 October 2022

Someone may want to let Ru Paul know that there’s a new world-ruling pop artist on the scene under the moniker  Kouvaris The Universal Prince. The singer-songwriter and composer is fresh from the release of their self-titled album, The Universal Prince, which effervesces with the infectious charisma of Shakira while pushing even further back into pop for the rhythmic influence.

With the blazing dance-worthy beats propping up Kouvaris’ unfalteringly energetic vocal lines in the title single, it is impossible not to be taken in by the fusion of soul, pop, and pulsating electro-synthetics. Since making his debut, Kouvaris has garnered over a million streams and views in addition to gracing platforms such as Fox, CBS and NBS. The airwaves are his domain now. I for one accept our new ruler.

Kouvaris The Universal Prince’s 2022 album is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 14 October 2022
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

Austin’s smoothest folk-pop songwriter Carl Scogland reached the pinaccle of soul in his sun-soaked latest single, You & Me

Posted on 12 October 2022

After spending most of his teenage years in rock bands, Austin-based singer-songwriter, Carl Scogland, has moved into sunnier folk-pop territory. His latest single, You & Me, transcends the usual sounds of Texas to immerse his staunch fanbase of 17k monthly Spotify listeners into a sonically sweet loved-up declaration which pops with reggae nuances within the organically warming soundscape around the playful xylophone textures and funky rhythm section. There’s absolutely no overstating the intensity of the soul in You & Me, which easily matches the affable panache of Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley and Ben Harper.

He’s the kind of artist that could easily give his listeners unrealistic romantic expectations with the saccharine sentiments and even sweeter instrumentals. With his third album, Identity, in the pipeline, set to drop this winter, place him on your playlists to get your quintessential soul fix.

You & Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rachel Burns beat the odds in her theatrical retro-soul track, I Did It

Posted on 30 September 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-833584567/i-did-it/s-6UmFsIbrglA?in=user-833584567/sets/rachel-burns-living-my-breast-life-ep/s-IriEnnKxT4F&si=2c05c690b2fc476f8e1252532534154c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Slip into the retro soul of Rachel Burns’ latest pop single, I Did It, which spins a tale of triumph over trauma and adversity. The journey from surviving to overcoming to thriving is scarcely pretty; the Washington, DC-based singer-songwriter brought a profound amount of grace to the subject matter regardless.

The Gospel-Esque backing vocals take Burns’ soul-awakening vocal timbre to mind-blowingly celestial heights. When she stretches for those stridently high vocal notes, you’ll get a first-hand account of her resilience and the resilience that most of us have to muster to piece ourselves back together.

Inspired by Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, Rachel Burns has exactly what it takes to become a legend in her own right with the theatrical twists to her signature sound, which plays with nuances of blues, country and jazz.

I Did It will officially release on September 30th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ADELINE started a riot of optimism in her vibrant pop track, Like it That Way

Posted on 24 September 2022

Being raised in Tokyo, Geneva, Singapore, Copenhagen, and Montreal notably allowed the French-native pop singer-songwriter ADELINE to exude international appeal. Take her single, Like It That Way, from her debut album of the same name as the perfect example of her universally infectious appeal.

The tropical pop earworm is a riot of optimism, sun-blistered melodicism, folky organic notes and lyrical introspection which proves that ADELINE always verses from her emboldened soul. The future pop production of Like It That Way brings a timelessness to modernity to the genre that is often synonymous with superficiality. But with ADELINE shaking up the scene with her autonomously electric positivity, that may just become a thing of the past.

Like It That Way is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ella Hayes sold soul-pop sanctuary in her debut single, Recovery

Posted on 18 September 2022

Essex soul-pop singer-songwriter Ella Hayes paraded her vanquished skeletons and shared her growing pains in her debut EP, Colour Me In, which follows her through her journey of addiction, awakening and expressive creativity.

The standout single, Recovery, was a means of catharsis for the artist, which she extended to the airwaves as a powerfully inspiring affirmation that addiction doesn’t have to be a life sentence. The pop-rock orchestral layers set the perfect tone for her candour, which leaves few stones unturned around the epiphanous lyrics, which resolvingly prove that sanctuary is always in reach, despite how low your rock bottom feels.

“All my life I’ve been terrorised by the lies my head tells me” is one hell of an opening lyric; one that sets the bar she continually transcends throughout Recovery.

Recovery is now available to stream on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Divina Blackson made the most promising pop debut of the year with her single, Twisted Fantasy

Posted on 7 September 2022

In her debut single, Twisted Fantasy, the artful soul-pop sensation Divina Blackson explored the depraved depths that lust and love can take us to in a completely candid exposition of affectionate insanity. We’ve all been there; if you haven’t, you haven’t lived.

After an intro of dream pop guitars, her sonorous vocal timbre lulls you into a state of transfixion as the compelling lyrical narrative unfurls; evading every trite cliché along the way as it traverses poetic metaphors to make the ultimate first impression.

She is well and truly one in a million; from the very first vocal note in Twisted Fantasy, the emotional weight of the release slams into your psyche. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Twisted Fantasy is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vonsíwel – I Love It: And So Do We

Posted on 5 September 2022

Urban fusionist, Vonsíwel is hotter than a fever dream in his latest single, I Love It, which melds layers of RnB with smoothly evocative pop textures to pay a romantic ode to the object of his all-consuming desire.

The boundary-pushing singer-songwriter may be uniquely wired, but that hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of fans from revelling in the resonance of his modernist spin on RnB.

Honestly, I Love It is enough to give me unrealistic romantic expectations (as if I don’t have those anyway). Although, bravely, Vonsíwel isn’t afraid to explore the lows in life as intrepidly as the highs with his music, which is inspired by the likes of Ne-Yo, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Prince and Michael Jackson.

I Love It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast