Soul
EP Review: Yaya Bey chronicles heartbreak and self-reflection on ‘The Things I Can’t Take With Me’- out today
An impactful, cradle-to-grave reflection of self, Yaya Bey’s new EP The Things I Can’t Take With Me came together unexpectedly. Bey was set to record her next album when she found herself in the midst of a broken relationship, after which the original project changed direction. Its title refers to her journey of self-reflection, where …
Track: marigolden unveils powerful track and video for ‘Just Like Smoke’, celebrating individualism and empowerment
The sultry, jazzy/soul style of marigolden (Mel O’Neill) is quite unique: with lyrics that half rap and glide with melody and an instrumentation that defies easy labelling. Her new track ‘Just Like Smoke’ is a powerful anthem for personal liberation and ridding ourselves of others’ expectations. marigolden’s voice is golden liquid and her defiance is …
Track: Brainstory -‘Bye Bye’: solid Sixties’ soul grooves from the April Big Crown 7″
BRAINSTORY came firing out of the San Bernadino Valley in California s in 2015 with a six-track, jazzy CD EP entitled A Natural Phantasm; and Big Crown over in Brooklyn properly liked what they heard, saw that it was good; quickly gathered Kevin, Tony, Eric into their welcoming arms. And Big Crown has been their …
Album review: Lake Street Dive delight with ‘Obviously’
HYPOTHETICALLY speaking, we were all waiting for this album to drop. Well, I was at least. Ever since I heard the now-viral acoustic cover of Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back’ on YouTube , I’ve been following Lake Street Dive (along with their side projects, such as Rachael and Vilray) with great admiration. They are …
TRACK: John Paul Keith – ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’: heartbreak with Memphis grace
WITH his new album, The Rhythm Of The City, droppin’ on February 19th on Wild Honey, and with a video for album opener “How Can You Walk Away” with us just under a fortnight ago, John Paul Keith is a busy man right now; but not so busy he can’t seduce you with a classic, …
Track: Anthony Hamilton Makes A Powerful Statement In New Single Mercy (ft Tamika D. Mallory)
Singer, songwriter, producer and actor, Anthony Hamilton makes an important statement with his new single “Mercy” [feat. Tamika D. Mallory] via his own label My Music Box About the song, he comments, “I wrote ‘Mercy’ almost a year ago. I wanted to use my ‘man voice.’ It sounds like a guy who is in an honest and vulnerable—but not weak—stance. Have a moment of mercy …
SEE: The video for the souljazz noir of Madison McFerrin’s ‘Hindsight’
COOL-AS Brooklyn imprint Mexican Summer, which has played host to artists such as Oneohtrix Point Never and Best Coast, has been running a lovely diversion from all the nutsness this year entitled Looking Glass, being an ongoing series of digital singles drops from its fine stable; already during 2020 we’ve had selections from Ariel Pink, …
New Music: The Silhouettes Project – Various Artists
Low slung beats and wistful melodies bring a ray of warm sunlight in times that have cast cold dark shadows over all of us. Lyrics of pure poetry flow, expressing the emotions of a generation finding their way through love, life and the world today. While musically the foundations on the compilation are predominantly Hip …
Track: Greentea Peng – Spells
Rising star Greentea Peng rounds off the year with the release of ‘Spells’, a track first written around the release of her debut EP SENSI and now shared as the perfect send off to 2020. In her own words: “On a lighter note, to end the year I release spells AKA beg friend. Written around SENSI times, I …
Track: Bobby Oroza and Cold Diamond & Mink – Strange Girl
Finish artist Bobby Oroza has teamed up with Timmion Studios house band Cold Diamond and Mink to record a cover of The Shacks tune “Strange Boy” giving it that signature Bobby sound and flipping the title to “Strange Girl” via Big Crown Records Gentle soul from the heart, Strange Girls pairs Oroza’s vocals with softly …