Soul
TRACK: Edwin Arzu – ‘Over’: a pristine soul torchsong
IF YOU have a penchant for pristine R’n’B pop songwriting of a very fine order, here’s an upcoming name for you: NYC-born, LA-resident Edwin Arzu. Born and raised in the Bronx to a Honduran single mother, Edwin’s first steps into creativity came through poetry, which evolved into a passion for songwriting as a teen. He …
Track: ALA.NI And Adrian Younge – ‘Lament for Emmett Till’
Memorialising the 65th anniversary of Emmett Till’s death (August 28th), ALA.NI is releasing the Adrian Younge produced single ‘Lament for Emmett Till’. The song is a reimagined version of ALA.NI’s sparse, achingly-beautiful song released earlier this summer on July 28th, the eve of what would have been Emmett Till’s 79th birthday. In ‘Lament for Emmett Till’ …
TRACK: Lizette & Quevin -‘Talk To Me’: another Sunny classic given the finest of rerubs
BIG CROWN. It’s a helluva label, period, is the Brooklyn purveyor of retro excellence to capture yo’ heart. It’s the kinda imprint you could swoon for; don’t believe me? Take a listen to The Shacks’ “Smile Now, Cry Later” over here, and then come back to me. Damn right. The label itself has been conducting …
TRACK: Liam Bailey – ‘White Light’: tough-edged reggae soul on Big Crown
BROOKLYN’S Big Crown, those fine curators of great groove nuggets where’er they unearth them, has just dropped a new single in the shape of “White Light” by British soul-reggae diamond Liam Bailey. It’s the second single he’s dropped for Big Crown, following last year’s deep toasting melodies on “Champion” / “Please Love Me Again” 7″; …
NEWS: Lack of Afro’s ‘I’m Here Now’ out on vinyl: sharp Stax soul and crispest breaks on wax
EXETER’S Adam Gibbons has this absolute mastery of classic soul warmth, production, arrangement, truth, that would give Mark Ronson pause for thought. Don’t believe me? Take a listen to “Wait For Me”, down below – and try to fail to be moved. He’s been quietly working away down in the red sandstones of Devon and …
NEWS: Maverick Sabre releases new EP, ‘You Know How It Feels’
IN A follow-up to his 2019 album When I Wake Up, English-Irish singer, songwriter and rapper Maverick Sabre releases his brand-new, emotive four-track EP You Know How It Feels. Being brought you on FAMM Records, the new EP is a moving body of work that explores sensitive touch points around relationships, neglected youth, politics, the …
SEE: Jorja Smith – ‘By Any Means’: passionate civil rights Britsoul
UK singer-songwriter Jorja Smith has shared the lyric video for a slow, heartfelt tale of empowerment,“By Any Means”, in which she brings her graceful, smokey soul tones to a stripped-back groove that gives her voice – and her message – absolute centre stage. It’s the lead single to be taken from Roc Nation’s upcoming Reprise …
TRACK: The Kondoors – ‘Mr Rain’: classic boy-girl power balladry wants your heart
THE KONDORS is the musical project of Gavin Conder and Jess Greenfield, who were involved romantically long before they were a musical item. Jess has come up through her involvement with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, a gilt-edged name to have on the CV if ever there was; previously she’s worked with artists such as …
TRACK: 79.5 – ‘My Dream’: timeless, crate-diggin’ retro-soul gem
IT’S absolutely fair to say that Big Crown Records, which has been down in the crates bringing you some incredibly fine cuts out of its Brooklyn base for the past four years, is deeply involved in a heartfelt romance with San Antonio, Texas, Chicano soul legends Sonny & The Sunliners. Mind you, a quick listen …
TRACK: Lack of Afro – ‘You Could Do Better’: classy South West soul empowerment
WEST COUNTRY boy Adam Gibbons, better known to the funk and groove cognoscenti as Lack of Afro, has today dropped a new single taken from his sixth studio set, I’m Here Now, a genre-hopping and melding excursion through the musics that make his world, our world: soul, funk, rock, disco, hiphop … The single, “You …