R&B
Luther Vandross Seized the Moment and Redefined R&B with Never Too Much: Classic Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-22T17:20:55+00:00“>April 22, 2021 | 1:20pm ET April 20th marked what would’ve been the 70th birthday of the late, great Luther Vandross. To celebrate his memory and musical legacy, we’re holding a giveaway for a one-of-a-kind prize pack, featuring Never Too Much and This Is Christmas on vinyl, plus a special plaque commemorating the icon’s gold and platinum singles. Visit here for more information and a chance to win. And in the meantime, enjoy Rashad Grove’s classic review of Vandross’ game-changing debut, Never Too Much, which will turn 40 later this summer. Nobody aware of his backstory would ever characterize the emerging stardom of Luther Vandross as an overnight success. Va...
Janette King Drops New Song “Cool Me Down” Featuring DijahSB: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-21T15:27:54+00:00“>April 21, 2021 | 11:27am ET Janette King has dropped a new song called “Cool Me Down” featuring DIjahSB. It’s off her upcoming debut album What We Lost, which arrives June 25th via Hot Tramp Records. King is a songwriter and producer based out of Montréal, and she starts off “Cool Me Down” with a famous clip of Eartha Kitt laughing off the idea of compromising for a man. “A man comes into my life and I have to compromise?” she scoffs, as the tinkling, jazzy beat begins to pick up steam. In a statement, King said that the song was about “staying focused on your goals,” explaining, “‘Cool Me Down’ is about staying focused on your goals and not letting anyone...
Flying Lotus Shares Two New Songs from Anime Series Yasuke: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-20T16:07:23+00:00“>April 20, 2021 | 12:07pm ET Today is April 20th, the high holy day, and Flying Lotus is celebrating with a pair of new singles. “Black Gold” featuring Thundercat and “Between Memories” featuring Niki Randa both appear in the Netflix anime series Yasuke, for which FlyLo composed the score. Yasuke is based on the true story of the first Black samurai to serve a warlord in Japan, and stars the voice of Lakieth Stanfield (Atlanta, Knives Out, Judas and the Black Messiah). Flying Lotus did more than write the music; the artist born Steven Ellison consulted on the story with creator LeSean Thomas. “[LeSean] and I talked about being outsi...
Win a Luther Vandross Prize Pack to Celebrate R&B Legend’s 70th Birthday
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T18:19:52+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 2:19pm ET You can never get too much Luther Vandross, which is why we’re celebrating what would have been the R&B legend’s 70th birthday by giving away a sweet prize pack. Born April 20th, 1951, this year would have marked Vandross’ 70th, though he passed away in 2005. To honor the late icon on his platinum birthday, we’re giving away one (1) prize pack featuring Never Too Much and 1995’s This Is Christmas on vinyl, plus a unique commemorative plaque highlighting Vandross’ four RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum singles: “Never Too Much”, “Here and Now”, “Endless Love”, and “Dance with My Father”. Released on August 12th, 1981,...
Tirzah Returns with New Single “Send Me”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T16:43:48+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 12:43pm ET UK songwriter Tirzah has returned with her first new single in three years, “Send Me”. After dropping the I’m Not Dancing and No Romance EPs in 2013 and 2014, respectively, Tirzah unveiled her lauded debut album Devotion in 2018. “Send Me” is a meditation on the period that followed. According to a press statement, the new track is “a subconscious snapshot from across a year when Tirzah was playing live regularly for the first time.” “Send Me” was written and recorded in collaboration with Mica Levi and Coby Sey. It’s built around a simple guitar riff and drums, and this pattern is only varied with an oc...
Miguel Releases Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4 EP: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T04:12:17+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:12am ET Nine years after the original trilogy, Miguel has returned to his Art Dealer Chic series with the Vol. 4 EP. Stream the collection below via Apple Music and Spotify. The R&B singer broke onto the scene with his hit “Adorn” from ADC Vol. 1 back in 2012. That same year he released two other entries in the series, all leading up this his debut full-length Kaleidoscope Dream. In a press statement, Miguel intimated that releasing Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4 is akin to reactivating a moniker that gets to the core of his “truest self:” “I’ve been doing a lot of work to consider and refine my beliefs in the last few years. Inevitably, this bro...
Song of the Week: Indianapolis Hip-Hop Trio 81355 Bury the Past in Hope of a Better Future on “Capstone”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, hip-hop trio 81355 return with the second single off their upcoming, full-length debut. If there’s any initial impression to be gathered from hip-hop trio 81355, comprised of three staples of the Indianapolis music scene (Sirius Blvck, Oreo Jones, and Sedcairn Archives), it’s that great music can come from anywhere. It’s commonplace to see artists emerging from the expected staples — Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville — and, so often, it’s harder to find gems like 81355. This collaborative effort has alre...
oddCouple Share New Song “Reflections” Featuring Jamila Woods: Stream
Chicago producer oddCouple has teamed up with Jamila Woods for a new single called “Reflections”. It’s the title track from his upcoming solo album that’s due out later this spring. Although oddCouple has a pair of respected projects under his own name, the composer is best-known for his production work with other Chi-town figures like Chance The Rapper, Noname, Joey Purp, Saba, and many others. However, some of his most esteemed credits are for his work on Woods’ albums; he executive-produced her 2016 debut HEAVN and also contributed heavily to her 2019 follow-up Legacy! Legacy!. In a press release for “Reflections”, oddCouple dubbed the R&B champion “my most trusted collaborator”, so it’s fitting that he’d enlist her to help introduce this new chapter in his career. The DJ’...
Don Lifted Shares New Single “Lost in Orion”: Stream
Memphis artist Don Lifted has signed to Fat Possum Records and shared a new single called “Lost in Orion”. It’s his first new music since 2019, and it’s a fascinating blend of genres that feels both fresh and familiar. As Don Lifted, songwriter born Lawrence Matthews has been putting out music since 2013. According to his Bandcamp, he dropped three volumes of The December LP series within a one-year-period, and then he followed those with two other albums that are currently on streaming services, 2016’s Alero and 2018’s Contour. Although the former of those two albums predated Frank Ocean’s 2016 opus by a month, Matthews is planted firmly within the Blond(e) school of music. Contour and the handful of singles he released that same year meld together ...
Jamila Woods Teams Up with Peter CottonTale on “Breathe My Name” for Moog’s Explorations in Analog Synthesis EP: Stream
Peter CottonTale and Jamila Woods have teamed up on “Breathe My Name”, a new song from Moog Music’s freshly released EP, Explorations in Analog Synthesis. Stream the full project below. As with every other song on the 7-track EP, “Breathe My Name” was built around instruments and accessories included in the synthesizer company’s new Moog Sound Studio package. Accordingly, the beat combines R&B and ethereal synth-pop as Woods sings lyrics like, “It’s all on me, blessed burden/ You fall on knees, who you saving/ You know my name/ You don’t know my face.” Explorations in Analog Synthesis also features songs by Bonobo, Julianna Barwick, Dan Deacon, Madame Gandhi, Martial Canterel, and Ela Minus. Moog Sound Studio is marketed as a complete synthesizer package and features two variants, Moth...
Miguel Announces New EP Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4
Miguel has announced a new EP, Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4, out April 9th via ByStorm/RCA. News of the upcoming project accompanies the arrival of the first three volumes of Art Dealer Chic on streaming platforms for the first time since the EPs were first released in 2012. “I’ve been doing a lot of work to consider and refine my beliefs in the last few years,” the R&B singer said in a statement. “Inevitably, this brought me back to Art Dealer Chic as ADC is more or less an moniker for active mindset curation; choosing the thoughts, emotions, and actions that reflect my truest self instead of letting what I’ve experienced or what is expected of me dictate my choices.” He added, “As a basic operating system this mentality has made a profound impact on my life and I want to continue to share ...
Jackie Venson Teams Up with The Vapor Caves on New Song “Dreams”: Stream
Ever since Jackie Venson caught our attention with a mesmerizing performance at Austin City Limits a few years ago, we’ve been keeping our eyes on the Texas-based guitar virtuoso. Today, she’s back lending her skills to “Dreams”, a new funk-pop song by The Vapor Caves that exemplifies her singular talent well. Stream it below. “Working with Jackie Venson on ‘Dreams’ was such a cool experience,” the band wrote on Instagram earlier today. “We knew she would add something special, but the session flowed so naturally and led to the magic that this tune is today. Jackie drops the hammer with an epic solo that only she could play.” “Dreams” is a vibrant burst of retro funk-pop and melodramatic R&B. That seems to be the speciality of The Vapor Caves, but the fellow Texas-based duo wisely...
