Tag: r&b

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Quinton Barnes – Switch

Quinton Barnes is just absolutely fucking brilliant. Not only did he put out one of our favourite albums of the year with Aarupa, he recently announced a new LP As A Motherfucker which will be landing in January to buoy us all when we’re skint and miserable after one of the weirdest festive periods of our lives. What a dude. Switch is stripped-back but punchy as hell replete with eerie pads and crisp drums, and further reinforces the fact that he’s a thoughtful, outrageously talented artist surely destined for greatness.

https://quintonbarnes.bandcamp.com

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HIRA – Eclipses

HIRA is one of the artists that has come up through Jai Paul and A. K. Paul’s Paul Institute, something that will come as no surprise to anyone who listened to Eclipses: an achingly chill R&B cut that bears a striking resemblance to much of the Pauls’ respective bodies of work. Sparse and downbeat with fleeting shimmers of guitar and occasional drums providing a skeletal backing for HIRA’s gorgeous falsetto, Eclipses is so confident in its own ability to beguile it barely needs to bother trying.

https://www.instagram.com/hira.world

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Tinache – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Argument 1:

It’s not even December yet. Christmas songs of any kind should get in the bin for another few weeks at least, ideally indefinitely.

Argument 2:

Tinache just released a Christmas album packed full of stone-cold bangers, so stop being so miserable, crack open the Baileys and embrace the festive ridiculousness.

https://www.instagram.com/tinashenow

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Amaarae – 3AM

It’s been a long old time since I was still up and about at 3AM , but I think I remember it: usually drunk passed wasted and towards a kinda weird sobriety, vaguely thinking about what I have to do the next day, surreptitiously checking to see just how ridiculous the surge prices are at the moment. And while I may be showing my age with a lot of this, and there have been moments I’ve been having the absolute time of my life at 3AM in an ohmygodIcan’tfuckingbelievehowgoodthistuneis way, I definitely don’t remember it being as chill or sexy a time as Amaarae is making it out to be. Maybe I need to get up and wander round the grainily-lit, deserted streets, or be trying to seduce someone (LOL!), but either way, this record is lush and I love it.

http://amaaraemusic.com

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Kimani – Bad News

Emotional R&B for you today courtesy of UK artist Kimani. Bad News is slick and syrupy in the best possible way, and vocally reminds me of DVSN’s Daniel Daley: delicate, heartfelt and seemingly constantly on the verge of breaking down into tears. Backed up by understated background melodies and muted percussion, it’s a real, lovelorn treat of a record.

https://soundcloud.com/kimani_morgan

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Shadi G – Goddess pt. 1

Shadi G is a classically trained Swedish songwriter, producer and singer who’s latest single Goddess pt. 1 sits somewhere between contemporary r&b and electro pop. The production is simple but extremely effective, with muted drums and hushed snares providing the perfect bed for her wonderful vocals, which remind me of NAO at times and Empress Of at others.

https://www.shadi-g.com/

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Biig Piig – Oh No

This is taken from Biig Piig’s latest EP Oh No / Liahr and is inspired by the fact that Jess Smyth often felt like her room was where she found the most solace: the place she’d retreat to if things got a bit too much. “When I get paranoid or anxious or upset, hiding away felt like the easiest thing to do. Which is mad, because then quarantine happened and that literally was the safest place to be.” It’s definitely a lot more reflective and downbeat than a lot of her breezy hip-hop tracks, but no less engaging, with Smyth creating an atmosphere that moves from the claustrophobia of the verses to the expansive redemption of the chorus.

https://www.instagram.com/biig_piig

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Gabrielle Current – Plenty

Gabrielle Current new single marks a bit of a departure from her previous glossy pop, and channels 90s R&B aesthetics to very enjoyable effect. Both the vocal and production are hazy and understated, gently rolling along without vying for your attention and creating a quietly beguiling, nostalgic atmosphere as a result.

https://gabcurrent.com

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Omar Apollo – Hey Boy feat. Kali Uchis

Clocking in at under two minutes there’s not an awful not to Hey Boy, but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in sultry smoothness, with both Apollo and Kali Uchis delivering their short verses in tones that can only be described as sexy AF. Hey Boy arrives at around the halfway point of Apollo’s excellent new album Apolonio and is a masterclass in modern soul-inflected R&B.

https://omarapollo.com

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Erika de Casier – No Butterflies, No Nothing

Erika de Casier’s 2019 album Essentials was hands down one the best LP’s of last year, and came – at least for me – completely out of the blue: fully formed, unique, brilliant. Newly signed to 4AD, No Butterflies, No Nothing is her first new music since then, and is a bit of a departure from her previous work. Where Essentials was light and buoyant – naive almost in its simplicity – the production on No Butterflies… is much darker and more complex, reminiscent of something like Kelela’s Frontline. Still great, just in a different, slightly more intimidating way.

https://www.instagram.com/erikadecasier