Tag: r&b

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Music

Steve Lacy – Cody Freestyle

Steve Lacy’s name looms large in my consciousness, without me knowing very much about him at all. He’s someone I feel I would really be into if I paid proper attention, and yet his last album completely passed me by, to the extent that I wasn’t really sure what to expect from his new LP Gemini Rights, but was pretty sure I would get something out of it. And I did! Especially the tracks Mercury – which was released as a single last month – and Cody Freestyle, which is big and melodramatic and brilliant.

https://www.instagram.com/steve.lacy

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Brent Faiyaz – ROLE MODEL

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 20: Brent Faiyaz attends a celebration of the Lola bag, hosted by Burberry & Riccardo Tisci on April 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Burberry)

Brent Faiyaz’s sprawling new album WASTELAND came out today, and there’s a lot to digest, including features from an impressive range of artists – Drake, Tyler, The Creator, Alicia Keys etc – and a skit-driven narrative (remember skits?) about a cheating Chris/Brent that ends in about as bleak a fashion as possible. But arguably some of its finest moments are when the attention is squarely on Faiyaz, like ROLE MODEL, which places his extraordinary voice front and centre and cuts right to the emotional core of what he’s about as an artist.

https://www.instagram.com/brentfaiyaz

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070 Shake – Purple Walls

Despite 070 Shake’s Modus Vivendi being my very favourite album of 2020, the fact that she released the follow up, You Can’t Kill Me, last week completely passed me by. You would have thought that sitting in front of a computer and hunting for new music for hours every single day would prevent this kind of glaring oversight, but apparently not. Anyway, it’s here, and it’s fucking great. I could have picked any one of at least half a dozen tracks to highlight, but let’s go for Purple Walls as it has that perfect balance of crushingly hard production and plaintive vocals. Peerlessly brilliant, as ever.

https://www.instagram.com/070shake

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George Riley, Vegyn – Jealousy

Smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooth vibes for Friday fulfilment.

https://plz.ffm.to/jealousy

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Music

bloodcat – summer rain (prod. geloガザ)

Dark, Joji-adjacent r&b vibes on the latest single from US artist bloodcat, with geloガザ on production duties blending a plaintive piano line with crisp, trappy beats and bloodcat’s warped vocal, with satisfyingly nihilistic results.

https://soundcloud.com/bloodcatbloodcat

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Music

Yayoyanoh – One 4 Me

One 4 Me is the first track on Yayoyanoh’s self-titled debut album, commencing 30 or so minutes of some of the silkiest, most atmospheric R&B I’ve heard for some time. Laid back flows and reverb abound, so if you’re into that kind of vibe you’re in for a treat.

https://soundcloud.com/yayoyanoh

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Mariah The Scientist – Church

Mariah The Scientist’s brilliant album RY RY WOLRD was criminally overlooked in every end of year list in 2021 – the ones I read at least – which is a real shame, especially as most publications seemed to have a soft spot for other, lesser contemporary R&B offerings (I’m looking at you Heaux Tales!) Anyway, she’s now back with a new EP Buckles Laboratories Presents: The Intermission that opens with this vintage cut. I hope her lack of plaudits is grating on her less than it is on me.

https://www.instagram.com/mariahthescientist

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Lady Wray – I Do

Lady Wray released her long-awaited album Piece Of Me last week, and thankfully it’s a banger, the only drawback being that if you’ve kept up with the run of singles over the last couple of years, you’ve already heard half of it, including a lot of the best tracks. There’s still some previously unreleased gold in there though like opener I Do, and if you’re completely new to her music you’re in for an intensely soulful treat.

https://ladywray.bandcamp.com/album/piece-of-me

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Ehiorobo – Maker

I’ve listened to Ehiorobo’s album Joltjacket a few times since it came out in December, and it’s really a very impressive and incredibly creative body of work. At times it cane be a big jarring: like he’s trying to cram just a few too many disparate ideas, rhythms and textures into too narrow a space, but you can’t argue with the level of artistry on show. He’s managed to carve a pretty peerless space for himself: his music reminds me a little of Choker – but even more freewheeling. Maker is the final track, and a clear highlight from an album that definitely deserves more attention than it’s received so far.

https://daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the-day/ehiorobo-joltjacket-review

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Music

Tierra Whack – Sorry

“It’s Whack History Month. Any month I’m dropping back-to-back, it’s Whack History Month, so that’s what we’re doing,” So says Tierra Whack, who today released her third EP in as many weeks, following up previous drops Rap? and Pop? with R&B? – a three track which concludes with this spellbindingly sorrowful gem directly out of the Drake manual of reflective morosity.

https://twitter.com/TierraWhack