With the disorder and mixed emotions that so many black men and women are experiencing globally, LORELLE HOWARD‘s alt afterhours single, ‘Easy’ is a track that offers a bit of uncomplicated listening.
The accompanied video features a collage of love scenes from black classic films like Poetic Justice, Coming to America and Love and Basketball, which works perfectly in unison with the song’s intimate vibes.
Add some love into your hump day and hit play on the video for ‘Easy’.
Danish/London based artist MARIE DAHLSTORM‘s single ‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’, featuring South London soul singer James Vickery, is one stunning soulful slow-burner. Pairing soft synth lines with a groove-laden rhythm section, ‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’ tells a story of desire.
Speaking on the collaboration, Marie said: “I’ve been a fan of James’ voice for a while. James and I had a session at mine, and this song just came about so naturally, we just started humming melodies over the chord progression and not long into the session we had the line ‘I don’t wanna wake up’. I produced this song myself and I remember leaving the production for a while before actually committing to finishing it and that’s when I got my friend Liam Joseph to jump on some bass and Qmillion to get involved for the mixing.”
Brought up on some of soul and R&B’s greats; recalling the likes of Edwyn Collins, Womack & Womack and Gloria Gaynor being on regular rotation in her family home in Roskilde, Dahlstrom also cites the discoveries of Dwele, Musiq Soulchild, SWV, Dire Straits, Lucy Pearl, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin and Fleetwood Mac in her teenage years as key points of inspiration in her musical upbringing.
‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’ is taken from the BBC 1Xtra-backed songstress’ debut album, ‘Like Sand’, out now via JFH Records. Smooth out your hump day and wrap your ears around this stunning track below…
Following the release of her silky smooth single “Indulge”, South East London’s LAOLU returns with another R&B sensual cut, ‘Show & Prove’, where she questions the sincerity of her partner’s declarations of love.
Laolu explains: “‘Show & Prove’ is about feeling uncertain when someone wants to take things to the next step. You’ve heard that they’re a bit of a player and now you’re like’ why should I trust that you’re really all about me – you need to show me with your actions to prove that you’re serious about being all in’”.
Have a listen to ‘Show & Prove’ below…
I’ve always known NICKI KNIGHTZ to be that rapper who fiercely take on the boldest of the boldest arrangements with her no nonsense flow, but her latest EP, ‘For The Uninformed’, has caught me off guard. With the exception of the drum bass heavy/Congolese guitar sample, ‘Blacker the Berry,’ which pays homage to her father’s work ethic, the EP shows a soft and perhaps a more vulnerable side to the Hackney native.
The three-track set sees Nicki focusing on the neglected identity issues of being biracial, eliminating any glamorized images of being a light skinned person. In second effort, ‘India Arie’, Nicki gives a vivid account of the problems her parents faced when contending with her hair, over a warped soulful/jazz instrumentation. An old-school soulful drive makes its presence known and runs sombrely throughout concluding track, ‘1964 Howlett Drive’, serving as the perfect backdrop for Nicki’s uncharacteristically emotive delivery, which gives an insight of her experiencing her mother’s culture and its heartbreakingly stark contrast to their life in the innercity area.
A complete 180 to her sonically boisterous 2018 debut EP ‘Hate’, ‘For The Uninformed’ takes on a more minimalist theme, allowing the uninformed to really soak up and resonate with the experience of her childhood.
Have a listen to ‘For The Uninformed’ below…
Must Listen: India Arie
Following the successful release of ‘Loyalty’ which was championed on Reprezent radio by Remi Burgz British rising star, record producer & sound engineer SOULS returns with the release of his new single ‘Tears In The South’ the second single off of his forthcoming EP ‘Phoenix 92’, out now.
Crafted in collaboration with Jupiter wave ‘Tears In The South’ combines melodic synths, trap-fuelled beats, soothing tone and witty lyricism. Encouraging listeners to get more acquainted with him as he shares his testimony of perseverance, whilst offering a unique perspective on his life introspectively. Complimentary to current affairs, the track unveils a solution to how a young black man who feels like the odds are against him can change his destiny & become a pioneer in his chosen field.
Speaking on the inspiration behind his new single Souls says “It is a motivator for the listener to know that wherever in life they may be & how ever many times they may fall, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Get motivated and check out ‘Tears In The South’ below…
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