Album Review: Cabernet Sauvignon – Samurai Champs

When I hit the play button on SAMURAI CHAMPS‘ latest album, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ I was expecting a trail of some trip-hop beats accompanied by a menacing b-line, a tone set by the introductory track, ‘Let Me Be Sad’.

But I stand corrected and I was pleasantly taken back as down-tempo vibe was then intertwined with different variations of chilled-out soul and R&B, topped off by a spine-tinging duet of alluring vocals and a relax flow that sometimes flares up with excitement. ‘Poseidon’ possess a vintage haziness of soul/R&B, that’s can be reminiscent of Tom Misch or perphas, Marc Ayres.

Tracks ‘Bae’ and ‘Still Mine’ contributes a lick of modern afterhours R&B which intensify the spine tingling sensation of the set. After a short run of the downtempo trip-hop pieces, the album concludes with title track, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, another heart melting trip-hop/afterhours number which best shows the vocal/rap duet.

With great balance between the bold and the delicate SAMURAI CHAMPS have made a massive splash with their debut collection; their efforts definitely won’t be drowned out from the rap game.

Check them out below:

Must Listens: Let Me Be Sad, Bae, Still Mine, Cabernet Sauvignon

New Music Video: Made For Love – Lukey Storey (ft. Stac)

North West Londoner LUKEY STOREY has come through with a new music video for latest single ‘Made For Love’, a tropical ode to moving your way through conflicted relationships and romantic fixation.

Launching himself into the scene as a solo artist in early 2018, Lukey hit the ground running, dropping playful and thought-provoking singles, making it clear from the offset he’s not afraid to delve into the cynicism and realism of life. With his debut single ‘What It’s Like’ picking up critical acclaim, his matter-of-fact lyrics and icy humour was delivered with, as described by The Line Of Best Fit “elegance and charm over a timeless hip-hop beat” – this being a continuing theme throughout Storey’s songs. Lukey boldly uses his own issues with mental health, disclosing his troubles with addiction and ADHD, to mould his creative process and signify something that goes deeper than just the music. From previous drops such as ‘What It’s Like’ and ‘Fuck Everyone’ as well as tracks throughout his debut EP ‘I’m As Shocked As You Are’ released earlier this year, it’s clear Lukey doesn’t hold back speaking openly about his demons.

This new single is no different, Storey states “it’s a song from 2 perspectives. For me, it’s a conflicted love song about taking a relationship for granted, denying to myself how I have felt and then honouring its meaning. It’s about dealing with obsession”. Calling upon talented East London vocalist STAC for chorus duties, ‘Made For Love’ deals with these issues against smooth, tropical instrumentals with hints of contemporary reggae.

His previous drops set the bar high for what’s to come next and now Lukey confidently (at no one’s surprise) continues his steady trajectory to stardom in the run up to his second EP ‘Heartwork’ – another sincere body of work making light of issues in love, trauma and realism.

Watch for video for ‘Made For Love’ below:

Song of the Day: Cherry Chapstick – Olivia Nelson

OLIVIA NELSON shares her latest single ‘Cherry Chapstick’, taken from her forthcoming ‘Back To You’ EP, set for release this August.

With an already-established knack for narrative lyricism, the singer’s latest single tells the story of two people meeting at a party. “It’s about that moment when you can feel love blossoming,” she explains.

‘Cherry Chapstick’ follows ‘No Answer’ as the second track to be taken from her forthcoming ‘Back To You’ EP, a collection which showcases Olivia’s unique blend of her formative motown and contemporary soul influences with future-facing production and modern twists.

Since the release of Olivia’s debut, she’s gathered a swell of support across the UK media including champions at Radio 1 and 1xtra, and press including Notion, Push, BEAT and Complex where she was tipped as a rising star to watch for 2019. Her earliest recordings stand tall with streaming figures in their millions and her captivating live show solidifies her status as one of British R&B’s most exciting new talents.

Listen to ‘Cherry Chapstick’ below:

Song of the Day: Dangerous – Matt Blvck

Hailed as one of UK’s next R&B break-out star, MATT BLVCK ends the week on a smooth note with his afterhours single, ‘Dangerous’, the second hot R&B joint to appear on the blog this week.

The South Londoner’s latest effort follow his project, ‘After Party’ which has reached over 2.5 million streams, with the single off the project ‘Nia’ reaching the Viral 50 Spotify chart. Since then, Matt has travelled to the States where he premiered his well-received single ‘Weekend’ in Atlanta, which earned a place on the ‘New Music Friday’ USA playlist.

Time to witness another star-on-the-rise; check out ‘Dangerous’ below:

Upcoming Release: Girlplay – Brandon Rivers

Having already been featured as a ‘One to Watch’ by BBC Introducing and having performed newcomer sets at Bestival, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist BRANDON RIVERS is set to release his flirtatious R&B afterhours number ‘Girlplay’ tomorrow (14th June).

Taking influence from the sexually charged vibes of Prince, the midnight sound of The Weeknd and the poetry of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, ‘Girlplay’ encapsulates the ‘boy meets girl’ sensationalism within East London nightlife, using the nightclub setting, which is commonplace in Brandon’s music, to help enhance the intimate yet tumultuous nature of his soundscape.

Speaking of this upcoming single, Brandon explains: ‘’Girlplay is a track I wrote during a period where I was going out a lot in East London, it’s inspired by a lot of the typical female characters I witnessed in nightclubs….The track is about a night in particular when I was finding myself being drawn to someone who was extremely narcissistic and using their own sexuality as a way to make people do as they pleased, I wrote the lyrics in the nightclub that same night.’’

Check out ‘Girlplay’ below: