Following his last appearance in July with single ‘Free The Slaves’ , OTIS MENSAH is here with a follow-up single entitled ‘Aurora’ – which paints the story of frustration with a system in modern-day society.
Unlike his previous release, which sports feather light boombap-esque soundscapes, ‘Aurora’ goes down the atmospheric hip-hop/rap route, where the Sheffield conscious emcee, delivered in a rapid light flow, shed light on his personal journey of self-doubt.
II DIMENSIONZ stolen today’s hotspot with debut single ‘Closer’ taken from their upcoming debut EP ‘Love From Above’ out this month.
Featuring special guest vocals from Mark Asari and rapper Nick Brewer (Island Records) ‘Closer’ is a smooth slice of soulful R&B with plenty of old school vibes including a big nod to Rosie Gaines classic ‘Closer than Close’.
Whilst inviting special guests in for vocals all song writing, instrumentation and production is done by the boys themselves, and they’re keen to keep control of all aspects of creativity, something they’ve learned from their dads – who were both in the music business.
II DIMENSIONZ are cousins Nathan and Jermaine Williams, born and raised in East London. Their dads played with the likes of Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan and LL Cool, so the boys were brought up with music in their blood. “We were taken to watch band rehearsals and gigs and sharing the excitement of watching our fathers perform live was a huge inspiration. It laid the foundations to our own musical journey.”
Debut 4-track EP ‘Love From Above’ is described by the duo as a modern-day take on classic 80’s soul with 90’s R&B. Alongside the single, ‘Closer’ the EP also includes the tracks ‘Waiting Room,’ ‘Coming Together’ and a deep house edit of ‘Closer.’
Singer/songwriter DARREN PARRY has teamed up with Gavin Clifton for his brand new single, ‘Why Won’t You Let Me Love You.’
Parry exchanged his rock persona ( in previous effort ‘The Glass Ain’t Always Greener), for an infectious electro-pop/R&B combination, in which his vocal gives the almost three-and-a-half minute uplifter that rich old-school soulful sound.
Both hailing from South Wales, Darren and Gavin met a few times at the recording studio before deciding to work together on this track. The track was written remarkably in one song-writing session of only about an hour. More remarkable is that Gavin was born with a condition called cerebral palsy, and also has a speech impediment. Gavin however never lets his condition stop him from writing great music and he’s even started a record company, Clifton Music.
As well as being a successful solo artist in his own right, Darren has written songs and produced for other artists such as Andrew Mark Jones (“Hit You In The Heart”), Nina Jones (“Never Let You Go”, “Promises”) and Lee Gilbert (“Soar”) and has also co-written with renowned songwriters Larry Williams/Dazzle Music (worked with Charlotte Church), Juan Lozano and Dan & Laura Curtis (written for Ramin Karimloo, Lea Salonga, Paul Potts etc.).
With a diverse discography that has receive airplay across the globe, it will be no surprise that his latest single will follow suit. Have a listen.
I don’t know how this all-rounder slipped under my radar, but from now on, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on her. Just in case you’re baffled, I’m talking about COCO PERI. Maybe I’m giving the game away too early in this review, but her latest mixtape ‘The Mixer’ made me sit up and raise my eyebrows with approval.
The ten track production seamlessly weave between the atmospheric arrangements of R&B hip-hop/rap and dancehall, topped off with the occasional show of the tropical-esque overtones. This north Londoner had no trouble switching it up from her a rich jazzy vocal to a smooth flow that just melts into the dreamy soundscapes.
‘The Mixer’ serves as a great outro for the summer – and is well worth a place in your valuable record collection….hit the play button on this bad boy mixer!
Must Listens: Keeper, Muse, Futuristic, Ready Good Loving, Live Good
London-based singer-songwriter & producer MARLON PERCY unveiled new single, ‘The Little Things’, the lead track from his debut EP of the same name.
Blending jazzy keys, soulful vocals and chilled house vibes, The Little Things EP is available to stream now. The EP also includes recent single Your Fool.
New Lease Music 