French Express is once again staying consistent in their choice selection of music with Isaac Tichauer’s funk slice of house, Take Over You. The EP’s cut up into five solid states (tracks), but other than the lead single the four others are simply meant for passive rather than active listening. The four others just aren’t supported with vocals like on ‘Take Over You,’ one’s that carry the song the whole way through rather than just becoming an instrument of it.
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From the first two tracks I’ve listened to of Thundercat’s, thanks to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, it’s plain to see he brings a vocal sentiment to his funky bass guitar jams. I haven’t heard the rest of Thundercat’s Apocalypse album yet, but I hope it keeps up the consistency that I heard on “Heartbreaks + Setbacks” & ‘Oh Sheit It’s X.’ Still in much demand for soulful vocals like Stephen “Thundercat” Brunner’s.
Apocalypse is set to release June 4. In the meantime, check out Thundercat’s catalogue.
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A few years back, a respected blogger of mine told me that if you don’t have anything to say about a song, it’s not worth posting. But for me, sometimes the music is all I have to say. I can usually wrap a story around a song or at least put some entertainment with it, but sometimes I haven’t had enough time with the music and it’s just too hot to sit on.
Well, I’ve been sitting on Madeaux’s EP for far too long now. The first two tracks are especially worth looking into, with Madeaux’s usual piano playing in full melodic dress. See, not all that much to say, but if you take a look at the two you’ll understand why I couldn’t wait any longer.
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I don’t know if the people of Rio have caught on to this shining tribute to their city yet, but I sure as hell would love to be the one to bring it to them. I’ve never been, but Theo’s Rio has given me a clear picture of how pleasant it must be.
Every time I listen to it, it’s like daydreaming back to that 1950’s Rio or some Hunter S. Thompson tropic stupor. Either way, Theophilus London and his Menahan Street Band have made me dream in Rio. I can’t wait for the sunny day where I play this for the first time there. Shit’s national anthem status.
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When this Janet remix first starts off, her voice slowed with that high hat clap, or whatever you wanna call it, sounded a bit too basic to be honest. Once you get into its real funk, however, it stays funky ’til the end. You wouldn’t have gotten away with this kind of soul even a few years back. But it’s flooding the waves, especially here. It’s a strange kind of soul, to say the least, but it’s easy to get caught up in the madness if you sit back, relax & just take it all in.
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Alright, this shit is just getting too damn sexy. If you knew me in “real” life, you’d know this is just way too sexy for me. I’m in fact the polar opposite of how sexy this is (I’m workin on it). Anyways. These Russian fucks going by 5 Reasons make some soulful shit that, again, is just too sexy for me (I can’t highlight this enough). However, most of the soul in this actually hails from good ol’ Nashville, Tennessee. Patrick Baker has some fuckin charm in his vocals and 5 Reasons adds just the right touch to it. So Sexy.
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First few listens of ‘XIX’ and those Angela McCluskey vocals are the only thing I wanna talk about. Yet like so many other distinct vocalists, they’re so hard to put into words. What I will say is that Paper Diamond & Christian Rich matched her sound right with one cosmically-rich beat. Plus that future soul theme doesn’t hurt, love me some skewed up vocals.
One thing I am questioning is how much Angela’s voice feels drowned out at times. But to its credit, it can be done well, and actually has been specifically with Paper Diamond. But who knows for now, it’s hard if not impossible to fully digest a song in less than 24 hours.
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Rhye’s 3 Days has been growin on me for the last few. Robin Hannibal pulls the beat forward with her voice, directing it ever so slightly. And that switch up with about a minute left, love it all the more every time I hear it. Her style reminds me of an old R&B queen, but I can’t quite pin it yet. Thinkin Sade, but she’s always on my mind, so… there’s that.
Props to Hype Machine Radio, aka d_e_v, for this beaut. We’ve got a nice remix of Rhye’s comin out soon, so make sure to tune in for that (or just listen in now).
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It’s starting to surprise me how well these remixers are taking their originals to somewhere completely different than it first intended. Krono, a duo out of Paris, took this “So You Think You Can Dance,” pop-plastic song and flipped it on its Soul. Check out the original song with the video below and compare it to this heavy, soulful remix with a smooth & steady beat. Sogood.
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I’ve been wondering what the name and who this is by for far too long now. I caught it on an Afro Monk mix a few months back, but there really wasn’t any proper credits. Finally though, I found it on another mix and with a little more digging around I finally found the name to this sure to be Silence favorite.
‘Cherry Blossom’ is another one of those new soul songs with chipmunk like vocals. I hate explaining to people what this new type of soul is – once you put chipmunk in there, all credibility goes out the window. But when chimpunk is done right, it’s some of the most soulful music that’s been out in decades. Tell me this doesn’t sink you down to the very soul of your existence.
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