Anyone who stops by here regularly knows that Szjerdene has a special place in my musical heart (see here). Her voice just does something to me that very few others manage.
I’d heard that the folks over at PINBOARDblog had lined up Szjerdene for the latest episode of their ‘Rehearsal Rooms’ series so I couldn’t wait to press play on this when it arrived in my inbox. I’d actually been invited down to attend the event that evening but unfortunately I couldn’t make it so this would be the next best thing.
Performing a new track called ‘Lead The Way’, which she co-wrote with Quadron’s Robin Hannibal, she sounds as amazing as ever. I’m informed she is currently hard at work on her debut album which cannot come soon enough.
VIDEO: Olivier Daysoul Mini-Doc
When I posted up Olivier Daysoul’s new track ‘Labour’ earlier in the week I mentioned that it was a bit of a ‘direction change’ from his debut Kilawatt album. Most of the tracks I’ve heard from him in the past have had an electro-soul feel, but his new track as well as his new EP, have a more ‘classic’ soul sound.
In this mini-doc, shot by the EP’s producer Oddisee, Olivier explains that his previous ‘futuristic’ sound was more of a character than his true self. He also talks about his musical inspirations and his direction for the future.
Olivier’s new EP, Mr Saint Louis, is released this Friday (15th October).
Thanks to Amelia.
October 12th should have been a date marked on every soul music lovers diary, for that was the day that saw the release of Authenticity, the third album for the Grammy nominated duo, The Foreign Exchange. With two albums under their belt, both of which are hailed as modern classics, the group were always going to have a steep hill to climb if they were going to live up to the extreme hype off the back of 2004’s Connected and 2008’s Leave It All Behind. Well folks it looks like we can all breath a sigh of relief as Nicolay and Phonte have released another certified classic that will surely be regarded as one of, if not the, best release of 2010.
When Leave It All Behind was released, there was much head-scratching going on in hip-hop and soul music circles. Here we had a a well known hip-hop producer, and one of this generations premier MCs releasing what is generally considered a ‘soul/RnB’ album. It seemed that Phonte had switched spitting for singing, and Nicolay had given his hard-hitting hip-hop beats a more mellow, soulful makeover. It wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but the general consensus was that the duo had taken a giant step forward in their musical story. I don’t think Authenticity will generate quite so much controversy, as the group have stuck firmly in the soul/RnB lane, however this is certainly not Leave It All Behind Part 2.
Whereas LIAB carried some of the hip-hop vibe over from Connected, Authenticity is almost devoid of it. Instead Nicolay has pared down his productions, giving a sparser, yet equally beautiful soundscape, over which Phonte lays some of the most honest, blunt and sometimes brutal ruminations on love one will heasr this year. Whereas LIAB was a relatively ‘bright’ album, celebrating the many facets of love, Authenticity takes a much darker turn, dealing with the loss of love, the death of relationships, and, in the case of ‘The Last Fall’ the loss of hope. Nicolay’s production is, in a word, masterful. Recalling some of the best 80s elctronica and soul (think Prince), many would have been happy enough if this had simply been an album of instrumentals. I find with all of Nicolay’s productions, but particularly those under the guise of The Foreign Exchange, he is able to convey a level of emotion and storytelling that is all too often absent.
One of the biggest leaps forward on this album comes in the form of Phonte’s singing and in particular songwriting. As previously mentioned, until the release of LIAB many regarded Phonte as a rapper/MC (even though he had taken the odd foray in to singing as part of Little Brother and the duo Zo! & Tigallo), so to hear him sing was a shock to some. He managed to hold his own amongst a host of talented collaborators on LIAB, but Authenticity sees him taking more of a solo role in the proceedings, tackling 7 of the 11 tracks alone. Of course this wouldn’t be a Foreign Exchange album without appearances by extended family memebers YahZarah and Darien Brockington (as well as Median, Chantae Cann and Jesse Boykins III), but it is Phonte who stands out with tracks such as the haunting opener ‘The Last Fall’ and the Zo!-assisted ‘Fight For Love’. The songwriting is definitely some of the best this year of the last couple of years, with Phonte peeling back the emotional layers unabashedly, revealing an inner turmoil at the course a relationship his taken. I don’t know whether these songs are based on real experience(s) or not, but it’s hard to imagine someone so expertly conveying emotions they have never themselves dealt with on some level.
Usually at this point I would begin to single out favourite tracks but it is an almost impossible feat. Authenticity is an album that needs to be listened to as a whole rather than sampling tracks here and there. It is a concept album in it’s simplest, most straightforward form, a story. I can’t see anyone who liked LIAB not liking this album, although there will certainly be comparisons made, and people will have their favourite. Personally, I find it difficult to choose as the two albums are very different, and depending on what I wanted from the music at a given time would determine which I chose.
If you are looking for the perfect musical accompaniment as we segue into Autumn then look no further. Authenticity, in all it’s emotionally strained, heavy-hearted glory will carry you right through to those first days of spring.
WOW!
Saw this on twitter and thought I’d check it out … TM Juke + Sharlene Hector = Guaranteed Banger! I love the Chaka original, but these guys definitely do the track justice and to have Sharlene on vocals is just the icing on a very soulful cake.
Jack & Juke ft Sharlene Hector – ‘Ain’t Nobody’
In case there is any confusion over the matter Jack & Juke were previously known as TM Juke & The Jack Baker Trio. TM Juke is a producer famous for his work with Alice Russell as well as his own solo work. Jack Baker is Alice Russell’s drummer as well as the drummer in Bonobo’s live band. The duo have been covering this Chaka Khan mega-hit at live shows, notably with the lovely Andreya Triana on vocals. Got it? Good.
The duo’s debut album is one of my favourites, with its latin/island flavoured percussive sounds, however word is that their follow up, due early 2011 will be aimed squarely at the dancefloor. This will apparently be the 1st single and is available digitally or on 7″ via the duo’s bandcamp page.
Shout out to Amelia at PutMeOnIt for sending over this new track from Olivier Daysoul, taken from his forthcoming EP Mr Saint Louis, due to drop this Friday. The track, and in fact the entire EP, are produced by man-of-the-moment Oddisee.
I’ve been familiar with Olivier for a while now, in fact his Kilawatt album was one of the first to be featured on these very pages. ‘Labour’ is not what I was expecting when I heard who was producing and who was singing, Olivier usually has a bit more of a elctro/’nu-soul’ sound, whereas this has a bit more of a retro slant, but it’s definitely as enjoyable as his previous work and i’ll definitely be grabbing the entire EP when it drops. ‘Labour’ is available for free download below.
BONUS: After the break check out PMOI’s exclusive interview with Olivier while he was performing in Tokyo.
I have been ‘off the grid’ all weekend, so usually ploughing through the emails is a bit of an ordeal come Monday morning. Well this morning was a bit different as this little gem was waiting for me courtesy of the folks over at PINBOARDblog.
Feed Your Ears Vol.1 features 7 exclusive slices of modern soul music from some of the best alt-soul artists out there, including Soul:UK favourites Brittany Bosco, Fatima, DivaGeek (Vula & Ben Jones) and Jimetta Rose.
I havn’t had chance to take a listen yet, but with a line-up like this it is a guaranteed ‘must listen’. You can get your copy for FREE.99 direct from bandcamp.com. Press play below and download yours now.
TRACKLIST:
The words “feat. Sy Smith” were enough for me to jump on this one. Whether it be her solo work, or collaborations (‘Greatest Weapon Of All Time’ and ‘Crazy You’ are favourites), you can guarantee that anything she puts those sweet, smooth vocals on will be worth a listen. This isn’t the first time these guys have collaborated either, Wes featured on ‘Reach Down In Your Soul’ from Sy’s Conflict album. These two definitely need to collaborate more often!
‘Tell A Vision’ is taken of Wes Felton’s upcoming release, Land Of Sheep, Ran By Pigs, Ruled By Wolves, which drops on October 15th. Take a listen/download below, and be sure to support!
Wes Felton ft Sy Smith – ‘Tell A Vision’
[DOWNLOAD]
Thanks to SoulBounce for the heads up.
DOWNLOAD: DJ 1derful Presents: What is Grown Folks Music Volume 5 – Les Nubians vs. Floetry
This made my day … praise twitter!
DJ1derful has put together a great mix for Grown Folks Music, featuring two of the best soul duos in recent memory, Floetry and Les Nubians. You can stream/download the mix below. Great stuff!
TRACKLIST
Les Nubians – Makeda
Floetry – My Apology
Les Nubians – Liberté
Floetry – Blessed 2 Have
Les Nubians – Me & Me
Floetry – Fun
Les Nubians – One Step Forward
Raheem DeVaughn – Marathon (feat. Floetry)
Les Nubians – John Banzi (Feat. Lipstik) – Rendezvous
Floetry – Floetic
Les Nubians – Bebela
The Floacist Featuring Josh and Kissi B. – Life in 3D
Les Nubians – Desolee (Roots mix-demo version)
Floetry – Say Yes
Les Nubians – Temperature Rising
Floetry – Opera
Les Nubians – Princesse Nubienne
Floetry – If I Was a Bird
Thanks to the good folks over at BamaLoveSoul for the heads up on this. I love Kings Of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’, so when I saw that a soul artist had covered it I was intrigued to take a listen. However, what intrigued me EVEN MORE is the fact that Safia is the alter ego (it’s actually her middle name) of alt-soul favourite Muhsinah.
This is a big departure from Muhsinah’s usual style, but as always she sounds wonderful. Apparently she will use this alter ego to release more music soon … I can’t wait.
You can get a free download of the track by either ‘tweeting’ or ‘liking’ it via her site.
Soul:UK 