One of the UK’s finest new vocal talents, Elmiene, has dropped his latest single, “Choose You”. The track is taken from his debut EP, EL-MEAN. Stream now.
IAMDDB has been making waves on the UK scene for many years now, and her sound has tapped into different genres along the way. On her latest single, “Where Did The Love Go?”, she’s taking it back to the soulful urban jazz sound that resonated with so many early on in her career and fusing it with some high-octane, bass-filled D&B.
"Where Did The Love Go?" is the lead single from IAMDDB’s highly anticipated project, Volume 6, set to debut in 2023. The songstress has stated that the project portrays a full spectrum of emotions and feelings she had to feel and heal through. It's her finally giving DDB a voice without a filter.
Based on lead single “Where Did The Love Go?”, the project will be one to keep an eye out for this year. Stream now.
Montreal-based Ethiopian artist Chiiild has teamed up with Lucky Daye for “Good For Now”. The track is lifted from Chiiild’s new album, Better Luck In The Next Life, which is his first new music in almost two years.
With the release of “Good For Now”, it's clear that Chiiild is continuing to push the boundaries of his sound and explore new musical avenues. The track stands out on first listen with its laidback alternative production and the smooth, velvety vocals of the two artists, providing the perfect segway into the new album and follow-up to 2021′s Hope For Sale.
UK artist James Vickery is gearing up to unveil his first project since the release of his debut album, Songs That Made Me Feel, back in 2021. The new EP, Sheet Music, is set for release on 3rd March, and James has given a teaser of what to expect in the form of brand-new single “(I Get So) Emotional”.
Featuring what has become his signature soulful R&B sound with ‘90s influences and gritty vocals, “(I Get So) Emotional” whets the appetite for what’s to come on the rest of the project.
Speaking about the track, James says, “It’s probably the most ambitious song I’ve ever made. I’ve really admired how people like Silk Sonic for example were able to make an almost completely nostalgic song and make it relevant. I believe my brief for making the track was Boyz II Men but more cheesy. I really committed and did my education on this period of music – I’m delighted with the outcome.”
“(I Get So) Emotional” is available to stream now.
Savoy Ellis is a rising R&B artist based in LA. His debut album, The Love Album, was released back in 2021 and saw him collaborate with the likes of BRELAND. And now he’s revisiting the 2021 project with a new sped-up version of “Don’t Break My Heart/The One”.
The new version works really well. The soulful feel of the original is still there, but the change of tempo makes the song stand out more. “This is a love song you can dance to”, says Savoy. Hopefully he revisits some of the other tracks on the album too in the coming months. Stream now.
Sam Wills returns with new single “Sweet Distraction”. The soulful track features hip-hop artist Kofi Stone and producer Jake Milliner.
“Sweet Distraction” is the first release from Sam since his acclaimed debut album, Breathe, last year. With a captivating midtempo beat and Sam’s smooth vocals, it’s in line with what fans have come to love about the UK artist/producer. Elaborating further, Sam says, “For me ‘Sweet Distraction’ is about finding an escape from feelings of self-doubt and lack of purpose. This song was the first thing I made when I was feeling a bit lost after my debut album dropped and helped me reconnect with my creativity." Stream now.
Kevin Ross has unveiled the visuals for “Sweet Release”. The chilled, laidback R&B track is taken from Kevin’s latest album, Drive 2, and explores themes of escapism and finding a welcome respite, i.e. a “Sweet Release”, from everyday life.
Speaking further on the track, Kevin says, “Everybody has a guilty pleasure or something to take them away from the daily monotony. It’s more so about escapism than it’s meant to be sexual or sensual. For me, the main key is the escape. If you’re riding in the car, you can play the song. It could just feel liberating like a cool breeze. This song is transformative in a sense. Wherever you are, it can be your soundtrack.”
“Sweet Release” is another great addition to Kevin’s discography, which also includes the classic “God Is A Genius”. Stream now.
JoélGotNow is a rising R&B singer based in Atlanta. He’s been releasing music for a couple of years now but the recently released “Dangerous Times” is his best yet.
A quality R&B song, it’s deserving of being the artist’s breakout single. Both the lead and background vocals sound sublime, and his storytelling abilities and knack for melodies are also apparent. Although not too much is known about this rising artist, it’s only a matter of time before that changes if “Dangerous Times” is anything to go by.
“Dangerous Times” is taken from JoélGotNow’s new EP, Numb, and is out now. Stream here.
Following on from the success of his debut album last year, James Vickery has returned with his new single, “The Reason”. Highlighting his signature buttery smooth vocals, the track hears the UK R&B artist showing his appreciation for a significant other.
Produced by Fred Cox (Rag'n'Bone Man, Mabel, RAYE), it’s another impressive laidback slow jam from James in a similar vein to previous releases such as “Until Morning”. Speaking further on “The Reason”, James says, “After my album I was trying desperately to find something that made me feel something the way a lot of those songs did.
“I had an idea to recreate some of the most (in my opinion) romantic songs of all time. I can’t lie, 'Wonderful Tonight' by Eric Clapton and 'Movie' by Tom Misch were big inspirations for me. And with this bedroom soul/R&B sound I had to draw inspiration from the greatest to have done it, D’Angelo. 'The Reason' is about that stage with someone where it’s now become more than love that nothing else matters anymore.”
Fast-rising London-based girl group FLO have dropped their latest single, “Immature”. The track is taken from their debut EP, The Lead, which is out now.
Produced by MNEK and Jamal Woon, the track pays homage to old-school R&B while throwing in a modern twist. The production is great but their vocals and harmonies really take centre stage here, particularly in the latter part of the track and the outro. Having previously listed Brandy as one of their influences, their vocal approach is spot on… because what’s an old-school R&B girl group song without great harmonies? Stream now.
UK R&B newcomer Diedrick has unveiled his debut single, “Better”. With his smooth vocals laid over a mellow production, he shares the story of two people falling in and out of love. The track was written and produced by fellow UK R&B artist J Warner.
Born in London and raised in Derby, it’s clear Diedrick has a bright future ahead if “Better” is anything to go by. Another great addition to the UK R&B scene, he will be one to watch, and it will be interesting to hear what direction he goes in with follow-up releases. Stream now.
Tiana Major9 recently unveiled “Try Peace” from her new EP, Fool Me Once. Another top-quality R&B track to add to her growing discography. FFO “Same Space”. Stream now.
Toronto artist Jon Vinyl has returned with his new single, “Favours”.
The track showcases more of the smooth, mellow R&B that has helped Jon rise quickly on the music scene over the past few years. It follows on the back of previous release “Don’t Care”, which was released earlier this year.
According to Jon, “‘Favours’ was originally written as a back and forth in one's mind, knowing they are not getting what they are putting in but also not being able to move on completely from the situation. ‘Favours’ serves as an anthem for all the hopeless romantics.”
His second release of the year, Jon is now two for two. Stream now.
