#jay soul

[trapangeles]

Numb - $teve O feat. Jay Soul (Official Audio)

Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/numb...

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1lQwLB...

Artist: @steveo559

Artist: @iamjaysoul

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[brysontillerteam]

(Bryson Tiller Rambo Cover) *H20* (Jay Soul)

[trustrihanna]

Something Real - by Jay Soul LxCxM by OfficialJaySoul

[goodvibesmusicreviews]

Album Review: Jay Soul - "Stay With Me"

Working as a backup singer and as a baritone member of a gospel choir is how musician Jay Soul gained much of the experience employed on his new album Stay With Me. For this artist, music is his primary means of expression; you can hear the vulnerability not only in his words but in his voice as well.

The album was written as a response to the over-produced glitz of today’s modern music. As a result, there’s no doubt his work is raw and soulful, but there are some places where it might be a little too raw. Sure, the man has talent, but a bit of refinement and reflection could go a long way for the musician. And although the lyrics are surely personal, they need some more meat on their bones; there are some that sound like not much more than a repetitive chorus.

He cites influences ranging from Stevie Wonder to Beyoncé, and these influences are abundantly clear within his work. With soft tracks like “Stay With Me” and “Thank You” and peppier dance tracks such as “Any Day” and “Dance,” he seems to touch on all ends of the spectrum.

An array of instruments serve as backing behind the musician including piano and guitar. For instance, “First Love” puts those instruments on display during the first section of the track. “Afraid” is a track recorded live. And because the album isn’t an overly produced one, there’s no way to tell the difference between this live track and the other tracks on the album.

“Dance” is by far the most upbeat track on the release, and when compared to the subsequent track, “Thank You,” is when you can really begin to tell the difference. Whereas “Thank You” is a soft, heartfelt track led by piano, “Dance” is an electronic, synth-powered track intended for excitement.

Jay Soul has a good deal of growing to do as an artist; at the moment his work comes across a bit one-dimensional. Above all, his lyrics could use the most growth. However, it’s also oftentimes difficult to get into the groove of his tracks because of how gentle they can frequently be. The tracks he should be the most proud of are “Free” and “Any Day.”

These tracks on Stay With Me are important to him, and ultimately that’s what matters most. Sometimes creating music is less about the quality of the result and more about the therapeutic release it provides. This is no doubt a quality release for Jay Soul, though it lacks the sort of essence to make it complete.

  Review by Alec Cunningham

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

[heathandrewsreviews]

Album Review - Jay Soul - Stay With Me

Artist: Jay Soul

Album: Stay With Me

Review by: Heath Andrews

Though much of his sound is steeped in the waters of ‘90s R&B, Jay Soul is able to use his talents as a vocalist and songwriter to dabble in other genres as easily as he does rhythm and blues.  His voice recalls the stylings of such noted artists as Brian McKnight and Seal, but unlike their slickly produced soul, Jay’s music is more raw but still not afraid to venture into the realm of keyboard based dance.  The results of all this production and vocalizing is 2014’s, Stay With Me. 

It’s not heard immediately, but the unpolished sound that Soul tries to achieve is heard quite readily on the fourth track, “Up.”  While singing passionately in both the lead and backing vocals, it’s the latter of them which have a rather murky, muddy sound to them.  They’re no less audible or pleasant because of this; they just resonate differently and interact with the lead vocal in a mildly different fashion.  There’s a great deal of other sounds going on outside this, including the heavy bass drum, cascading keyboards, and quickly moving percussion track.

Much of this style is carried over into the next song, “Any Day,” even though the production is a little cleaner.  The stomping beat and strong vocal hooks are still ever present, but the keyboard tone is especially outstanding.  The distinct tone and refrain is a hook unto itself, but when matched with the lyrical flow Soul rolls with, it pushes the piece into the upper limits of catchiness.

Rivaling it in this regard is the also extremely accessible, “Get A Job.”  The arrangement is by no means completely organic but the inclusion of acoustic guitar and faux string section do add enough to the mix to give it a more organic feel.  Outside of this the record scratching, percussion and other effects bring the song back into early ‘90s R&B with the added benefit of having Soul’s voice tying it all together.

His voice only falters once, this being on the vocally demanding title track.  Soul’s voice is put to the test through a demanding range of powerful notes.  At times, especially when he’s reaching for the higher end of his range, you can sometimes hear him strain or sing louder instead of higher. It’s unfortunate that this happens on the opening number as it doesn’t do the rest of his vocal work any justice.  It’s imperative to listen beyond it though since it’s really only one weak track amongst ten strong ones.

Soul’s voice is most impressive on the wisely included live track, “Afraid (Reprised).”  While not live in the sense of being performed in concert, it’s clearly a live studio take with the only prominent accompaniment for Soul’s voice stemming from the piano and guitar.  Sadly, the track is far too short but it at the very least provides an interesting listen into the most raw and unadulterated sound that Soul can produce.  Compare this to the similarly arranged but more heavily produced, “Inspiration.”  Both songs are remarkably strong, but “Inspiration” could be a beautifully intimate piece without the generic drum programming and keyboards.

Those elements are much better utilized for the dance heavy, and therefore aptly named piece, “Dance.”  In that regard, it’s pretty much what you’d expect by this point from Soul.  His soulful vocals compel you to “…Go to the dance floor” to the backing of a relentless dance beat and smooth synthesizers.  It’s not a great achievement in lyric writing, nor is it an especially adventurous piece as far as dance songs go; but that’s partially the point.  What makes it so noteworthy is merely a combination of Soul’s stellar voice and just the right mixture of synths.

Stay With Me is a terrifically sung album with only a few minor flaws that stop it just short of perfection.  It does more than enough well to engross even casual listeners of R&B.  Beyond that, this is where Jay Soul does any prospective listener a service by not sticking entirely to that genre.  There are some wonderful throwbacks to the height of ‘90s R&B but there’s enough venturing into dance, soul, and pop to make the record accessible to a much wider audience.  Jay Soul’s voice and songwriting brings together the best of multiple musical fields and packages them together nicely with a wonderful blend of polished and raw production.

Rating 4.5 Stars (out of 5)

Review by: Heath Andrews

[lyricalpoet87]

Jay Soul ft. Kid-Ro(@Kid_Ro_XL) & Xellence-Mile High

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[sweetness-dria-blog]

Jay Soul ft. Kid-Ro(@Kid_Ro_XL) & Xellence-Mile High

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[urbanwaves]

AM444 - ROOMS

artist: AM444 release name: ROOMS format /type: digital /LP label: Pause Music country: China release date: 28 October 2012 genre: electronic, soul, instrumental, vocal, hip hop, rap, disco, dub download link: http://am444.bandcamp.com/album/rooms

<a href="http://am444.bandcamp.com/album/rooms" data-mce-href="http://am444.bandcamp.com/album/rooms">Rooms by AM444</a>

Awesome album by AM444 (ChaCha X Jay Soul) based out in Shanghai, Chinaland!

My friend Mache wrote this for Layabozi;

"AM444 make head-nodders for spaceships (..) They are undoubtedly one of the Chinese underground’s most exportable products. It’s only a matter of time before this rocket blasts off (..) The sound is, at alternating intervals, dark, hopeful, funky, tranced-out, beautiful, foreboding, buoyant, and back to dark and funky. It’s the drug equivalent of smoking opium, then taking a hit off a crack pipe, and following that up with some downers and a six-pack of Red Bull." --layabozi.com  quoting AM444:  Since 2011’s Eye Wonder (also on Pause:Music), Chinese/Dutch duo AM444 have played numerous venues and festivals around China, travelled to Africa to perform at SAKIFO, had radio play all over the globe, and released a split 12” vinyl record with San Francisco band Tussle & JD Twitch from Optimo. It's been a busy year so far, and all leading up to this – their second full release: Rooms.  Dutch producer Jay.Soul (Corey, Giovanca, Mr.Windmill etc) and Chinese singer ChaCha (Kode 9, Jimi Tenor, RBMA2011, etc) were giving very little away about the new album, but if you caught their live shows at JZ Festival, Fete De La Musique or The Shelter earlier in the year you would have heard a few previews of what to expect on ‘Rooms’. Dubbed out, funked up and heavy on the low end, paired with a cinematic feel and intricate layering of contrasting vocal parts, AM444’s sound is maturing into something which is very difficult to categorize, yet familiar and accessible to all.