The UK soul man Shaun Escoffery came by the Mi Soul HQ to shed light on new music, what makes him tick and to grace us with a wonderful acoustic performance in aticiaption of his SOLD OUT one off gig at Subterania (West London) March 29th 2019
Check out part one of the interview with part two and the acoustic session to follow.
Enjoy!!
R xx

BIG thanks to Kingsley for filming the whole session 🙂

Hey Soulsters,

I’m a massive fan of Sinead Harnett who’s voice can be heard on future classics from Snakehips, Disclosure and her own killer cut “She Aint Me”

S.H came by Mi Soul to grace us with an interview giving us a heads up on what’s to come on the forthcoming album (as yet untitled) as well as performing two Xclusive acoustic tracks, current single “Do It Anyway” and the fantastic “Dollar Bill”

Can’t wait to catch Sinead perform at XOYO October 14th 2015
In the meantime…Check the interview HERE 

And enjoy this superb version “Do It Anyway” Original version out now!!

Lauryn HillOk guys, for y’all that wanna know, here’s my Lauryn Hill concert review.

After hearing about all the negative feedback n tweets the night before I was slightly rattled about how this show would unfold.

I attended Lauryn Hill’s concert last night at the O2 Academy Brixton (Sunday 21st Sept 2014) because like most LH fans I wanted to experience highly anticipated rare live show moments from her masterpiece Miseducation album as well as some classic old school Refugee Camp bigness.

She came on stage just before 10pm with plenty of energy but proceeded to do odd, unrecognizable, sped up, “Happy” style rocky versions of songs like “Everything is Everything”, “To Zion” and “Ex Factor”.
“Lost Ones” was ok for the first 60 seconds but then she journeyed into rock-reggae mash up mode which didn’t hit the musical spot at all leaving the audience, including me, looking on in bemusement!

The sound quality was absolutely appalling and coupled with her strange reggae / rock renditions, LH probably ruined as many of Bob Marley songs (including Jammin’, “Is This Love”, and “Could You be Loved”) as she did her own.

One highlight was the short acoustic set midway through where it was clear to hear that Ms LH’s vocals were still flawlessly on point when not having to fight through a wall of bad sound engineering. I would have preferred her to have kept the entire show unplugged as the band failed to make any soulful impact in my opinion.
Another better moment was LH revisiting her Fugees days with decent versions of “Fu-Gee-La”, “Ready Or Not” and “Killing Me Softly”. This was briefly the old Lauryn Hill we came to know and love from her 90s reign but again the sound made for a painfully strained listen.
Her finale tune was the anthemic Doo Wop (That Thing), which was probably the one track that sounded anything like a live version should but by then I think I’d lost the will.

I knew it would be a risk to go and see Lauryn Hill Live, having had her personal life scrutinized, her troubles (sometimes self inflicted it has to be said) splashed across certain publications. Risky because you don’t want to hear someone as genius as her get it so wrong on stage, that it ruins the Miseducation and Fugees legacy forever. But that optimistic part of me was hoping to hear her come out the other side of adversity with an incredible show.
Sadly, it was incredible for all the wrong reasons but one thing is certain, that “Miseducation” album remains a classic and luckily I can go back to it and indulge in Queen LH’s music in it’s original soulful form whenever I like so i still have to thank her for delivering that piece of musical niceness on wax.

RH

Charlie Brown has made a big impact on the R&B scene since his debut single ‘Dependency’ back in December & he recently showed us just how far he’s come when his latest single ‘On My Way’ stormed into 7th place on the UK’s Official Chart.

The track has an uplifting, positive message that is highly relatable & that, combined with a catchy pop inspired sound, has surely been a major factor in its chart success.

Charlie is gearing up to drop his debut album this summer & the R&B world is eager to see what he will deliver. Will it be more of the same urban sounding pop tracks or will he showcase a smoother side with some soulful R&B? Personally I’d like to hear a mixture of styles on the album & I think he could easily pull off a true R&B track that could rival the best in the game.

Check out the acoustic version of ‘On My Way’ below & trust me when I say that you can’t help but be impressed by his vocal ability. This guy can really sing!

Miss Jen (@MissJenOfficial)

This month signifies the official return of Joss Stone, who played a post-Jubilee show in London after a two-year hiatus from the UK stage. It marks the imminent release of the second volume to her best selling debut “The Soul Sessions”, a decade after the original release.

Recorded in New York and Nashville during two special sessions, Stone collaborated with a selection of renowned musicians including the legendary Ernie Isley for the project. The album features an eclectic mix of Soul classics including “The High Road” originally by Broken Bells, and Joss’ next single “While You’re Out Looking For Sugar”, a cover of The Honey Cone’s track.

Joss, who reunited with her first label S-Curve Records, says of the material; “I really had fun revisiting The Soul Sessions idea and I’m really pleased with the results. I’ve committed long term to my label Stone’d Records, but it felt right to team up with…S-Curve again for this release. I think there are some great songs on the album and I loved performing them with such brilliant musicians.”

The sold out concert, set at the atmospheric Under The Bridge club in Fulham, was the first time the results of Stone’s recent work have been showcased in public, and it was clear that she was relishing the chance to reconnect with her fans, effortlessly blending new material with hits like “You Had Me”.

Taking full ownership of the stage, the BRIT and Grammy recipient appeared in her element throughout the two-hour performance, her demeanour happy, comfortable and vibrant. She joked with the crowd and set the relaxed tone of the evening by apologising for a “wardrobe malfunction” during the first track, sheepishly adding that she’d have to sing the next song “holding my left boob”.

With a career spanning over a decade to date, including success in America and album sales amassing eleven million, it’s hard to believe that Stone is still only 25. Yet it is perhaps precisely this incredible life experience that explains the apparent newfound confidence about her, an authentic sex appeal often the result of genuine self-acceptance.

Emerging bare foot with a sparkly silver dress and loose curls, there was no sign of the infamous fake American accent that grabbed headlines back in 2007. Down to earth yet sassy, her energy could be described as magnetic, but less sultry Lana Del Rey, and more approachable girl next door.

The crowd was certainly transfixed as she wowed them with her powerhouse vocals and interacted with them in an effortless and playful manner. You could almost be forgiven for forgetting that up on stage was one of Britain’s richest musicians under 30, if you were judging on the grounds of humility.

In terms of vocal quality of course, the audience was left in no doubt as to why Joss is one of our generation’s best selling artists, and while she has been a bit quiet of late, it seems she’s finally ready to reclaim her musical crown.

By @AnnaNathanson 

Hey it’s Anna, resident RH blogger. Last week I went down to see StooShe at the Royal Albert Hall, where they shared the bill with the likes of Pixie Lott, JLS and Leona Lewis for the Rays of Sunshine concert. As always they sparkled on the night, and it’s hard to believe that just over three months ago after interviewing them for the Independent, I was watching them at a humble student night in Brighton, and now here they were playing one of the best loved venues in the UK. It’s testament to their talent, spirit and hard work. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, you definitely should, in fact they are performing live TONIGHT so take a look at their website for more info. And as if you needed any further convincing, here’s a video they shot recently performing an acappela version of their stunning new single Black Heart, out June 17th.

Words: @AnnaNathanson