08 Feb

Posted at 16:59h in Uncategorised

I just had to write about everything that’s been going on in music this week! For RnB fans, especially those of us that love the 90’s vibe this week has been colossal in the world of music. So if you’ve slept all week or been working too hard to take note, here’s what you’ve missed:

The week began with the return of Babyface and Toni Braxton on their collaboration album, ‘Love, Marriage & Divorce’. No doubt people will have misconceptions that an album by these 2 artists will be full of ballads but don’t be mislead the album is Fresh! Babyface and Toni’s voices have never sounded stronger and the vibe of the album is slick, sophisticated soul; ‘Sweat’ and ‘Heart Attack’ in particular are great up tempo tracks.

Then came the Timbaland leak during an online fan chat that he is in talks with Devante about working on the new Jodeci album!!! It’s been 18 years since the RnB sensation released a new single and the music world is so hyped about the return it even made a feature in the Guardian newspaper! Maxwell teased and excited fans with the news that he has finished recording the second installment of his ‘Blacksummer’s Night’ trilogy tweeting, ‘#Summers #recording #finish‘. Jermaine Dupri has also been tweeting from the studio this week, he’s been reunited with Mariah Carey, P. Diddy and Trey Songz and promised us all he’s working on ‘#somuchnewmusic’

As if that wasn’t enough Eric Roberson dropped his new album, ‘B-Sides, Features and Heartache’s’, Miguel released an incredible new track, ‘Simple Things’ and in hip hop Nas announced that he will be releasing a 20th Anniversary 2-disc special edition of ‘Illmatic’, entitled ‘Illmatix XX‘ expected to drop on the 15th of April.

The hottest track of the week for me has been ‘Take It’ by Amp Fiddler feat Rapheal Saadiq from his latest EP ‘Basementality 2’ and if you’re a Raphael Saadiq fan you can catch him live with Tony Toni Tone, Blackstreet, En Vogue, Mint Condtion, Total, Silk and Kut Klose at Wembley Arena on the 15th of February for the ‘RnB Superstars Valentines Special.’

How will the world of RnB top this? Looking forward to next week………….

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)

Amp Fiddler feat Raphael Saadiq – Take it
http://youtu.be/SQTFrl50FZg
 

 

 

 

01 Feb

Posted at 19:13h in Carly-ann Mond, Uncategorised

Ive always enjoyed watching music award shows, The Grammys being the one that seemed to be most respected and widely encompassing. It seems to me though that over the past couple of years music award shows have become increasingly repetitive – opting to hand out the same awards to the same artists year upon year and making bizarre winner choices which seem to go against critical and public opinion.

Most recently this year’s Grammy awards saw Macklemore and Ryan Lewis take home 3 out of the 4 awards in the rap category with Kendrick Lamar being awarded none. Whether you are a fan of Kendrick Lamar’s music or not there is no denying that he has reignited rap and hip hop with the release of ‘Good Kid Maad City’ and his ‘Control’ verse along with the controversy that followed it. However the voters of the Grammys (music industry professionals) overlooked his contributions this year despite impressive album sales and critical acclaim to instead award an arguably more ‘mainstream’ act. India Arie described her frustration by tweeting “Kendrick Lamar WAS robbed, BUT he was not the only one who was robbed, though it’s called “Music industries biggest night” the Grammys are NOT about the music, it’s a popularity contest.” Even Macklemore and Ryan Lewis admitted that they wanted to see Kendrick Lamar win an award. I understand the impact of their song ‘Same Love’ and agree it was Grammy worthy but I doubt there are many people who would agree that they should have won the Best Rap Album award!

Best RnB album went predictably to Alicia Keys for Girl on Fire, with 15 Grammys being won out of 28 nominations in a 5 album career is it not time to hand the award to another deserving artist? Admittedly 2013 wasn’t the best year for RnB albums but the soulful offerings of Charles Bradley, K. Michelle and Raheem Devaughn were all overlooked in the RnB category, is this just because they are less well known than the other names nominated?

I had a lot of respect for music award shows, mainly because I enjoyed great music being celebrated, now it feels like the awards go to the biggest name on the nomination list in the hope that the most popular artists are present for the crowd shots and red carpet. If music awards are becoming less credible by the year and failing to reward the diversity and artistry which is now more present in music than ever, then have they become irrelevant?

One person did get it right at the Grammys this year – Kendrick Lamar delivered an explosive performance, if you haven’t seen it yet take a look online! On the more soulful side check out the below video, a track from Charles Bradley’s ‘Victim of Love’ – an album which definitely would have made my Grammy nominee list!!

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)

Charles Bradley – You Put the Flame on It

 

 

 

 

12 Jan

Posted at 16:46h in Blog, Carly-ann Mond

Erro gives us the perfect start to 2014 by releasing his new single ‘Anymore’, a soulful infectious track about the breakdown of a relationship, it has an old school vibe with Erro’s contemporary twist. The single is the first release from his upcoming album ‘B-Sides, Features & Heartaches’, a collection of previously unreleased singles and songs by other artists which Erro features on, set for release on February 4th. He then promises to release his 9th studio album featuring all new material later in the year.

Enjoy the new track and for those of you in and around London, you can catch Erro performing live at Clapham Grand on Friday 7th February. He is one of the best performers I’ve seen, outstanding vocals, amazing band, he’s humble, really interactive with the crowd and he’s got jokes too – a 2014 must for Soul and RnB fans!

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)

Eric Roberson – Anymore

http://youtu.be/Hqa67m_kfTU
 

 

 

 

28 Dec

Posted at 15:01h in Blog, Carly-ann Mond

Occasionally great albums go unnoticed and are missed for some reason, I have just discovered one of the best albums I’ve heard all year which was released last month but seems to have been widely overlooked- ‘Saint Heron.‘ It’s a compilation album released by Solange Knowle’s label; Saint Records and features 11 independent artists including Solange herself, Sampha, Cassie and Jhene Aiko.

This is no ordinary compilation, it is organic RnB; soulful and eclectic, every track is unique in style yet they all compliment each other beautifully. It is a great showcase of emerging talent in the genre and has led me to discover artists I hadn’t previously heard like BC Kingdom and Kelela, it also shows Cassie taking her music in a much more soulful, mature direction so looking forward to new material from her.

There is an energy about the album that’s exhilarating, these artists are all making their music their way and it acts as a teaser leaving you wanting more from all of them. If you want to here something fresh and soulful get a copy of Saint Heron now – it will not disappoint!

BC Kingdom- Lock Up


 

 

 

 

01 Dec

Posted at 15:13h in Carly-ann Mond, Uncategorised

One of the highlights for me on Drake’s Nothing Was the Same
album is ‘From Time’, because aside from the fact it’s a great track it features an
artist called ‘Jhene Aiko’ who I had never heard of before. I was amazed at how
distinctive, almost haunting her voice was on the track and couldn’t wait to
hear her solo material.

‘Sail Out’, the first EP from Jhene Aiko recently dropped
and it did not disappoint. It contains 7 tracks, all of which Jhene wrote,
every one individual in style and lyrical content. What struck me the most upon
my first listen is how unlike anything I’d heard before ‘Sail Out’ is, it’s
soulful but with a hip hop edge to it and I cannot liken the sound to any other
artist or even put it in a genre. Jhene uses lyrical content that typically you
would hear from male artists, singing, ‘Can I hit it again’, ‘Gotta get this
paper’ and ‘We Should Just get Naked’, which adds to her individuality as she
brings an undeniable assertiveness on her tracks.

Production on the EP is flawless, all tracks except one owing credits to the still relatively unheard of duo, ‘Fisticuffs’
who have so far worked almost exclusively with Miguel and Jhene I cant wait to
hear more tracks from these guys!

When I listened to the EP the most overriding impression I
was left with is that I was listening to an artist; this woman clearly knows
exactly the type of music she wants to make and is making it refusing  to adhere to genres or stereotypes. ‘Stay
Ready’ is my favourite track on ‘Sail Out’ and it takes a superior level of
confidence  to record a track as a new
artist with the hottest name in hip hop; Kendrick Lamar. The track is stunning;
lyrically and musically complex, changing tempo and sound half way through and
at 6 minutes long Jhene risks some DJs not giving it radio air time which again
just reinforces the confidence she has in her creativity.

This alluring EP is a must listen for any soul / neo-soul /
RnB or hip hop fans. Jhene’s style is so unique that I think it will divide
listeners; you’ll either love it or not really get it, but if you don’t get it
I would challenge you to not acknowledge her talent and artistry. I cant wait
for her album to drop next year, bringing this level of talent to the table on
a first EP is an exceptional achievement and something tells me this is just a
small sample of what Jhene Aiko is capable of!

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)

Jhene Aiko – The Worst


 

 

 

 

30 Oct

Posted at 13:45h in RH says U Need 2 Know!

Hey Soulquarians,
time to let y’all know about something sweet n soulful on the horizon.

One of my favourite artists, Slakah the Beatchild is about to deliver a slice of killer songs and beats in the form of Soul Movement Vol II

In his own words…The Idea behind the Soul Movement series has always been to patiently assemble the best of Slakah the Beatchilds production and marry them with fellow artists that he admires.

Watch out for collaborations with fellow Canadian soulsters Ayah and Glenn Lewis and be prepared for that trademark silky smooth production and vocals from the man himself.

Soul Movement Vol II is due for release early January 2014
In the meantime enjoy this slice of retro video niceness.

All aboard the Soul Train…
Blessness
RH

16 Aug

Posted at 16:27h in RH says U Need 2 Know!, Video

Hey Soulquarians,
here is one of those moments that i really enjoy. Feeding you something fresh & very special in music land. On this occasion, it’s in the form of a mouthwatering collaboration between “The Voice” Syleena Johnson & Musiq Soulchild.

The two soulsters have come together to present the reggae infused album project 9ine.
As the album title suggests, there are nine tracks. 3 of which are seperate solo cuts from Syleena & Musiq and they then come together on a further three tracks to complete the albums’ titled theme.

To add to the numerical wordplay attached to the project, it’ll be released on the 9th day of the ninth month of 2013. Clever eh?
Anyway, the lead off collaboration is a beautifully executed piece of reggae music bliss coated with S&Ms (see what i did there) sweet vocals.
May i take this opportunity to add how FINE!!!! Mz Johnson looks in the video…WOW!!

Don’t just take my word for it…Check the vid!
Enjoy!!
Blesssness
RH