Now THIS is how you start a week right – with incredible new music from RnB royalty!!

Yes the legendary Janet Jackson is back with her new single, ‘No Sleep‘ taken from her forthcoming album (her first in seven years!) entitled, ‘Conversations In a Cafe‘.

Seductive and soulful with playful lyrics and a catchy hook, ‘No Sleep‘ sees Janet back where she belongs – with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on production. The single is available from midnight (23rd June) and coincides with the announcement of her ‘Unbreakable‘ world tour.

Welcome back Janet Jackson , you have been missed!!!

@CarlyMond

Janet Jackson – No Sleep

Most of us RnB fans love to debate who’s the best in the game, who’s had the most seminal album and who has been most influential in the scene! In light of the recent Jodeci comeback Phonte (of Foreign Exchange / Little Brother) joins podcast crew ‘The Music Snobs,‘ to debate all of the above and in particular, Jodeci’s impact on the landscape of RnB.

Phonte and The Music Snob’s all seriously know their stuff when it comes to RnB! They talk about how they feel Jodeci switched it up with Phonte claiming that they made, ‘RnB acceptable for men’, they discuss the genius production skills of DeVante and Al B Sure and ask the all important question, is the Jodeci comeback a good idea?

But these music gurus don’t just discuss Jodeci, they go on to talk about the greatest one hit wonders of all time and share stories behind their music memories. Phonte is hilarious and full of passion as always and I would challenge any RnB fan not to be laughing and wanting to join the debate after the first couple of minutes!

Clink the link below to enjoy and leave your comments on Jodeci’s impact, whether or not they should have returned and who is the all time greatest RnB one hit wonder!!

@CarlyMond

https://soundcloud.com/themusicsnobs/episode-037

It was good news for Mariah Carey fans worldwide when she announced early this year a new deal with Epic Records and a reteaming with the legendary L.A Reid on the production of her forthcoming album.

Today she dropped the only new recording from her new upcoming Greatest Hits album (set for release 18th May) entitled, ‘Infinity‘. We all love Mariah for her incredible vocal runs, her authentic soulful ballad sound and her classic break up lyrics, all of which can be found on this new track!

With L.A Reid on production, this track really does sound like the signature Mariah sound from the 90’s is back. The question is – are the lyrics a dig at ex-husband Nick Cannon? Take a listen below and decide for yourself…

Mariah Carey – Infinity

@CarlyMond

Whilst Drake fans everywhere have been hopefully waiting on a new album or mixtape, it seems that he has been busy with another project which he debuted online today; a short film directed by Karim Huu Do entitled, ‘Jungle‘.

The film is a quiet, reflective and revealing journey into Drake’s world, including some early VHS clips of him rapping and singing as a child. With Noah ’40’ Shebib on the score and a couple of new tracks from Drake being teased in the background, it is a captivating watch, although no doubt some might find it over-indulgent.

Take a step inside Drake’s Jungle below and decide for yourself…..

@CarlyMond

https://vimeo.com/119416353

It’s been a while since we have heard any new material from Frank Ocean, then yesterday he broke his musical silence with an enchanting cover of The Isley Brothers classic, ‘At Your Best (You Are Love)‘, which he has expressed is a tribute to the late Aaliyah on what would have been her 36th Birthday.

The cover is stripped back, understated and hears Frank Ocean’s vocals sounding hotter than ever. There is no word of any other new recordings from the artist as yet, however he did sign under new management last summer so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for that much anticipated follow up album to ‘Channel Orange‘.

@CarlyMond

Frank Ocean – At Your Best

RnB family the wait is FINALLY over!!! 14 years after the release of his last album, ‘Voodoo D’Angelo has today released his new project entitled, ‘Black Messiah.

The album is a force field of Funk, Soul, Rock, Hip Hop and Neo-Soul, it’s experimental and energetic, fans of ‘Voodoo‘ won’t be disappointed and it feels like a natural step up progression from that album.

Black Messiah is charged with political and social connotations but also delves into the realms of love and sex with fluidity and finesse, collaborations on the album include Questlove, Q Tip, James Gadson and Kendra Foster who co-wrote many of the albums tracks.

Every now and again you hear an album that you know is an instant masterpiece, D’Angelo’s Black Messiah is definitely one of them! Cop it on Itunes or stream it on Spotify now!!!!!

Listen to and download first single entitled, ‘Sugah Daddyhere

@CarlyMond

It’s been a big year for the TDE signed singer, songwriter, ‘BJ The Chicago Kid‘, starting with his collaboration on the Schoolboy Q track, ‘Studio‘ he has gone on to drop solo tracks like, ‘Real Love Never Dies‘ and ‘Perfect‘, generating critical acclaim and demand from fans for a new album.

His new E.P ‘The M.A.F.E Project‘, features 12 new tracks, boasting features from Freddie Gibson and Schoolboy Q and production credits from Da Internz and Hip Hop duo Mike & Keys (formerly ‘The Furturistiks’).

The E.P is a perfect blend of RnB and Hip Hop with a bit of Mowtown flava mixed in. BJ The Chicago Kid pays homeage in style and lyrics to the likes of Jodeci, James Brown, Aaliyah and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, whilst maintaining a freshness with his musical style. High points of ‘The M.A.F.E Project‘ are the raw and bluesy, ‘Real Love Never Dies‘ and BJ’s version of the Aaliyah classic ‘One In A Million‘ which he geniusly mixes with Jodeci’sFeenin‘ making the track a must for 90’s RnB fans!

The M.A.F.E Project‘ has something for everyone and is definitley a highlight album of the year, you can download it for FREE via BJ The Chicago Kid’s website, click on the link below and enjoy!!

http://bjtck.com/

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)


BJ The Chicago Kid – ‘One In A Million’

 

 

 

Over the past two weeks not one but TWO incredible EP’s have dropped in the world of RnB! Raleigh Ritchie who has been blowing up the UK RnB seen over the past year, has collaborated with American Neo-Soul group The Internet on a new EP entitled, ‘Black and Blue Point 2‘. The EP features hot remixes of tracks from Ritchie’s previous EP as well as a new song, ‘Chased‘ showing his lyrics and vocals are as on point as ever. This is a great collaboration and another fantastic EP for Raleigh Ritchie fans to add to their collection – lets hope to hear more from this team in the future! You can buy ‘Black and Blue Point 2’ now on Itunes.

The second EP comes from unsigned American artist Gallant entitled ‘Zebra’. Gallant has teamed up with producers Felix Snow and Maths Time Joy to release this incredibly unique EP, at first listen I became an instant fan – the style lies somewhere between RnB, Neo-Soul and this new electronica soul coming from artists like Sampha and SZA. Gallant’s vocals are stunningly distinctive and at times haunting (in a good way!). His lyrics are rich and emotive and scream wisdom years beyond his young age of 21, if the music industry has any sense this guy won’t stay unsigned for long! If you are a fan of Maxwell and Frank Ocean or just want to hear something enticingly unique you can buy ‘Zebra‘ from Itunes.

With this level of talent being brought at the start of their careers I can’t wait to hear what Raleigh Ritchie and Gallant will be bringing in the future – these two are definitely ones to watch!!

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)

Gallant – Jupiter Grayscale
http://youtu.be/iE5VqTY9t3c

 

 

 

 

I have just returned from Cape Town bringing good news for all Erykah Badu fans; Erykah headlined the prestigious 2 day Jazz Festival on the main stage and I can confirm that she looks and sounds better than ever!

The atmosphere at the venue was intense with anticipation for Erykah’s arrival and she came on to stage to possibly the best crowd reception I’ve ever heard! Her style was understated; wearing over sized workman’s trousers, a simple black shirt and a mountain hat with her hair wrapped in a scarf underneath, she looked stunning regardless – no gimmicks or extravagance required, which mirrored the tone for the performance.

Here is an artist who does not need any extras, she gets by on talent and conviction of her lyrics alone. The Neo-Soul Queen was the ultimate eclectic ‘one man band‘; she sang, she rapped, she even had a multi platform electric pad on which she created synth melodies and added sound effects to her tracks. With a clear awareness of her fans she sang all of her hits; ‘Love of My Life‘, ‘Next Lifetime‘, ‘I Want You‘ and ‘Tyrone‘ during a set which lasted over an hour, before returning to perform an explosive encore of ‘Honey‘, ‘Window Seat‘ and ‘Bag Lady‘ finishing up with a crowd surf sending the audience into an excitement frenzy that left everyone on a high.

The show saw some tender and emotional moments too during some of Erykah’s more stripped back tracks and particularly during a birthday tribute that she gave to her backing singer sister , ‘Nayrok‘ who shared the stage with Erykah and who she thanked in a tearful speech for her continued support. Clearly humbled by the response from the Cape Town crowd Erykah expressed sincere gratitude several times and said she felt like she was ‘Home‘.

The show was mesmerizing, energetic and humble and what was so evident was that Erykah Badu has maintained a huge global passionate fan base. The demand from fans and crave for new material is there, the talent is clearly still there, possibly stronger then ever, the love of music from Erykah is still there, so hopefully we won’t have to wait to long for this exceptional artist to be back on the scene with new material.

Until then we relive the classics….and there are so many….enjoy!

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)


Erykah Badu – Love of My Life