Beyonce’s got something cooking. Having stirred (needless) controversy among listeners with her ‘Bow Down/I Been On’ buzz single and remix, King B looks ready to announce something big tomorrow which she’s announced via a new promo video that carries the message “4/4/2013, 9AM EDT, #BeyHereNow”. The clip seems to feature that Sasha Fierce glove again (… lets hope she leaves that alone) but more excitingly also airs a whole 3 seconds of what sounds like could be massive new song. New single? Album details? We’ll find out tomorrow (2am UK time).
Sidenote: rather incredible to think that she’s already sold out an entire world tour before even announcing a new single and/or album. Cray.
Basically while old farts were busy debating Beyonce’s stance on feminism on her ‘Bow Down/I Been On’ single, she was busy lining up bonafide H-Town legends for it’s remix. The Houston native employs Bun B, Z-Ro, Scarface, Willie D, Slim Thug & Lil Keke to add original verses to her Timbaland produced banger ‘I Been On’. As like in the original version Bey only appears in chopped & screwed form.
Having released one of our favourite albums of 2012 singer Rochelle Jordan starts the new year with a new and typically stellar record. Covering Lil’ Wayne & Drake’s ‘She Will’, now re-titled ’Impossible’, Jordan applies an intuitive melody and transforms the original into a sensual new structure.
… For our U.S readers, make sure you check Rochelle Jordan on tour with our homegirl Jessie Ware – see dates here.
As one of the key pioneers in Electronic music Flying Lotus has continually pushed the boundaries of (his own) creativity. After a game changing debut EP in 2006 and two critically acclaimed albums, he officially launches the campaign for his highly anticipated third album Until the Quiet Comes with a short film directed Kahlil Joseph. The film tells a story of a child growing up in Los Angeles and features new music from his new album including ‘See Thru To U’ featuring Erykah Badu, ‘Hunger’ and ‘Getting There’, both featuring Niki Randa.
Watch up top. Expect the new album October 1st via Warp Records.
A$AP Rocky takes a big leap into his inevitable superstardom by joining Rihanna on the official remix of her latest single ‘Cockiness (Love It)’. What’s more Rocky is also rumoured to bewill be joining Rih-Rih on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards this week – nice headway towards that debut album promo. It’s no ‘Birthday Cake’, but hey, A$AP’s verse makes up for that.
Trust MJ Cole to transform Delilah’s quirky new Pop single ‘Shades of Grey’ into a hyphy 2-Step bubbler. With his hallmark strings in place, Cole spins his purist UKG heritage around Delilah’s looped vocals and warps the tender original into a summer-ready smash. May just prefer this to the original…
From the Roots Up is out now. Pre-order the ‘Shades of Grey’ remix here.
Here goes Delilah’s new video for ‘Shades of Grey’, the new single taken off her critically acclaimed debut album From the Roots Up, which peaked at #5 in the UK charts last month. The single sees Delilah’s distinctive vocals permeating an ethereal soundbed of twinkling keys and dramatic build ups; It also reinforces her angular approach to more progressive ‘shades’ of Pop. And for that, her recent chart success should not be overlooked, it’s refreshing to see a major label backed artist unafraid to show off her edges - especially ones like Delilah who bravely explore the (industry) taboo of experimental R&B and takes it chart-ward.
The air of online mystery, along with growing buzz seems to be building around newcomer Twigs. Little information’s been available on her, yet a couple low-key releases seem to have already ignited a minor compulsion for more in the blogosphere.
Like the 22 year old Londoner’s first single ‘Hide’ that knocked us back a bit last month, ‘Ache’ explores the wider perimeters of the advanced Pop we’ve seen recently in acts like AlunaGeorge, Py, Evy Jane, 14th, Delilah and even Jamie Woon and James Blake stretching back a couple years. Baring the fruits of music made by interbreeding ears, here Twigs pushes a soft fairytale coo over the downtempo drum verbs and harrowing chords of some hazed alt-R&B brigade hurtling towards a castle occupied by neo-psychadelic Bass-heads in the Norse mountains. Like the stark Grace Ladoja directed video featuring a one-grain-short-of-a-bath-salt protagonist sporting a cut up Jordan 5 mask, it reminds of a simplified 90s Trip-Hop accompaniment, from the fluroescent lamps right down to the feel of body-genre led physical incapacitation. There’s just a gut wrenching undercurrent of suspension and release, as the singer yoyo’s in limbo from an estranged lover’s call. Both song and visual teeter on the precipice of minimal maximal.
Whilst evoking that pythoness atmosphere, there’s something subversively British and yet borrowed about the instrumental, that again, cross-pollinates cutting edges from across the hemisphere past and present in the same way Trip-Hop as a concept seemed to in it’s hey day. Whereas as that adapted Hip-Hop, turntabilism and noir, this asserts R&B, digital plug-ins and phantasms. And so like the other above mentioned, advanced popsters who’ve been onto something, so too is this artiste.
Interestingly however, even after the unveling of her i-D Magazine cover, you might recall Twigs popping up in high-profile music videos as a successful dancer in the last couple of years; most noticeably featuring in Jessie J’s ‘Do It Like a Dude’ and ‘Price Tag’. Mystery solved? Sort of. Information on where these singles come from is still pending, but with such a sensational look, sound and aura surrounding this lady there could be a very interesting path ahead for her.
As her debut album pushes alternative R&B across British shores, Delilah’s sensual ‘Inside My Love’ is remixed into a more aggressively charged entity by upcoming British producer Alby Daniels. Including some sultry vocals of his own beside hers, Daniels’ does superb justice to the already stand-out original. Just wait for the drop point into fractured sub space at 1.21, killer.
Very few women do gully heartbreak like Keyshia Cole. Her first two albums were rammed with gut wrenching, from-road ballads and no-nonsense mid-tempos – and even though they were successful, both seem easily and foolishly overlooked. She fell off slighly after that but seems back on form with this new single ‘Enough of No Love’ featuring Lil’ Wayne. The song is taken off Cole’s forthcoming Woman to Woman album (October), which is said to return her back to the mood/feel of her first two. #ghettosadsongs
Keyshia Cole filling in for Mary J. Blige since 2005. Now all we need is for Jazmine Sullivan to return, Mary J. to abandon that radio (and chicken) fodder and all will be good in female R&B.
