Jaw Jam has created a bit of a cult following by twisting often-obscure R&B songs into newly refurbished bangers – this time he tackles Mya’s forgotten ‘My Love Is Like… Wo’ from ’03. I was never fan of this song, it always irked me and in many ways represented Mya’s decline into the R&B abyss (Mya kinda is the original Ciara) and although it isn’t saved by this bootleg it is made a whole lot more interesting. Jam applies a rotund amount of bass and an intricate weave of vocal loops, basically reconstructing the entire song to the point of it being almost unrecognisable, which in this case is a good thing all round. Listen up.
Sidenote – it’s pretty interesting that unlike Aaliyah and Brandy etc, Mya’s never been a producers favourite to sample. Fear of Flying is an album that still bumps – have folk forgotten that?
Rising singer, songwriter and producer MNEK has been busy wracking up songwriting credits for a bunch of big name artists over the past year or so, but recently he found the time to serve up another one of his impressive cover versions – this time of Disclosure’s chart smash ‘White Noise’ featuring AlunaGeorge. I still haven’t fully recovered from his rendition of Kelis’ ‘Get Along With You’ from last year and although there have been a couple covers since then, this is the one that really stands out. MNEK’s voice is ridiculous, but it’s the control (and restraint) he commands when singing that really stands him apart from others. Not to mention his productions are always on point. Continue to keep your eyes on this one.
Jessie Ware performed an emotional rendition of Rihanna’s #1 single ‘Diamonds’ for BBC Radio 1′s Live Lounge earlier today. And just like everything else she sings Miss Ware adds her own cool-romanticism to the song and gives it a whole new elegance. In this form, this could have very easily been a Jessie Ware song.
J. Cole teams up with Grammy winner Miguel on the lead single from his upcoming sophomore album Born Sinner. Something cool seems to happen when these two collaborate, who can forget ‘All I Want Is You’? While ‘Power Trip’ doesn’t necessary cut the cheese like that did, it’s a decent enough follow up. Cole delivers a typically strong set of verses in that ever-ambiguous flow he’s homed in on over the past few years; It would have been good if Miguel had more of a presence/stronger hook though.
F*ck valentines day, today is #JTDay. After the surprise announcement of his London show next week and the release of his new music video for ‘Suit & Tie’, PMR’s Julio Bashmore rounds things up nicely with the release of this rather special remix of Timberlake’s new single. Bashmore adds an entirely new vibe to the track, taking it from the smooth R&B cut it was, into a bubbling ode to the dance. Get into this…
Justin’s official video for ‘Suit & Tie’ featuring Jay-Z just dropped, watch up top. The single is taken off JT’s upcoming third album The 20/20 Experience, due out March 15th. The video follows today’s news that Timberlake will perform an intimate show in London next week at The Forum – info on that and on how to get tickets here.
And once again we’re reminded that London really is the centre of the universe (‘llow me, I’m a Londonder) as just a day after Kanye West announced a surprise one-off gig in London this month, Justin Timberlake announces he will also play here next week. Timberlake will play a post-BRIT Awards gig at The Forum in London on February 20th. Tickets are £50 (plus booking) and go on sale tomorrow (February 15th) at 9am via Live Nation.
So, I guess we’re going to see Justin Timberlake next week? Fuuuuuuck!
According to our friends over at The Line of Best Fit, Kanye West will play a special one-off gig in London at the end of this month. West will play the Hammersmith Apollo on February 24th, ditching his usual arena size show for a more intimate setting. Pre-sale tickets will be available from Thursday 14th February at 9am via Eventim and general sale will follow on Friday 15th. This surprise London show follows other one-off gigs Yeezy has put on in Atlantic City and Abu Dhabi in recent months.
Earlier today Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, released a new video for ‘Twenty Eight’ taken off his successful Trilogy project released last year. The video features everything you’d assume a Weeknd video would have in it – strange scenarios, naked women, general emoshness and… More naked women. Personally I would have enjoyed something a little more unexpected, but hey – we’ll take it.
We’ve been enjoying Inc’s debut album No World for a few months here at PB HQ – the guys were kind enough to send us an advance copy. It very quickly became one of our favourite albums of the year so far (we’ll say this year because technically it’s released in 2013).
Following the release of their debut EP in 2011 and new singles ‘The Place’ & ’5 Days’, brothers Andrew and Daniel Aged have cultivated an exciting blend of avant-garde R&B, soul & pop and in doing so have created a cohesive long player filled with lush vocal arrangements and dreamy productions. Definitely one for the record collection.
No World drops February 19th. Update: Buy No Worldvia iTunes now.
