March 2020 has truly been something else. With the world in a state of all sorts of uncertainty, thankfully musicians are still managing to put out great Soul Music & R&B, in spite of the many challenges. The past month has blessed us with new R&B music to sooth our quarantined souls. We’ve got new projects from some of our fave new artists, including Ojerime, Cleo Sol, Yazmin Lacey and Duchess. Our thoughts on these new albums and EPs below, plus our On The Wave playlist is updated with our best new cuts.
Cleo Sol – Rose in the Dark
It’s been an eventful musical journey for the super talent that is Cleo Sol. The London born singer-songwriter whose unique brand of soul simply pierces to the heart was initially noticed by UK producer, DaVinChe, after posting tracks on MySpace in her teens.
Cleo’s inspirations derive from her parents musical passions, shuffling through a record collection of classics across Motown, Reggae, Latin, and Acid Jazz. Cleo developed her own sound, inspired by pop culture and Neo-Soul, influences that can be heard and felt on her debut album, Rose in the Dark.
Rose in the Dark truly is Soul Music at its finest and Cleo’s voice dazzles throughout. Lyrically and melodically she paints intensely vivid images laced over rhythmic soulful production that delights throughout. It’s that head-nodding, good music feeling reminiscent at points of Sade. The 11 track album lasts just under 40 minutes is a journey through contemporary Soul / R&B. Definitely worth a spin to see if it’s your speed.
Ojerime – B4 I Breakdown
UK Alternative R&B vanguard Ojerime dropped her debut album this month, B4 I Breakdown. The project is packed with layers of sultry R&B with smooth melodies throughout. Production wise, the album has a very good blend of trippy jazz, modern trap / hip-hop infused with traditional R&B vibes.
This is Ojerime’s second project after her debut EP, 4U, was released in 2018. B4 I Breakdown is certainly a strong follow up. In between both projects, Ojerime took a short sabbatical away from music to focus on enhancing her mental health. In January, she delivered the lead single of the project, Empty, which touched on the feeling of being drained in every area of life, from friendships, career and love life. “I offload all of this in a convoluted way because I’m going through so many emotions when writing this. The lyrics are relatable but the overall message is quite cryptic and personal to me.”
One for lovers of unconventional R&B with the best of the genre and infectious melodies.
Yazmin Lacey – Morning Matters
The hugely talented Jazz songstress, Yazmin Lacey, blessed us with a new EP, Morning Matters.
This EP meshes candid songwriting with a laid-back, jazz-led delivery and is, as Lacey explains; “dedicated to anyone that’s ever struggled with getting up and out in the morning, for everyone doing work on themselves and trying to live better.” Jazz influences reign supreme throughout the project with jazz musicians, Moses Boyd, Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi of jazz group Ezra Collective featured heavily.
The EP is another nice steady follow up to her previous EPs Blackmoon andWhen The Sun Dips 90 Degrees. The former expressed trauma and loneliness, the later about healing. Morning Matters is about “owning my own and moving forward” in the morning. Yazmin’s musical journey has been interesting to say the least. Having written music from her bedroom for her whole life, Lacey only began to play acoustic shows in 2014. As her reputation grew locally in Nottingham, she came to meet the diverse group of musicians who would form her band, The Running Circle. Her fame has organically grown as she’s consistently delivered some of the best contemporary jazz and live performances.
Morning Matters is the perfect sound and lyrical background to these times.
Duchess – Early Days EP
South London based singer Duchess released her debut EP Early Days this month and it does not disappoint. The 22 year old is a singer truly on the rise and this project is a very nice introduction for many into her sound.
The 4 track project provides a very good blend of modern R&B intertwined with soul elements. Vocally Duchess is flawlessly polished throughout, with her runs and melodies up there with the best of artists. That said, it’s lyrics where Duchess really defines herself on this project. She paints vivid and concise images with the way she brings the lines to life very reminiscent of Emeli Sandé.
The lead single from the project, Elephant, is a brilliant track and is the standout on the EP. It’s a track which fuses modern R&B with nostalgic neo-soul. When speaking on the meaning of the single she mentions that the track, “talks about having two sides of yourself that are fighting against each other – the good and the bad or the light and the dark. We all have demons that can’t be ignored, but at different stages in our lives, we just have to face up to them.”
