Another month of great new songs, EPs and albums from UK Soul, Jazz and R&B. We bring you our 6 favourites from Nápoles, Nicole Chambers, Alicia Keys, Miles from Kinshasa, SAULT and Tems.
Get into why all of these projects are special below. Listen to the best new songs and albums on our On The Wave playlist.
Nápoles – Slowin It EP
This Swedish musician caught our ears with her first single Slowzy earlier this year. This month she released her debut EP Slowin It. The 6 track EP showcases her organic fusion of Neo-Soul, modern R&B and Hip-Hop.
The EP was not a rushed effort and a process which took around a year to cultivate. As Nápoles explains, “…I already had 2-3 songs ready to put out. And as the year went by I explored with it by adding different songs and intros. By spring I felt like I had the right songs and overall theme for the project and went with it. It’s all really a journey and exploration.”
Vocally, Nápoles’ conversational tone shines throughout alongside a backdrop of truly soulfully smooth beats. The project really plays through seamlessly with vibes that hit your Soul.
Additionally, Slowin It also has a very warm intimate feel to it which again adds to the aesthetic of the listening experience. Speaking on her influences, Nápoles stated, “My main goal was to create a dreamy feel to it. The songs differ from each other but at the same time I feel like they all go well together.”
Overall, Nápoles is an artist clearly on the rise and this debut EP only further cements why she is one to watch closely moving on.
Nicole Chambers – Voice of a Virgo
There really is something in the musical waters currently in Canada. The country is simply blooming with Soulful talent and Nicole Chambers is another shining example.
This month she released her debut album, Voice of a Virgo and it does not disappoint. A delightful listen throughout, the 12-track album takes us on a divine soulful journey. The Toronto based singer-songwriter displays an array of Soul music with a voice that perfectly captivates the listening experience.
Sonically, Voice of a Virgo meshes contemporary R&B with old Soul effortlessly. Nicole touches on relationships, love and self-love during the project without ever sounding preachy with her smooth vocals serving therapeutically well. A good example of this is the lead single from the project, I’m Fine. The track tells the story of the effects of withholding your emotions saving face to let people think all is fine. “The inspiration came from my group of friends as I started noticing they were doing it too. We are so-called pros at pretending that we are handling everything so well when we clearly aren’t.”
The melodic arrangements on the album also really add to its all-round aesthetics. Neo-Soul inspirations play a pivotal role on the album and it truly feels like nothing was rushed in the making. Each song feeds well into the other with the theme remaining strong throughout. Nicole Chambers may not be a name you are yet familiar with but this album truly does a great job of changing that.
Alicia Keys – ALICIA
It’s an old age question. Just how does an artist whose career has spanned over two decades continue to musically reinvent themselves? Well, Alicia Keys answers and illustrates just how, on her 7th (yes 7th!) album, ALICIA.
It literally feels centuries have passed since Alicia blew into the scene with her first single Fallin’ in 2001. 19 years later, she is still going strong. ALICIA showcases elevated growth rather than change on this album. There can be cases where artists began to feel they need to stay on trend sonically. Something that Alicia Keys steers well away from on this album. As ever, ALICIA is musically experimental with her describing the album as genreless. However, as we have come to expect from Alicia at this point, the album is jam-packed with substance.
Lyrically, she provides some of her best ever work, further showing how much of a generational musical talent she continues to be. ALICIA illustrates bravery with her artistry as we see her touching on topics ranging from personal introspection and current world affairs to self-consciousness and love. The artists featured on the album also feel specifically selected to elevate the all-round feel to the project. Featuring soulful heavy hitters Snoh Aalegra, Jill Scott to more eclectic vocalists such as Sampha and Tanzanian afrobeat artist Diamond Platnumz.
On the whole, ALICIA is a wonderfully packaged album. Despite it being 4 years since her previous album Here. The project highlights the importance of allowing time to pass in order to allow the creative flow to truly flourish.
Miles from Kinshasa – Beloved
This South-Londoner released his first full-length project in 3 years in September, Beloved. The project is 8-tracks long, is a smooth ride of experimental and eclectic Soul that Miles describes as ‘Rumba-pop’. Beloved is a very chilled out album with Miles’ laid back tone mixed with very relatable day to day storytelling resonating throughout.
Production on the album comes by way of Miles himself alongside Kadiata & Murkage Dave and is varied throughout. Something that certainly adds to the overall listen, with no tracks ever sounding the same. Speaking on the project, Miles added: “Beloved is an honest project about vulnerability and growth through the lenses of a millennial. It’s millennial blues to get us through the times soaked in nostalgia”. This theme is definitely evident as he explores an array of ambiguous situations and thoughts on the collection of tracks.
Beloved, is remarkably honest and does not try to be something it isn’t. Varying away from the mainstream R&B sound it manages to cut through due to its unrivalled honesty from start to finish. It’s UK Soul without the facades and a project that stands firmly on its simple, yet innovative creativity.
SAULT – Untitled (Rise)
If releasing one of the most monumental albums of 2020 Untitled (Black Is) was not enough, 3 months later the musical collective, SAULT, are back with a new album Untitled (Rise). Moreover, within the past 2 years, the group who are yet to fully reveal themselves have amazingly released 4 albums (5,7, Untitled (Black Is), Untitled (Rise)). Thankfully, this is definitely not a case of over-saturation as the quality of music and themes on all their projects are simply immense.
Untitled (Black Is) released in June, was perfectly poignant in its release. Touching on many layers of the worldwide experience of black people. Untitled (Rise) offers a greater sense of hope and upliftment as the album title suggests. The 15 track album, thematically and sonically flows extremely smoothly. With its mix of interlude tracks with full tracks meshing within seamlessly. Vocally, Cleo Sol remains in the forefront of the majority of songs adding phenomenal soulful moments vividly on tracks ‘Son Shine’, ‘Free’, ‘Uncomfortable’ & ‘Little Boy’.
That said, sonically things are refreshingly eclectic from beginning to end making for a truly delightful listening experience. In many ways, Untitled (Rise) plays as an ode to the past 50 years of Black music on the whole. The range is remarkably refreshing and somewhat daring in this current musical climate. Elements of early 70s R&B, 50s & 60s Blues are showcased as well as 90s British soul influenced by the likes of Soul II Soul. In addition to this, jazz and church choirs play their role on the all-round aesthetics of the album.
Based on that, you could be forgiven by thinking that maybe that is too much of an experiment of sounds but you would simply be mistaken. The arrangement of tracks as well as the composition of sounds on each track blend effortlessly and do not disturb the theme of hope and uprising. In many ways, such an arrangement make this more of an outstanding feature.
Simply put, SAULT have provided us with 2 of the most unique albums you are likely to hear in 2020. And whereas the group’s identity remains a mystery, their music truly isn’t. It’s imperative that their music is shared and spoken about, so tell a friend to tell a friend!
Tems – For Broken Ears
After capturing our attention with the single These Days in May 2020, the hugely talented singer, songwriter producer Tems released her debut project this month. For Broken Ears is a collection of 7 tracks that infuse eclectic R&B/Soul with Afrobeats. However, that wouldn’t even be telling the full story.
The EP that was completely written by herself, and she also produced 4 tracks on the album, showcases Tems ability to make music, that in many ways spans beyond genres. The project lasts just over 20 minutes and is a musical ride that you simply don’t want to end. For Broken Ears showcases Tem’s very rich vocals throughout alongside eclectically soulful production from start to end.
The arrangement of the tracklist also adds to the listening experiencing sounding seamless, which adds a huge amount of replay value all round. Tems vocals and melodies simply touch the soul and turn tracks into anthems that you simply want to rewind over and over again. For instance, on the track Ice T. The song touches on the idea of striving regardless of the circumstances or no matter who lets you down. With lyrics on the hook ‘I make ice T and I make it with your lemons, flaws and all, I be the one you run to’ further cementing this. The production on the track is crisp with heavy drums that simply slap out the speakers from the jump.
Overall, the length of the project is fitting and makes you want more rather than wish for it to be over. Added to the fact that all of the songs follow each other brilliantly well, For Broken Ears that can be played in any situation. Whether you’re vibing with your homies or just chilling the EP has something to offer and is simply something you won’t just play the once.
In this microwave era, where there is simply so much music to consume Tems does a fantastic job of cutting through with music that is timeless.
