New Soul and R&B music isn’t letting up in 2021. April was another hot month for new music from some of the best of the new wave of Soul, Jazz and R&B. As ever, our On the Wave playlist is keeping you up to speed on what’s dope! Get into the playlist and 7 projects from the past month you’ve got to give a spin below.
JAEL – Half As Much
Two months after the release of his Unworthy EP, JAEL is back with a new album, Half As Much. The 11 track album is jam packed with eclectic soulful vibes. The album is equally varied with features coming from Jayla Darden, Phabo, Alex Isley and The Kount to name a few.
Being an artist, producer and DJ, JAEL is a true triple threat and this is showcased throughout the project. Vocally, he is able to weave his way through an array of diversified beats which Half As Much offers. With elements of Funk, Neo-Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop served out, this is 30 minutes of music that will keep you well and truly on your toes.
A prime example on this is the track ‘Unworthy’. The track is like a train ride of vibes and sonics. Ranging from sultry R&B to uptempo house/funk and ending off with trapsoul vibes, the transitions are meticulous and delivered effortlessly well.
As we covered a few weeks back, the lead single Red Dots did a wonderful job of delivering what we could expect on the album and JAEL fully came through. If you like your R&B / Soul best served with a mix of variety, Half As Much is an album that delivers that and plenty more.
Alfa Mist – Bring Backs
4 years have passed since his ground-breaking release Antiphon and Alfa Mist remains one of the main figures leading the charge in the flourishing UK Jazz scene. Very few musicians can bring jazz pianist and hip-hop rapper together, but it is such diversity that makes Bring Backs such a riveting project.
The album intro ‘Teki’ is a musical crescendo that sets the tone of the album extremely well. With its guitar motif to its effortlessly bouncy groove, it truly grips you and by the time the brass section enters, followed by a captivating guitar solo section, Bring Backs is in full motion.
That said, there is so much more to the 40-minute project. The album is a well balanced fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop, that even flirts with neo-soul vibes at times. All of which is masterfully crafted by Alfa making the transitions in sonics effortless. For instance on the track, Mind The Gap featuring the poetic words of rapper Lex Amor. Piercing horn sections alongside a laid back drum pattern and softly placed percussion provide the perfect canvas for both Lex and Alfa Mist to showcase their lyrical abilities.
Eclectic themes run wild throughout the 9 track album. ‘Run Outs’ exemplifies and captivates with spellbinding jazz elements Alfa Mist at this point is renowned for. ‘People’, featuring Kaya Thomas-Dyke, plays as a relaxing meditative track touching on the feeling of social disconnection. Overall, Bring Backs is an extremely well put body of work that helps further cement Alfa Mist within the music scene full stop.
MALIA – Unpolished
Los Angeles-based vocalist and guitarist MALIA releases her full-length debut album, Unpolished. MALIA has always been a gifted storyteller with her style of vulnerable songwriting again on show. MALIA is an artist that has always been able to give us raw imperfect version of herself through her music. Unpolished consists of 11 tracks with the premise being on love and relationships. However, the way in which MALIA diversifies her position between tracks on this theme is truly brilliant.
Added to this, honey smooth vocals alongside vivid songwriting help the album come to life. Sonically, the production equally plays its role. Smoothly layered and with a laid back approach to match MALIA the sonics and vocals blend together brilliantly.
Unpolished is the follow up to three excellent projects which we suggest you checking out if you haven’t already. Including Ripe (2019), Late Bloomer (which featured a collaboration with Syd from The Internet in 2017), and the self-titled MALIA released in 2015.
All three projects showcase MALIA’s ability to merge new-soul with old school aesthetics sonically. Yet in many ways, is still an artist very much undiscovered by the masses.
Shantel May – Don’t Let Them See You Cry
The wait for Shantel May’s debut project is at last over. The Toronto native dropped her seven-track which is a mixture of previously released singles as well as brand new tracks.
Don’t Let Them See You Cry plays as a short story touching on the ins and outs of draining relationships and romance. Such as the unfiltered intro to the project ‘No Ratings’ where Shantel talks about giving up on a toxic relationship. This is delivered exceptionally well with her sultry vocal runs setting the tone of the EP.
Despite the EP being just over 20 minutes long, there is more than enough time for her 90s R&B esq voice to take centre stage. ‘Waiting’ is the track that arguably shows this off best with soulful rifts that touch the soul. Production on the project is equally consistent and importantly varied.
On the whole, this is a very solid intro project, from another artist flying the flag for the Canadian R&B.
Rachel Chinouriri – Four° In Winter
Croydon raised rising star Rachel Chinouriri is back blessing us with brand new music to fill our eardrums. Her follow up to 2019’s outstanding Mama’s Boy EP is Four° In Winter. The 8-track project is another step in the right direction. Yet again, Rachel’s captivating vocals and vivid storytelling are only getting better. Sonically the production is just as steller. A blend of atmospheric vibes, raw emotion, and a balanced mix of eclectic soul on show.
Similarly to Mama’s Boy, features are scarce allowing us to truly take in Rachel’s artistry. The only feature comes via the talented Sam Dotia on the heartwarming track ‘Beautiful Disaster’. That said, Rachel yet again is proving that she is on to watch and her growth as a soul artist is only going from strength to strength.
With over 5 million streams already to her name on Spotify alone she is a name more and more people will be getting used to hearing, and we are fully here for it!
Maxi Millz – Captions
West London singer / songwriter Maxi Millz this month dropped his long-awaited project ‘Captions’ off the back of a series of well received singles. Maxi is a prime example of another artist playing their part in ensuring the thriving UK R&B scene remains that way.
The EP consisting of eight tracks long does a great job of showcasing the array of R&B vibes Maxi is capable of providing us with. The entire project was constructed during lockdown, with its aim being to take an alternative view on love. Maxi adds, “The project is about relationships, the highs and lows, the different stages… from the infatuation filled honeymoon stage to the boring routine that a lot of relationships fall into, I tried to condense all the emotions I have felt in relationships, small and big, into a small project, Captions…”
Previously released singles ‘MDNA’ and ‘Danny Ocean’ make the cut but there is a lot more on the project that rehashed singles. Maxi Millz, has the unique ability of merging traditional soul funk elements alongside contemporary R&B. Lyrically and vocally his smoothly enraptured sound cuts through effortlessly well. Tracks such as the soulfully soothing ‘Burning Eyes’ and the airey last track on the project ‘Sfp’ are not only dope songs but their ability to resonate with the everyday person makes them and the EP on the whole that much more compelling.
Tay Iwar – Love & Isolation
Nigerian eclectic soul artist extraordinaire Tay Iwar delivers his next musical installment with the release of his EP Love & Isolation. Two years after his debut album ‘GEMINI’, Love & Isolation showcases Iwar at his introspective best. The 13 minute project births a turning point in his musical growth with the EP offering a lot more of a chilled back aesthetic. That said, the introspective stance Iwar takes works masterfully and delivers 5 tracks that flow effortlessly.
With it being a much shorter project, Love & Isolation allows the listener to zone into the true essence of Tay’s idea. Stripped back and delicately delivered, each track is intricately pieced together. Allowing Tay Iwar vocals and vibe to draw us into a trance-like state with this intimate soundtrack.
