R&B

Dante Bowe: “Wind Me Up” (feat. Anthony B)

Happy Juneteenth! Although Juneteenth has been recognized as a U.S. federal holiday for three years now, of course its roots lie here in Texas. So in the rich century-and-a-half tradition of spiritualism, resilience, and commemoration, today we’re celebrating Juneteenth with a North Texas gospel inspiration. Hailing from small town North Carolina and now based out of the Big D, Dante Bowe‘s been blowing up pretty quickly over the past decade; beginning with his self-released 2017 debut Son of a Father and continuing with 2021’s Circles, Bowe’s empowered, contemporary approach to gospel has scored his original tunes tons of streams across the globe. On top of a win for his contributions to Maverick City Music’s Old Church Basement, the past two years at the Grammys have also seen Dante Bowe earn an impressive number of self-earned nominations. Closely coinciding with the recent launch of his own label, TRUE Music, this summer Dante Bowe bestows us with a passionate, self-titled full-length. This eponymous entry finds Bowe bringing his deep gospel roots and persevering voice into the worlds of hip-hop, and reggae with the help of some top-tier collaborators including Jekalyn Carr and Vic Mensa. Just last Saturday, Dante Bowe took part in Hartsville, South Carolina’s Juneteenth Celebration, marking a pretty sturdy midpoint between Dante Bowe‘s drop date on July 21st and the release of its latest single at the top of June. Thanks to Jamaican Rastafari reggae revolutionary Anthony B, “Wind Me Up” circumnavigates the constraints of Christian music with a beach-party-ready bop. “Wind Me Up” lets loose with tack-sharp timbale rolls, steamy rhythm guitar, dancehall-proven drum and bass, and just the best of both worlds when it comes to vocals.

Culture Wars of Austin

Confucius and Fresh discuss why hip-hop and R&B don’t get the respect they deserve in Austin. Then they talk about the most important albums of the last 10 years.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about how Rihanna’s ANTI was almost produced by Travis Scott, what superhero Janet Jackson almost played, who Janet’s “Let’s Wait a While” was really about, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that the Black Eyed Peas are the biggest sellouts in hip-hop.

Confucius talks about the Supreme Court’s decision that Alabama’s voting maps need to be redrawn, the staff strike at the Austin American Statesman, how CNN fired their CEO and more on Confucius Reads the News.

Smarter, Not Harder

This week’s edition of The Breaks responds to allegations about 2Pac’s role in the aftermath of the infamous Quad Studios shooting, before breaking down why smarter, even in the hustle culture of hip-hop, is always a better approach than harder.

Hip Hop Facts feature little known tidbits like the reason Cypress Hill is banned from SNL, Jadakiss’ connection to the Notorious B.I.G., Nipsey’s plan for a STEM center, plus some history behind Slim Thug’s Interscope deal and Matthew Knowles.

Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion? There really aren’t male R&B stars like there used to be, and maybe toxic masculinity is to blame.

Finally, Confucius Reads the News about Ken Paxton’s impeachment, Macy’s and Costco’s warning about the economic situation, the debt ceiling resolution, and Boston’s recent Game Seven loss.

Marlei: “Sheesh”

There’s no question that Queen Bey’s court extends to the furthest reaches of the globe. But especially in her hometown of Houston, Beyoncé really is royalty. Her majesty’s legacy – in particular her role in the progression of R&B into trap-pop – continues to shine as a statewide piece of inspiration with its pinnacle smack dab in H-Town.

And although she’s not necessarily taking a shot at Beyoncé’s crown, rising singer-songwriter Marlei could definitely feel at home in “Third Ward Trill”‘s inner circle. Marlei first emerged in Fall 2021 with her incendiary debut single “Burn”, instantly channelling Beyoncé’s regal confidence and sultry, soulful vocals. And today, just in time for rising Texas temps, Marlei’s cranked things way up on her sophomore offering.

Embedded in the steamy essence of the Bayou City, “Sheesh” finds Marlei directly comparing herself to the Queen and Ariana Grande before accepting and amplifying her own intrinsic audacity. Produced by Zayn/Mind of Mine magic ear XYZ, “Sheesh”‘ll have you saying its namesake thanks to Marlei’s lilting intervals, disciplined harmonies, and a sense of unbridled sassiness that might even make Sasha Fierce use her safe word.

KindKeith: “EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE” (feat. 8bit_gf)

Happy Pride Month! As an advocate, it’s beyond encouraging to hear so many openly Queer Austinites sharing their art, spreading the love, and scoring pretty good opportunities here in our fair city. In that respect, we’ve got a live show recommendation to kick off June in proper form. It comes on behalf of singer-producer KindKeith, who first emerged with their 2019 single “Veronica’s Mom”. KindKeith’s sound has since matured over the course of two EPs and one full-length, cementing a genre-fluid, drizzled-in-synth style that sits somewhere between Thundercat and SiR. Picking up where last summer’s DON’T TALK TO ME >:( left off, KindKeith recently teamed up with Austin’s 8bit_gf for kind of a sonic curveball compared with prior expectations. While 8bit_gf’s debut streaming single “4NG3L W 4 9UN” basks in between hyperpop and drum n bass and KindKeith’s last EP leans on laid back grooves, “EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE“ cranks the beat repeat effect way up to carve a glitchy niche outside KindKeith’s trademark R&B. The pair celebrate with a release show tomorrow night at Swan Dive; 8bit_gf gets it started at 9:30 followed by Yonah B and EddieAngel before KindKeith wraps things up just after midnight. Til then, enjoy the start of June with a tune inspired by mutual early-twenties struggles with sexuality and gender identity. Between its unorthodox triplet percussion, 8bit_gf’s pitched up pipes and some extra glittery guitar that engorges before grinding the whole song to a halt, “EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE” is a modern waltz of frustration, revelation, and acceptance.

Do Austin Artists Deserve Opening Slots

Fresh and Confucius talk about whether more touring shows should feel obligated to put Austin artists on their bills. And they debate the importance of deep cuts on albums.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about the story behind Ginuwine’s “Same Ol’ G,” why Aaliya’s “Come Over” almost didn’t happen, what record Tina Turner holds, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Snoop Dogg’s “Doggiestyle” is better than Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic.”

Confucius talks about Ron DeSantis botched presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces, the movement on the deal to raise the debt ceiling, what’s been happening during the Texas legislative session and more on Confucius Reads the News.

Lew Apollo: “NEED YOUR LOVIN”

At the top of March, we praised Walker Lukens for his willingness to help up-and-comers in need of a keen production ear early on in their career. So you can imagine our excitement when we began to see credits from our August 2021 Artist of the Month BLK ODYSSY pop up in the wild. BLK ODYSSY’s latest collaborator? Austin-via-Minnesota singer-guitarist Lewis “Lew” Apollo.

Sadly, Lew Apollo’s recent alley-oop from boozy live blues-rock performances to BLK ODYSSY’s slick in-studio wheelhouse hasn’t been all that pleasant of a trajectory. It actually coincided with the loss of both his father and a friend to suicide last Fall, an unimaginable trauma that’s become a bittersweet impetus, a tragic catalyst for a creative pivot. In tribute, Lew Apollo’s since dedicated his songwriting to normalizing some of life’s most troubling obstacles – isolation, entrapment, anxiety, temptation, and depression – in hopes of making listeners feel less alone with their own struggles.

As part of that transition, Lew Apollo’s allowed BLK ODYSSY to come on board as producer and co-writer for Lew’s deeply personal debut EP JUNGLE. The machete-sharp cuts on JUNGLE take a leap into rock-R&B concoctions and neo-soul seductions, which remind us that some of the harshest environments can be our immediate internal and external surroundings, not perched at the top of a dense canopy or stalking the bottom of a rainforest floor. And in tandem with Apollo’s passion for providing a sense of belonging to those who may be in crisis, JUNGLE drops in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Month on Friday, May 12th. The release show is 8PM that same evening at The Pershing and JUNGLE‘s third single comes out on Friday, but we just gotta give it up to a track that came out in early March. Featuring KUTX favorite Grace Sorensen and unapologetically emotional, “NEED YOUR LOVIN” steers away from the distorted guitar of its Black Angels-esque predecessor “TROUBLE ON MY MIND” for an alluring, atmospheric, and reverb-drenched, harmony-heavy falsetto foray. Bonus points for blunt brevity, unbridled bass riffs, and an effervescent vibraslap at its tail that lends a seals some finality to this near-three-minute masquerade.

Girl Ultra: “Llama” (Live at Scholz Garden)

As mentioned on Monday, our Scholz Garten guest Son Rompe Pera did an outstanding job of representing Mexico City’s diverse scene for our live morning broadcast last week. And while SRP made an impression that’ll surely have folks talking til next SXSW, they weren’t the only ones bridging capitals; we were also fortunate enough to have M.C. native Nan de Miguel on deck, better known as Girl Ultra. Seven years after she first got signed, Girl Ultra’s grip on undulating melodies and bilingual verbal abilities have escalated her into the upper caliber of Latin R&B rockstars like Kali Uchis and Nathy Peluso. By building on an already-rich reputation for adaptability and sonic variety (including an appearance on Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodélicos), last April, Girl Ultra branched out to genres like U.K. two-step, indie pop, alt-rock, and even orchestral Bossa nova on her latest studio release, EL SUR. Well, last week Girl Ultra brought some of EL SUR, Nuevos Aires (2019) and Adiós (2018) north of the border and into our city limits. On Friday morning Girl Ultra got up onstage at Scholz Garten and gave it her all with hybrid arrangements that beautifully blended backing track samples with live instrumentation. The set certainly attracted a pack of new listeners like everyone’s favorite camelids (sorry, alpacas) thanks to lush renditions that included the album opener from Girl Ultra’s 2018 sophomore EP Adiós, “Llama”.

Geto Gala: “Sumn’ to Say” (Live at Scholz Garten)

After years of supporting Deezie Brown and Jake Lloyd individually, it’s beautiful watching them both earn exponential exposure with this hip-hop/R&B phenomenon that is Geto Gala. The latest phase of a fruitful friendship, Brown and Lloyd had already shared a fair amount of stages together pre-pandemic before capitalizing on their bar-trading chemistry with their eponymous February 2021 studio debut. Alongside its delightfully-southern Chopped and Slowed counterpart, The Geto Gala EP probably played a part in Brown and Lloyd separately scoring their first official ACL Fest sets last October, where informal versions of the full Geto Gala band ended up backing each solo performer.

Between then and now, the Geto Gala gang’s apparently upped their game for a whole gauntlet of live gigs, at least based off the applause they garnered last Thursday morning when they transfigured our Scholz SXSW space into the Geto Garten. With a set that’d make Big Pokey proud, and a crowd that was happy to “fifth wheel” alongside the band, Geto Gala sure as hell had “Sumn’ to Say” at SXSW. We’re just hoping our invitation’s still good for the next Gala.

Yazmin Lacey: “Bad Company”

SXSW provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy international artists right here in our own city limits. Yet for some, the city-wide wanderlust can get overlapped by a desire to discover acts from specific regions. Well, fortunately for those folks, there are a ton of origin-curated SXSW showcases scheduled for this week, both officially and unofficially. For UK music enthusiasts, consider stopping by BBC Presents: The British Music Embassy, whose eclectic across-the-pond 2023 roster includes stunning up-and-comer Yazmin Lacey. Like many singers-in-the-making, Lacey got her start in church choir before her ears caught on to hip-hop, soul, and R&B. But, like her contemporary Danielle Ponder, Lacey didn’t pursue music professionally until the late 2010s, when she was already past the “prime” age which most creatives launch their career. Nevertheless Lacey impressed us with beautiful, reactionary honesty in a three-EP progression at the turn of the past decade; 2017’s Black Moon, 2018’s When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees, and 2020’s Morning Matters. Since the start of March, Yazmin Lacey’s been riding high on her astonishing, moment-capturing hour-long inaugural full-length Voice Notes, which has already cemented her status as a neo-soul sensation. If you want to hear this modern day mashup of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and more in person, you’re in luck; Yazmin Lacey entertains our airwave neighbors KMFA at 3PM today before making a two-night run on 4th Street: 9PM tonight for British Music Embassy at The Courtyard and again 9PM tomorrow for Jazz re:Freshed Outernational at Seller’s Underground. So show some support by diving into Voice Notes on streaming or by joining the crowd downtown. Either way, you’ll find yourself in delightfully “Bad Company“.

Passiflora: “SOMS”

Next week is South By South West, which means it’s been three whole years since SXSW 2020’s abrupt cancellation marked the beginning of our ongoing COVID climate. Of course, we now recognize several silver linings, mainly the sudden abundance of free time to follow through with unrealized creative projects, some of which haven’t been heard until now.

Take for example Austin trio Passiflora. Passiflora’s first root came from a cross-pollination of genre interests between guitarist Rudy Durham, singer Lauren Harris, and drummer Raul Luevano sometime under the veil of the pandemic. What sprouted as an experiment in hybridizing indie, R&B, and jazz has since bloomed into a collective one-of-a-kind passion project. Their style reminds us of turn-of-the-millennium neo-soul innovators like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, albeit with an extra jazzy sense of adventure, manifested as time signature changes, enthralling chord progressions, and killer polyrhythms.

For their appropriately-named debut EP eponymous, Passiflora brought The Point bassist Jack Montesinos into the mix, and dang does he fit right in the pocket. eponymous is out this Friday, Passiflora performs at Continental Club Saturday, March 25th, and today they pass along the album’s final lead single. Acronymized as “SOMS”, “Sun on my Skin” begs to be enjoyed under brighter skies by basking in dreamy keys, breezy drum brushes, and, of course, Harris’ siren singing that heralds the start of spring and’ll subconsciously make you want to put this “f***ing record on repeat”.

Akina Adderley: “Where Does The Love Go?”

I’ve already chimed in on the use of the word “songstress” plenty before, so I might as well lend my piece to the discourse once again. For me, unless we’re talking about Ella Fitzgerald or Etta James, the term “songstress” comes off as kind of archaic. Like, it’s 2023; should we really single out artists based on sex instead of…you know…altogether ditching an engendered midcentury descriptor and letting the music speak for itself?

Short answer: Sometimes…maybe.

Exhibit A: Austin’s Akina Adderley. Full-bodied performances, unfettering feminist energy, and a direct link to jazz-and-R&B-defining greats? Yeah. That’s a songstress. As the grand-niece of Cannonball Adderley, granddaughter of Nat Adderley, and daughter of Luther Vandross Music Director/Co-Songwriter Nat Adderley, Jr., genre transcendence is literally encoded in Akina’s DNA. And between her eponymous octet, NORI and Charlie Faye & The Fayettes, plus numerous guest appearances on Austin-produced albums, Akina just doesn’t miss.

Akina has some don’t-miss shows over the next couple months, but she’s stolen today’s spotlight thanks to her latest studio single. And it’s the best kind of love song – the torch variety. Bookended by Nat Jr.’s explorative ivories, “Where Does The Love Go?” would make for an intimately welcome intermission between Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely and Billie Holiday’s Music for Torching. The sense of space in this arrangement is nothing short of astonishing, easily matching the calibre of your favorite orchestral tearjerkers. The only thing we’re surprised by is that “Where Does The Love Go?” isn’t a Broadway darling…at least not yet.

A Love Letter to Austin Blogs

Confucius and Fresh discuss Dez Bryant’s statement that Drake made Houston rap famous, and talk about how excited they are about the new batch of hip-hop platforms in Austin, TX.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about how Gerald Levert got Cam’ron to leave the streets alone, how DJ Quik helped on 50 Cents’ song “In Da Club,” how Aaliyah made it on a Kriss Kross song, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that record labels don’t owe anything to artists who’ve broken the law.

Confucius talks about the recently recovered documents at President Biden’s house, TCU’s recent loss, Dre Dre’s showdown with Marjorie Taylor Greene, and more in Confucius Reads the News.

Skateland: “Wreck”

We’re still only in the first handful of days for 2023, and in the Live Music Capital of the World…you know what that means. It’s Free Week! And if you haven’t heard yet, KUTX has a locally-curated showcase coming up in a couple days. It’ll kick off 8PM this Friday at Cheer Up Charlie’s with a bill that includes Como Las Movies, Redbud, 10pmtoclose and Skateland. Born Dorian Williams II, this multi-instrumentalist/singer/producer came to Austin from Las Vegas in pursuit of a degree at UT. But as with many other young creatives, Austin’s artistic aura helped sway Williams to also cement a musical project of his own, Skateland. Skateland’s trucks balance between moody alt-pop and tranquil indie-shoegaze, like if St. Vincent and Weyes Blood were grinding rails and transferring pipes alongside Beach House and Alvvays in the same park. Sure, Skateland’s only got a couple studio singles out as of now, but both of ’em are sensationally mellow cross-genre bops. As such, Skateland put his formula right there in the title of his upcoming debut EP: New Wave Revival. We’re looking forward to more lyrical gloom, retro instrumentation, and proven pop production methods when New Wave Revival drops on February 16th, and during Skateland’s set 9:40PM on Friday. Just don’t let his latest Weeknd-esque earworm (and music video) “Wreck” wipe out your productivity this Wednesday.

Texas’ top musical moments of the year

From the highlights to the blue notes, what happened in the world of Texas music in 2022. A Texas country music legend says goodbye to the road that goes on forever; our conversation with Robert Earl Keene. Also a renaissance for one of the best know Texas artists of all time: the impact of Beyonce’s 7th album, an homage to house and disco music. And Adrian Quesada turns up the volume on a rediscovered musical genre with his Boleros Psicodélicos. A lonestar-studded review of the year, today on the Texas Standard:

Let’s Hear it for the Ladies of ATX

Confucius and Fresh talk about why women are ruling Austin’s R&B scene, and discuss why Spotify is winning the streaming wars.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about TLC’s original name, the album Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest never made, Dr. Dre’s favorite album, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Deion Sanders’ leaving Jackson State University is a bad move, mostly because his time at the HBCU did nothing to improve the standing of HBCU football long-term.

Confucius talks about Brittney Griner’s release, the NC blackout caused by a woman who wanted to stop a drag show, Raphael Warnock’s win in Georgia, and more.

David Shabani: “Holiday Blues”

It’s the final five features for Song of the Day‘s 2022 season. We’re taking a vacation for a couple weeks, but don’t fret; we’ll be back bright and early next year. Until then we’re hanging some of the very best musical mistletoe of the past months, starting off with Austin’s own David Shabani. Born in Paris and raised in Canada, Shabani’s blessed the Live Music Capital with gripping alternative hip-hop in the vein of Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino, Kaytranada, and Kid Cudi. Shabani’s outstanding verbal skills, butter-smooth singing, and brilliant taste in beats have earned him supporting spots for international icons like Ashanti and Trinidad James, local legends Black Joe Lewis and Blackillac, and consistent placement as an airwave heavyweight on our Hip-Hop/R&B specialty show The Breaks. After nearly thirty live appearances since January, Shabani, along with his backing group The Nu Leopards, have had a pretty good year for themselves. Considering Shabani’s motto (“I feel good right now”), being in the moment is a gift available to anyone, anywhere. So even if you’ve got a stocking full of “Holiday Blues”, the sleigh bells, slick instrumentation, and modern Dickensian storytelling of Shabani’s latest single ought to keep your heart warm for the winter.

waverly: “overcomplicated” (feat. mHart)

Trap-pop. It’s decidedly a young person’s game. I mean sure, you’ve got “older” folks like Drake and Doja Cat purveying it on the Billboard charts but really, the target demographic and the generation who’s going to take it to the next level are people in their teens and twenties. Which brings us to Wil Brookhart. Born in Cambodia and now based right here in Austin, Brookhart’s been no stranger to collaborations in recent years; a continuing contributor and Artist Instructor for Mother Falcon Music Lab, this multi-instrumentalist/producer has also helped shape the sound of Carley Bearden, fruit collective, and most recently Casie Luong. Throughout all those endeavors, Brookhar balanced guitar-driven indie with MIDI-textured R&B, but his jump from producer to solo songwriter is really what propelled Brookhart into the big top of pop trapeze within the past year. That shift coincided with the adoption of a new handle, waverly, and the release of four standalone singles since April. Electric guitar is still the central instrument, but beats, bass, synth pads, and now, Brookhart’s processed-yet-velvety vocals complement these otherwise-spacious arrangements. Today, on Brookhart’s 24th birthday, waverly stirs a little bit of Juice WRLD into a three-minute sonic smoothie. Unmarred by complex techniques or convoluted chord changes, the simplicity of “overcomplicated” (compared with its emotional weight) is what guarantees it to be an enduring, widely-accessible earworm.

Arya: “i’d rather lose you”

No matter the kind of creative, a hard pivot takes a lot of guts. Be it George Carlin dropping “straight” in favor of “straight up” or Danielle Ponder leaving her legal firm to focus on her pipes, those risky shifts can end up being unique, life-changing gifts. Among the more recent entries into that roster? Serbian national Arya.

You see, Arya spent about a decade and a half back in Belgrade behind a Baby Grand; ten-plus years of classical piano coupled with a Bachelor’s in Jazz. Yet despite becoming a certified ace on the ivories, the fulfillment of contemporary innovation wasn’t exactly there.

Now, as Austinites, we won’t claim that it was the Live Music Capital that turned Arya into the rising star she is today. However, it was Arya’s move to Texas that coincided with her 2019 debut EP it wasn’t love. That record introduced the world to a daring, new, and authentically-emotional pop-R&B voice, no doubt well-informed by her mastery of jazz and classical theory. On top of all that talent, she seems like an outstanding human being as well! Arya’s last single, “Bed”, came alongside her “Better Every Day” merch line, which donates proceeds directly to Austin’s beloved SIMS Foundation.

Arya’s been plugging away at her debut visual EP Insides, but with 2022 quickly coming to a close, she’d be remiss if she didn’t go out in full R&B-stunner style. At 7:30PM tonight at Pedernales Station, Arya unfurls the live rendition of her latest single “i’d rather lose you”, with tattoos by Slowpoke Marfa, free drinks, and more. Can’t make it? No problem. The heavenly piano chords, angelic vocals, and soaring synth bass of “i’d rather lose you” are enough to make you pray for more right away.

WhooKilledKenny: “Teach Her the Game”

Our Saturday night specialty program The Breaks does a great job of highlighting hip-hop from the heart of Texas. But with an increasing number of émigrés ditching the Lone Star State for greener pastures out West and elsewhere, The Breaks simply can’t catch everything. Because of that, today we’re spinnin’ some new stuff from native Austinite WhooKilledKenny, who currently calls Los Angeles home.

As a die-hard South Park fanatic, it’s hard not to react, “you know…they; they’re…they’re bastards…” when you see that handle. So when you hear the militant discipline within this mid-twenties vocalist (and learn that his namesake actually stems from a potential lawsuit on behalf of Kenny G), you can tell WKK’s flow is no joke. Following up his 2021 debut No Refunds, WhooKilledKenny coasted in halfway through October with his sophomore five-track Strictly Business. Sonically it’s a far cry from EPMD’s ’88 debut, but its consistent themes and production style provide for a similar, seminal experience.

Hot off Strictly Business, WhooKilledKenny has been popping up on Spotify advertisements around Austin, almost as a sort of homecoming. If you want to show some love for a fellow Austin native (wherever you may be), toss a like onto one of Strictly Business‘ centerpieces (and music videos), the R&B-rap winner “Teach Her the Game”!