R&B

PM Warson: “(Don’t) Hold Me Down”

Englanders raised after the tides of New Wave had waned and while the turn-of-the-millennium indie rock boom began to quiet down might’ve gravitated more towards the music of the midcentury. That’s exactly what happened with singer-guitarist PM Warson, who, after a stint as a full-time touring musician, has since settled nicely into a ’50s/’60s R&B-soul aesthetic. Backed by a chorus of women singers and a horn section, Warson’s debut album True Story was cut straight to tape, giving the ten vintage-style tracks an extra sense of authenticity. This year Warson dropped a new single (“Leaving Here”) that ventures into early garage rock territory, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight True Story‘s crown jewel, “(Don’t) Hold Me Down”.

Femme It Forward: “Mother Nature” (feat. Tayla Parx)

You may not have known her name until today, but you’ve absolutely heard some fruits of labor from Tayla Parx. This Dallas-born L.A.-based singer is a credited songwriter on Billboard blowouts like Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next”, “Love Lies” by Khalid and Normani, “Infinity” from Mariah Carey, and Christina Aguilera’s “Accelerate”…and that’s just scratching the surface. As a solo singer, Parx caught plenty of ears with her 2017 mixtape Tayla Made, premiered her first full-length We Need To Talk in 2019, and followed that up the next fall with her sophomore record Coping Mechanisms.

As you can tell, Tayla Parx has paved a name for herself as a hungry songwriter and must-have collaborator. But she really shines when she’s on stage, mic in hand, something she hasn’t been able to do for more than a year. You’ve got a chance to experience just that tonight at Container Bar, where Tayla Parx co-headlines the Dr. Marten’s Showcase along with Dawn Richards. So peruse Parx’s repertoire when you can, and treat yourself to something from Femme It Forward’s Big Femme Energy Vol. 1 on behalf of Women’s History Month with the Tayla Parx feature “Mother Nature”.

Anastasia Hera & The Heroes: “Like I Am”

Anyone who’s heard Anastasia Hera can tell that she’s a big proponent of Black activism, making her a prime candidate for the spotlight on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This native Austinitecemented her charismatic sense of verbal cadence early on by memorizing King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech at a young age, andin 2015 Hera founded CAKE, a non-profit that empowers girls and women interested in musical performance. Anastasia Hera & The Heroes shared two new singles as part ofAustin Music Foundation’s Artist Development Program and their 2022 compilation ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Person including a luminous piece of R&B-funk perfect forLove Austin Music Month,”Like I Am”.

Anastasia Hera & The Heroes: “Illusion”

We’re already one week intoLove Austin Music Month but’ve only scraped the surface of ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Person – the new compilation fromAustin Music Foundation’s Artist Development Program. One of the more well-known contributors is native Austinite Anastasia Hera, whose early inspirations of ATCQ, Jay-Z, and MLK Jr. helped shape her verbal abilities and penchant for progressivism. Fast forward to the top of the last decade, when Hera released her mononymous debut Pretty Color Bad News and again to 2015 when she launched her female-empowering non-profit CAKE, showing off her polymath talents as an effortless R&B/Hip-Hop performer and as an organizer, respectively. These days Anastasia Hera’s got the support of her backing band The Heroes, who elevate her already-soaring vocals to an even higher plane and toss a little bit live funk flavor into the mix. Anastasia Hera & The Heroes find themselves in good company onATX Gen Next: Adventures in Person, which releases on vinyl later this year and features two incredible originals from Hera, including the synth-funk-soaked and harmony-heavy “Illusion”!

Shiela: “YO TE QUISE”

Raised in Nicaragua and inspired by the passion portrayed in 1997’s Selena, Austin indie-R&B singer Shiela began forging her own mononymous path to superstardom at a young age. Now, Shiela’s impeccable knack for crossover appeal (both genre-wise and through bilingual lyrics) has helped make her 2021 debut Chilita a treasure chest of eclecticism, one that even includes a brief feature from our very own “Fresh” Knight.

Shiela plays a quarter past two this Sunday at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage for Austin City Limits Music Festival. So to get you settled into Shiela’s sentimental mindset for the weekend ahead, soak up her followup single to Chilita, “YO TE QUISE”!

Cory Henry: “Dreaming”

If you’re a connoisseur of contemporary jazz-soul, then you’re likely already in-the-know about New York’s Cory Henry. This Snarky Puppy veteran multi-instrumentalist-producer-composer shines chiefly on keys and vocals, and invites the classic gospel, funk, and R&B tones of Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Marvin Gaye into the realm of “future-soul”.

Cory Henry shared his aptly-titled LP Best of Me last Friday and kicks off a week-long stint at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club tonight. At just shy of a dozen tracks, the high-level ingenuity of Best of Me puts it in conversation with iconic soul records like Innervisions, Future Shock, and What’s Going On?, albeit with an inherently modern quality, best exemplified on “Dreaming Of”!

Sydney Ranée: “One Night Only”

L.A. native Sydney Ranée first started putting her pipes to work when she turned double digits, got a Bachelor’s in Music from Cornish, and now has fans across the globe. On top of being a virtuoso vocalist, some of Ranée’s more recent endeavors have included exploring the endless world of music production and dipping her toes into the fashion realm with her own custom wardrobe.

Last Friday Sydney Ranée shared another new cut off her upcoming album, a mesmerizing R&B-jazz-pop accomplishment that gives the likes of Lizzo a run for their money, “One Night Only”!

BLK ODYSSY: “Hang Low” (KUTX Live)

The name BLK ODYSSY might seem a bit grandiose on first glance, but a quick listen to their recent material justifies the epic magnificence of their sound. While D’Angelo & The Vanguard maintains a naming convention that touts their frontman’s saga, singer Sam Houston has graciously allowed his own name to go by the wayside as the “feature” of BLK ODYSSY and allowed his breathtaking vocals (almost reminiscent of post-Impressions Curtis Mayfield) to mesh effortlessly within a more traditional “band” framework.

Nonetheless, our August 2021 Artist of the Month‘s new record BLK Vintage could definitely make for a good pairing with Black Messiah, offering up a slick mix of modern jazz-psych-soul and seductive funk-R&B. You can catch BLK ODYSSY’s My KUTX session tomorrow night at 6PM and enjoy the grainy visuals of a three-song set below, taped just for KUTX at 512 Studios. The intimate performance (complete with a scarf-wrapped mic stand and plenty of stank face) opens with a previously unheard demo (“Gangster of Love” – that already packs a ton of potential) and KUTX rotation favorite “Funkentology”, but with Texas summer keeping the sun high and the heat in close company, the belle of the ball may just be “Hang Low”.

Reva DeVito & Midas Hutch: “One Shot”

You might not recognize the name Reva DeVito right away, but she should instantly get some extra credence based on the calibre of her collaborators, be it Young Franco or KUTX-favorite Kaytranada. The Portland singer absolutely slays it with a sensuous and soulful indie-R&B blend and just announced a national month-long tour alongside London’s Franc Moody, whose final leg includes a stop right here in Austin at Antone’s.

Assuming COVID conditions allow for it, DeVito’s set to hit the stage on October 26th, so here’s hoping her internationally-tantalizing tunes can safely grace the Live Music Capital of the World just before Halloween. Regardless, the tour news didn’t come empty-handed; Reva Devito just slung out her latest single, a motivational turn-of-the-millennium style R&B banger produced by Amsterdam-raised nu-funk connoisseur Midas Hutch, “One Shot”!

Anastasia Hera: “Ceiling”

Regardless of which city you live in, the ubiquity of home studios and social media has made the R&B market incredibly competitive. But Austin native Anastasia Hera seems to thrive off of that energy, growing bonds in her local community while excelling at her half-rapped/half-sung style, and opening for the likes of Dead Prez, GZA and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Boosie, and Geto Boys’ Scarface. During the mononymous portion of her career, Anastasia dropped by Studio 1A to promote her women-empowering non-profit CAKE, right around the same time she released her remarkable 2016 album of the same name.

Since then, Hera’s brought even harder-hitting performances to the table, heard most recently in May on This Is Anastasia, and EP that showcases both ferocity, tenderness, and everything in between. Last weekend Anastasia Hera got a chance to celebrate that EP release (and her birthday) at Geraldine’s, and we have a feeling she’s on a fast track to become an international superstar, thanks to her charismatic confidence on tracks like “Ceiling”!

Daniel Fears: “Windows” (KUTX Pop-Up)

Though his auspicious solo career’s only just begun, Austin-via-Houston producer/trombonist/vocalist Daniel Fears has already shown a real knack for wedding sound with image. As the only R&B singer we can recall who looks like they designed their wardrobe at a military surplus store, Fears (with his signature drab jumpsuit equipped) released his debut EP/visual album Canopy last October, and better late than never, earned him the distinction of our July 2021 Artist of the Month.

Defying any implications of his surname, Fears’ compositions are courageous to say the least, and yet he’s continued to shed any of the pretentiousness you might expect from an artist of his caliber. Daniel Fear plays tomorrow evening at Malverde, hosts My KUTX this Saturday, and graces us today with glimpse into his intimate performance style with one of Canopy‘s lushest originals, “Windows”!

Marcus Machado: “Shape Shift” (feat. JSWISS & Ahrel Lumzy)

Let’s get straight to the meat and potatoes of Marcus Machado; as a guitarist for D’Angelo’s Vanguard and session player for the likes of Robert Glasper and Anderson .Paak Machado’s got a gorgeous, highly-sought-after kind of talent. Machado’s also an accomplished songwriter in his own right, having incrementally expanded his solo discography since his 2015 EP 29.

And though R&B’s decidedly Machado’s strong suit, he’s clearly comfortable within the rock genre as well, heard most recently across his eclectic debut LP Aquarius Purple. Regardless of your sign, or even if you don’t go in for the whole zodiac thing, Aquarius Purple‘s pretty easy to mesh with across its one dozen tracks. The solo joints are nothing to scoff at, and the guest appearances, though sparse in comparison, inspire just as much awe as the rest of the record. Hear (and see) for yourself on “Shape Shift“, featuring New York rapper JSWISS and fellow Vanguard member Ahrel Lumzy!

Angélica Rahe: “tqro”

In this KUTX Producer’s humble opinion, Latin artists hardly get the press they deserve here in Austin. So today we’re shining the spotlight on Austin jet-setter Angélica Rahe, who grew up in Japan and Spain before settling in the States in her teens. After accruing influence from Erykah Badu, John Mayer, and Sade and elevating her own abilities, Rahe found herself on international tour with Kali Uchis as her musical director, guitarist, and backing vocalist in 2018.

Rahe dropped her Solange-reminiscent solo debut REINA last Valentine’s Day but had its promotional tour cancelled in light of COVID. Well, now Angélica Rahe’s back on the road and performing in Austin. She’ll be playing at 9PM this Friday at Mohawk and to get you back into that live music summertime groove, gyrate those hips of yours to Angélica Rahe’s latest single, “tqro”!

Mélat: “The Lesson”

Even before we’d selected her as our February 2018 Artist of the Month, we had all reached the same verdict for native Austinite Mélat; she’s young but sounds like she’s been doing this for decades, knows how to swoon in her songwriting, and always gives us just enough to leave us wanted more. Mélat’s unrivaled presence in the soul-R&B realm is an astonishing spectacle to behold live and translates into an even more powerful experience on studio recordings, where her captivating voice snuggles right up to your ear drum.

After dropping a couple singles in 2020, Mélat’s been plugging away at a new LP, tracked and mixed at Black Pumas’ Texas headquarters, Electric Deluxe Recorders. She’s got a tour in the works for next year to promote the aforementioned album, whose lead single channels the spiritual soul of gospel in a waltzing heart-melter, “The Lesson”.

Cautious Clay: “Karma & Friends” (At Home)

For folks hip to the playlist heavyweights of KUTX and, well, most NPR Music stations, the name Cautious Clay should be pretty familiar. Dating back to his debut single “Cold War” in the Fall of 2017, this Brooklyn singer-guitarist has brewed up a seductive concoction of R&B, hip-hop, and soul, with a delicate vocal delivery that’s sure to elicit a swoon or two.

On the Studio 1A veteran‘s latest release (and first full-length), Deadpan Love, Cautious Clay once again invites a strong sense of electronic production into the mix. But that doesn’t mean Clay can’t still rock it acoustic when he wants to. Check out an intimate, stripped-down set recorded at Orchard Studios in New York that Cautious Clay taped just for us right before Deadpan Love dropped, including some of the album’s strongest contenders, “Agreeable”, “Shook”, and “Karma & Friends”.

Tortuga Shades: “Revolving” [PREMIERE]

With Texas heat slowing us all down to a turtle’s pace and in search of a cool spot out of the sun, there really is no better time for Tortuga Shades. This Austin four-piece first built up their carapace of R&B-blooded alt-rock with the 2017 EP Migrations, following it up with a spread-out pair of singles for each subsequent year, respectively.

Now Tortuga Shades is scuttling towards the release of their sophomore record Revolving later this summer, but its title track (and music video, both out today) lets you get a peek under the shell early on…

fruit collective: “walk”

Though the restrictions of COVID-19 are cautiously lifting, certain social distancing implementations have proved fruitful for some. For example, before everyone got used to living behind their laptop and collaborating remotely, it wouldn’t have been all that easy to put together a trio whose members live in different metropolitan cities, but that’s exactly what happened with fruit collective.

The Chicago-Austin-Boston three-piece bears seeds of indie, pop, and R&B for their lo-fi harvest, transplanting the berries of the late Mac Miller and contemporary KUTX favorites like Clairo and Anderson .Paak into fruit collective’s fresh sound. We all know Friday is market day, so stock up on fruit collective for the weekend with the group’s gorgeous debut single, “walk”!

TEMPOREX: “New Lane”

Though he’s only in his early twenties, San Diego producer Joseph Flores is wise beyond his years. Under the moniker TEMPOREX, Flores has explored synth-y R&B soundscapes reminiscent of Prince and D’Angelo while approaching lyricism in a pop manner closer to what you’d expect from Paul McCartney. TEMPOREX first teased out a jazz-meets-electronic, Mac DeMarco-inspired sound on 2017’s Care but in the years that’ve since passed, Flores has worked up his A-game and hit a retro-future synth-soaked stride with his sophomore LP, Bowling.

Devoid of any gutter balls, Bowling aligns a whole alley’s worth of styles into a ten-pin package; it’ll make you dance, dig deep into emotions, and have you forgetting your troubles by the end of its final round. Bowling drops tomorrow but today you can check out your shoes early with the record’s latest single, the liquidly hip and stylishly self-aware “New Lane”!

Danilo: “All I Want”

Born in Brazil but transplanted into the Live Music Capital early on, singer Danilo Riggs was stunned and won over by Western music, eating up ’80s pop icons like Prince and Michael Jackson before graduating to Jeff Buckley. Going mononymously by Danilo, Riggs has fused the traditional Latin music of his youth with the modern electricity of genre giants like The Weeknd and Bruno Mars for an intoxicating intercontinental sound.

On July 16th Danilo drops his debut EP All I Want, five falsetto-spiced appetizers that give us a taste of Danilo’s dynamics, structured out shower thoughts, and detailed dreams. Danilo performs Saturday July 17th at Far Out Lounge along with our November 2017 Artist of the Month Kalu and the Electric Joint and August 2015 Artist of the Month David Ramirez, so you’re guaranteed some good company in mid-July. Til then you can tide yourself over with the ’60s-psych-tinged title track, “All I Want”!

Paula Cendejas: “Sabaneta”

As you well know, we’ve got Cinco de Mayo coming up this Wednesday. And our good fortune, the 2021 Latin Alternative Music Conference kicks off tomorrow and lasts all the way to this Friday, all virtually-hosted and with free registration.

Once you register, you’ll be able to enjoy programming like the Sounds From Spain showcase, happening Day Two of the LAMC and featuring budding artists like Madrid-based R&B-pop singer Paula Cendejas. Cendejas’ seductive style has been creeping up into international mainstream over the last couple years, thanks to her growing collection of bold singles, rounded out most recently with the hypnotically slick “Sabaneta”!