soul
Danielle Ponder: “Someone Like You” (ACL Fest Pop-Up)
Sammy Rae & The Friends: “If It All Goes South”
It’s that rare sliver of the year where the weather is great the whole day through. And for me personally, that’s all the motivation I need to get out and enjoy live music, indoors or out. Even if the venue’s little more than a concrete box, as long as there’s airflow, I’m out there dancing. With that in mind, we’ve got an official recommendation for this weekend.
In just a couple days, some of slickest genres seep together across a seven-piece, courtesy of Sammy Rae & The Friends. Since their 2018 debut EP The Good Life, this septet’s soared under the direction of their eponymous frontwoman, whose daring pipes are impressive as hell to say the least. Sammy Rae & The Friends bring their brand of jazzy-funk-soul to Empire Control Room 10PM this Saturday alongside NC indie pop outfit The Collection as part of a month-and-a-half-long national junket. It’s only the fourth of twenty-plus tour dates, so be sure to show Sammy Rae & The Friends some of that trademark Texas hospitality. Who knows? You may even flip the script on the meridional connotations of The Friends’ latest single (and music video) “If It All Goes South”. One thing’s for sure, you won’t have any trouble memorizing the acapella-and-horn-heavy chorus.
Scone Cash Players: “Cold 40s”
Azurah Vibez: “Headbanger” (prod. D-Madness)
Austin’s R&B scene…it’s out there; you just gotta know where to look. Now, we’ve kept a close watch on Mélat, Anastasia Hera & The Heroes, and Daniel Fears…but another Texas native has you’ll want to keep on your R&B radar is Azurah Vibez. There’s a chance you recognize the name from a feature we did a couple years back on Brighton Beach’s DVMA/Dama Nilz, but much more likely you’ve seen her name on bills opening for Justin Timberlake, P-Funk, Stevie Wonder, and Black Puma’s Jaron Marshall. In the pre-pandemic days, Azurah also curated the Soapbox Sessions Open Mic series alongside her Musical Director/House Band Leader D-Madness. And yet, in the eyes of the public, her immaculate set of pipes have yet to appear within Azurah Vibez’ azimuth. However, this past year, that all changed.
At the tail end of February, Azurah Vibez dropped her debut studio single, the reggae-R&B foot-rocker “Lover’s Paradise”, following it up with her sophomore “Headbanger” in mid-August. Once again produced by D-Madness, “Headbanger” immediately begs comparison to Dangerously In Love-era Beyoncé and’ll leave you eager for AZ’s first full-length (due out next year). With D-Madness’ MIDI flutes, live drums, and sensational six-string skills, Azurah Vibez received an ideal backdrop to go all out on “Headbanger”. And as tantalizing as “Headbanger” is on its own, it’s nothing compared to the song’s visual counterpart, which voraciously gyrates its way into the ever-growing collection of greatest twerk videos (from Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, and more).
The Watters: “Life As A Dream”
Honey Made: “Upstairs”
Hollyy: “Someone Just Like Me”
Chief Cleopatra: “Fortuity”
Elder Ward & The Gospel Four: “A Change Is Gonna Come”
By design, Song of the Day tends to feature up-and-coming artists and contemporary releases. But in honor of Black History Month, we’re gonna shake things up just a little bit. You’ll still get the usual mix of modern acts over the course of February, but each week we’re also offering a unique piece of Black History.
Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Volumes 1 & 2 showcases a collection of rare 45s – never digitized until now. Each track is a remarkable document from producer Juan D. Shipp and engineer Clyde Leppard’searly ’70s Memphis label, D-Vine Spirituals. At nearly thirty singles, Sacred Soul will captivate you with these historical gems and their context of faith, tribulations, and hope. Elder Ward & The Gospel Four kick off the tribute with their funky, upbeat rendition of “A Change Is Gonna Come”.
Clarence James: “Freedom Comes”
Following all the cranberry sauce, stuffing, and more, the post-Thanksgiving digestion period can be plenty liberating. But even with the knowledge that everyone’s still full and high on family time (be it for better or worse), Austin singer-guitarist Clarence James has just come out of the kitchen with a double dish of socially-conscious soul, courtesy of his new two-track EP.
But despite James’ jazz-adjacent vocals and tender guitar work, this pair of self-produced originals is far from just comfort food; they instead recreate experiences of racial profiling and “driving while Black” in the opening track and champion for nourishment through unity in the George Floyd protest-inspired closer “Freedom Comes”.
Aaron Stephens: “Ready”
The gates are waiting for you and ACL Fest is officially underway! So get your fill on festival fun this Friday but if you’re an ACL early bird, a must-see for Saturday is Austin’s Aaron Stephens. The Chicago-born, South Texas-raised producer/multi-instrumentalist shines best on funk-rock guitar and grizzled vocals, as heard on Stephens’ 2014 debut LP Hard Times Straight Lines and again on his sophomore Focus from 2018.
Aaron Stephens clearly has his sights set high with the release of his EP Head 2 the Sky earlier this year, and his transcendent style takes the Vrbo stage at noon tomorrow, but if you don’t feel prepared for Stephens’ set yet, you will after his latest single, “Ready”!
Sir Woman: “Blame It On The Water”
If you know Wild Child or Glorietta, then you’ve already got a good idea of how talented vocalist Kelsey Wilson is. But Kelsey’s latest crowning achievement is her jazz-soul-R&B project, Sir Woman, which finds the powerhouse singer blending the best bits of Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, and Norah Jones together into her own idiosyncratic style.
Sir Woman commands the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage 1PM this Saturday at ACL Fest, and is guaranteed to keep you hydrated with her outstanding catalogue of originals, hopefully including her newest single that dropped last Friday, “Blame It On The Water”!
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”!
Flyjack: “Can’t Catch Me”
Even with the mass proliferation of digital production trends in the past three decades, there’s something inherently retro about the funk-soul sound. Austin group Flyjack knows this all-too-well, having just released a record named after an airline that bit the dust right when computers were becoming commonplace in the music world.
Pan Am gives you a first class ticket to a full spectrum of soul and funk and presents Flyjack soaring higher than they’ve ever been. Pan Am is out now without any of the restrictions you’d experience on a present-day flight, and today Flyjack’s given us another complementary carry-on, the heist-oriented music video for “Can’t Catch Me”!
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”.
White Denim: “Crystal Bullets”
Along with Spoon and Shakey Graves, White Denim is arguably one of Austin’s most recognizable offspring. The locally-dyed four-piece has continued to spin their refreshingly unique cuts of rock since their 2008 debut Workout Holiday, taking the finest yarns of blues, jazz, prog, punk, and dub and weaving them into extremely catchy, non-traditional songs. We named White Denim our March 2016 Artist of the Month, right around the same time they released their seventh LP Stiff, and the subsequent use of their single “Ha Ha Ha Ha Yeah” in Nintendo Switch’s reveal trailer invited these Studio 1A veterans into the international zeitgeist.
Last year’s World as a Waiting Room marked album number ten in White Denim‘s discography, and yet, the group had never issued a 12-inch…until now. This Friday White Denim drops Crystal Bullets/King Tears, issued on limited edition red & blue vinyl, something that complements the delightful polarity of White Denim’s genre influences, best heard on the record’s psych-rock-meets-rhythm-and-blues A-side, “Crystal Bullets”!
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”.
McKenna Esteb: “My Heart”
Whether it’s with mid-century jazz royalty, ’60s soul-psychedelia, or more modern renditions by women singers, songwriter McKenna Esteb is all about the jazz-soul sound. Raised in Seattle and now based here in Austin, McKenna Esteb’s recruited an intimate backing band to round out her arrangements, but its her commanding vocals that win us over every time.
Last Friday McKenna Esteb released her latest single, “My Heart” along with an NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest submission that you can watch below. So be on the lookout for more from this promising songwriter in the near future and get the blood to pump you through hump day with “My Heart”!
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”.