Soul
Yola Belts Out “Diamond Studded Shoes” on Kimmel: Watch
Yola has one of the best voices in modern country right now, in part because of the undeniable soul she brings to the genre. Last night, she got to reintroduce her show-stopping voice on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a rousing rendition of “Diamond Studded Shoes.” Watch a replay of her performance below. For the occasion, Yola broke out the Stand For Myself track in a cozy room back home in Nashville, Tennessee. What starts out with the warm vibe of a local band at a bar quickly turns into a powerhouse country-pop song worth dancing along to. Yola shows off her voice with subdued verses and effortless trills, but it’s her massive belted notes towards the end that steal the show. All told, it’s a goosebump-raising live version of “Diamond Studded Shoes” that further drives home the song’s an...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak to Release Silk Sonic Debut Album in January 2022
Since first introducing their collaborative Silk Sonic project back in March with “Leave the Door Open,” Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have kept the music world waiting for word on their first album. It looks like we still have a few months to go, as the duo have revealed their LP, An Evening with Silk Sonic, is targeting a January 2022 release. The pair confirmed the news in an extensive new interview with Rolling Stone. Apparently, the album was initially set for a fall drop, but they wanted to release a few more singles to give the songs their own space. “I don’t want to be binge-watched,” explained Mars. (Since “Leave the Door Open,” we’ve only received one other Silk Sonic track: “Skate,” which arrived in late July.) Speaking about their detailed collaborative process, ...
Ray Charles to Be Inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame
Ray Charles is set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside the rest of the class of 2022. Widely known for his genre-redefining contributions to R&B, soul, and gospel music, Charles was also responsible for breaking down color barriers in country music at the height of the Civil Rights era. His two-volume Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music from 1962, reissued back in 2019, was a personal passion project that ended up becoming a landmark release for both country at large and Charles individually. The album went on to become one of the best selling country LPs of the time, demonstrating the genre’s commercial potential. The single “I Can’t Stop Loving You” not only spent five weeks atop the Billboard 100, but is often considered the definitive version of the ...
Yola Thunders Through “Stand for Myself” on Colbert: Watch
Here’s a morning pick-me-up stronger than a double espresso: Yola swung by Colbert and delivered a towering performance of her new single “Stand for Myself.” This self-empowerment anthem was advertised as being accompanied by Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste. While video evidence suggests he was indeed playing the piano, you’d have to tear your eyes away from Yola to notice him. That’s no easy feat; she commanded the stage in a dress as bright and red as the dawn, as her gale-force vocals swept up and down the register. By the end, the camera panned out to show the audience giving a standing ovation. Check out Yola’s “Stand for Myself” below. The track appears on her upcoming album of the same name, with Stand for Myself dropping July 30th on Easy Eye Sound. Earlie...
Yola Shares the Origins of Sultry New Single “Starlight”: Exclusive
In the new music feature Origins, musicians share unique insights into their most recent single. Today, the great Yola tells us how she shines like “Starlight”. After sharing lead single “Diamond Studded Shoes” and title track “Stand for Myself” off her upcoming sophomore album, Yola is back today with a third taste, “Starlight”. According to the Grammy-nominated British artist, the song is “about looking for positive physical, sexual and human connections at every level of your journey towards love.” Of course, that includes that occasional fling, harmless but still nurturing. The sultry track, featuring additional percussion and electric guitar from Stand for Myself producer Dan Auerbach, finds Yola cooly and patiently waiting to fulfill her smoldering desire. “Ain’t no crime, somet...
Al Green, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube to Headline Once Upon a Time in LA Festival
Whoever said old-school hip-hop and R&B were dead hasn’t seen the lineup for Once Upon a Time in LA, an epic one-day fest going down at Banc of California & Exposition Park on December 18th, 2021. Al Green is the main headliner, and while that’s incredible enough on its own, the fest’s lineup is also stacked with West Coast icons like Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, The Game, Cypress Hill, E-40, and tons more. This is, in fact, not a fairytale. Along with the aforementioned artists, this fest will include additional veteran hip-hop favorites like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Three Six Mafia, DJ Quik, Warren G, Xzibit, and Too Short. There’s also a big pull for funk and soul fans, with performances by the Isley Brothers, Parliament-Funkadelic, War, Zapp, Brenton Wood, Mary Jane Girls, Morri...
Lagos council boss passes on
The chairperson of Eti Osa local government, Rafiu Olatunji, has died on Monday night at his Sangotedo residence. He died from a long-term illness. Mr Olatunji is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos. He is the current chairperson of Eti-Osa LCDA and also won the APC primary to run for the forthcoming July 24 election. Confirming his death to newsmen, Oluseye Oladejo, the spokesperson of APC said the party received the news of his demise with shock. “The Lagos State APC commiserates with the entire leadership and membership of our party on the shocking and untimely passage of the chairman of Eti-Osa East LCDA, Rafiu Olufunmi Olatunji. “He was a committed party man who was totally committed to the development of his Local Council Development Area. “Our heart goes to his ...
Yola on Stand for Myself and Playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s New Film
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Yola sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about Stand for Myself, a record that finds the English musician in a “genre fluid” mood as she tries out several new sounds. Along with the musical diversity, she also discusses the divide-and-conquer politics that appears in some of the songs; her base in poetry; and working and living with friends Aaron Lee Tasjan, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah. Yola will also be playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic, and we get to hear all about the part as well as Tharpe and queer women’s role in creating rock & roll. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WF...
Bill Withers’ Songs and Booker T. Jones’ Mind Were a Match Made in Soul Heaven
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-03T19:30:56+00:00“>June 3, 2021 | 3:30pm ET Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS On the conclusion of Season 14 of The Opus from Consequence and Sony, host Jill Hopkins explores the magic created when Bill Withers entered the studio with Booker T. Jones to record Just as I Am. The production on Just as I Am is just as tight as you’d expect an album made with Booker T. Jones to be. Withers may have been a complete rookie singer-songwriter, but the plates on this record most certainly were not. Nor were the artists who performed with Withers during the sessions (Stephen Stills, Donald “Duck” Dunn, A...
Previously Unheard Prince Track “Born 2 Die” Released: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-03T14:42:09+00:00“>June 3, 2021 | 10:42am ET Next month, the Prince Estate will open the Paisley Park vault to unearth Prince’s shelved 2010 album Welcome 2 America. After sharing the title track earlier this year, the Estate has now released another early preview of the LP, “Born 2 Die”. Recorded in the spring of 2010, “Born 2 Die” found Prince reflecting on the growing push for social justice in the wake of President Obama’s first year in office. Slow drawn horns back the ’70s soul vibes of the track, over which Prince sings of a woman doing what she can to survive. “She sells everything, from A to Z/ Anything just to keep her free from the/ From the hustle of the streets,” he ...
Win The Best of Philadelphia International Records Vinyl Prize Pack with Turntable and Headphones
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-02T17:45:57+00:00“>June 2, 2021 | 1:45pm ET June is Black Music Appreciation Month, and we’re kicking things off by celebrating one of the most influential producers of Black music in the country: Philadelphia International Records. Launched 50 years ago, the label is responsible for what is referred to with reverence as the Philly Soul sound. Artists like Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees, and The O’Jays redefined soul by backing it up with gorgeous orchestral arrangements and influences from funk, doo-wop, and R&B. P.I.R. is honoring its own legacy as we as BMAM with their new compilation The Best of Philadelphia International Records. Released at the end ...
SGF: Ahmed Gulak murder barbaric
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has described as barbaric the killing of Ahmed Gulak, an APC chieftain and an indigene of Adamawa State while on his way to Chief Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, Imo State. Mustapha, while expressing deep shock over the killing, also said the incident was unwarranted. In a statement by the Director of Press in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, Mustapha called for urgent investigation by appropriate security agency to unravel the motive of such gruesome murder. He expressed his condolences to the APC family, the government and people of Adamawa State, his family and prays to God to grant the soul of the departed eternal rest. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make M...
