mixtape maestro (2.0)

It will forever be a head-scratcher why Melanie Fiona‘s introductory soul-pop gem “Give It To Me Right” never quite became the chart-topping uber-smash it seemed destined to be, but even with that single’s surprisingly modest success, we still get the feeling that as more and more ears become acquainted with the Canadian-born singer’s amazing pipes, she’ll be ranking high amongst today’s R&B greats soon enough.

Aiding in establishing further proof why Mel is all that and a tube of Pringles is her newly released pre-debut album teaser mixtape WQST Radio Presents Melanie Fiona Meets The Illadelphonics (A Live Remix Jam Session of The Bridge), an unsurprisingly solid collaboration between her and much-respected tastemaker ?uestlove that slaps her previously-heard original material and a couple killer covers against some skillfully-constructed organic arrangements.

Hands down, our favorite moment is Fiona’s taking on of the Sam Cooke classic “Cupid”. Yeah the song has been covered so many times over the decades that the idea of yet another artist re-doing it feels instantly tiresome, but once you hear the sound of Fiona’s crystal-clear chops yearning after the title character’s help against nothing but a single guitar backing, it’s like being stung by the record’s doe-eyed poetics and simplistic melodic charms for the very first time.

Download the entire set here (if only to hear her reggae-tastic tackling of Kanye West’s “Heartless”); Fiona’s official debut, The Bridge, arrives later this Summer.

DL: “Cupid (Sam Cooke Cover)” (alt)