Rochelle Jordan featuring Thom Yorke “Sleep”
For fans of female-fronted R&B that veers a little bit “space-age” and alternative beat-wise, bulges with swagger and twists featherweight pipes into super-intricate vocal melodies/ arrangements, Toronto-native newcomer Rochelle Jordan is definitely one to check out, her recent mixtape release R O J O managing to effectively combine admirable elements of the respective works of Aaliyah, Ciara, Nina Sky, Amerie, Cassie, (pre-dance diva) Kelis, as well as the production aesthetic of late ’90′s/ early ’00′s-era The Neptunes, into one sweet, Y4K-soul package.
“Sleep” is one of the few tracks featured that doesn’t sound like Pharrell was involved behind the boards, but it’s a tape highlight nonetheless (and one we could see the Neptune beatmaker digging), brilliantly utilizing the trippy dance smolder of Radiohead’s meme-hit “Lotus Flower” to help define the pill-soaked haziness Jordan longs to hide in to help pass the time until her lover’s return.
A fascinatingly dark aural ride, the hypnotic drone of the sample mixed in with the song’s suicidal subtext (dude doesn’t seem like he’s coming back, an idea the singer seems to be somewhat conscious of) and multiple layers of Jordan’s wispy vocals floating in and out of eachother (before melting into blissful harmony with Thom Yorke’s falsetto murmurs on the song’s back-third) makes this an ideal jam for solo ruminating sessions.
Sample the cut below; pick up the rest of R O J O here.
“Sleep” (alt):
