mixtape maestro (2.0)

Previously heralded for sunny, handclap-laden singles that worked a Motown-influenced, ’60’s girl group pop bop angle with bliss-inducing results (“Add Your Light To Mine, Baby”, “Woah Billy”, “White Russian Doll”), Lucky Soul venture a bit darker sonically on new track “A Coming of Age”, the title cut from the British six-piece’s upcoming second set featuring lead singer Ali Howard’s coquettish coos housed within a dramatic display of waltz swing patterns and Bond-esque guitar figures.

The reason for all this grandiose hullabaloo? Some man done done Ali wrong, shattering her young heart and leaving her “cling(ing) to the floor”, fingering the still warm footprints that trace his pathway out of her life. “I thought a friend meant someone to depend on/ Call it a coming of age…come too late,” she sings, the brief pause before those last three words bulging with all kinds of unstated ache and confusion.

Awww. Makes you wanna pull her into a tight embrace and let her know that everything’s gonna be alright.

Pick it up below or as a free download from their website, then proceed to lift your spirits back up with a viewing of their peppy “White Russian Doll” clip.

A Coming of Age, the album, arrives April 19th through Ruffa Lane Records.

DL: “A Coming of Age” (alt)

Uncategorized 60's, girl group, indie pop, lucky soul, retro, UK

On “Excuses”, the first single lifted from The Morning Benders‘ sophomore album Big Echo, the Cali indie-pop band (previously given love here for their intimate re-imagining of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool”) offer a gorgeously executed riff off of Phil Spector’s oft-referenced “Wall of Sound” studio trickery to support an engrossing play-by-play of young “soulmates” bathed in the euphoric bliss of making love for the first time.

The track, co-produced by lead singer Christopher Chu and Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, will initially spellbind you with it’s faux-vinyl haze and a dreamy doo-wop sway divinely seasoned with acoustic guitar strum flickers, rumbling bass drums, shuffling percussion, twinkling piano notes, sorrowful strings and “dah-dah-dum” background vocals seemingly birthed from angels perched atop the clouds above.

But being blessed with such ornate grandeur isn’t “Excuses” only satisfying bid at timeless pop-crafting; it’s lyrics, sweetly brought to life via Chu’s languid croon, prove just as endlessly endearing in their impressive stab at classic romance novel text, whether describing key moments of passion (“When you try to taste me/ And I take my tongue to the Southern tip of your body…”) or dishing out swoon-worthy lines like “I put no one else above us/ We’ll still be best friends when all turns to dust”.

Pick up the studio-version MP3 below, followed by an equally magnificent live take lensed by Yours Truly.

Pre-order Big Echo, due March 9th, here.

DL: “Excuses (Album Version)” (alt)

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders “Excuses” from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Uncategorized 60's, california, indie pop, phil spector, retro, the morning benders

Much buzzed about Danish duo Quadron (singer Coco and musician/ producer Robin Hannibal) execute the simplistic delectation of old-school girl group pop to levels of sublime near-flawlessness on their new single “Pressure”.

From it’s perky, handclaps-horns-and-piano arrangement sending your toes into a tapping frenzy, to the doe-eyed tenderness encased in Coco’s vocal as she tries her best to get under her lover’s skin with little success, the sunny/ sad ditty twinkles with the irresistible contagiousness of a long-lost Supremes number or an early-era Mariah Carey single (you know, back before the “Obsessed”-diva grew an allergy to clothes and started hobnobbing with whatever hot rapper was around).

The band’s self-titled debut is currently available on iTunes, but will be released March 23rd everywhere else.

Uncategorized blue-eyed soul, denmark, girl group, quadron, retro

It’s hard to disagree with the classy and polished R&B diva route Mary J Blige has ventured into the past decade of her career: she’s more beautiful than ever, her voice is stronger, her personal growth is inspiring. At the same time though, there’s only so many re-writes of “Be Without You” one can take.

Are we saying we yearn for Blige to revert back to the always-wronged girlfriend/ wife role she seemed glued to in the opening phases of her career? No, not necessarily. But we do miss the sheer glee that arose once her church-grown vocal gymnastics were paired with the sounds of urban music’s past via old R&B and rap samples. Let us not forget, she is the Queen of Hip Hop-Soul.

Apparently, iconic rapper/ producer Marley Marl shares that same sentiment, as he’s taken it upon himself to give Blige’s latest single “I Am” some of that What’s The 411? flavor for this old school house party-approved remix.

Stapling the song’s “Ain’t nobody gonna love you better than I am” theme to the beat of T Ski Valley’s 1981 hip hop classic “Catch The Beat” (itself, one of the billion or so tunes to reference Taana Gardner’s “Heartbeat”), while adding a lil’ golden age braggadocio mic flair (“Who’s the king of the nineties? (I am)/ Who’s the king of the grind, B? (I am)/ Since you slept on a legend, step behind me…”), Marl swiftly resuscitates a track we would have probably forgotten all about in a couple months time, while simultaneously giving the kids a lil’ taste of why we fell in love with MJB in the first place oh so long ago.

Can this throwback sound please be the overall theme for Mary’s next album?

DL: “I Am (Marley Marl Remix)” (alt)

Bonus DL: T Ski Valley “Catch The Beat” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, marley marl, mary j blige, old-school hip hop, remix, retro, t ski valley

By now you’ve probably heard the Major Lazer/ Nina Sky/ Ricky Blaze ‘09 delight “Keep It Goin’ Louder” re-spun a number of wildly different ways, but have you ever considered how good it might sound when re-fashioned with a ’50’s pop Phil Spector/ girl group twist?

That’s the vibe Vancouver remixer DJ Kutcorners goes for, and awesomely nails, on this ‘Surfs Up’ revamp, which marries Blaze and Sky’s already blissed out vocals with a clap-happy and twinkling chimes-adorned Wall of Sound groove that’ll have you wishing you had some kind of sock-hop-themed event to attend.

(shouts)

DL: “Keep It Goin’ Louder (Kuts Surfs Up Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized Canada, dj kutcorners, major lazer, nina sky, remix, retro, ricky blaze

Jack Splash has quietly made a name for himself over the past few years in his roles as singer, rapper, songwriter and producer.

Besides drawing raving acclaim for his contributions to Plantlife, a wildly entertaining, three-albums-deep funk outfit based out of L.A., he’s also hooked up some of the brightest talents in modern-day R&B (Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, John Legend, Raheem DeVaughn, Solange, Estelle, Jennifer Hudson, Jazmine Sullivan) with these amazingly lush sounds and classic-tinged romantic scripts steeped in the always-rewarding luster of yesteryear soul (credits include throwback-seasoned singles like Keys’ “Teenage Love Affair”, Legend’s “P.D.A.” and Solange’s “T.O.N.Y.”).

This year has the potential to be Jack’s true breakout year though, thanks to the premiere of his much-delayed solo debut, Technology And Love Might Save It All. But just in case you’re still not yet completely sold on why it should be a necessity for you to circle the May release date of the project (or, hell, are still scratching your head trying to figure out who dude is), we’ve gathered three previously unleashed cuts for your listening pleasure below. Promises you’ll be an instant fan after hearing them:

“I Could Have Loved You” featuring Missy Elliott & Jazmine Sullivan

-leaked to high praise last summer, this infectious four-on-the-floor delight finds the ladies and Splash in the midst of a flirtatious stand-off. “I could have loved you,” they tease in a buttery smoove R&B hook, but because they’re both already attached, they can only offer a naughty twirl on the dancefloor. With their mates nowhere in sight though, Jack isn’t fully convinced they’re telling the truth, inquiring in his best Prince voice, “If you gotta man at home/ Why you got them high heels on?”.

DL: “I Could Have Loved You” (alt)

“Ringtone” featuring R. Kelly & T-Pain

-here, Splash is once again on the prowl (“Baby I just wanna get with you/ In a most familiar way/ I don’t wanna cause a spectacle/ I just had to stop and say…”) and being flanked by a supporting cast of A-listers (T-Pain drops a rap verse, an Auto-Tuned Kellz provides the chorus); but the track’s most noteworthy element is it’s oddly meshed groove, a surprisingly effective combination of synth-R&B quirk and acoustic guitar sunniness

DL: “Ringtone” (alt)

“.38 Special” featuring Cee-Lo

-Splash’s latest leakage, from the forthcoming mixtape King of The Beats (due this week), re-teams him with The Heart Attack partner Cee-Lo, for an exquisite dishing of needly guitar funk, golden age mic braggadocio (“I ain’t talkin’ bout a gun/ My .38 special, I spit from my tongue…”) and the kind of soul-stirring Gnarls Barkley-ish hooks Cee handles so well.

DL: “.38 Special” (alt)

Sample some of Splash’s other creations via the widget below; pick up his last mixtape, Heir To The Throne, here.

Uncategorized 70's, 80's, cee-lo, disco, funk, jack splash, jazmine sullivan, los angeles, missy elliott, old-school hip hop, r. kelly, retro, t-pain

The fourth release lifted from The Noisettes‘ excellent (and nowhere near as big as it should be) Wild Young Hearts album, “Every Now & Then” sees the London band staying in line with previous singles “Wild Young Hearts” and “Never Forget You”, doling out another magnificent fusion of ex-lover nostalgia with a ’60’s soul-pop-inspired musical frame.

But whereas those tracks hid frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa’s regrets over past romances behind perky arrangements, illustrating a sensibility that she had for the most part healed with the passing of time, “Every Now & Then” follows an opposite route, finding her still handicapped by an enormous heartache with moody guitar and swirling strings depicting her inner despair with a moving dramatic flair.

“You see we were never through/ I never said I loved you/ Even when we said goodbye/ I never thought it was the last time,” a down-in-the-dumps Shingai recalls, a single moment of solitude or a certain song being played on the radio instantly filling her mind with tearjerking memories of secret kisses in a certain former love’s bedroom and the postcards he would send inked with “stories (that) would excite me”.

With her yearning for a gust of wind to bring him back into her life and light up “this empty room” she dubs her current depressing existence, Shoniwa’s sorrow cuts so deep, you can’t help but be pulled into the doldrums alongside her, especially once the arrival of a stunning Bond theme song-like climax of swollen orchestration and piercing cries of being “down, down, down” come into play.

Catch the song’s music video below, then take a listen to one of our favorite cuts from Mick Boogie and Terry Urban’s must-have Noisettes vs. Kanye West mash-up mixtape Wild Young Heartbreak: “Saturday Night Paranoia”, Chicago production duo Christian Rich’s metallic-sleek marriage of the Noisettes’ revenge fantasy “Saturday Night” with West’s whip-crack heavy, new wave jaunt “Paranoid”.

DL: “Saturday Night Paranoia (Christian Rich Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized 60's, christian rich, indie rock, kanye west, london, mick boogie, mixtape, noisettes, retro

We’re still not entirely sure it’s a good idea for Amy Winehouse to be helming a label right now (since A: we’d rather have her focusing all her energy on shaping up and recording another album, and B: well, would you want her as a boss?), but then again, what do we know. Her Lioness Records imprint is set to be launched this Fall and it’s first order of business is in releasing the debut album by her 13-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield.

Somewhat un-surprisingly, the London-born Bromfield has been groomed to be a Winehouse mini-me. She may not be crowned with a ratty, on-the-verge-of-collapsing-at-all-times bee hive or look disturbingly under-fed, but she’s definitely presented as a precocious soundalike to her God-mama, down to the beyond-her-years soul pipes and penchant for remaking old R&B/ girl group material (her premiere long-player, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, is an all covers set featuring takes on “Tell Him”, “He’s So Fine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, amongst other cherished oldies).

The project’s first single is a remake of The Shirelles’ 1963 Top Ten hit “Foolish Little Girl” and, as is the case with a majority of Winehouse’s stuff, it’s impossible not to appreciate. Yeah, it makes for an odd fit as a solo performance (part of the campy charm of the original was the way it was set of as a conversation between friends, the different members of the Shirelles’ trading off leads to play both the song’s jealous ex-girlfriend main role and that character’s well-meaning pals), but that can be overlooked with Bromfield having such sturdy, self-assured vocals and the track rocking this adorable lil’ reggae-for-beginners trot we could listen to over and over for hours.

It’s a decent jump-off for the Lioness label (maybe Amy knows what she’s doing after all!!!), but we gotta admit, we’re more interested in hearing what original stuff Bromfield will be serving up for the follow-up album.

Introducing Dionne Bromfield is due October 12th in the UK.

Uncategorized 60's, amy winehouse, bubblegum, dionne bromfield, girl group, retro, the shirelles, UK soul

In it’s original context, Wale’s Tribe Called Quest “Award Tour”-referencing “World Tour” manages to be a better-than-average banger, with producers Cool & Dre spinning a triumphant, modern blaxploitation beat that’s every bit as energetic as Wale’s excited rhymes about the ups and downs of being an on-the-come-up rap star. A perfect choice for a single, everything about it bristles with a “you WILL like me” infectious hunger similar to Kanye West’s early output, and having Jazmine Sullivan around doing the soul-diva hook-chick thing makes for a nice cherry on top (even if she is a bit under-utilized here).

But we would be lying if we didn’t admit to digging this slickly polished Urban Noize remix a little more. Their decision to once again thaw out The Whispers’ “And The Best Goes On” as a backing sample choice is a brilliant move, the song’s feel-good ’80’s R&B-funk a nice compliment to the globe-trotting lifestyle Wale is going on about (And don’t worry, you’re not alone if you’re moved to dorkily chant “Welcome To Miami” at least once when listening to it).

Pick up the MP3 below, as well as Urban Noize’s remix to the R. Kelly/ Keri Hilson duet, “Number One”.

Wale’s debut Attention: Deficit is now set for a November 3rd release.

DL: “World Tour (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

DL: “Number One (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, cool & dre, jazmine sullivan, retro, the whispers, urban noize, wale

To say the world needs another vintage R&B mimic would be like admitting that VH1 needs another ludicrous reality-TV dating show, but Mayer Hawthorne, the porn-ily monikered alter-ego of Michigan-born hip hop DJ Andrew “Haircut” Cohen, definitely deserves to take up space in your iPod library, if only so you could freak out your friends and parents with the endlessly wowing re-imagining of ’60’s and ’70’s-era R&B/ soul that takes place on his debut project, A Strange Arrangement.

Bearing a spot-on handling of the falsetto croon, groovy soul-bop, honey-coated soul balladry, and simplistic love letter poetics of yesteryear (all of which Hawthorne impressively played, wrote and mixed together by himself), Arrangement is so soaked in the vibe of Motown, Stax, Curtom and so many other labels of that era that on several occasions you’re nearly convinced that these songs were actually constructed and performed by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Holland-Dozier-Holland or The Platters.

Standing out as one of the best offerings here is the album-closing “Green Eyed Love”. Whereas most of Arrangement settles on dishing out well-executed throwback confections without much of a nod to the present, “Love”, a goofy paean to the “sticky icky” (“My love, my green eyed love/ We’ll watch the clouds from above/ Come on, lift me up…”), takes Hawthorne’s retro-fixated template and gives it a fresh modern twist thanks to it’s stimulating electric guitar solo and it’s main groove: a slowly creeping, oom-pah funk bounce that comes across like a looser spin on one of Eminem’s cartoon-ish productions.

Below, check out the videos for singles “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” and “Maybe So, Maybe No”, plus a live performance of “Green Eyed Love” fronted by a rendition of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” we’d love to hear more of:

DL: “Green Eyed Love” (alt)

Uncategorized blue-eyed soul, grown folks R&B, mayer hawthorne, michigan, motown, retro