This week in R&B, we’re embracing the calm instead of the crash out and paying homage to the heart of neo-soul.
With the help of Aneesa Strings, LARRENWONG, threetwenty, Jessie Reyez, Mack Keane, Sabrina Claudio, Lola Moxom, and Alex Isley, we’ve got you covered with songs and albums that you won’t be able to stop playing for at least the next seven days.
Dive into our top new picks below.
Aneesa Strings – The Calm
Aneesa Strings has been on a run lately and it’s all led up to the arrival of her new EP, The Calm.
“Open the portal to discover. Explore a new sound unbounding before the eyes of the world. I am the avant-guard: along with the other rogue agents of change in the world, we have created this for you. Now feast, music lovers, feast,” the blossoming artist said of her project in a statement.
Standout moments include previously released singles “We Are The Music” and “Gramercy Place” as well as “All In My Mind.”
LARRENWONG – 4th & Long
LARRENWONG is back with what he considers to be his “most personal project to date,” 4th & Long.
“’4th & Long’ is an homage to my football past and the transition into my career as an R&B artist. This project is my way of telling my story—bridging where I’ve been with where I’m going—while continuing to evolve my sound. Football shaped my mentality, my discipline, my ability to work within a team, and my drive, which now I’m channeling into my music. This EP represents growth, perseverance, and the fusion of my past and present, all while staying true to the essence of LARRENWONG.”
For the crooner, the focus track is “7 Days,” which is a reimagining of Craig David’s classic hit from the early 2000s. However, for us, it’s “Out The Frame,” that reminds of Usher’s “Nice & Slow” and The-Dream’s “Falsetto.”
threetwenty – The Light (I Need You)
Ivana Hunter, formerly of VanJess, has returned to music, but this time with her husband.
“We met through the music and now we make our own music together,” said her husband, Filip, when they first began teasing their music with fans. Hunter told VIBE, “We met through music friends in 2018; we then fell in love with each other. We then fell in love with making music together.”
Seven years into their marriage, they became the duo, threetwenty. As far as the birth of “The Light (I Need You)” is concerned, she shared, “It was just another night Filip was up making beats, he then woke me up the next day playing the track he just created and the words and the melody fell into place. That then became ‘the light (I need you).’”
The new single is peak neo-soul with a contemporary twist.
Jessie Reyez – “Psilocybin & Daisies”
Jessie Reyez’s new album, PAID IN MEMORIES, is almost here, but for now, we’re being fed with the release of her new single, “Psilocybin & Daisies.”
The spirited punk&B record interpolated Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” as she sings about wanting to smash in a field full of daisies under the influence.
Written by Reyez herself and produced by SCUM and Warren “Oak” Felder, she notes, “Some music is indisputably timeless. To be able to cheat and get an ingredient from a timeless song and contribute it to my own is an industry hack that I’d be dumb not to use. Thanks to Billy for blessing me. Thanks to The Smashing Pumpkins. Thanks to mushrooms. And thanks to me.”
The full LP drops on Mar. 28.
Mack Keane – Entries
Mack Keane’s new album is personal, honest, and timely. Entries is one of those albums that lures you in from jump and attaches itself to your soul, conjuring up emotions you either ignored or forget existed.
For Keane, he shared, “This process has been a testament to being free in my creativity and see my ideas through till the very end. I spent a long time questioning myself as an artist, but this experience has reminded me that I can be free in my expression, and not conform to what I think I should or shouldn’t be doing. And I hope that I can inspire you all to do the same. Thank you to everyone who helped me see this art project come to life, means the world to me.”
Standout tracks include “Grab Hold,” “Heal U,” and “Out My Hair.”
Sabrina Claudio – “Need U To Need Me”
Sabrina Claudio is back with a new partnership with EMPIRE and a new velvety single, “Need U To Need Me.”
The ballad details one’s longing for emotional validation and the constant question of her being an essential factor in her lover’s life.
Claudio explained, “I wrote ‘Need U To Need Me’ as a fear-based admission. A romanticized translation of longing and yearning to be a necessity to the ones you love most. While most stigmatize needing as a form of weakness, I believe admitting that needing someone or desiring to be needed is a form of strength that can potentially breed a sense of closeness and community with those you value.”
It’s her first proper release since 2020’s “Warm December.”
Lola Moxom – OXO
Lola Moxom’s debut EP, OXO, is finally here. For those who are a fan of Tori Kelly, Brandy or Musiq Soulchild, Lola fits right in.
The six-track project showcases her deep love for R&B while also pushing the needle forward through warm harmonies, sultry instrumentation, and memorable storytelling.
Moxom shared, “’OXO’ has been in the making for a couple of years, working closely with some of my favourite producers and writers, people I really rate and feel fortunate to have worked with on my first project. The name plays on ‘xoxo,’ almost like a diary entry, touching on real experiences I’ve lived through and documented. It’s raw, honest, and an invitation to the listener to come into my world. I’m excited for people to step into it and hear these stories, I think there’s something for everyone on this EP.”
Alex Isley – “Hands”
Alex Isley’s new release, “Hands,” is a Camper production and marks her official debut on Warner Records.
The ethereal songbird commands listeners’ attention with her dreamy delivery as she sings about the intimacy and desire for touch. “Been traveling and it’s been too long/ The weeks feel like months since I’ve been gone/ These sheets on my skin the only touch I’ve known/ Nothing like the feeling that I left back home,” she coos.
Of the ballad, Isley stated, “There’s so much power in a touch that’s rooted in love and affection. The memory of it can remind you how much it’s really worth. This is an ode to really being in the moment with your person.” This is just a preview of what’s to come.
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