This week’s songs are ready and waiting to make you dance like nobody’s watching and crush like unrequited attraction isn’t even a thing…
KIRBY – “The Man”
It’s Juneteenth week, a great time to focus on Black excellence in music. And as a vocalist, songwriter and sought-after collaborator of Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Beyonce — KIRBY is bringing just that. With a voice molded by the gospel church and a near preternatural handling of the deep-down intensity of the blues, the Mississippi artist presents a stirring single to honor the unsung laborers who built the country.
Samara Cyn – “brand new teeth (Feat. Smino)”
Sometimes the ingredients come together and make a whole new flavor that you can’t live without. On this chapter-book of a single, Samara Cyn makes full use of her unique voice, sharp and tangy, catching on its own outer edges in rap bars and sailing smoothly over R&B asides. Backed by a rich tapestry of nu-jazz production, this single’s gorgeous musicality belies its lyrical message lamenting the pressure of creativity. Rapper Smino brings it all together.
Hannah Jadagu – “My Love”
Click quick on this playlist pleaser from rising star Hannah Jadagu. Blending the best of bedroom-pop with synthscape production that’s comfortingly ‘80s in a totally modern way, the singer-songwriter and producer paints an alluring picture of crushing and being crushed on. Watch for more from Jadagu — the Texas-born, Zimbawewan artist has an album on the way under Sub Pop Records.
Joviale – “HARK!”
If you’ve ever been “of two minds” about something, this changeable track from London-based singer-songwriter Joviale is gonna tickle both of ‘em. Offering up an array of sounds, styles and references, Joviale and collaborators John Carroll Kirby, Jkarri, and Kwaku Konadu play cat-and-mouse with your musical sensibilities while poking fun at the fallacy of sharing one’s artistic intent with the world in the music video.
Val Fleury – “Paradise”
Let’s end this week on the dancefloor. Submitted for your pleasure is a hedonistic heater from Liberian-born DJ Val Fleury. Kicking off as a techno-house slow burn, this satisfying single proceeds with global and afrobeat influences, adapting to your every need and desire to move, shake, shimmy, and smile. Paradise, baby!