Category: funk

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 71st Birthday, Chaka Khan!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Chaka Khan’s 71st birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jonny Tarr Shares Sleek and Funky “Love Language”

Jonny Tarr is a Welsh-born, San Diego-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Tarr attended the renowned Paul McCartney School for the Performing Arts in Liverpool (LIPA), where he earned a degree in music. Upon graduating, he toured across Europe, Japan and the States, before relocating to the States 13 years ago.

Since relocating to the States, Tarr has toured with Foreigner, and opened for the likes of The Family Stone, Victor Wooten, and Ozomatli. He also became a Taylor Guitars artist.

Tarr’s latest album, the self-produced The Rules sees him incorporating both electronic and acoustic instrumentation and draws influence from The Weeknd, The Killers, Stevie Wonder, Hall & Oates, and The Police paired with his blue-eyed soul-like vocals. The album helped him earn Best Pop Artist Award at last year’s San Diego Music Awards and earned nominations for Best Pop Album and Best Album of the Year for this year’s San Diego Music Awards.

“Love Language,” The Rules‘ latest single is a slick and hook-driven synthesis of Roy Ayers, Hall & Oates blue-eyed soul and Rush Midnight-like funk that’s simultaneously dance floor and lounge friendly — and sounds as though it could have been released in 1975, 1985 or earlier this year.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Black Yacht Rock Club is a emerging New York-based supergroup of incredibly talented songwriters/musicians/producers and artists, who have in many cases worked with a who’s who of contemporary music — Jerome Jordan (vocals, guitar), Justo Ontario (vocals), Phearnone (vocalist, emcee and violin), Ramsey Jones (drums, songwriter, arranger) and Entrfied The God of Sound (production, songwriting) — that specializes in blending a number of classic genres simultaneously with a contemporary twist. 

If you were frequenting this site last year, you might recall that I wrote about “Wishful,” a two-step inducing bit of synth-driven R&B and funk that I think will remind listeners of The Whispers, The Gap Band and contemporaries like Dam-Funk, Tuxedo and others, complete with a remarkably catchy hook and soulful crooning.

The New York-based supergroup start off 2024 with “Raize,” continues a run hook-driven, slinky 80s-inspired synth funk — with the new single seemingly nodding a bit at Cherrelle’s “Saturday Love” and “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On,” Shalamar‘s “Night To Remember” and others but with a incredibly contemporary dance floor friendly break around the 3:00 minute mark. The production and arrangement serves as a lush, velvety for Justo Ontario’s soulful and plaintive crooning. Simply put, it’s the sort of banger that I’d put in a DJ set.