JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Anita Baker’s 68th birthday.
Category: Soul Music
Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, Thom Bell!
JOVM’s WIlliam Ruben Helms celebrates the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Thom Bell.
Throwback: Happy 88th Birthday, Etta James!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 88th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Etta James.
Throwback: Happy 95th Birthday, Sam Cooke!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 95th anniversary of the birth of Sam Cooke.
Throwback: Happy 85th Birthday, David Ruffin!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 85th anniversary of the birth of David Ruffin.
Throwback: Happy 81st Birthday, William Hart!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 81st anniversary of the birth of the legendary William Hart.
Throwback: Happy 67th Birthday, Sade!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Sade’s 67th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 71st Birthday, Fred White!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 71st anniversary of the birth of Earth, Wind & Fire co-founder Fred White.
New Audio: Sunnan Shares Mind-Bending and Hypnotic “Sail (Lady in Waiting)”
Swedish outfit Sunnan can trace their origins through a series of unlikely encounters, including pandemic-era change, a barn with panoramic windows in Sunnanhed and a meeting with a Stockholm rave legend. In many ways the band embodies creative serendipity — and unsurprisingly, their origin story, which feels both inevitable and improbable, echoes through their work.
The band quickly built a reputation with the release of a series of standout singles including “My Love For You,” “Wild Horses,” and “The Sound (Make It Come Back),” their collaboration with Titiyo. 2024’s debut studio album Cinema was released to widespread praise across the Nordics and earned two Swedish Grammy nominations.
Last year’s Cinema Sound System helped propel the Swedish outfit onto the global stage with its three singles receiving heavy radio rotation on Nordic radio stations, received strong DSP support and organic crossover into North American and European markets. The band supported their debut and EP with 20 sold-out dates across the Nordics and the European Union.
Building upon a growing profile, the Swedish outfit’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Spaghetti Soul is slated for release this year. Spaghetti Soul reportedly will see the band further cementing their critically applauded cinematic sound while further expanding their sonic palette with the album’s material being bold fusion of Italian Spaghetti Western grandeur and classic soul, filtered through a modern lens.
Spaghetti Soul‘s latest single, “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” is a mind-bending blend of 60s-styled psych rock, Morricone-inspired soundscapes and blue-eyed/Northern soul that showcases a band that effortlessly pairs old fashion craftsmanship with vibey atmospherics, deft musicianship and incredibly catchy hooks. “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” captures what the band describes as “the manifestation of a new genre.”
“‘Sail’ is the bridge from Cinema Sound System to our sophomore album Spaghetti Soul,” the band explains. “Leaning into our cinematic roots and timeless soundtracks like ‘Hurricane’ and ‘All Along the Watchtower’, the song portrays the legend of a life well lived — beauty preserved in memory, and hope for one last ride.”
New Audio: Parlor Greens Share Strutting “Eat Your Greens”
Organ trio Parlor Greens features a collection of grizzled veterans and incredibly accomplished musicians:
- Tim Carman (drums): Arguably best known for his lengthy stint in acclaimed, Boston-based blues outfit GA-20, Carman showcases his ability to start steady, heavy and downright funky pockets for his bandmates.
- Jimmy James (guitar): Through his work with The True Loves and the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, James has firmly established a signature and readily recognizable funky approach that has won him fans across the world.
- Adam Scone (organ): Scone is a soul revival scene stalwart, playing on many Daptone Records sessions since their inception, including with Scone Cash Players and The Sugarman 3. He has learned from some of the beloved lends of soul jazz, including Melvin Sparks and the iconic Dr. Lonnie Smith.
The trio’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Emeralds is slated a March 27, 2026 release through Colemine Records. Emeralds reportedly sees the acclaimed trio upping the ante while capturing the band in top form: tour tight and more confident than ever in who they are and where they’re going. And while the results are stronger than ever, the overall mood of the recording sessions was much different.
The first time the trio met in Colemine’s Loveland, OH-based Portage Lounge Studio, the meeting was marked by a certain sense of freshness: It was the first time they had all played together. Understandably, it was exciting and unknown territory. But the sessions were underlined by the heaviness each of the individual members were going through at the time. With each member dealing with personal tragedies in their individual lives, the sessions serves as a genuine moment of joy. Just three talented musicians, writing and playing music, now as friends, in a familiar environment.
Emeralds‘ second and latest single, album opener “Eat Your Greens” is a a strutting and rollicking tune, that showcases the trio’s unerring knack for tight, crafted, old-school-inspired hooks and grooves, all while being roomy enough for some impressively dexterous solos from James and Scone. Fittingly, the track captures the talent and simpatico of three old pros, who can effortlessly balance songcraft with road-tested improvisation.
Throwback: Happy 111th Birthday Pops Staples!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 111th anniversary of the birth of Pops Staples.
Throwback: Happy 88th Birthday, O’Kelly Isley!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 88th anniversary of the birth of Isley Brothers founder O’Kelly Isley.
Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Maurice White!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 84th anniversary of the birth Earth Wind & FIre’s Maurice White.
