JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Robert Glasper’s 46th birthday.
Tag: neo-soul
Throwback: Black History Month: Erykah Badu
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Eyrkah Badu.
Throwback: Black History Month: Meshell Ndegeocello
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Meshell Ndegeocello.
Live Footage: MERON, deathbypeanuts and an All-Star Band Team Up on Sultry “Cold As Usual”
deathbypeanuts is a mysterious and rising Berlin-based producer, who has collaborated with an eclectic array of acclaimed and rising artists including Kelvyn Colt, Chris James, Noah Slee, Beau Diako, JOVM mainstay Marie Dahlstrom, Sipprell, J. Lamotta, and a lengthy list of others.
Earlier this year, I wrote about “Superspeed,” a slickly produced track featuring a simple yet eerie piano melody, trap beats and wobbling, tweeter and woofer railing low end paired with MERON‘s delivery which alternates between hip-hop swagger and aching yearning for the song’s verses. Much like Majid Jordan‘s work, deathbypeanuts’ latest single manages to mesh the sultriness of contemporary R&B with trap swagger and catchy, pop hooks.
Recently, the rising Berlin-based producer released a live version of his debut single “Cold As Usual,” his first collaboration with MERON. The live rendition features MERON backed by a talented crew of players that includes Krept Konan’s, Lady Leshurr’s and Lion Babe‘s Jay Cobain (drums); Moses Yofee Trio‘s and Peter Fox‘s Roman Klobe-Barangǎ (guitar); A Song For You’s Alyssa Grace (keys); and deathbypeanuts (bass). The live rendition is a sultry and slow-burning, neo-soul-like take built around an easygoing and understated arrangement of fluttering keys, a supple bass line, bursts of squiggly guitar and a skittering yet propulsive backbeat serving as lush bed for MERON’s silky and yearning delivery expressing confusion, longing and frustration.
“’Cold As Usual’ captures the honesty of a situation, rather than dressing it up with unnecessary sentiment or cliches,” MERON explains. “It’s about those moments when relationships get frosty, and I wanted it to resonate with anyone who’s ever felt that same emotional distance.”
Conceived by Cycles Studio, the live video features MERON and the incredibly talented live band in a minimalist back set, shot with spotlighting and silhouettes to create a dramatic, cinematic quality.
“The vision was to translate the smooth and effortless sound of deathbypeanuts into a visual world,” Cycles Studio explains. “A minimal set, creative lighting, and a gliding camera were the tools we used to bring the song and the image together into an artistic union.
Over the course of the lat handful of years, the Roskilde-born, London-based singer/songwriter, musician, producer and JOVM mainstay Marie Dahlstrøm has developed and honed a reputation for being one of the most prolific and acclaimed artists in contemporary, indie/underground R&B.
The JOVM mainstay’s third album, last year’s A Good Life was a deeply personal album that was informed and inspired by the recognition that she contained multitudes, thousands of different selves co-existing and contradicting each other — simultaneously. For the Danish-born artist, she’s an acclaimed singer/songwriter and producer. Producer Dan Diggas‘ romantic partner and creative collaborator. A mother, and on and on.
“These different pockets of life also create friction,” she acknowledges. “I’ve been figuring out where I belong, what I’m supposed to do and how I fit into all of this — because I am so much more than an artist. When you have big dreams or goals and you see time being taken away from achieving them, and going towards something else — how do you make that a positive experience? There are always challenges, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good life.”
Fittingly, A Good Life thematically explores dismantling the long-held idea that your validity as an artist somehow diminishes when it’s not the focal point of your life and that somehow being a parent negates creativity. Of course, that can be said for artists, who have to support themselves and their creative endeavors with a day job not even remotely related to their passions.
The album also featured collaborations with Jay Prince, Kofi Stone, Cory McKenzie Tribbett, Delleile Ankrah and Sipprell among a list of others, and production from Conor Albert and her partner Dan Diggas.
The JOVM mainstay announced the forthcoming release of A Good Life Deluxe, which will feature two previously unreleased tracks “Glass,” and her latest single “Nothing On You” feat. Odeal, as well as two new remixes and reworks of album tracks “If I Belong” featuring contributions from Samson Jatto (drums) and Jay Asafo (bass) and “Now my Own,” featuring frequent collaborator, London-based rapper Aligo.
Anchored by a shimmering, looping guitar line, reminiscent of The Isley Brothers‘ “Footsteps In The Dark,” a sinuous bass line and a swaggering four-on-the four, atmospheric synths and twinkling bursts of keys, “Nothing On You” is driven by Dahlstrøm’s and Odeal’s yearning yet effortlessly soulful and gorgeous solos and harmonies. While sonically being a remarkably contemporary bit of neo-soul tinged R&B, the song thematically harness back to classic soul — a sweet and earnest longing and desire for a deeper, sustainable connection with that special significant other.
“This song was made in the very first session Odeal and I had together. It was such a natural and smooth process,” the acclaimed JOVM mainstay explains. “Daniel’s production provided the perfect foundation and it felt really natural to develop the song. The song is a true love song – feels like a nice way to start the year.”
Throwback: Happy 53rd Birthday, Questlove!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates The Roots’ Questlove’s 53rd birthday.
Formed back in 2010, the acclaimed Toronto-based outfit BADBADNOTGOOD — currently Alexander Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (guitar, woodwinds) — can trace their origins back to when its founding members met while attending Humber College‘s jazz program. Since then, whether with three or four members — and more currently with three — the Toronto-based outfit has firmly centered a reputation for consistently crossing and blending genres and genre boundaries. Although jazz trained, they first gained attention for drawing from hip-hop and other contemporary genres to create a unique, difficult to pigeonhole sound.
Besides their own critically applauded releases, the members of BADBADNOTGOOD have collaborated with a eclectic array of internationally renowned artists across hip-hop, neo-soul, dance music and more, including Ghostface Killah, Kaytranada, Little Dragon, and Kendrick Lamar.
Back in 2021, the acclaimed Canadian trio signed to XL Recordings, who released their critically applauded fifth album Talk Memory. The album’s material saw the trio collaborating with an array of internationally renowned and acclaimed multi-instrumentalists including Arthur Verocai, Laraaji, Terrace Martin, Brandee Younger, and Karriem Riggins, and was inspired by their live shows. They’ve supported Talk Memory with some extensive touring with stops at some of the world’s best venues and festivals.
Since the release of Talk Memory, they’ve released an EP with Turnstile and a standalone single “Open Channels.”
Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past handful of years, you might already be familiar with acclaimed JOVM mainstay and frequent BADBADNOTGOOD collaborator Charlotte Day Wilson. Throughout her career, Day Wilson has developed a sound that draws from and features elements of folk, gospel and Quiet Storm R&B.
Her critically applauded sophomore album, 2021’s ALPHA served as a metaphorical coming out, that found her openly and honestly tapping into her queerness for the first time as a storyteller/songwriter. A few months after the album’s release, Drake sampled the Babyface co-written “Mountains” on the chart-topping hit “Fair Trade” featuring Travis Scott. Adding to a growing profile, she received praise for the supergroup remix of “Take Care Of You” featuring Syd, King Princess, Amaarae and the legendary and incomparable Meshell Ndegeocello.
Recently she collaborated SG Lewis and Channel Tres on “Fever Dreamer.” And back in August, Day Wilson signed with XL Recordings, who released “Forever,” featuring Snoh Aalegra, which was released to praise from The Fader, The Line of Best Fit and others.
The frequent collaborators joined forces yet again for their latest collaboration “Sleeper.” Recorded at legendary Los Angeles-based Valentine Recording Studios on analog tape, “Sleeper” pairs Day Wilson’s dreamy and effortlessly soulful delivery with a lush and breezy 70s AM rock-meets-soul arrangement that sounds inspired by Carole King’s legendary Tapestry and 70s Motown soul. The song evokes someone dreamily going through their life, avoiding conflict and upset — and never quite getting anywhere or anything that they desired.
“Sleeper wrote itself…we were in the studio just messing around and the guys came up with the colorful instrumental while I freestyled the lyrics,” the JOVM mainstay says of the new single. “The song portrays someone who chooses the path of least resistance and finds themselves in a lifeless, loveless relationship.”
Acclaimed and rapidly rising British neo-soul and hip-hop instrumental outfit Gotts Street Park— Josh Crocker (bass, production), Tom Henry (keys) and Joe Harris (guitar) — will be releasing their highly anticipated full-length debut, On The Inside on October 13, 2023 through Blue Flowers.
The 12-song album is reportedly a window into the band’s inner world, a world that’s been expanding since the band’s formation. What initially began as an outlet for their shared love of 60s Motown quickly became one of Leeds’ most successful and acclaimed bands, while amassing over 69 million Spotify streams.
So far I’ve written about three of the album’s released singles”
- “Got To Be Good,” an effortless, vintage soul-inspired strut built around skittering boom bap-like drumming, glistening Rhodes, burst of funk guitar and a sinuous and supple bass line paired with Pip Millett‘s yearning delivery.
- “Fuego,” the album’s second single saw the acclaimed British outfit returning to their instrumental roots with an irresistibly funky funky, El Michels affair-meets-classic soul-like groove, “Fuego” and a shape-shifting arrangement of twinkling keys, squiggling funk guitar and relentless boom-bap snares. It’s a mischievously anachronistic jam that’s perfect for lounges and for crate diggers looking for deep, hypnotic grooves.
- “Mountains,” which paired a Quiet Storm-meets-neo-soul groove with twinkling keys, glistening guitar paired and ENNY‘s Lauryn Hill/Mary J. Blige-inspired delivery that sees her spitting bars and crooning lyrics informed by lived-in experiences of heartache, depression, struggle and survival. While not being a straightforward Behind the Music-like tale, it celebrates the fact that life is often about figuring out how to go forward when everything has gone to shit in front of you.
On The Inside‘s fourth and latest single “Tell Me Why” is built around a dusty, Motown-meets-Daptone-like soulful groove paired with Olive Jones‘ soulful croon singing lyrics about devotion, loyalty and love. It’s that old-school, Quiet Storm love song sort of love that frankly seems all too rare these days.
Gotts Streets Park says the following about the new new single: “Olive Jones is a good friend of ours who we met in Leeds over a decade ago! She’s been singing in our live show for the past year or so, and we wanted to have her featured on the album.” Commenting further they add, “This tune seemed the perfect fit for her voice and style to shine – we had the instrumental tracked out a few years ago and she jumped on recently and gave it a new lease of life.”
New Audio: Ugandan-Belgian Artist Halibab Matador Shares Vibey “Lili”
Ugandan-born, Brussels-based producer and musician, born Alban Murenzi is best known as a founding member of successful sibling indie R&B outfit YellowStraps. The accomplished duo released their 2018’s Blame EP through Majestic Casual. They performed on the tastemaker platform COLORS back in 2019.
They followed that up with 2020’s Golddress EP and last year’s tentacle which saw Murenzi adopt the moniker Halibab Matador, before he stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist.
Murenzi’s full-length debut as Halibab Matador, Souvenirs is slated for release this year, and the album sees the Ugandan-Belgian producer and musician focusing on largely instrumental and beat-driven material that fuses elements of hip-hop, jazz and soul.
Souvenirs‘ latest single “Lili” is song that sees the Brussel-based musician and producer collaborating with Léa Kadian, who contributes a supple bass line, twinkling keys from Tim de Fontaine and soulful vocal harmonies from Stacy de Bruges. The result is a vibey, neo-soul lullaby of sorts that evokes the comfort of a warm blanket on a chilly day — or seeing your lover smile after a period of absence.
“This song is dedicated to my lover. For me, it represents light, warmth and freedom,” the Ugandan-Belgian producer and musician explains. “It represents the good fortune of being alive and experiencing beautiful moments of joy.
“Léa Kadian on bass and Stacy de Bruges on vocal harmonies. I love what they do and feel privileged to be able to collaborate with such talented people. My friend Tim de Fontaine also chipped in with some sweet piano notes.”
Throughout his career Robert Glasper has become known as the leader of a new sonic paradigm with his work bridging a number of musical and artistic genres. So far, the accomplished musician, composer and producer has received 11 Grammy nominations across 11 categories and has won five. Glasper has also won an Emmy Award for his work with Common and Karriem Riggins for Ava DuVernay‘s critically applauded documentary 13th. Adding to his impressive accomplishments, the acclaimed artist has also won a Peabody Award for his composition, “Mr. Soul!”
Glasper’s work and accolades bridge all aspects of the music business, from live touring, film scores, composing and producing. His ongoing Black Radio series has become his calling card and the heart of a trailblazing community of collaborators including Yasiin Bey, Bilal, Ledisi, Lupe Fiasco, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu. Glasper is an artist at the heart of an important moment — and a movement — to champion Black music, Black people, and the possibility of a better future for all of us.
Founded back in 1981, New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club is one of the premier venues in the world. While jazz is at its core, the famed club continues to broaden its offerings to spotlight contemporary artists across all musical styles, backgrounds and cultures.
The club and its sister institutions across the globe continue to draw beloved — and massive — household names with frequent appearances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and more.
Last Friday, The Blue Note Jazz Club and Robert Glasper announced the fifth annual Robtober, his iconic residency. Kicking off on October 4, 2023 — with two shows per night at 8pm and 10:30pm — and running until November 5, 2023, Season 5 of the residency will see the acclaimed pianist, producer, composer and songwriter performing eight distinct episodes, with a different array of renowned special guests including Yebba, Norah Jones, Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Moonchild‘s Amber Navran, D Smoke, Yasiin Bey, Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge, and DJ Jahi Sundance.
A complete list of dates are below. Tickets are available here y’all. Don’t lose out on a legendary month at The Blue Note.
BLUE NOTE x ROBERT GLASPER “ROBTOBER”
SEASON 5
EPISODE ONE: THE ORGINIAL TRIO: TRIBUTE TO PIANO GIANTS
October 4—The Original Trio: Tribute to Piano Giants—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 5—The Original Trio: Tribute to Piano Giants—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE TWO: YEBBA
October 6—Robert Glasper x Yebba—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 7—Robert Glasper x Yebba—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 8—Robert Glasper x Yebba—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE THREE: NORAH JONES
October 11—Robert Glasper x Norah Jones—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 12—Robert Glasper x Norah Jones—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 13—Robert Glasper x Norah Jones—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 14—Robert Glasper x Norah Jones—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 15—Robert Glasper x Norah Jones—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE FOUR: AMBER NAVRAN (MOONCHILD)
October 18—Robert Glasper x Amber Navran (of Moonchild)—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 19—Robert Glasper x Amber Navran (of Moonchild)—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE FIVE: DINNER PARTY FEAT.
TERRACE MARTIN & KAMASI WASHINGTON
October 20—Dinner Party feat. Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington
—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 21—Dinner Party feat. Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington
—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 22—Dinner Party feat. Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington
—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE SIX: TRIBUTE TO ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS
October 25—Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 26—Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE SEVEN: D SMOKE
October 27—Robert Glasper x D Smoke—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 28—Robert Glasper x D Smoke—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
October 29—Robert Glasper x D Smoke—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
EPISODE EIGHT: YASIIN BEY
November 1—Robert Glasper x yasiin bey feat. Chris Dave, Derrick Hodgeand DJ Jahi Sundance—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYCNovember 2—Robert Glasper x yasiin bey feat. Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge
and DJ Jahi Sundance—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
November 3—Robert Glasper x yasiin bey feat. Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge
and DJ Jahi Sundance—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
November 4—Robert Glasper x yasiin bey feat. Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge
and DJ Jahi Sundance—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
November 5—Robert Glasper x yasiin bey feat. Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge
and DJ Jahi Sundance—Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
New Video: Gotts Street Park Team Up with ENNY on Soulful and Intimate “Mountains”
Acclaimed and rapidly rising British neo-soul and hip-hop instrumental outfit Gotts Street Park— Josh Crocker (bass, production), Tom Henry (keys) and Joe Harris (guitar) — will be releasing their highly anticipated full-length debut, On The Inside on October 13, 2023 through Blue Flowers.
The 12-song album is reportedly a window into the band’s inner world, a world that’s been expanding since the band’s formation. What initially began as an outlet for their shared love of 60s Motown quickly became one of Leeds’ most successful and acclaimed bands, while amassing over 69 million Spotify streams.
So far I’ve written about two of the album’s released singles”
- “Got To Be Good,” an effortless, vintage soul-inspired strut built around skittering boom bap-like drumming, glistening Rhodes, burst of funk guitar and a sinuous and supple bass line paired with Pip Millett‘s yearning delivery.
- “Fuego,” the album’s second single saw the acclaimed British outfit returning to their instrumental roots with an irresistibly funky funky, El Michels affair-meets-classic soul-like groove, “Fuego” and a shape-shifting arrangement of twinkling keys, squiggling funk guitar and relentless boom-bap snares. It’s a mischievously anachronistic jam that’s perfect for lounges and for crate diggers looking for deep, hypnotic grooves.
“Mountains,” On The Inside‘s third and latest single is built around a swaggering, Quiet Storm-meets-neo soul-like groove featuring boom bap-like snares, twinkling keys an glistening guitar paired with ENNY‘s Lauryn Hill/Mary J. Blige-inspired delivery that sees her spitting bars and crooning lyrics informed by lived-in experiences of heartache, depression, struggle and survival. While not being a straightforward Behind the Music-like tale, it celebrates the fact that life is often about figuring out how to go forward when everything has gone to shit in front of you.
“The instrumental for ‘Mountains’ is originally from a little batch of GSP jams that Joe had chopped up and made beats from a couple years ago,” the band explains in press notes. “Fast forward a year or so… Josh was in the studio working on songs with Enny mainly for her solo stuff, and this was one of the beats she liked enough to write to.” They continue, “When we heard her demo vocal on the beat, we fell in love with the song. Enny is an artist we all admire and it was obvious we needed to get this tune fully finished and have her guest on our album!”
“I had a session with Josh last year around a time I was going through a bit of a down period,” ENNY says. “And, once he played the first few seconds everything just flowed. It was the first time in a longtime that I’d written lyrics using a pen” ENNY adds: “The guys are so cool and easy to vibe with and I’m grateful to be a part of this project.”
Directed by Harvey Pearson, the cinematically shot black and white accompanying video for “Mountains” places ENNY in the center of the screen passionately performing the song in an intimate club, before slowly panning out to reveal the members of Gotts Street Park. “With this video, I wanted ENNY and her performance to be front and center, capturing an intimate moment within a motionless crowd,” Pearson explains. “Shooting in a single, unbroken take, we draw focus to the frank and captivating performance. Underlining this approach in striking black and white, we deliberately zero in on the raw and immediate essence of this moment.”
New Video: Nick Hakim Shares Swaggering “Feeling Myself”
Deriving its name from the Spanish word for “kite,” JOVM mainstay Nick Hakim‘s fourth album Cometa was recorded between studios and domestic spaces throughout Texas, North Carolina, California and New York. Featuring contributions from Alex G. (piano) and Abe Rounds (drums), and collaborations with DJ Dahi, Helado Negro and Arto Lindsay, the 10-song album is a collection of romantic songs written through different lenses, guided by Hakim’s experience of falling in love that made him feel like he was floating.
That dizzying, out-of-body sensation is the central theme that anchors the album’s material, with Hakim using the extreme distance between a kite and a comet as a metaphor for the depth of one’s love for someone else — and being humbled by it. “The key is to find that extremity of love for yourself,” Hakim says in press notes. “It’s about growing into someone you want to be; it’s about finding pure love within yourself when the world around us seems to be crumbling.”
For Hakim, the purpose of Cometa is less about constructing a narrative around romance and more about exploration through 10 complex compositions woven with aching metaphors throughout. Of course, while for Hakim there are special memories attached to each song, he prefers to leave them open to interpretation, offering the listener a comfortable space to develop their own connections to the material. “I think it’s nice to have love in your life and to have people that are sharing and wanting that,” Hakim explains. “It’s my interpretation of a really romantic way to express love in my own way.”
So far I’ve written about three of Cometa‘s single:
- Centered around a sparse and unfussy arrangement of strummed guitar, bursts of twinkling keys, atmospheric synths and cymbal-driven percussion paired with Hakim’s breathily cooed delivery, “Happen,” sees the JOVM mainstay subtly pushing his sound and approach in a new direction while still maintaining the dreamy and earnest essence at the core of his work. But ultimately, the song evokes the sensation of weightlessness — and then gently floating away beyond your control.
- “Vertigo,” a woozy song centered around a dusty, analog-like production featuring an arraignment of strummed guitar, skittering boom bap and layers of whirring synths paired with Hakim’s achingly tender vocals. The song depicts the dizzying sensation of trying to stay focused on someone when it feels like the world around you in spinning out of control.
- “M1,” a DJ Dahi co-produced song centered around a breezy arrangement featuring a skittering beat loop, choir-like synth stabs and wobbling low-end. The arrangement serves as a silky and ethereal bed for Hakim’s achingly plaintive and soulful falsetto. The song captures Hakim having fun while continuing upon the album’s overall vibe.
Cometa‘s fourth and latest single “Feeling Myself” takes some sonic cues from Iggy Pop‘s David Bowie-produced The Idiot with a subtle nod to Chaka Khan and Rufus’ “Ain’t Nobody.” And as a result, “Feeling Myself” is a swaggering and confident sonic departure for the JOVM mainstay that captures the energy boosting confidence that comes from being in love — with yourself and with someone else.
“I’ve never really written anything that’s like that in terms of the personas,” Hakim explains. “Where I’m coming from is always conversational like I’m talking to someone… I’m being nice to myself and the energy boosting around is confidence and loving yourself in a way that you haven’t really felt in a long time.”
Directed by Jack Greeley-Ward, the accompanying video for “Feeling Myself” features a slick and feverish mix of animation by Ana Projects and Super 8-like footage of Hakim in various locations in and around New York and photography of Hakim and collaborators in the studio.
Cometa is slated for a Friday release through ATO Records.
With a handful of singles, rising, British neo-soul and hip-hop outfit Gotts Street Park— Josh Crocker (bass, production), Tom Henry (keys) and Joe Harris (guitar) — quickly amassed fans and acclaim while working with Rejje Snow, Kali Uchis, Cosima, Yellow Days, Chester Watson, Celeste, Rosie Lowe, and a growing list of others.
Last year’s Diego EP, which featured a collection of compositions informed by the raw energy of being together and creating in the same room, served as a further introduction to the rising British trio.
Earlier this year, the British trio released ““Lost & Found,” a slow-burning and vibey bit of neo-soul featuring Charlotte Dos Santos’ self-assured and soulful vocal delivery, shimmering and reverb-drenched Rhodes and synths paired with a two-step inducing groove.
“’Lost & Found’ is a song about falling in love and not being able to forget about a person. It’s about being in all shades of love,” Dos Santos explains in press notes.
Interestingly, the single, which was recorded between Leeds and New York, where Dos Santos was based at the time, can trace its origins back to when the Norwegian-born and currently Berlin-based singer/songwriter and the rising British outfit worked together on her most recent album.
“The instrumental track was from a batch of jams that were recorded during lockdown,” Gotts Street Park’s Josh Crocker explains. “Charlotte heard the instrumental whilst some of us were working with her on her record last year, we’d been looking for a way to collaborate and this one jumped out as being really well-suited to her.”
Fans of the band will remember that the rising soul outfit collaborated with Rosie Lowe on “Everything.” Gotts Street Park’s latest single “Summer Breeze,” sees the rising soul outfit continuing their ongoing collaboration with Lowe. Pairing a slow-burning and vibey, Quiet Storm-like groove with Lowe’s ethereal yet expressive vocal, “Summer Breeze” is rooted in a simple yet powerful mantra: that it’s narrator – and in turn, the listener — deserves the best and should never settle for anyone or anything that makes them feel less than amazing.
“‘Summer Breeze’ is an ode to anyone stuck in a toxic relationship. I wrote the chorus as a mantra, a reminder not to settle for anything less than someone who makes you feel amazing,” Lowe explains.
“The instrumental for ‘Summer Breeze’ is basically us hanging out in the studio and jamming – you can hear us chatting and laughing in the background,” the rising soul outfit adds. “Sometimes you can lose the essence of a song when you decide to tidy it up and re-record it, so we just kept it for what it is. Collaborating with Rosie is an absolute no brainer for us, she’s super talented and creative and there was instant chemistry on this tune.”