JOVM’s WIlliam Ruben Helms celebrates and closes out Black History Month with James Brown.
Tag: R&B
Throwback: Black History Month/Happy Belated 96th Birthday, Fats Domino!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History — and belatedly the 96th anniversary of Fats Domino’s birth.
New Audio: Atlanta’s Esotera Shares Sultry “Reflection”
Esotera is an emerging Pine Hills, FL-born, Atlanta-based pop artist, who specializes in a unique take on bedroom pop that draws from rock, pop and R&B among others. Her work sees her haring her experiences with falling in love, the heartbreak of falling out of love, growing pains and spirituality — paired with lush and cinematic productions.
Her latest single “Reflection” is a slickly pop banger built around twinkling, reverb-drenched keys, skittering boom bap and the Pine Hills, FL-born, Atlanta-based artist’s sultry and self-assured delivery. The song is a love song that’s partially about having a deeply sexual yet spiritual connection with someone that could also be read as a love song to music.
Throwback: Black History Month: Mary J. Blige
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Mary J. Blige.
Throwback: Black History Month: Chaka Khan
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History and pays tribute to Chaka Khan.
Throwback: Happy Black History Month/Happy 84th Birthday, Smokey Robinson!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and Smokey Robinson’s 84th birthday.
Throwback: Black History Month: TLC
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to TLC.
Throwback: Black History Month: Evelyn “Champagne” King
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Evelyn “Champagne” King.
Throwback: Black History Month: Big Mama Thornton
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Big Mama Thornton.
Throwback: Black History Month: The Supremes
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tributes to the glamorous Supremes.
Throwback: Black History Month/Happy Belated 55th Birthday, Bobby Brown!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and belatedly Bobby Brown’s 55th birthday.
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 Black History Month: Aretha Franklin
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Aretha Franklin.
Throwback: Happy Black History Month/Happy 81st Birthday, Dennis Edwards!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and the 81st anniversary of The Temptations’ Dennis Edwards’ birth.
