JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and the 76th anniversary of Rick James’ birth.
Tag: R&B
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.
Throwback: Happy 76th Birthday, Anita Pointer!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 76th anniversary of the birth of The Pointer Sisters’ Anita Pointer.
Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Billy Ocean!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Billy Ocean’s 74th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, David Ruffin!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 83rd anniversary of The Temptations’ David Ruffin’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 45th Birthday, Aaliyah!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 45th anniversary of Aaliyah’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 65th Birthday, Sade!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Sade’s 65th birthday.
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.
The mysterious and rising Berlin-based producer’s latest single “Superspeed” is a slickly produced track featuring a simple yet eerie piano melody and trap beats and wobbling, tweeter and woofer rattling 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.
Throwback: Happy 65th Birthday, Vanity!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 65th anniversary of Denise “Vanity” Katrina Matthews’ birth.
Throwback: Happy Belated 66th Birthday, Morris Day!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates The Time’s Morris Day’s 66th birthday.
Throwback: Happy Belated 55th Birthday, Montell Jordan!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates Montell Jordan’s 55th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 81st Birthday, Jimi Hendrix!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 81st anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s birth.
New Video: Fabien Gravillon Shares Breezy Pop Confection “Je t’attends”
Fabien Gravillon is a Paris-born singer/songwriter, pop artist and actor, who may be best known in France for starring in the smash-hit soap opera Plus belle la vie. As a singer/songwriter and pop artist, Gravillon has specialized in a sound that draws from Zouk, Kizomba and Afro pop.
After the release of his debut album through Because Music, Gravillon went to Los Angeles and appeared in several videos by internationally acclaimed artists including Macklemore and Patrick Stump‘s “Summer Days,” Collapsing Scenery and others. He also participated in several projects filmed at Fox Studios in Hollywood and for The Jim Henson Company.
Gravillon’s latest single “Je t’atends” is a slickly produced bit of hook-driven pop that meshes elements of reggaeton and chanson in a way that’s crowd-pleasing and accessible. Much like his previously released material, “Je t’attends” is an earnest plea of devotion to a lover that feels and sounds sweetly old-fashioned.
Directed by Roger Artola and Griffit Vision, the accompanying video for “Je t’attends” was shot on a gloriously summer day in Los Angeles and tells a classic tale of deception, cheating and devotion.
Throwback: R.I.P. Rudolph Isley
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the life and music of The Isley Brothers’ Rudolph Isley.