JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 71st anniversary of the birth of The Isley Brothers’ Marvin Isley.
Tag: soul
New Audio: Kelly Finnigan Shares Yearning and Pleading “Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)”
Perhaps best known as the frontman of the acclaimed West Coast psych soul outfit and JOVM mainstays Monophonics, Kelly Finnigan is an acclaimed producer, keyboardist and solo artist in his own right.
Finnigan’s highly-anticipated sophomore studio album A Lover Was Born is slated for an October 18, 2024 release through Colemine Records. Distance as a measure of time and place reportedly informs the album with a grit and grace that turns passion into virtue. The album also sees the Monophonics frontman rooting himself — and in turn, his work — in the best traditions of midwest soul labels like King, Curtom, Dakar and the Boddie Recording Company. And as a result, A Lover Was Born is a testimony that those deep cut grooves aren’t resigned to nostalgia, but rather, they are at the burning heart of longing and hope.
The journey that Finnigan takes listeners on through Lover‘s 11 tracks echo the state of motion and growth since his solo debut, 2019’s The Tales People Tell. Both solo albums bookend a prolific period of output that includes two Monophonics albums, 2020’s It’s Only Us and 2022’s Sage Motel; a Christmas album, 2020’s A Joyful Sound; a mixtape, last year’s From Me To You; and production work for other artists including The Ironsides, Alana Royale, The Sextones and others. “There’s nothing like making records,” says Finnigan. “It feels like that’s my purpose — the reason I was put on this earth.”
Written in California, Ohio and Staten Island, Finnigan collaborated with old friends in and outside the studio. “I enjoy working alone but it’s not how you want to make a record…almost everybody I brought in for this album I’ve worked with, toured with or spent a great deal of time with. The album features contributions from The Ironsides’ Max and Joe Ramey, Parlor Greens‘ Jimmy James, Orgõne’s Sergio Rios, Dap Kings‘ Joey Crispiano and Jay “J-Zone” Mumford.
The album’s first single “Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)” is anchored around a hard-hitting, strutting groove that sounds as though it could have been written and recorded sometime between 1966-1970, paired with twinkling Rhodes, a supple bass line, shimmering funk guitar, bursts of cinematic strings and a lush horn line. The song’s deliberately crafted arrangement serves as a lush, satiny bed for Finnigan’s pleading and effortlessly soulful delivery. At its core, you can feel the yearning, hurt and longing of the song’s narrator in very lived-in terms.
New Audio: Homer and Hether Team Up on Woozy and Meditative “Deep Sea”
Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every soul outfit that has mattered.
The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer.
Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.
For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career.
Ensatina‘s first single “Deep Sea feat. Hether” is a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous and dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline.
The track between the two friends came together quickly, with Steinweiss remarking, “It’s my favorite song on the album. Hether, as a friend, saw me through my highs and lows, and this track captures the full energy of what was happening during the time we were recording.”
Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, George Clinton!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the legendary George Clinton’s 83rd birthday!
New Video: Melbourne’s Ella Thompson Shares Broodingly Cinematic “Let There Be Nothing”
Ella Thompson is a rising Melbourne-based singer/songwriter. And with her backing band, which sometimes features members of Surprise Chef and some of her favorite local players, Thompson and her band pair cinematic textures and arrangements seemingly inspired by The Shangri-La‘s, Renee Geyer, Thee Sacred Souls, Baby Rose, Back to Black-era Amy Winehouse and others with her effortlessly soulful, clear as a bell-like delivery. Lyrically, Thompson’s songwriting draws from poetry, philosophy and personal experience.
Thompson’s latest single, the Thompson, Liam McGorry and Henry Jenkins co-produced “Let There Be Nothing” features a backing of some of Melbourne’s best players on a broodingly cinematic arrangement that sounds like a synthesis of film soundtrack and classic Daptone Records.
“Let There Be Nothing” is a song about leaving your lover, and an inspired reimagining of a scenario that came up in The Sopranos: Thompson wrote the song, inspired by seeing Carmela Soprano battle with the decision to leave Tony, and to start her life again. Choosing to leave her mob boss husband directly challenges the patriarchal establishment she has existed in and has known since birth. But it also requires a complete and thorough break and remake of her identity, which is deeply intertwined with the oppressive structures she has known her entire life. In the song, Thompson envisions Carmela leaving Tony and the morally ambiguous life he offers, and instead sees her finding resilience and freedom in the novel in the unfamiliar. As Thompson says the song is “about accepting something for what it is, without trying to change or fix it — and then making the choices you need to make. That moment is difficult, but on the other side is freedom.”
The Nick McKinley and Thompson co-directed video for “Let There Be Nothing” is a gorgeously shot and highly symbolic visual: The dominoes are meant to represent the interdependent structures of patriarchy, racism and capitalism. And as a result, the video asks the viewer to consider how these structures impact our choices and what we’re willing to sacrifice. But it also suggests that our world as we know it, needs an overhaul for everyone to truly be free.
Throwback: Happy 85th Birthday, Mavis Staples!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Mavis Staples’ 85th birthday.
Throwback: Happy Belated 64th Birthday, Evelyn “Champagne” King
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates Evelyn “Champagne” King’s 64th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 90th Birthday, Jackie Wilson!
JOVM’s WIlliam Ruben Helms celebrates the 90th anniversary of Jackie Wilson’s birth.
New Audio: The Offline Shares Breezy “Pour Nael”
Felix Müller is a Hamburg-born and-based photographer, composer and creative mastermind behind the cinematic soul project The Offline. Müller can trace the origins of The Offline to his travels along the the Atlantic coastline of southern France with an analog camera, capturing beach life. Upon his return to Hamburg, he started writing song as the sonic counterpart to his visuals.
The German-born photographer and composer’s The Offline debut, En Clair-Obscur captured the essence of his trip while evoking a chilled out, summer soundtrack that sonically channeled the likes of Surprise Chef and Robohands.
Müller’s full-length debut, last year’s Timor Litzenberg co-produced La couleur de la mer was inspired by the work of Francois de Roubaix — and saw him creating a soundtrack to an imaginary film. The album’s material evoked images of manorial, fog-swept villas at the ocean’s edge, silhouetted sailing boats and cigar-chomping villains attempting to thwart the mission of the imaginary film’s hero. The album experimented with themes and atypical song structures, moving from dramatic cues to fragile romanticism while incorporating psychedelia, retro soul and hip-hop, inspired by and informed by his extensive record collection.
The Hamburg-based artist’s work has received airplay from BBC Radio 6, Rinse FM, Radio FIP and Jazz FM while amassing millions of streams. Building upon a growing profile across Europe, Müller shared “Les Cavaliers” last month. The single continues his collaboration with Chris Hill (drums), Hans-Christian Stephan (flugelhorn) and Kimo Eiserback (flute) on a breezy and cinematic bit of 1970s AM radio soul anchored around a strutting, feel good groove reminiscent of Chicago and the like, wah-wah pedaled guitar and a regal flugelhorn.
“Les Cavaliers” also continued the German-born artist’s ongoing homage to surf spots in southern France, and the song manages to evoke the warm summer breeze, the smell and taste of salt in the air and the laid-back vibe of sun-kissed beach days. “’Les Cavaliers’ pays tribute to the Aquitaine region of France, which has been a big influence on my music,” the German-born artist explains. “The track came about a few days after my debut album was released, capturing a moment of relief to turn the page on one chapter, yet anticipation of what will come.”
Müller’s latest The Offline single “Pour Nael” continues the German artist’s long-held obsession of capturing the essence of the sun-kissed French Atlantic coast — but with a slightly different different message. Anchored around shimmering and jangling guitar, a laid-back yet propulsive rhythm section, twinkling Rhodes and a percussive yet languid flute and horn melody, the remarkably Bob James-like arrangement was written to pay tribute to a fan named Nael, who gave Müller some kind words about the effect of The Offline’s music had on him.
Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Curtis Mayfield!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd anniversary of Curtis Mayfield’s birth.
Throwback: Happy 80th Birthday, Gladys Knight!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Gladys Knight’s 80th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 80th Birthday, Patti LaBelle!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Patti LaBelle’s 80th birthday.
New Video: Brainstory Shares a Woozy 70s-Inspired Visual for “XFaded,” an Ode To Getting Fucked Up
Brainstory‘s Leon Michels-produced sophomore album Sounds Good was released last month through renowned purveyors of soul, Big Crown Records.
The album features the previously released:
- “Gift of Life,” a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-like, show-topping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement featuring fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon and some incredibly catch hooks. While the song see the band pulling from classic soul, psych soul and dub in a way that sounds like it could been released sometime between 1968-1974, “Gift of Life,” manages to feel remarkably modern.
- “Listen,” a classic, two-step inducing groove-driven song with shimmering analog synths, an overdrive-fueled guitar solo paired with some dreamy falsetto melodies and harmonies that sounds — to me, at least — as though it could have been been a Mandrill or Isley Brothers B side. The song sees the band’s Kevin Martin encouraging the listener to spend some time enjoying the present moment, because life’s all too short and remarkably fleeting
- “Peach Optimo,” a slow-burning and summery bit of psych soul anchored around a strutting and wobbling bass line, glistening keys, some funky drum rhythm patterns and an expressive guitar solo paired with some retro-futuristic synths. Seemingly channelling JOVM mainstays Mildlife and L’Eclair, sees the trio diving into the banality and simple pleasures of teenaged suburban life — full of the nostalgia of cul-de-sac hangs and bullshit sessions with the homies.
And Sounds Good‘s fifth and latest single “XFaded,” a strutting, hook-driven and funky psych soul jam anchored around an arrangement featuring skittering boom bap, a sinuous bass line and squiggling bursts of guitar. According to the trio, the song’s sound was partially inspired by what theft thought a modern day George Clinton/Parliament funk jam would sound like — and by small town life, where getting fucked up is an unofficial/official pastime because there isn’t much else to really do. The slick Leon Michels production paired with the band’s razor sharp yet seemingly effortless performance ironically contrasts the notion of getting sloppy and fucked up but reveals the easy-going chemistry between the trio and producer.
Directed and animated by J. Bonne, the animated video for “XFaded” is visually indebted to The Beatles‘ Yellow Submarine, Fat Albert and Scooby Doo and follows the trio getting absolutely fucked up at a house party to wildly different results, including passing out with lit joint and drool rolling out of the corner of your mouth and almost starting a fire, desperately needing the wall to hold you up, but somehow failing and throwing up — or even hooking up with that pretty young thing that caught your eye. The video captures the wooziness of getting sloppily fucked up in a way that feels familiar to anyone who’s ever been sloppily fucked up at a party or in public.
Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Stevie Wonder!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Stevie Wonder’s 74th birthday.
New Audio: The Offline Shares Breezy and Summery “Les Cavaliers”
Felix Müller is a Hamburg-born and-based photographer, composer and creative mastermind behind the cinematic soul project The Offline. Müller can trace the origins of The Offline to his travels along the the Atlantic coastline of southern France with an analog camera, capturing beach life. Upon his return to Hamburg, he started writing song as the sonic counterpart to his visuals.
The German-born photographer and composer’s The Offline debut, En Clair-Obscur captured the essence of his trip while evoking a chilled out, summer soundtrack that sonically channeled the likes of Surprise Chef and Robohands.
Müller’s full-length debut, last year’s Timor Litzenberg co-produced La couleur de la mer was inspired by the work of Francois de Roubaix — and saw him creating a soundtrack to an imaginary film. The album’s material evoked images of manorial, fog-swept villas at the ocean’s edge, silhouetted sailing boats and cigar-chomping villains attempting to thwart the mission of the imaginary film’s hero. The album experimented with themes and atypical song structures, moving from dramatic cues to fragile romanticism while incorporating psychedelia, retro soul and hip-hop, inspired by and informed by his extensive record collection.
The Hamburg-based artist’s work has received airplay from BBC Radio 6, Rinse FM, Radio FIP and Jazz FM while amassing millions of streams. Building upon a growing profile, Müller’s first single of the year, “Les Cavaliers,” which continues Müller’s collaborations with Chris Hill (drums), Hans-Christian Stephan (flugelhorn) and Kimo Eiserback (flute) is a breezy and cinematic bit of 1970s AM radio soul anchored around a strutting, feel good groove reminiscent of Chicago and others, wah wah pedaled guitar and a regal flugelhorn melody. “Les Cavaliers” continues Müller’s ongoing homage to surf spots in southern France, and in some way, the song evokes the warm summer breeze, the smell and taste of salt and the laid-back vibes of a sun-kissed beach days.
“’Les Cavaliers’ pays tribute to the Aquitaine region of France, which has been a big influence on my music,” the German-born artist explains. “The track came about a few days after my debut album was released, capturing a moment of relief to turn the page on one chapter, yet anticipation of what will come.”