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Hartley & Wolfe - Bespoke Future

"Not quite R’n’B or neo soul, not quite American ‘urban’ or electronica....perhaps more working man’s soul in sound but yet ticks a lot of musical boxes at the same time...it’s fun, catchy and quite possibly may brew up a storm on a dance floor near you soon."

They are speaking my language at BBE Music talking about catchy soul, R&B and storms brewing on dance floors. But just like the aptly named title track, You've Got Nothing, I got nothing to add to that review - except to say that this song has EVERYTHING it needs to stay in heavy rotation around here for a very long time.

The Little Things, Turn The Volume Down and Dancing in Circles are all equally worthy pimped out soul anthem faves.

 

Jesse Dee

I'm a sucker for vintage soul - always have been, always will be, and I've mentioned that a time or two here. It is the basis for almost every piece of music that I truly adore. I listen to things in many genres but I will NOT go to that desert island without my Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Sam Cooke and Bill Withers.

So with that disclaimer, I'll forge ahead with a positive recommendation for the neo-soul meets Carolina beach music found on Jesse Dee's latest - On My Mind/In My Heart.

My review might not ​be quite as enthusiastic as this one from SFGate - not yet anyway. But I'm pretty sure I can work this into a swank, sunset cocktail hour playlist very soon, and the first track will be Tell Me (Before It's Too Late).

Dangerous

There is seemingly no shortage of bass-driven, R&B diva-centric anthems coming out of the UK right now, and you will not hear me complaining. A girl likes her dance tracks you know.

Sending this one to the top of my playlist while I await her forthcoming EP to be released later this year. Meanwhile there's this track to tide me over.

Jessie Ware - Devotion

I knew I loved this voice the first time I heard it melding irresistible soul sounds with funky, bass-driven grooves​ from this guy and DJ Joker. They produced some very catchy dance tracks together and although Jessie's vocals were both powerful and prominent, she was clearly not meant to settle for the role of guest vocalist. Thank goodness - her solo effort proves she is capable of so much more.

Released just this month, Devotion is already topping the charts and garnering rave reviews - including repeated reference to the timeless sound of Sade. While I think that's great - I mean who can't appreciate Sade, I also think it's a limited view.

To me this album is a little bit retro and very modern at once - like the cover track here with Sampha. It's the kind of music that washes over you like a warm, ocean breeze. Effortlessly spanning the sounds of the 70's, 80's, 90's right up to today with the perfect blend of soul, R & B, dance and sultry ballads.

l will be shocked if tracks like Wildest Moments and Running​ don't soon dominate the airwaves a la Adele. But it's tracks like Taking In Water  that truly  showcase her depth - pun intended I suppose.

The best part? The remixes are already rolling in and sure to be better than the original​ - which is saying something.