Last week, Usherdebuted the second single off his upcoming album Looking For Myself. Entitled “Scream”, the song was a return to the shit radio club music Usher’s been known for in the past, and quite frankly if our ears could throw up, they would have after listening to that atrocious song. It was a monumental step back from the bold and dynamic first single “Climax”, and honestly had us ready to write off Looking For Myself all together.
Well today has brought in yet another new track off Usher ‘s forthcoming LP, and needless to say we were a little hesitant to give it a listen. But within a few seconds of “Lemme See”, what our ears experienced was not projectile vomiting, but actually quite the opposite. The song revels in the same burning energy as “Climax” does, advancing a subtle yet compelling beat for Usher’s voice to grab by the neck. The track also features a guest verse from Maybach Music teddy bear Ricky Rozay, which is never a bad look. You know what, fuck that, Rick Ross makes any song ten times better. Someone prove me wrong.
Ever wondered what a George FitzGerald production might sound like if a real singer went in over it instead of the song containing George’s now signature chopped up vocal hooks ?? Well, wonder no more. FitzGerald, known for his releases on Hotflush, ManMakeMusic and Aus, has collaborated with UK songstress Py to bring us a futuristic, house-tinged R&B slow burner that is sure to get a lot of play from us in the coming months. This one is part of a mixtape that Py will be releasing next month alongside other productions from some of the UK scene’s most buzzed about DJs. Stream/download “Lungs” below.
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Absolutely loving this new one here from R&B songstress Brandy. Yes, that Brandy. Unlike some of the more standard, traditional radio R&B/pop tracks we’ve heard come from her in the past, “Put It Down” brings about a more edgier, badass feel to it. Now of course we can lend most of that to the song’s unique Bangladesh production, but with tracks like Usher’s “Climax”, and now this–it’s nice to see old school R&Bers step outside of their comfort zone, and get fresh with the times. “Put It Down”, which features a rapping Chris Brown, will appear on Brandy’s forthcoming album Two Eleven, slated for a release later this year. Stream the album’s lead single now below, and look for it out on iTunes May 8th.
Weren’t able to make it to Coachella yesterday ?? Don’t worry, Jonathan, Skrause and I couldn’t make it as well. Fortunately for those of us that can’t make it this year, many of the festival’s high profile performances are being broadcasted live on YouTube, including yesterday’s performance by Odd Future’s Frank Ocean. Based on the video alone it seems like Frank and BadBadNotGood, his backing band for the performance, experienced some serious sound issues. You’d think a festival that has now expanded to two weekends due to demand could afford to hire a decent sound engineer. But I digress, the crowd ate up the performance regardless. How could they not with a raw talent like Frank Ocean on the stage ?? Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for a FO tour. Until then I’ll probably just watch this video of his performance over and over again.
I’m starting to get the feeling Frank Ocean has about three times as much unreleased material in his repertoire than released, which to be honest isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Especially when your unreleased material is this freaking good. “Math” is the latest throwaway Frank O. tune to be unearthed, and whether or not it was recorded under his previous moniker Lonny Breaux or Frank Ocean, It’s up in the air. But what isn’t up in the air, is how great of an R&B song “Math” is, and that’s all that really matters right? Download it now below.
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TOKiMONSTA, the Queen of the LA Beat Scene, got together with Philly’s Suzi Analogue to form a new project called Analogue Monsta. Below is the tripped out, (possibly) seizure inducing video for their first song “Time To.” It’s directed by The Great Nordic Sword Fights, who had Suzi Analogue rock some of those fresh as hell Jeremy Scott x Linda Farrow shades in between shots of an animated, neon colored, guitar slinging superhero.
R&B kingpin and 3-time Grammy Award winner The-Dream is gearing up for the release of his first studio album in two years, The Love IV, set to drop sometime this summer. Earlier this month we were blessed with the album’s first single, the sizzling and downbeat duet between himself and Radio Killa newest signee Casha, ”Kill The Lights“. The song features seductive songwriting and down right heart-wrenching synths–all the proof we need that The-Dream still has at least one more great project left in him. Today, the official video for “Kill The Lights” has finally hit the web, and it’s visuals prove to be as sexy as the song itself. Dream and Casha sing side-by-side beneath fiery illuminations, an overwhelmingly passionate portrayal of one of the best r&b duets in recent memory.
**Also some exciting news here: we have been asked to cover The-Dream’s Kill The Lights Tour when it stops in Austin this Saturday at the newly established Beauty Ballroom, courtesy of Texas’ best promoters ScoreMore Shows. Look for show commentary, video, and *possibly* an interview with the man himself early next week–and if you’re in the area–grab your tickets now.
