Those who have attended a Mary J. Blige concert in their lifetime have described it as a restoration service. Each tour setlist is fixed on producing a show, night after night, where she, her fans and first-time concertgoers can reflect on a complex range of emotions. No finer sermonette from Blige’s nearly three-decade-long catalog brings
R&B
The intro on 112’s eponymous debut album is a clear-cut example of what to expect on the 19-track effort: heartfelt ballads, liquifying harmonies, and noteworthy vocal performances. These elements would serve as the groundwork for one of the most essential listening experiences of the last 25 years. The ‘90s ran the gamut of male groups
Stokely‘s sophomore solo album Sankofa has a solid new release date. It will arrive on September 17, via Bluraffe Entertainment, in partnership with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ Flyte Tyme / Perspective Records. The third-quarter release from Stokely features a handful of appearances, including H.E.R., The Bonfyre, Wale, Snoop Dogg, KiDi, and Shakespeare!. Dogg pops
Blackground Records continues to open up its compressed folder of previously released albums with support from EMPIRE. This week’s spotlight artist is Timbaland, who had four albums, three of which were collaborative works with Magoo, vaulted. Timbaland and Magoo’s debut album, Welcome to Our World, was released in November 1997, and featured their gold-selling, party
Rated R&B’s Front + Center artist Jvck James has shared a stripped-down cover of Aaliyah’s 2002 song “Come Over.” The East London native rolls it out with a music video. James’ version is lean on its soothing production, featuring gentle acoustic guitar licks, limited finger snaps, and light drumming. However, his vocal performance offers just
Amber Mark continues to win fans over with new music. The rising singer-songwriter has released “Foreign Things,” another song from her upcoming album. It arrives alongside its accompanying video co-directed by Satya Zoa. The modern-day funk-tinged track finds Mark singing about the desire to up the ante in her taste for finer things in life. She
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah’s tragic death. The beloved legend continues to hold a special significance in the hearts of career-long fans and even those now experiencing her star quality through recent uploads of her music on streaming platforms. As the world celebrates the life of Aaliyah, her estate has revealed plans to
Just weeks ahead of her new album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, Cynthia Ervio has shared another new track titled “Glowing Up.” Throughout its duration, she reflects on victoriously shining after conquering the battles that life has thrown at her Speaking on the background of “Glowing Up,” Erivo stated, “I wanted to write a song that felt
Rated R&B’s Front + Center artist Tone Stith has announced his first headlining tour. The FWM Tour will kick off on September 19, at the Lights On Festival in Concord, California. From there, Stith will hit major U.S. cities such as Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Denver, before wrapping up in New York City on November 10.
Remember that music dump that SZA hinted at last year? Well, the three previously unreleased songs have emerged on the singer-songwriter’s SoundCloud account. They’re titled “Nightbird,” “I Hate You,” and “Joni,” a fan-requested song. The next day, however, fans alerted SZA of their removal from the music sharing platform. She responded in a tweet stating her confusion of
Jam & Lewis have claimed their second top 10 single as lead artist on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay. “Somewhat Loved (There You Go Breakin’ Heart)” featuring Mariah Carey has moved up two slots to No. 10. The news comes hours after the slow-burning tune made similar headlines on R&B Radio. In February, the celebrated duo
In June, H.E.R. released her debut album, Back of My Mind. Now, the Grammy and Oscar-winning singer/songwriter will support the number-one album with a national tour. H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind Tour, which includes support from her RCA Records labelmate Tone Stith, will kick off on October 10, at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee. From there, she
Snoh Aalegra breaks into the top 10 on R&B radio with her current single “Lost You,” reaching an audience of more than 4.7 million listeners. She last achieved this feat with her breakthrough hit “I Want You Around,” taken from 2019’s – Ugh, Those Feels Again. The NO I.D. and Maneesh-produced song, surpassing over 6.3 million streams
On September 17, look out for SASSY, the sophomore album from Kyle Dion. The album’s title is permission for Dion to be filter-free lyrically and sonically. He also shared the album’s artwork. Joining Dion on the 17-track album are Channel Tres, Duckwrth, Kari Faux, and Ja Rule. The latter two collaborators appear on his previously
If there’s one newcomer in R&B whose warmth and intimacy bleeds through vocally and sonically on the frequency of Earth, Wind & Fire, it’s probably Lucky Daye. The New Orleans singer-songwriter gets an opportunity to represent his new age style alongside the celebrated band with “You Want My Love,” a redo of their classic “Can’t
Eric Bellinger’s love language is gift-giving, and he generously illustrates it on his new song “Go Get It.” Working behind the studio boards on the pampering tune are Jazze Pha and Dre Butterz, who collectively lace Bellinger with a melodious production. When he isn’t making his lady tap out with his unending love strokes, he
Aaliyah fans won today. Now that her sophomore album One in a Million is available across streaming services for the first time, six official music videos from the era have now been uploaded to YouTube. Album tracks with visuals include “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “Got to Give it Up” featuring Slick Rick, “The One I Gave
After 7 has Unfinished Business to tend to on their new album. It’s the group’s first album since 2016’s Timeless and a tribute to founding member Melvin Edmonds, who died in 2019. The group’s current roster — Kevon Edmonds, Keith Mitchell, and Danny ‘SkyHigh’ McClain — rework familial soundbites from Melvin and break them up
This year’s fall music schedule includes JoJo and her forthcoming capsule project titled Trying Not To Think About It. It’s out October 1. It marks her first music collection since last year’s December Baby and good to know. Inspired by ending 2020 with a sense of “feeling sooooo lost, scared, and confused,” JoJo wants to be
The Isley Brothers are the latest musical guests to share their talents on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. The legendary group, composed of Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley, filmed their performance at their home studio in St. Louis, Mo. Backed by R&B duo JS (Kandy Isley and Kimberly Johnson), The Isley Brothers kicked off their four-song