Rolling R&B Thread 2018

dang

wow

it doesn't seem real

is this where we discuss the SiR album? cause it's nice

Essence Fest lineups have always been great.

i like the SiR album

The sample's gonna put a lot of people off, but the new Ne-Yo song is so wonderful and light on its toes. I really wanna believe he has another great album in him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6cTkE_dchY

rayvn lenae (featured on noname's telefone tape) has a new EP with production assistance from steve lacy and it's v nice https://open.spotify.com/album/7jxrYnrAa06rekcs1cxp7i

that's ravyn*, rather than rayvn, my apologies

I nominated "Sticky" for the 2017 poll, and I'll probably nominate it again in 2018 since it will be re-eligible. :)

Also, it's got a video now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keYOX0Fp_BQ

Lost a lot of time thinking about this lately, but what was the last significant hit slow jam? I'm trying to think of the last one that got regular airplay on rap/R&B stations, not just adult R&B stations. ("Redbone" doesn't count.)

Does "Permission" count?

I dunno tbh; I totally forgot about it. I guess there were those Bryson Tiller songs, too, if those count, and "Slow Motion" was around for a while. But all that just seems like background noise compared to, like, when "Miss Independent" was everywhere

heard b.e.d. remix a lot later last yr idk if that counts

"Miss Independent" was on pop radio here last night. Made everything around it sound even more lifeless.

But I think "Get You" counts? The kids love Daniel Caesar.

oh man "Get You" is so great. Not sure how much airplay it gets though. Wikipedia says it only peaked at 43 on the hip-hop/R&B chart, but that could be wrong

I guess I'm trying to figure out if there's been a format shift that's restricting airplay for this kind of R&B, of if the public just sort of gradually lost interest in it.

It's funny, the '90s R&B is so lionized right now, but looking back the Ne-Yo/Mario/Lloyd/Omarion/etc. boom of the '00s that lots of people took for granted at the time really feels special

crew?

i guess that's not slow jam in the way you mean it... party next door "come & see me" got a lot of radio play

oh yeah "come & see me" was everywhere. His performance on that is so noncommital it sometimes barely scans as an R&B song to me, but I guess it's pretty representative of where the genre's commercial energy is right now. It'll probably be remembered as an era-defining song, as weird as that is to think about

http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/r-and-bs-softer-side-is-having-a-quiet-resurgence.html

curious to see what Daniel Caesar does this year. He's consciously not signed with a label. His last album was a quantum leap ahead from his prior one. I got high hopes.

that Vulture article is bittersweet. Glad this music is still finding an audience through streaming but that arrangement takes away the shared experience of hearing it on the radio. Would be great if you didn't have to be Donald Glover to get airplay

i wish this station would sprinkle in some more new stuff

https://977rnb.iheart.com/music/recently-played/

one of the things I love about adult R&B stations is how expansive their playlists are. They seem to draw from a deeper, more diverse pool than like classic rock stations do. But it would be nice if they threw in more contemporary stuff. They seem to limit their rotation to just a few modern songs are any given time (and lately one of them is always Bruno Mars)

(another is usually Charlie Wilson... man that guys does numbers)

part of it's in how one defines slow jam, no? like, there's no shortage of subdued, sung, downtempo tracks on urban radio, both mainstream and adult. but no one's gonna call, say, "white iverson" a slow jam b/c i guess its sound is meant to be read as more vibey, not so much sensual or heartfelt. at the same time, though, i would never have described "miss independent" as a slow jam, especially back then when actual slow jams could still be hits with decent regularity (i.e. "like you'll never see me again", "lost without u" or "suffocate").

a couple recent-ish rap hits with a sentiment that i'd call almost-right for slow jam territory are k camp's "comfortable" and kendrick lamar's "love." (the former perhaps if slowed down slightly + given a more relaxed delivery on the verses). but there's something about the image element of rap that leads people to avoid categorizing any rappers' songs as 'slow jam'-like, or even as r&b, even if some individual cuts do fit basically all of the sonic and thematic benchmarks (i.e. singing, romantic sentiment, relaxed arrangement).

i guess what i'm trying to say is that the aesthetic hasn't been entirely scrubbed away, but when it does appear it's less often used by artists that can be comfortably slotted into the r&b, rap being as dominant as it is now.

as far as recent hits that do fit the traditional molds, i'd also offer, yes, "permission" and "slow motion", but also tory lanez's "say it" and khalid's "location".

"location" in particular is a bit odd in that it broke at mainstream urban radio and eventually crossed to the adult stations -- i've heard it a downright shocking number of times on my local station's quiet storm segment, and no, it doesn't sound out of place. even more surprising to see cross in that direction was sza's "love galore". (i imagine "the weekend" could make the same moves too, but adult r&b radio, like most adult-targetted formats, is slow to pick up on new material.) just those two, which are both very contemporary-sounding, happening in such quick succession, along with "get you" and now "finesse", leads me to think that there will be more overlap between the adult and mainstream contingents in the near future (whereas for the previous 2-3 years, overlap was quite meager). so who knows, maybe that might provide more room for the sound to thrive? it's hard to say really what the effect would be.

if the format landscape of the 90s were still in place today, i imagine a track like "before i do" would have been such an easy sell at mainstream (white) adult contemporary stations. (reminder: toni braxton was once one of the top artists at mainstream ac!) but alas the gulf between white and black adult stations is now basically historically wide. (it doesn't help that white ac stations now rarely break new material -- most of the format's currents are proven pop hits that broke ages ago (like, "slow hands" is *just now* starting to get heavy play there). so if your song has no shot at crossing to pop, tough, mainstream adult radio has no use for you either.)

"get you", by the way, is climbing the mainstream airplay chart pretty impressively for a song with its sound. i hear it on my local mainstream urban station and apparently it's top 30 on mediabase's chart for that format (i don't know where it is on billboard's because that's a subscriber-only chart). tank's "when we", like "get you", is a former adult r&b #1 hit that is also trying to make its way up the mainstream airplay chart now, but is lagging a bit currently (maybe tank isn't cool enough, even if he looks great without a shirt on -- altho a remix that i think is forthcoming might help). i'd also keep an ear out for h.e.r.'s "focus" (originally released in 2016), which is even higher on the mainstream chart than "get you" and has had no adult-side support yet to my knowledge.

completely blown away by this Jean Deaux track

https://soundcloud.com/thatsjeandeaux/due-to-me-produced-by-lanre

toni's album will be coming march 23rd apparently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccQJq3gGt4o

Lanre is a super dope producer! xp

Only heard one other Jean Deaux track ("Wikipedia") but it blew me away, too. Chicago has something real special going on right now

That new Toni song is really nice. Looking forward to her new record.

https://soundcloud.com/ghostly/starchild-the-new-romantic-language

title track from the smokin debut album by starchild & the new romantic (aka solange collaborator bryndon cook). out friday. from the press release:
"Sonically and spiritually, Cook finds guidance in grand standards: looking up to producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, studying their contributions to the New Jack Swing era and pop music at large. Touchstone statements like Janet Jackson's Control, Michael Jackson's Bad, and Prince's 1999. Singular breakout LPs from Terence Trent D'Arby and Bobby Brown. The honesty of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska and Carole King's Tapestry; the ingenuity of Laurie Anderson. Cook also reflects on recent years with Solange, as part of her touring band, and collaborations with Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, as reminders of artistic individuality. 'Being around them now urges me to find my own way of delivering my own messages.'"

Nothing new, but I enjoyed Jose James doing a Bill Withers tribute at the Kennedy Center recently

http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/how-a-veteran-r-and-b-singer-made-the-biggest-hit-of-his-career.html

42 year old Tank’s “When We” is getting support beyond adult r’n’b radio. His marketing folks are schooling his core listeners on streaming , he’s got a remix, and he’s got hip hop friendly beats.

It’s not bad.

that's pretty cool. i dont like that song, well the hook anyway.

'hope this makes you love me' is one of my fav r&b songs in the last 5 years tho.

i like the song and was surprised when i first heard it that they weren't gonna try to cross it over immediately. but i guess these things take time and adult r&b tends not to be a big launching ground for crossover, save your very occasional "all of me"s

the remix they made for the mainstream urban format is rly bad tho

really fascinating how they put real effort into educating his audience on streaming services tho!!

(also i totally missed this article that was linked within, pretty neat: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8054003/hip-hop-rb-pop-radio-songs-crossover )

Standout track from the new Jeremih EP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBt9Vbv5-Dw

yeah i really like that new Toni track btw! (bunch of xposts)

chloe x halle's new record is very good. i love their dreaminess and how it extends to the way they put their albums together

new ro james ep out today too

oh god the toni record is exquisite

goddamn the chloe x halle is wonderful too. what a stacked day for r&b

oh nice gonna go in on these recs. pumped especially for the Toni record.

toni album hasn't really grabbed me for the most part but it could with time. i love "long as i live" tho. def worth a listen if you liked her last one. (don't worry the colbie caillat feature doesn't involve caillat actually singing lol.)

jeremih and chloe x halle! goodness there's a lot to get to

Liked the Toni album on first listen. Finished strongly. Feels like a companion to love marriage and divorce.

whole album kicks ass imo!

gonna check it. he's put out some stuff i like but never been able to get on board with a full full length.

Anyone else listening to these two new Amerie EPs? Sounding pretty good to me...

I particularly like the 2nd one ("After 4AM"); maybe b/c it's somewhat poppier...

marsha ambrosius record completely blowing my mind

loving the raheem devaugh and marsha ambrosius albums. still regularly playing the starchild album too

I loved "Old Times" but I really struggled with the full Ambrosius album when I gave it a go, its quite overbearing so maybe I just needed to be in a different mood

there's a ballad fugue in the second half but i think the songwriting is strong enough that she makes it work

the first half is so light and funky and then it gets kinda retro stax-y and then "old times" hits, that's my kind of sequencing

the first half didn't really connect w/ me -- it's "old times" onward that grabbed me

That was the same for me dyl

Her voice was overbearing but the lightness of the material just didnt stick for me

i think i'm right and the first half kicks ass

Sorry to bump this topic if no interest, but I really, really dig these Amerie EPs.

What is some other recommended stuff in this vein (vibe, production style, etc.)? I’m pretty out of it when it comes to current R&B...

lovely new brandy song on this week’s STAR

https://youtu.be/kGqKh6tcU3E

i really like Ryan Beatty's debut Boy In Jeans

very much in the vein of albums like Blonde and CTRL with its often guitar-oriented sound, but fuller in sound and less fragmented than Blonde. it's also very gay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LaDjqTujY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg2AGzD5d4M

seconding morrisp on those terrific Amerie EPs, and a h/t to Maura for hipping me to them with her Pfork review.

Oh, that was maura? cool!

it was :) thanks!

Has anyone noticed King Princess ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIkGbs1VEc

yeah but I wouldn't call her R&B

Anyone enjoying mih ty? Slight but I like some tracks a lot, particularly the light and fyt

yeah but I wouldn't call her R&B
― monotony, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 1:11 AM (twelve hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You're right, but I find it has become a very thin line, thinking of Kali Uchis in comparison or, say, Lemonade. It's also a style I find very attractive.

anybody have any opinions on Ian Isiah? was mostly non-plussed by his EP until I heard this, which floored me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovmTOohD46E

Anyone enjoying mih ty? Slight but I like some tracks a lot, particularly the light and fyt

― Vapor waif (uptown churl), Monday, November 26, 2018 7:24 PM (yesterday) Bookmark

perfect timing, new level, take your time, these days is a rly great stretch imo, and some of the stuff at the beginning (going thru some thangs) and end (lie 2 me) is dope too

top 10 album of the year to me

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQ5EIKtmrY

^ Erykah Badu, Kelly Price, BJ The Chicago Kid, Luke James, Queen Naija, Robert Glasper And Thundercat show out in the soul cypher!

also luke’s song on this week’s STAR is super dramatic and great

https://m.soundcloud.com/starcastofficial/ready-for-war-from-star-season

nice smooth collaboration between raheem devaughn and sax player vandell andrew:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAqR3s3uD1g

i really like Ryan Beatty's debut Boy In Jeans

very much in the vein of albums like Blonde and CTRL with its often guitar-oriented sound, but fuller in sound and less fragmented than Blonde. it's also very gay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LaDjqTujY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg2AGzD5d4M

― ufo, Friday, 16 November 2018 06:12 (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is fantastic, thankin u. Was not expecting the Green Gartside meets Om’mas Keith vibes.

https://grayowlpoint.com/2018/03/01/review-nameless-dominique-fils-aime/

i'm glad someone else likes the Ryan Beatty album! that sort of summery guitar-oriented alt r&b is such a comforting sound to me. i don't really hear Green Gartside though other than the blue-eyed soul thing? Gartside has such a distinctive voice that it's hard to compare anyone to him imo

anybody have any opinions on Ian Isiah?

I missed that he's been working with Sinjin Hawke for awhile, cool

i'm going head over heels for h.e.r.'s "could've been". exquisite.

Merry everything ILM; have you a playlist of what's been discussed on the R&B thread this year.

ILM's 2018 Rolling R&B Spotify Playlist

Anyone enjoying mih ty? Slight but I like some tracks a lot, particularly the light and fyt

― Vapor waif (uptown churl), Monday, November 26, 2018 7:24 PM (one month ago

finally getting to this. agree with jordan's post above about that stretch -- jeremih is so good on this

xp Thanks, ulysses!

I like the Justine Skye album. Nice vibe.

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Sunday, January 21, 2018 1:16 PM (eleven months ago)

Yeah, this is great... Cheers to this playlist, I'm finally catching up