JHENE AIKO - SOULED OUT
Jhené
Aiko’s much-anticipated debut album, Souled Out, is now available and features
the singles "The Pressure" and "To Love & Die" (feat.
Cocaine 80s).
The Los
Angeles Times has crowned her hip-hop’s “new ‘it girl’,” while SPIN simply
declares, “It’s Aiko’s moment.” And CNN echoes the sentiment: “the singer is
serious about her craft and lays bare her soul with her lyrics. Her willingness
to ‘go there’ is part of what is drawing in new fans.” Rolling Stone like-wise
predicted great things for Souled Out: “Aiko's full-length debut will set the
spotlight squarely on her powerhouse voice.” The
26-year old Los Angeles native is over a decade deep in the music game, having
been featured on singles, albums and mixtapes by Urban A-listers Kendrick
Lamar, Wale, Big Sean, Logic, J. Cole, Drake, and many more. Her debut EP, Sail
Out, entered the charts in November 2013 and hit #1 on the Billboard R&B
Albums chart, Top 3 iTunes and Top 10 Pop. To date, Sail Out has tallied over
300,000 sales, making it the biggest-selling EP in Def Jam history. Catch
Jhené Aiko on the road for The Weeknd Tour starting September 19th at Barclays
Center in Brooklyn with additional dates in Toronto, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco. ~ Giant Step
ORLANDO
JULIUS WITH THE HELIOCENTRICS - JAIYEDE AFRO
The
first new music we've heard in years from Afro Funk giant Orlando Julius –
wonderfully paired here with the always-great Heliocentrics! Orlando's
definitely in the lead here – singing, playing tenor, and contributing
percussion to the overall groove of the group – which leans a bit more towards
a 70s African vibe than some of their other releases, yet still retains all
their wonderful style of psychedelic funk! Some of the rhythms have an
Ethiopian sense of slinkiness, while others hit more of a full-on Nigerian
groove – and the whole thing's never forced, never gimmicky, and instead just
the right sort of setting for Julius to re-emerge as a true giant of his
generation. Titles include "Buje Buje", "Love Thy
Neighbor", "Aseni", "Sangodele", "Jaiyede Afro",
"Omo Oba Blues", "In The Middle", and "Be
Counted". ~ Dusty Groove
THE
SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS – FOLLOW THE PATH / OUTSIDE BEYOND
The
Shaolin Afronauts have definitely followed their own path in recent years – a
musical journey that's taken them way past their Afro Funk roots, into rich,
complicated territory that seems to span the globe with its sound! Core
elements here echo classic Nigerian, Ethiopian, and West African modes – but
there's also a very inventive approach to the way the instruments are inflected
– especially the keyboards and guitars, which often develop these spacey
chromes and tones that really make for some musical magic. There's no vocals at
all – which means that the horns and other instruments really get to voice
their presence strongly – and the 2CD version features even more haunting music
on the Outside Beyond CD, appended to the main album in this package. Core
titles include "Sissoko", "To The Water", "At The
Shrine", "Lagos Chase", "Baie De Sangareya", "Ojo
Abameta", and "Boogie Back Accra" – and Outside Beyond material
includes "Interstellar Griot (parts 1 & 2)", "Abyssinian
Suite", "Caravao To Tao Ceti", and "Outside Beyond/Three
Ways Back (parts 1, 2, & 3)". ~ Dusty Groove
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