August Playlist

September is often a time of transition and with that in mind, I present a fresh update to the playlist for you to sink your teeth into. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone this month with tunes from Joey Badass, Lil Silva, Brent Faiyaz and Kenny Beats’ new projects, as well as some new UK trap from the likes of Blade Brown, K-Trap and new artist BlazeYL. I’ve also been obsessed with Piri and Tommy Villiers and their dance pop track “Words”. The playlist is then rounded out with some R&B hits by Sonder and Ogi, a golden oldie in “Slow Hot Wind” by Sergio Mendes and a hit by a Mykonos icon, Valeron.

Check out the playlist below and make sure to keep adding to the Community Playlist, the winning track will be announced in the coming weeks!

Song Of The Week: Just My Imagination – The Temptations

After a short hiatus, July’s winner of the Song Of The Week is a gentle Motown track, “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations. With such tasteful instrumentation and pitch perfect harmonies, this track is a love song with a bittersweet chorus. As with every Temptations song the vocal performance is so exquisite, but on this track so much care has been taken over the decorations that accompany the vocals that they deserve to be appreciated in their own right. From the marimbas during the intro to the sultry strings and horns that help dictate the flow of the track, the arrangement of this track elevates it above the rest of their incredible discography.

Check out the track below and make sure to add to the Community Playlist this month to see more of what the other readers are listening to!

July Playlist

After a bit of a hiatus we’re back with another deluxe update of the Monthly Playlist. Summer is finally here and so far it’s still lacking that hit album. Jack Harlow and Drake’s latest efforts to seize the summer have fallen extremely flat and whilst Kendrick’s album was incredible, it doesn’t really capture that summer energy. However there is still plenty of time for the right album to claim Summer ’22 as its own, and we all know that Beyonce drop/house rene is right around the corner.

Now while there isn’t a hit summer album, this month’s playlist is packed full of them. With tracks from ENNY, Wet Leg and Beyoncé, take advantage of the good weather, get outside, touch some grass and relax to some impeccable tunes.

Check out the playlist below and make sure you add to the Community Playlist!

Song Of The Week: If You Love Me, Really Love Me – Esther Phillips

Spring has well and truly sprung. The trees have regained their leaves, flowers are blooming and hayfever casts it’s ominous shadow over it all. But as we move into May and exam season for many, take a relaxing break and enjoy the sunshine with this week’s Song Of The Week and my favourite from the Community Playlist.

“If You Love Me, Really Love Me” by Esther Phillips is a foreboding but sweet love song from the perspective of a completely smitten lover. The first thing that struck me with this track is Esther’s ability to capture so much emotion in three and a half minutes. With such a simple but beautiful message, the short verses combined with the powerful vocals, acoustic guitar and smooth jazz backing  tug on the heartstrings in such a visceral way that reflects the profound, inexplicable nature of love.

Make sure to check out this wonderful track below. Many thanks to all who contributed some stellar tracks to this month’s playlist, tell your friends and keep them coming for next month’s edition!

March Playlist

Now that March is well and truly behind us it’s time for another iteration of the monthly playlist with one of the most genre-fluid selections yet. With the lack of high profile releases recently, this month’s playlist heavily features artists who sometimes fly a bit under the radar but produce some outstanding tracks.

Bringing together some bedroom pop, jazz-hop, UK rap and modern classical film scores, this playlist really is a journey around some impressive songs. My personal favourite is “FLASHLIGHT” by Linden Jay and MXXWLL. Linden Jay is an artist/producer/songwriter I’ve featured on the playlist before who creates some incredible soundscapes hovering in between indie, electronic, soul and hip-hop, and this track is no exception.

Check out the playlist below and make your own contribution to the Community Playlist to see what others are listening to and have a chance for me to review your track!