Chicano R&B singer Omar Apollo hosts a luxe yacht party in his brand new video for “Kickback.” It’s the fourth single off his 2019 EP, Friends, which he self-released in April. In the Matthew Dillon Cohen-directed video, Apollo takes the kickback, or SoCal slang for “house party,” to the Mediterranean …
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Hope Tala’s “Lovestained” is a hybrid as intrepid as it is airy: The guitar suggests Brazil in 1965, the steel drums add a springy touch of the Caribbean, and the bass seems plucked from an irresistible hit on American rap radio in 1998. “That’s what the vision is: Bringing together …
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Leela James is one of the few southern soul singers who can still achieve a hit today. Her most recent example, “Don’t Want You Back,” is an exercise in classic form — a handsome, raspy “good riddance” with a guitar that studiously recreates the sound of Hi Records. But the …
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In May 2014, Usher released “Good Kisser,” which was originally supposed to be the lead single from his eighth studio album. It looped an old break from a Foster Sylvers record — a descending bass riff, a tumble of drums, a festive sputter of cowbell — and Usher sang salacious …
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The week Paul McCartney released his new album Egypt Station, his single “Come On to Me” reached roughly 1.5 million radio listeners thanks to the combined support of two formats, Adult Contemporary and Adult Album Alternative, plus major promotional endorsements from iHeartRadio, YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music. These were impressive …
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What makes a summer jam? Is it the sunniest chorus, the hottest beat, the most weeks on the charts? Do the lyrics have to be about beaches and barbecues, or is it a question of vibe? What if it’s a song on your summer playlist and no one else’s? We …
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