(June 20, 2025) Usually, especially in turbulent times like these, we tend to gravitate to what’s stable and expected…but that doesn’t always happen when attraction enters the mix. When eyes meet, stars align and the body temperature rises, common sense can flee and we still look forward to the often-bumpy ride, which is what sonic soul man and multi-hyphen sound provider, Stokley, is singing of with his buoyant and breezy up tempo, “Rare (No, No, No).”
While the musician and vocalist is primarily known for straight-ahead funk and R&B –before and after his years as a frontman for St. Paul, Minnesota-based band, the venerated Mint Condition — Stokley has always been willing to stretch his musical boundaries. Fans of his versatile vocal aplomb and instrumentality will eagerly find room in their playlists for this tropical-flavored and sunlit tribute to, exploring the exotic: “The place I saw you were heading in, goes beyond reality and common sense/so many fools, they do too much and can’t focus in/looking for all the sparkling lights and all the trends, but true diamonds shine within.”
Whether this “Rare” is a prelude to another solo LP in the works or just a teaser to whet the appetite to see Stokley on tour, the results of “Rare” are the same: a fun and flirty summer vibe getting you open to new love, or helping you reminisce about the last time it actually felt that way.
By Melody Charles
