After 7’s Keith Mitchell goes solo with “He’s Alive”
(July 6, 2025) R&B fans know the name Keith Mitchell from his years as a founding member – and occasional lead singer – in the popular vocal group After 7. Teamed with brothers Kevon and Melvin Edmonds, Mitchell helped After 7 issue a string of big hits in the 80s and 90s, including “Ready or […]
First Listen: Quentin Moore wants to “Ride With You”
(July 4, 2025) Do we need another song that geared to members of the steppers set or a soundtrack of the summer? That’s like asking if we need some feel good music that will liven up road trips or summertime cookouts. The answer to the question is 100 percent yes, and longtime SoulTracks artist Quentin […]
First Listen: Erik Rico loves that “Disco Funk”
(July 3, 2025) Eclectic is one word that can be used to describe Erik Rico. It might just be the best word. He’s not content to be limited to one genre, one instrument or wear one hat. He’s worked with a diverse roster of artists, is adept at guitar, bass, drums, piano, keyboards and percussion, […]
Legendary 70s group Black Ivory returns with a new take on a classic
(July 2, 2025) Black Ivory appeared in an era of the late 1960s and early 1970s when male vocal groups specialized in singing romantic ballads. The group was originally formed in Harlem in 1969 as a quintet known as the Mellow Souls. Black Ivory became a trio a year later, featuring founding members Leroy Burgess […]
World Premiere: SoulTracks Award winner Tanqueray Hayward is back
(July 1, 2025) Fans of Quiet Storm romantic soul will want to follow Tanqueray Hayward’s lead on her sensual new single, “Follow Me.” The ballad, which drops on July 4, will create an atmosphere that will lead to ignition of fireworks of the intimate variety. The song finds Hayward giving voice to those times when a lady […]
First Listen: Claes Rosen updates a Motown classic
(June 30, 2025) “If This World Were Mine,” one of the many classic duets featuring Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye, has always been ripe for remaking and reimagining. Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 remake that became the slow jam played at every house party during the 1980s is the best known. A new generation […]
First Listen: Sir Spencer delivers a groove on “To Myself”
(June 29, 2025) Producer Craig Sullivan was born in the U.K., however, he decided to show off his musical gifts at another place of residence. And with his first two CD’s, simply titled The First and The Second, Sullivan, AKA Sir Spencer, made himself at home in the U.S., presenting a marvelous bouquet of eighties-dusted […]
First Listen: Ms. Monet says “You’re Gonna Need Me”
(June 27, 2025) One of the coolest things for me to do when listening to R&B of my era – 90s/2000s – was recognizing or discovering classic R&B songs that were used as samples. One example I recall is a song from Usher’s monster 2004 album “Confessions” called “Throwback.” The classic R&B song sampled in […]
Norah Jones and John Legend team for a “Summertime” hit
Separately, they dominated the charts in the early 2000s, and coming together now they again show their magic. Norah Jones and John Legend today release “Summertime Blue,” a light, harmony-filled duet that has the feel of the season. Produced by Jones and Gregg Wattenberg, “Summertime Blue reminds us why we fell in love with these two artists in the first […]
First Listen: Mark Ronson and Raye recall 60s R&B on “Suzanne”
(June 27, 2025) International hitmaker Mark Ronson has been behind some of the greatest 21st century milestones in the music biz, from Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black to the Bruno Mars collab on “Uptown Funk.” And even in the world of film, the Midas touch from Ronson has giving gold and platinum blessings to motion […]
