First Listen: SoulTracks Award nominee Smoke Jones has a “Change of Heart”
(June 6, 2026) Smoke Jones’ prowess as a musical storyteller has earned him an honored place in Detroit’s music scene. That’s saying something. The Motor City doesn’t play when it comes to music, so for an artist to be as decorated as Jones means that he has the respect of his fellow musicians, critics and […]
First Listen: Cornell CC Carter wants to “Get Away” with her
(June 8, 2026) SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Award winner Cornell CC Carter has won a following for bringing the winning sound of 70s and 80s R&B men forward to the 2020s, with a classic soul aura and consistently strong vocal performances. For his latest single, and fresh off his performance at the London tribute show for […]
First Listen: ZAS gets us dancing on “Yo Quiero Bailar”
(June 5, 2026) The duo ZAS is new to us here at SoulTracks, and we expect they are new to you, too. Consisting of producer and DJ SubeloJavi and singer/songwriter Sugar G, ZAS is all about getting folks dancing, with elements of disco, funk, boogie and funk in their music – all performed in Spanish. […]
First Listen: Johnny Britt gives a positive message on “You Are Beautiful”
(June 4, 2026) It’s been said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. We often apply this phrase to how we view others, but it also applies to how we view ourselves. Sadly, many individuals don’t see themselves as beautiful because of stereotypes, insecurities, or criticism. Johnny Britt hopes to silence those negative […]
First Listen: Ready For the World’s Melvin Riley wants to be left “Alone”
(June 3, 2026) There’s no denying the musical impact left behind by Ready for the World. With Prince and The Time being their North Star, the Flint, Michigan-based electro funk band fired off a hot streak of singles that lit urban contemporary radio, from fiery uptempo jams (“Oh Shelia,” “Digital Display,” “Long Time Comin’”) to […]
First Listen: Miracle Thomas says to “Live Your Life”
(June 2, 2026) Miracle Thomas long knew that music was her chosen calling. Between writing eight hundred songs before she was a teenager and opening for veterans like Mary J. Blige and Eric Roberson as a young adult, Thomas made a huge career dent at an early age. And she further impressed Video Soul host […]
World Premiere: The Minneapolis Funk All Stars have arrived
(June 1, 2026) The history of the Minneapolis sound and funk music courses through the music of the Minneapolis Funk All Stars. Prince, the legendary creator of that sound that made Minneapolis music famous, is the band’s connective tissue. Each Minneapolis Funk All Star member was either discovered by Prince, toured with him, played in […]
Shirley Murdock and Bigg Robb party at the “Family Reunion”
(May 30, 2026) Bigg Robb is the king of good time music. However, within the fun times that draw fans onto the floor to dance to funk, Southern Soul or hip-hop, there’s also a message. I first saw the dual nature of Bigg Robb’s musical personality when I reviewed his album Jheri Curl Music back […]
First Listen: Scottie Barnett and Victoria Solo are “Ghostwatching”
(May 29, 2026) “Ghost Watching,” the new atmospheric neo-soul jam by Scottie Barnett and featuring vocals by Nigerian singer Victoria Sola, is about a person being haunted by a relationship that was supposed to have breathed its last breath. Sola’s hypnotic, stream of consciousness vocals describes two people who are simultaneously looking back even as […]
First Listen: Karen Bernod returns for real with “VR”
(May 28, 2026) Karen Bernod’s latest single “VR” (Virtual Reality) confronts the dichotomy that exists in our modern and increasingly digital world: we are simultaneously connected and disconnected. People can get on social media and connect with anyone in this world based not on proximity or even a relational connection, but on shared interests. That’s […]
