First Listen: Miko Marks gets her music “Down in Your Soul”
(May 19, 2025) Miko Marks remembers her first artistic collaboration with the legendary Rance Allen. “When I was around16 in Detroit, Michigan, I was lucky enough to perform with him in a gospel play called ‘Mama Don’t.’ This was one of my rare stage performances at the time, and to be able to sing with […]
First Listen: Harry Linacre want to “Ring The Bell”
(May 18, 2025) It’s been a while: you gave it your best shot, but now you’ve past the point of no return and you’re ready to throw in the towel. Love is always complicated but once it turns toxic, it’s time to make moves, and that’s what British R&B crooner Harry Linacre is describing in his […]
First Listen: ShanDaria gets us “Livin” again
(May 17, 2025) When the weather starts to break in May, we all begin to think about Summer, and also begin to look for that handful of cuts that will be our “songs of the Summer.” Well, Charlotte, North Carolina singer and songwriter ShanDaria has come out of the box with an early candidate in the form […]
First Listen: Grammy Winner Brandon Victor Dixon wows us with “Maybe”
(May 16, 2025) The resume of Broadway star Brandon Victor Dixon reads thick. He left an indelible mark on some of Broadway’s biggest musicals, playing Harpo in The Color Purple, Berry Gordy, Jr. in Motown the Musical, emerging as Aaron Burr in Hamilton and Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along while also showing up in acclaimed […]
First Listen: Sista Soul wants to be “With You”
(May 15, 2025) While the state of Colorado is known for its landmark Rocky Mountains, cities such as Denver have cultivated a vibrant soul/R&B music scene for several years. Singer/songwriter Jeanette Cooper, known as Sista Soul, is a fine representative of this. With roots in Gospel singing and R&B work throughout the years, Sista Soul issued her […]
First Listen: Petawane loves that “Down South Woman”
(May 14, 2025) Singer James “Petawane” Burris can say that he won over the toughest crowd in America, and perhaps the world. Petawane went into the famed Apollo Theater on Amateur Night, and not only managed not to get booed and swept off the floor by The Sandman, the native New Yorker brought the house […]
First Listen: Taylor Williams has us “Dreaming” on old school ballad
(May 13, 2025) “Dreaming” by soul newcomer Taylor Williams will give listeners the feel of a basement house party when the party organizers turn on the blue light. The blue light is the signal for the fellas to seek out the young lady that they have been dying to get close to. The moment that […]
First Listen: Tank releases posthumous duet with Aaliyah
(May 12, 2025) In the early 2000s, few performers were burning up the R&B airwaves as consistently as Tank and Aaliyah. The “Force of Nature” and “Baby Girl” were nearly inescapable, his earnest croon and her street, yet sweet persona dominating the charts with hits like “Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go,” “We Need a […]
First Listen: Leela James is “Right On Time” with new single
(May 12, 2025) Leela James’ music entered into my listening radar beginning with the blazing funky dance track, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” from the 2012 release, Loving You More…In the Spirit of Etta James. While the Etta tribute took some liberties in the arrangements from the original versions, Leela successfully channeled one of […]
First Listen: Setoria wants to “Love You More”
(May 9, 2025) DC-based singer Setoria has been making a name for herself both for her original music and her interpretations of hit songs of the past few decades. And she has been a regular on SoulTracks for nearly a decade, with one tasty single after another. On her newest release, “Love You More,” Setoria delivers a […]
