Browsing Tag r&b
Werner’s Weekly (week 30)
A-typically, since it’s mid-summer, last week was a good one for rock music. Adelitas Way, Imagine Dragons, Man With A Mission, Metric, and Spring King are among the acts that delivered great guitar tracks, all of which you can find in my 2018 container playlist Carte Blanche Music. But it also welcomes new songs by Mary J. Blige, David Bowie, Kodaline, and Muse, to name but a few. In other words: it comes close to the holy grail of music discovery 😉.
If you have less time, or trust me to make the right choices for you, Werner’s Weekly is your compass to the music that matters. Always short and snappy, with only the best of the best new music. The songs are listed below and you can listen to them all through the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. Click the links for more background!
- Lizzo – Boys (Wildcard this week)
- Satellite Stories – Carried Away (Wildcard last week)
- Joan – Stop And Stare
- Leoniden – Kids
- Nona – It’s Alright
- Stillmode – Wild One
- Waylon – That’s How She Goes
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Nona – It’s Alright
Nona (born Nona van der Wansem) is a talented young singer, hailing from a small town in the south of the Netherlands. Her powerful voice is made for a repertoire of rootsy genres like blues, jazz and soul, placing her somewhere between Amy Winehouse and fellow-Dutchy Kovacs. At the same time, however, she loves hip hop and pop, citing DJ Premier as an influence.
Soon, she’ll release her debut album, that she recorded in the United States. The first single is out now, and indeed: It’s Alright!
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 29):
Lizzo – Boys
Lizzo is the stage name of 30-year-old American rapper Melissa Jefferson. She’s based in Minneapolis, which probably explains the funk in her music. But she doesn’t shy away from injecting a fair amount of soul into her songs either. Good As Hell and Worship (both from her Coconut Oil EP) are great examples. And don’t forget to check YDLM by The Griswolds (‘you don’t love me’), which features Lizzo in a major way. I loved the track so much back then, It ended high in the Carte Blanche Top 2016. Over the years, Lizzo featured on songs by Bastille, Clean Bandit and Prince & 3rdeyegirl as well.
Boys, however, is a new solo outing. And boy, do I like it. The song combines a heavy bassline, tinkling cowbell and groovy guitar licks with Lizzo’s trademark funny verses about all varieties of boys lucky enough to get her attention. An infectious homage to unbridled joy, energy and sexuality, Lizzo’s Boys is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (all of which you can find in the Wildcards 2018 playlist).
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 43)
So here it is, with no further ado (listen via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar):
- Childcare – Getting Over You (By Dressing Up Like You) (Wildcard this week)
- Les Gordons – Let The Music Speak (Wildcard last week)
- Band Of Gold – I Wanna Dance With You Again
- Bokito – Aloof
- Columbia Mills – This City Doesn’t Feel Like Home To Me
- The Go! Team – Semicircle Song
- Kara Marni – Golden
- Sol Heilo – Killing Karma
For more background information about each track, click the respective links.
Werner’s Weekly is my ‘best of the best’ playlist; an alphabetically orderded summary of my container playlist Carte Blanche Music, which provides you with a lot of ‘further listening’. So, if you’d rather make your own selection, please check and follow the mother ship 😉 . There I added, besides the tracks above, great new music from the likes of Joss Stone, Mika, Rita Ora, Mikky Ekko and Saint Raymond in the last week.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Kara Marni – Golden
Just 19 years old, London native singer-songwriter Kara Marni was discovered after posting covers of her favourite artists – like Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack, Anita Baker, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Angie Stone – online. Her choices already reflect her musical tastes. Marni describes her music, which has a modern R&B sound, as a fusion of soul music and current music.
After the covers that got her noticed, it’s this debut single that will really spark the flame. Think Alicia Keys singing to a Kraftwerk kissed R&B backdrop. The video, completely filmed on Super 8 camera, adds even more vintage feel to the song.
Kara Marni is certainly one to watch for 2018 (and beyond).
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 33)
Are you following my 2017 container playlist Carte Blanche Music already? It’s my most comprehensive collection of great new music, updated on a daily basis. Last week, I added Ella Eyre, Liam Gallagher, Ozark Henry, The Horrors, Kesha, Otherkin, Sparks, and many more. On the blog I can only recommend a few of them. And the very best of the songs I reviewed last week, are now listed alphabetically in Werner’s Weekly, below:
- Ridsa – Avancer (Wildcard this week)
- Skott – Mermaid (Wildcard last week)
- Broken Social Scene – Vanity Pail Kids
- Francesca Michielin – Vulcano
- Jimi Charles Moody – Shame
- My Baby – Make A Hundred
- Skinny Living – Why
Listen via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar and click the links for more info.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 32):
Ridsa – Avancer
The holidays are a great moment to pick up music that you don’t usually hear at home. Especially songs by local acts from the country that you’ve travelled to. Here in France, Avancer by Ridsa is on the radio a lot and to me it sounds like it could be a hit abroad as well…
Ridsa (born in 1990 as Maxence Boitez) is a French rapper/singer. He became an internet phenomenon after posting his songs on YouTube. His channel now counts 879.000 subscribers and his clips have been viewed around 300 million times altogether.
Avancer is a single that was released last April from his most recent album Libre. Since then 14 million (I suppose mostly French) viewers saw the clip. When released throughout Europe, I predict an even greater success…
Let me start by making the single this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. Hopefully this will help the song ‘avancer’…
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 30)
For those of you who are not on holiday, I’ll pretend not to be as well. On the other hand: why would you stop listening to new music when you’re not at home? The stream of great new releases doesn’t run dry either.
The last seven days I enriched my 2017 container playlist Carte Blanche Music with Armstrongs, Nothing But Thieves, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and Ride, among others. And as always, the crème de la crème of this fine bunch if brand new songs is listed alphabetically in my Werner’s Weekly playlist below. Please allow me to bring you up to speed in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
- Aloe Blacc – King Is Born (Wildcard this week)
- Alice Merton – No Roots (Wildcard last week)
- Chase & Status feat. Emeli Sandé – Love Me More
- Last Train – Between Wounds
- Tom Grennan – Found What I’ve Been Looking For
- Young Gun Silver Fox – Midnight In Richmond
Through the links above you can read my recommendations for each track, and while reading, you can listen to all of the songs via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 29):
Aloe Blacc – King Is Born
If Aloe Blacc were to be remembered for his vocals on Avicii’s Wake Me Up only, it would be a bloody shame. Let’s at least also recall him for his wonderful real name: Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III. And needless (I hope) to remind you of his own hits I Need A Dollar and The Man.
Last year he released three tracks (one of them being the great Broke), all of which haven’t yet appeared on an album (that’s a more or less coherent collection of songs, kids). The same goes for his new single, King Is Born. A new classic, as far as I’m concerned. Most literally so, because it uses a sample from The Ides Of March’s 1970 hit Vehicle. Pop quiz question: in what hugely popular rock band did The Ides Of March singer Jim Peterik show up in the 1980’s?(*)
Talking about boxing, this brings me back to Aloe Blacc’s new single. King Is Born is the theme song to the upcoming boxing match between titans Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, on 26 August. It’s also scheduled to appear on Blacc’s new album, that he is currently finishing.
King Is Born is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard and will feature here prominently the whole week long!
(*) Survivor, best-known for their Rocky-related hits Eye Of The Tiger and Burning Heart.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 29)
Summers used to be slow-moving as far as new music was concerned, but that has changed in recent years. Why would you wait to release your great new track until after the holidays, when all other artists release their great new tracks as well? Radio and streaming playlists (or listeners in general) are in need of good content the whole year round. No wonder then, that I could add new music from the likes of The Allergies, Arcade Hearts and Foster The People to my 2017 container playlist Carte Blanche Music last week.
Each Monday morning, I put my personal recommendations out of all new releases in Werner’s Weekly, an alphabetically sorted playlist, kicking off with the Carte Blanche Music Wildcards of this and last week. It’s in full below. Follow the links for more information and listen to the songs via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar!
- Alice Merton – No Roots (Wildcard this week)
- BC Unidos (feat. Shungudzo) – Bicycle (Wildcard last week)
- Black Grape – Nine Lives
- Jain – Dynabeat
- Kesha feat. The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman
- Kideko – Dum Dum
- Urban Cone – Pumping Up Clouds
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
