We return with another round-up of sounds and videos on this week’s 5 for Friday. With sounds from the revered musical merchant Black Coffee who tags Sabrina Claudio on his first single, which marks his foray into a new era. A bunch of upcoming talent in the form of BVNK and Morgan who give us their interpretation of the beloved R&B genre with their new releases. Go end your week on a high and tune into the latest songs from the NoB team.
Morgan – Sanctuary
As the old heads bow their heads and grieve over R&B music, a new generation of listeners are keeping their ears to the streets. Morgan is part of the shift behind the beloved genre, and on this authentic cut she keeps the wheels in motion.
The vehement vocals and pop sensibilities of songs like ‘My Year’ and ‘Mean That Much’ reveal the singer’s musical range on an electronic set-up, with fatalistic love songs catered for the dance floor. ‘Sanctuary’ is her latest offering and is the singer’s emotional outpouring on a straight-edge R&B production. The headstrong singer belts delicate notes over a criminally smooth bassline punctuated with a classical latin groove, and collaborator Shells lends her gushy pen to the singer who is enamoured by a diligent lover.
Masego – Veg Out (Wasting Thyme)
The emotional spectrum that plagues humans can only be matched by the equally extensive nature of music. Masego exercises his creative muscle and works up a new joint with a visual dotted with an overarching reminder to ease up.
While anxiety is at an all-time high, Masego is steady busy using his music as an extension of therapy on the orchestral outfit that is ‘Veg Out.’ You wouldn’t be wrong to mistake this for a love song considering the singer is a well-known romantic. The springtime atmospherics shifts your ears into a calm as the singer makes his sweet-talking pitch. “We can turn up or turn down, we can wait a while don’t want to burnout,” he sings, expressing how he’s willing to accommodate his lover. Vanessa Carlton meets trap as a thousand keys come into collision of 808s and synths, an infusion which works quite well together.
Black Coffee – SBCNCSLY feat. Sabria Claudio
Nkosinathi Maphumulo, aka Black Coffee, embarks on a trip and recruits Sabrina Claudio to assist him on his intergalactic ascent into a new world. Marking his first release of the year, ‘SBCNCSLY’ showcases his ear for spinning multiple genres into a solid unit.
Back in 2019, the duo teased the beta version of ‘SBCNCSLY’ which they worked closely together on. The finished piece opens with Black Coffee painting a soundscape with a throbbing kick drum drenched in drowsy keys which intensify like rays of light at the crack of dawn. ‘SBCNCSLY’ is an unyielding dance track which like the nature of the production will rock you into a state of serenity. Sabrina Claudio’s enchanting vocals blend seamlessly into unwavering drum patterns with the score transitioning into a dampened end.
Jords – Almost An Adult (Short Film)
To be in your twenties is to walk the thin line between youth and adulthood. It’s the point where you are old enough to be an adult, but young enough not to be considered one at all. In Jords’s words you’re Almost An Adult, which just so happens to be the title of his forthcoming project. He shares a collection of singles which make up a short film to give listeners a taster of AAA.
The short film includes a number of singles which range with features from Thea Gajic, Jaz Karis & Dotty. It features sounds and various mediums of expression to explore themes of masculinity, family, love and loss. Jords gets candid and connects with listeners the way he knows best through sonics. AAA is filled with stirring soulful cuts, endearing vocal displays and a headbanger thrown in for good measure. With Cutis Essel (of 33 Bound) and co-director Nwabugo behind the short film, the duo deliver a stellar visual piece set between Jamaica and London. All the words that have been penned, the notes that have been sang and the sounds conceived by Jords have led him to this moment.
BVNK – Situations
In this brief confessional by BVNK, the Denver based artist hooks up with producer Twelve 92 on ‘Situations’. The singer lays his thoughts down on a sentimental offering, which blends R&B melancholy with stripped-down acoustics.
BVNK puts on a brave face and seeks to right his wrongs on ‘Situations.’ Using music as the conduit to get through to the other side of redemption, he reflects back on past-relationships and takes ownership of his actions. On this one-man showing, Twelve 92 injects warm guitar strums and swaying keys which gives room for the rapper to clear his thoughts. “Tour the world, take you on flights, hopefully you’re coming back”, he raps, eventually flexing his gentle tone on the hook. The upcoming singer presses forward with his incoming EP XX/XX (pronounced 20/20) which listeners can expect to hear soon.
