Just before we sign out of May, we bring to you an even wider selection of songs that come from some of the finest artists out there. This week’s 5 for Friday feature songs that range from a bold and brazen R&B joint by Kiana Ledé, and an eclectic ensemble of artist hailing from the corners of the city. You’ve got 5 tracks to pick from, but we think it’s only right you take them all in.
Oscar Jerome – Gravitate
Oscar Jerome joins a long list of musicians reigniting the country’s passion for old school sounds and melding oracular proverbs on the mic. Sidelined by the Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones and a score of musicians he shares ‘Gravitate’.
In ‘Gravitate’ Jerome creates space and fills the void with a duplex of drums revolving to native percussion. With the delicacy of a Michelin star chef, smoky guitar strings sizzle into a backdrop of piano keys and bass like a droplet of water on a searing surface. Jerome croons gentle tones and uplifts our ears with his eclectic expression of jazz and soul music. Splashing into a radical explosion of sounds and flowing unrestrained, ‘Gravitate’ is a song that will open your ears to a new world of sounds.
Joe Hertz – Rain In Cuba
One of the most blissful songs you’ll possibly hear this week is this magical collaboration cultivated by the London-based artist and producer Joe Hertz. He enlists the likes of Barney Artist, Sam Willis and Blue Lab Beats on this electro-swing of jazz and hip-hop.
‘Rain In Cuba’ pulses with interstellar tones and eclectic sounds that shoot across the skyline like a purple comet. Barney breaks through a gust of bell trees and slinks past a mildly bouncy beat while Sam Willis sends falsetto transmissions on the hook. Basking in holiday blues, Barney attempts to make sense of his feelings by looking inwards and breaking down his thoughts into poetic rhymes. ‘Rain In Cuba’ is a snazzy operation which ties different worlds together to create a refreshing and introspective sonic to vibe out to as the sunsets.
Kiana Ledé – Can I
Kiana Ledé wears her heart on her sleeve and spills out her feelings on an unruly, hard-hitting R&B selection. The Arizona native flaunts a seductive edge with her latest single ‘Can I’ and lumps all her sensual thoughts into one short yet punchy cut.
‘Can I’ finds Kiana Ledé shifting between unruly rap flows and sharp-edged croons on a cut which intersects between contemporary R&B and Trap. On the sultry track, Ledé encapsulates raw emotions that arrest the body but cloud the mind. “Maybe I’m out of line, out my mind” she boldly sings in hope of finding a solution to her troubles. Ledé makes a track which attempts to make sense of the confusion, nevertheless ‘Can I’ captures the many moods that inflict a wishful romantic.
Raveena – Nectar
Raveena Aurora is the New York based R&B singer flipping vocal melodies into soothing hymns and leading listeners with her emotionally charged songs. She drops her 12-track album debut ‘Lucid’, which houses ‘Nectar,’ an offering in which her aura shines.
With the steady barrage of summer songs landing into the atmosphere, ‘Nectar’ distinguishes itself from the latter by blurring sunny acoustics and golden soul quirks together. Her vocals sway softly like bubbles dancing in the open and burst open to the sonically rich vibrations plucked from funk-laden guitar strums. On ‘Nectar’ Raveena contrasts our need for affection to a honey bee’s pursuit of a sweet substance. Go ahead and check out her debut album which contains a variety of songs that will take you to a higher place.
Knucks – Wedding Rings
Knucks delivers an offering fit for the kings and shares a spectacle you ought to witness on audio. The North West rapper and producer flirts between luscious jazzy vibrations and hip-hop patterns on ‘Wedding Rings’.
On the first half of the cut, Knucks bounces and flows to a skippy string section and stark beams punctuated by dense 808s. It seems like Knucks isn’t looking to get caught in cupid’s arrows anytime soon and on the segue to the last half his languid raps cut deep. Backed by a distorted run of the hook, Knucks laments on the aftermath of a romantic episode just as the cut morphs into a head-bobbing percussive sonic. Next Friday Knucks awaited debut project ‘NRG105’ comes just in good time for plenty of eager fans.
