Hey guys!
Welcome back to another monthly playlist breakdown!
The sun has been SHINING on me– I’m grateful. I’m really excited to share stories behind this month’s songs and thoughts and reflections to go with them, from personal connections to industry speak and far leftist views. This month also marks the release of a project I’ve felt really close to: T.Fernandez’s In My Poetic Feels. From the very first night I saw her at Home of Rnb in October 2019 to now, March 2021, it’s felt like a journey!
Lots has happened this month… for once it didn’t feel like it flew by. As I’m typing the cat is currently sitting on the window sill listening to the tracks with me so with no further delays, here are our thoughts!
49 songs, 2 hours and 31 minutes, ranging from Lucky Daye to Justin Bieber, Gallant, Major Lazer and Ella Henderson (I know I know, incredibly random!). Link here :)
I kicked off with Lucky Daye’s Table for Two EP.
With guest appearances from Mahalia, Tiana Major9 and Ari Lennox amongst a few others, this is a beautiful specimen of rnb music. It’s very hard to pick a favourite because they’re all excellent, but Dream and Falling in Love speak to my soul.
The next full length project to appear on this playlist is Momentos by Mr Anselmo Ralph, a long time Superman.
Anselmo Ralph is an internationally known Angolan singer, firmly rooted in Portuguese pop culture for the best part of 10 years. Nao Me Toca, one of his biggest hits which I strongly recommend listening to, has matured beautifully and enjoyed serious longevity and love.
Momentos experiments with Brazilian funk fusions (Viro Santo) garage accents and Spanish diction (Quiero Volver) while retaining Anselmo’s signature Kizomba sound: endlessly sensual, romantic, and at times painstakingly honest. I can rarely pick top tracks, and this album is no exception, but given the personal circumstances I’ve faced… I think Fim Do Mundo and Já Fui struck some internally heavy chords. Fica Junto also deserves an honourable mention, it was my first listen sweetheart– listening back to it now, I think it’s how I wish things had worked.
March 2021 follows up with yet another full length project: T. Fernandez’s In My Poetic Feels.
T Fernandez has been working on this for a hot minute and I’ve been blessed enough to witness. A true testament to talent, work, and collaborations that are simply meant to be– this EP is bedroom rnb at it’s finest: atmospheric, spacey, lyrically insane. Rnb in the UK is somewhat overlooked in favour of drill and rap/grime. I think it’s really hard for rnb artists to find the same level of success as their peers here (hence Ella Mai’s move stateside), so bigging up the truly talented ones is important to me, and T is one of them.
Next up are two tracks from Madison Beer’s debut album, Life Support.
I did a review for this on YouTube, so I won’t be speaking on it in depth, but Default and Effortlessly were and are my top picks– haunting and shiver inducing, both of them.
The next 10 songs are all picks from The Bold Type’s score.
The Bold Type is my favorite thing I’ve watched on Netflix in a hot minute. Four seasons of greatness, with the tracks to match.
“I got guns in my head and they won’t go, spirits in my head and they won’t go” croons Simon Ward of Canadian band The Strumbellas on Spirit’s opening line. It’s very alternative and indie– I loved it.
The four seasons reminded me of tracks such as Halsey’s Now or Never and Hayley Kiyoko’s Curious, tracks I loved instantly at the time they were popular, while introducing me to new favourites such as Now, Now’s Yours and Elina’s Here With Me. The Bold Type had me shazaming something new every episode! Here With Me has been on repeat forever since. It’s possibly my favourite discovery of the month and honestly, I’d love to hear Fletcher on it– it sounds like the perfect harmony.
Anjos I heard on The Voice Kids Portugal and fell in love. The kids did a better rendition for sure, but regardless, the studio track is still touching, so touching, it made the entire soundtrack for a vlog. I love this song with everthing in me and would love to cover it. I can imagine it at Wembley Stadium, sun setting, a million lights lighting up the stands… it’s that track– powerful. The lyrics depict a story where someone is reflecting on maybe angels don’t fly and actually, he’s found one here on Earth so now he’s flying to keep up with them. It’s a stunning story of being touched so deeply that you do better and be better.
Justin Bieber’s Justice is next.
I was wary of this initially and almost expecting another Changes. For me, Justin has never outdone What Do You Mean (and understandably so, because that is a BANGER) however, he’s not even come close which is the bigger problem. Although Justice is good and I did enjoy it at the time, I can safely say it’s been a few weeks and I’ve rarely listened back to any of it. Whether this a reflection of Justin’s work or the current state of the industry and consumer’s behaviours… I’m not yet sure enough to comment… all I know is the longevity isn’t there. Regardless, Deserve You, Unstable, Hold On, Somebody, Ghost, Love You Different and Loved By You were extremely inspiring on first listen. It may honestly just be me.
I then checked out NF’s Clouds (The MixTape).
I won’t lie, most of it was forgettable for me. He’s a great storyteller for sure, I just didn’t feel the need to hear them a second time. Two standout tracks for me though were Just Like You and Prideful. Prideful in particular was an instant love purely from the vocalisations in the first 17/18 seconds that continue to run through the track and serve as an instrument. Prideful has been on repeat and is definitely a go to.
And finally, MAJOR LAZER!
It must have been the sun, it most probably was the sun. Everyone I know knows I associate Major Lazer with summer chill vibes, breezy nights, parties, alcohol, catching a couple whines here and there… nah Major Lazer really unlocks a part of me I usually keep firmly locked away! I love it though.
Major Lazer are probably one of the few truly global acts I know– their music appreciates and borrows from so many world cultures, and it’s truly the result of someone who has travelled extensively and loves life. I love them. Two standout tracks: C’est Cuit and Tiny. Tiny is capable of being on repeat for hours. It’s Bbq vibes, sweaty club night vibes, windows down stereo loud vibes, all the vibes all the time. That’s truly impressive to achieve and Major Lazer are one of the few acts who hit the nail on the head EVERY time. God we really do love them. Right, now I just need to wait for the tiny waist in question and THEN the song will really pop :D.
That’s us all wrapped up! April 2021 is underway (have you noticed the playlists all have their own artwork now too?!) and I’m excited to be back here next month sharing it all with you again.
Do send me anything you guys have been loving, I love song recommendations, it’s truly a love language.
Enjoy the sun and keep safe music gang!
With love,
S.
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