Jazmine Sullivan - Reality Show

Miss Sullivan "Busted our windows" in 2008, released a second studio album in 2010 and went on a hiatus for 5 years. Well, in the meantime she was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards (not a single win). So, having already released a third studio album after all these years of "having some things to figure out", as she has stated in the past, it is a big deal. And it is, actually, a big deal.

The "Reality Show" is the first great album of 2015, along with the new Mark Ronson album of course. Contemporary r'n'b has finally found a way not to sound boring and old. Many artists have contributed to this the last two years (Solange, Janelle Monae, Miguel, Beyonce, Jessie Ware, Banks, Tinashe, D'Angelo), so maybe Jazmine Sullivan has taken advantage of the situation, in order to record her best songs to date.

If we were supposed to describe Jazmine's sound, it would be "Late 90's neo-soul records with an electronic twist, built on drum machines and angry vocals". She is not Whitney, Beyonce or Mary J, but she has a killer voice and she knows how to showcase its powers each and every time. She's not into vocal tricks, long notes or falsettos. She may not have a powerful head voice, she may not have a head voice at all. She is hurting her throat in order to hit the high notes and sometimes you think she needs a glass of water. Well, it's not that funny as you are listening to her album, cause her delivery is more than precise and soulful. In fact, she sounds like all the great gospel singers throughout the music history, who later became great r'n'b and soul performers (right, talking about Aretha). Plus, she sings with swagger and no diva attitude.

The album is produced by Salaam Remi (Fugees, Fergie, Amy Winehouse, Nelly Furtado, Nas) and Key Wane ("Partition" by Beyonce is more than enough), among others. "Dumb" works as a powerful urban intro, while "Brand new" serves as a standard contemporary r'n'b anthem that every Mariah or Alicia could kill for. Pianos in "Silver lining" help making the song great, though it's not. "#Hoodlove" is where the action begins to take place, as the singer sounds frustrated and determined for the first time in here. Yes, it's the "Bust your windows" sequel. The acoustic "Forever Don't Last" is the perfect surprise bridge for the rest of the songs, while... wait! There's a second "Bust your windows" sequel and it's called "Stupid girl". Smartass move. But "Stanley"? Not even close, almost a fail. Thank God for the "If you dare" outro. It saves the day.

Jazmine's "Reality Show" is a proof that once again the r'n'b/soul genre is stronger than ever these days. Swagger mode: ON.

AnArtCalled... 8/10

D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah

We all know that it's been 14 years since the last time we had some D'Angelo music news. Well, that's almost a lie, he had many collaborations and featurings in other people's projects over the past few years, plus he learned how to play more musical instruments. So even if this was a hiatus or just a break or the time he needed to come back, it's OK. Not only because this album is a masterpiece, but also because he seems more determined and focused on something he can call his own - a unique material, a funk-guitar chaos all around, a vocal mess accompanied by haunted lyrics and neo-soul wisdom. That's what the "Black Messiah" is all about.

"Black Messiah is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.", says D'Angelo. But the fact that he penned every single track in this (with a little help from his friends, Q-Tip and Questlove from The Roots), playing almost all the instruments in the studio, suggests otherwise. And only one man can do this in such style and funkiness - Prince.

The structure of the songs is vague. Sometimes it's difficult to even spot the chorus or an actual melody. But somehow it works. It's a body of work that was inspired by pure fusion. You can mess around with the guitars and then drown in the soulful tender vocals of "Really love". You then go back to "1000 deaths" and yell at its aggressiveness, while you're thinking about the "Sugah Daddy" pianos and brass. But you cannot escape from the Erykah Badu-esque "Back to the furure", because that's the way this album rolls - You connect the dots from different songs and if you do it with love and respect, you can only hear one song, one voice, one guitar, one message.

"Black Messiah" is a tough-love project. It has been recorded in order to mess with your head and play with your emotions. It's a 14 year-old expirement that has just found its spot in the world. So be careful how you handle it.

AnArtCalled... 9/10

Tinashe - Aquarius

There is no point to focus on a fresh r'n'b album, without ending up with comparisons with things you have listened to in the past twenty years. Let's be honest, there is no "new sound" in contemporary r'n'b, unless you are Janelle Monae or FKA Twigs or at least Miguel. The majority of all the neo-soul, post-dubstep, electronic-soul, rap-sung, hip-hop albums out there have probably the same 808 kicks and synth pads from the same laptop. So which is the x-factor that makes a Beyonce or a Jessie Ware album brilliant, but a Chris Brown or a Robin Thicke album simply boring?

That x-factor is called "personality". It's easy to state the obvious and say "But, come on, Rihanna has a big personality and does her own thing and does not give a fuck, blah, bluh, bleh...". That's true. But what have all these No 1 artists done so that they don't record the same tracks over and over again with different lyrics and tempo? How many of them have taken the leap of faith and risk their beauty or their voice or even their fanbase, in order to create something they can call their own and not the industry's? Well, to sum up, Tinashe could have been the new Ciara or the new Rihanna or even the new Christina. But she is not. Because she has taken that leap of faith, the same that Janelle and Jessie and Twigs have taken in the past few years. Plus, she is hot, but this is not the case.

"Aquarius" is an album that makes you dance, makes you have sex, makes you wet, makes you notice the production and the powerful Mariah-esque vocals, makes you push the "repeat" button, makes you addicted to it and its performer charms. Tinashe has mentioned that her favorite album of hers is "The Velvet Rope" by Janet Jackson. And this is actually the best comparison as far as this album is concerned. It's as old-fashioned as Janet's smooth and soulful music, but at the same time the singer embraces the new era, thus being edgy, angry, hip and 2015.

"Bet", probably the strongest mid-tempo song in the project, gives Beyonce and Solange a reason to sue Blood Orange for not delivering the demo to their managers. "2 on", the first single of the album, is as urban as it can be and a top-30 hit in the Billboard Hot 100. In "All hands on deck" Tinashe delivers a solid vocal performance, accompanied by a flute loop, a raw bassline and some killer synths, while "Far side of the moon" is a track that even the duo of Timbaland/Justin could be jealous of.

If you are a fan of the r'n'b genre, you will adore this album if you haven't already. Tinashe should be the biggest female act of 2015 if there's any music justice out there. And if there's not, oh well... let's count on the Universe's poetic one.

AnArtCalled... 9,5/10

AlunaGeorge - Body Music

Προσπαθώ να βρω το λόγο που κάθε φορά που κυκλοφορεί ένας δίσκος τα τελευταία 3 χρόνια, θα πρέπει να διαβάζω ή να ακούω το "The nest sth" ή "The next someone". Εύλογο, μιας και δεν υπάρχει παρθενογέννεση, μπλα, μπλα, μπλα. Και στην εποχή που όλοι έχουν soundcloud και κάνουν mixtapes και home παραγωγές, ακούς τόσα πράγματα, που αναγκαστικά η προσφορά είναι πιο μεγάλη από τη ζήτηση κι ο μόνος τρόπος να απορροφήσεις κάτι ή απλά να το κατανοήσεις, είναι να το βάλεις παράλληλα με κάτι που έχεις ήδη χωνέψει, δεκτό. Πού κολλάνε όλα αυτά με τους AlunaGeorge; Στο γεγονός ότι μου έχουν θυμίσει τουλάχιστον 548 πράγματα μέχρι το τέλος της ακρόασης, αλλά στο τέλος της ημέρας δεν με ενοχλεί. Αντιθέτως, κατανοώ τις αναφορές τους, τα κλισέ τους, τη χιπστεροαισθητική τους, το hype τους κι όλα τα συναφή.

Το "Body Music" είναι ο δίσκος που θα έκανε η Rihanna κι η Lady GaGa σε ένα στούντιο μαζί με τον Frank Ocean και τον Weeknd, featuring Kanye West, Jessie Ware, Grimes, Portishead and Austra. Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα φρέσκο, παρά μόνο ο έξυπνος συνδυασμός από contemporary r'n'b και synth pop των 00's, από αυτή που ανεβαίνει στις πρώτες θέσεις των charts. Αυτό που κρατάει το album από μια mainstream αποδοχή είναι το εναλλακτικό προφίλ του ντουέτου και το περιέχόμενο της παραγράφου που ακολουθεί. Αν ήθελαν, θα μπορούσαν να προμοτάρουν έτσι το υλικό τους και να κάνουν πάταγο εν μία νυκτί.

Η επιθυμία της Aluna και του George να κυκλοφορήσουν κάτι πολύ big στα πλαίσια μιας νέας παρουσίας το 2013, τους οδήγησε στο να κάνουν μια κίνηση που τους κοστίζει πολύ. Κι αυτό είναι τριπλής προέκτασης: η μεγάλη διάρκεια του δίσκου, τα πολλά tracks (όχι απαραίτητα μείον - εδώ, κουραστικό) και μια mid-tempo γραμμή, που κακό δεν κάνει, αλλά αν δεν είσαι Jessie Ware να τη στηρίζεις φωνητικά ή αν δεν περιορίζεις τα κομμάτια στα 10-12, μπορεί να γίνει καταστροφική και να χαθούν διαμαντάκια κατά τη διάρκεια της ακρόασης ("Friends to lovers", "Bad idea"). Γιατί, για να είμαστε ειλικρινείς, μια καλή παραγωγή δεν μπορεί να σώσει μια κάτω του μετρίου σύνθεση ("Best be believing").

Ναι, καλό το "Body Music". Ακούγεται, είναι ο ήχος του σήμερα, γιατί το r'n'b είναι ξανά στη μόδα με τον Ocean, τον Migeul, τη Jessie και τα άλλα εναλλακτικά παιδιά της 90's αισθητικής, που χώνουν ηλεκτρονικά στη μουσική τους. Από εκεί και πέρα, καμία αποθέωση. Τα έχεις ακούσει ξανά όλα. Και στις καλύτερες στιγμές του ("You know you like it"), jaw-dropper δεν το λες.