Alternative R&B

Today’s Track: Blue Lab Beats (feat. Fela Kuti, Killbeatz, Kaidi Akinnibi & Poppy Daniels) – ‘Motherland Journey’

April 4, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Namali Kwaten (aka NK-OK) and David Mrkapor (aka Mr DM) (2019) (Photo Credit: Blue Note Records)

Good Afternoon to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, as usual, and I’m writing fresh off this marathon of a WWE WrestleMania 38 weekend with yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Pitching their sound as “Jazz-Tronica”, Blue Lab Beats are the North London-based experimental electronic music duo of sampler and producer Namali Kwaken (aka NK-OK) and multi-instrumentalist David Mrkaor (aka Mr DM) who have sat in the additional production seats for their work with artists like Ruby Francis and Age Of Luna, and they have remixed A-list pop culture superstars like Dua Lipa and Rag ‘N’ Bone Man. The follow-up to 2021’s ‘We Will Rise’ EP is the Grammy award-winning and MOBO-nominated musicians’ latest full-length studio album ‘Motherland Journey’ which they released in late February on the legendary Blue Note Records label. The new creative project explores a whole suite of Avant-Jazz, Prog-Jazz, Afro-Funk, Trip Hop, Boom Bap, Northern Soul and Contemporary R&B influences, and it has been described as an “extremely special album” to the duo, who say, “This album took us two-and-a-half-years to finish, or longest process to make an album, but it was so worth it. On this album you’ll hear many fusions of genres and inspirations that we gathered throughout that time frame and especially to work on so many of the songs during the first lockdown, it was a test in itself”, about their recent release. The title track samples Afrobeat activist icon Fela Kuti’s 70’s song ‘Everything Scatter’ and they were given permission by the BLB estate themselves to use that sample. It features guest contributions from Kaidi Akinnibi and Poppy Daniels, while they also travelled to Ghana to record it along with Killbeatz as the producer. Let’s give it a spin.

Much like all of the classic Afrobeat music releases of the 70’s and 80’s, ‘Motherland Journey’ is designed to replicate a communal experience where all of the different influences and the guest contributors are welcome as long as the album’s flow is not disrupted, and the duo also comment, “When we got confirmation to have Fela Kuti’s vocals from his publishers in Nigeria we were honestly blown away that he could really feature on our tracks. An absolute dream come true.”, on Kuti’s featured artist credit for the eclectic track. The track gets off to a bright and warm start immediately, with a quickly established groove formed by the percussive African drums and the prominent Amapiano stabs that pulls apart the standard tropes of their favourite genres with the introduction of the electronic music elements and the sparse guitar melodies to give the classic sound a more modern, updated feel. The pair layer up some of the Trumpet samples and the Afrobeat-tinged backing vocals together to blur the contrasted electronic and organic sounds together occasionally, but the rotating instrumentals and the upbeat textures creates the most dominant impression where we’re witnessing something improvisational and organic from a live house band, like the performers who used to visit Kuti’s shrines at the heart of the Afrobeat cultural movement, who are simply taking to center stage and jamming with one another, creating a timeless feeling as opposed to overtly recycling outdated ideas for simply nostalgic effect. It is not necessarily futuristic, but it feels well-built and structured neatly, with new melodies being bought into the mix to keep the grooves from getting a little tiresome. Overall, ‘Motherland Journey’ is a wonderfully encouraging listen that pulls off a fresh re-boot of it’s ideas by blending the organic percussion of the classic Afrobeat days with the progressive electronic production standards that we’re used to hearing more often from the west. The final results feel quite accessible and engaging to a fairly wide audience, without the feeling of commercialism ever truly dominating their sound in a blatant way. It just feels timeless and eminently buoyant.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Motherland Journey’ (LP) (Released on February 25th, 2022) (via Blue Note Records)

That brings us to the end of another uplifting track on the blog, and thank you for continuing to support the site. I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the new single from an Oxford-born classically trained electronic music producer who has been covered more than once before, since I’m such a huge fan of his work. He’s going to release his first album in a decade this July, and his collaborative single ‘Heartbreak’, which he created with Bonobo, was nominated for this year’s ‘Best Dance/Electronic Recording’ honour at the Grammy awards. The British musician is currently based in Los Angeles.

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Today’s Track: Samm Henshaw – ‘Enough’

March 28, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Samm Henshaw in promotional artwork for ‘Still Broke’ (2021) (Photo via DIYMag.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to grab some Coffee and take just a moment out of your day to chill out with a soulful edition of my daily tracks on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Enough’ is a track that I gravitated towards after catching it on KCRW’s ‘Today’s Top Tune’ web-page recently, and it comes from the contemporary R&B and Neo-Soul singer-songwriter Samm Henshaw, who was raised in South London by Nigerian parents and he studied for a degree in Popular Music Performance at Southampton Solent, a public research-based university. He released his debut album – ‘Untidy Soul’ – on January 28th, 2022 via AWAL Recordings. That was a few months ago, and so this post is perhaps a slightly delayed reaction to the release, but it should feel recent enough for you and, as the sixteen-track project is his debut release, I hope the quiet weeks of January gave him some breathing room to stand out within. Henshaw has gained mainstream radio support from BBC Radio 1 and he has been supporting more well-known names like James Bay, Chance The Rapper and Allen Stone on tour in recent years. His previous single and EP releases have helped him garner over 20 million streams on Spotify. He wrote and performed ‘The World Is Mine’ – a track that became the theme track for the ‘Alex Rider’ TV series that you can find on Amazon Prime Video or IMDB TV. He began writing ‘Untidy Soul’ nearly six years ago, but he went through a change of creative direction when he switched labels before finishing the record in 2020. Produced by Josh Grant, it was mainly influenced by Kirk Franklin and Common, and the final project is a year-long document of self-discovery. Talking more about the title and LP in detail, he says, “The music I make has never felt nice and clean or like conventional Soul music – it’s messy, because I can be quite a scatter-brain and usually have a million different things going through my head at once”, in his press release. Let’s give ‘Enough’ a spin.

‘Untidy Soul’ features guest contributions from Maverick Sabre, Keyon Harrold and Tobe Nwigwe, and to describe the songwriting behind tracks like ‘Enough’, he says, “These songs all tell very different stories, but the overall theme for me is self-growth. You see the main character start in one place at the beginning and get to another place by the end, and hopefully, that inspires people to have some reflection on their own lives, how they treat others, how they treat themselves, because I think most of us are a bit of a mess on the inside. We’re all a work in progress”, in a recent article for New Wave Magazine. ‘Enough’ is his meditation on perfectionism and the lengths that you go to strive for your own satisfaction levels, with inward lyrics like “It’s getting heavy on my brain/Too busy trying to make a name” and “Three dots and no reply/Feeling like a social suicide” in the verses that discuss how your own thoughts can weigh heavily on yourself and how the stresses of modern, 24 hour-style society can affect your mind-set with a distinctively British sense of character too. The chorus hooks of “How rich is rich enough?/How strong is strong enough?” and “How much is too much?/When is enough enough” carries the same idea of answering questions that everybody asks themselves, while the overall track explores how we all, as human beings, through Samm as a study, have a tendency to push ourselves to our furthest limits despite it not being the most efficient thing that we can do to help ourselves. None of this is carried out with a doom and gloom, a woe-is-me or a too self-serious spirit however – as although Henshaw is sanguine and self-questioning with his vocal textures throughout, he comes across as quietly optimistic with his crooning as the self-effacing Funk backdrop mounts it’s comeback below the low-key and wry personality of Henshaw’s voice throughout. The instrumentation has a habit of feeling timeless, where the airy and radiant Trumpet melodies feel vintage and Motown-influenced, but the lyrics comment on contemporary issues to give the classical influences a more modernized spin. There’s also an underlying sense of Gospel to the entire ordeal, with layered female baking vocals giving weight to the signature Soul style. For me, Samm Henshaw feels a little like Britain’s answer to Curtis Harding or Leon Bridges as the instrumentation feels nostalgic but the production feels extant and immediate, alongside a wide sense of accessibility and relatability for casual listeners, thus overcoming the risk of the more nostalgic influences making it feel outdated and, instead, Henshaw carries a sense of the ‘ageless’ with his music. In conclusion, he feels almost like my favourite weatherman (Which is Channel 4’s Liam Dutton, if you were starting to wonder). His presence is simply soothing, with a comforting approach of not fixing anything that isn’t broken.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Untidy Soul’ (LP/Album) (Released on January 28th, 2022) (via AWAL Recordings)

That’s everything for today! Thank you for continually supporting the site, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review an exciting new single by an Emily Kempf-led Post-Punk and Garage Rock band who are originally from Chicago, Illinois. They have toured the UK, the Netherlands, France and Germany supporting Twin Peaks, and their single ‘Wild’ was featured in an episode of The CW’s TV series ‘Charmed’ that began airing in 2018.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Roots Manuva – ‘Witness (1 Hope)’

March 23, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Roots Manuva in promotional artwork for ‘4everrevolution’ (2011) (Photo via MusicRadar.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and if you haven’t had your breakfast yet, it’s time to get your fill as we go retro with a 00’s British Dub/Hip-Hop classic as we go retro for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the blog, where we revisit some of the seminal sounds of the past, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Widely considered to be a reference to ‘Doctor Who’ with the intentionally similar melody to the sci-fi phenomenon’s main theme track, ‘Witness (1 Hope)’, released in 2001 by the Stockwell-born rapper and producer Roots Manuva, is a quintessential tribute to British cultural roots that was a stark contrast to the influences of Hip-Hop from the US that was prominent in most other UK hip-hop releases at that point. Infusing the track with Dancehall and Psych-Funk elements, Manuva garnered widespread acclaim for his diverse production and amusing lyricism with the UK Top 45 track. Manuva has since been described as “one of the most influential artists in British music history” by Vice as recently as 2016, having produced several well-acclaimed albums like 2008’s ‘Slime & Reason’, 2002’s ‘Dub Come Save Me’ and, in the case of today’s track, 2001’s ‘Run Come Save Me’. He has also collaborated with an extensive list of other artists including Charli 2na, Gorillaz, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Beth Orton, DJ Shadow, Jamie Cullum, Leftfield, Nightmares On Wax and The Cinematic Orchestra throughout the years. Released on Big Dada in 2001, Manuva’s album breakthrough ‘Run Come Save Me’ earned him a MOBO Award for ‘Best Hip Hop Act’ of that same year. Q also listed the record as one of the best 50 albums of 2001, as Manuva was showered with praise from critics for his individual approach to contemporary Hip-Hop at the time and the uniquely British edge to his songwriting. These days, Roots Manuva is still fairly active. His latest album release was 2015’s ‘Bleeds’ and he headlined the Lounge On The Farm festival in Canterbury, Kent in 2019. Let’s remember the video for ‘Witness (One Hope)’ below.

The Mat Kirby-directed music video that you have just seen – which features Roots Manuva taking part in a sports day at his previous primary school that he truly attended in real life – is a bizzare piece, but it also gained similar acclaim from critics for it’s humorous scenes and original plot. Sports Day is also something that may mean nothing to schools from other countries, and so it really fits the vibe of his track’s point, in a weirdly fitting way. The track starts off with the aforementioned bass line that squelches and crackles to the tune of self-aware lyrics like “I sit here contented with this cheese on toast” and “We drown ten pints of bitter” that reference unquestionably British themes. The low-fidelity bassline has a downbeat, low-end pummeling quality and pulsating, throbbing rhythms that has a low-budget, DIY sense of production to it. On the Reggae front, there’s a fusion of organic Funk and heavy Dancehall going on here, with rickety and makeshift Dub sounds that Manuva claims was composed in protest to the poor quality of the sound systems being used in British night-clubs in the early 00’s, and the deliberate mimicry of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme track is another audacious jab at British popular culture while complementing the Spoken Word delivery of his half-rapped vocals. On the lyrical front, he uses sharp refrains like “I feel the pain of a third world famine, We count them blessings and keep jamming” to draw from diverse imagery of his Jamaican roots, and he’s never afraid to anglicize these ideas for wider accessibility while seeming self-conscious about it. Ultimately, ‘Witness (1 Hope)’ still holds up today as a wonderfully bizzare take on British-Jamaican male experiences and seeking identity in a multi-cultural environment, where the Dub influences feel as sharp as they are lovingly unsullied by the idea of perfection. The lyrics are still unique and innovative, while the track and video still pack an effective punch because of how amusing and engaging they both feel. It was wildly different to anything else at the time and it’s a track that, while holds an influence other modern DIY-style Hip-Hop tracks, also feels impossible to truly duplicate in the same way again. The most relatable element is how we all had to just survive Sports Day. Brilliant, and only he could get away with it.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Run Come Save Me’ (LP/Album) (Released on August 13, 2001) (via Big Dada Records)

That brings me to the end of another throwback post and, as always, thank you very much for supporting the site today. I’ll be back tomorrow, as we head across the shores to the US to review a recent single by a Brooklyn-based indie rock trio who will be performing at The Junction in Cambridge on March 30th. They have supported names like Pixies, Wolf Alice and Cherry Glazerr and they have released material on labels like Fat Possum Records and Mom + Pop Music. They gained the attention of critics with their sets at South By Southwest & CMJ Music Marathon in the mid-2010’s.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Gossip – ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’

March 16, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Beth Ditto (Vocals/Piano), Nathan Howdeshell (Bass/Keyboard) & Hannah Billie (Drums) (2019) (via PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to start spreading the word on the street (or the internet) that there is another daily track on the blog in town as we go retro for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Formerly known as ‘The Gossip’ – Gossip were a Beth Ditto-led punk rock band from Arkansas who were originally active between 1999 and 2016 who were another name in a fairly familiar string of Garage Rock Revival sub-genre bands like The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and The Hives who were also popular in the contemporary mainstream of the time. Exploring a mixture of indie rock, post-punk revival and dance-rock influences, they gained some breakthrough in radio charts popularity with their 2006 track ‘Standing In The Control’, a glitzy Pop-Punk number that reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and it has appeared on decade-end lists like NME’s ‘150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years’ at the #34 rank on the list in 2011 and at #429 on Pitchfork’s ‘Top 500 Greatest Tracks Of The 2000’s’ list in late 2009. It was the lead single of Gossip’s third studio album of the same name released in 2006, which reached #1 on the UK’s Indie Chart and it has reached Gold status in the territory. Produced by Ryan Hadlock and Guy Picciotto, it was Gossip’s first album to feature new drummer Hannah Billie, of Seattle’s Chromatics fame. If you used to watch the British TV drama ‘Skins’ on E4, you would also know the track as it was proclaimed to be the ‘unofficial’ theme track of the programme as it featured heavily in promotional materials and it would be played on the DVD main menu’s of the series’ home release. Let’s remember it below.

The yellow, black and red graffiti-style cover artwork for the physical single release was designed by none other than Kim Gordon, the bassist of Sonic Youth. Meanwhile, the track itself was written as a response to the Federal Marriage Amendment, a highly controversial code of law that would have outlawed gay marriage across the US. With this theme in mind, the impassioned instrumentation and the reasonably soft, yet minimal and pulsating, lead vocals by Beth Ditto hit harder as a battle cry for empowered liberation than anybody who has ever felt constrained or marginalized may have expected from Gossip. Bursting out of the gate energetically with the unforgettable refrain of “Your back’s against the wall/There’s no one home to call/You’re forgetting who to call/You can’t stop crying” that boasts the core sentiment of denying the authorities’ will to make same sex marriage illegal, a process that feels alien today, which paves the way for Billie to hit her metronomic hi-hat snares and four-on-the-floor bass kicks with her ragged Punk-infused Drum parts, while guitarist Brace Paine contributes some vigorous bass lines and high-energy guitar riffs, that chug along to the distortion-drenched production of the thin and treble-enhanced range of melodies, to the equation. Ditto’s vocals earn a distinction among the wealth of other talents in the Garage-Rock revival business of the mid-00’s as they feel rather Bluesy, yet propulsive, with a smoky delivery on mid-chorus hooks like “You’ll live your life/Survive the only way that you know” and a commanding presence above the instrumentation that recalls the vintage Motown acts of the 70’s like Diana Ross and Ann Wilson in her wailing notes and her lengthily sustained filler phrases. The track also fits squarely into the DIY ethics of an underground Punk feminist movement of the 1990’s called the ‘Riot grrrl’ era in the way that Ditto’s band combine Punk music with Politics on this, probably, best-known single from them. ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ feels like a natural blend between the two styles, and it creates a noticeable Disco edge too, as it feels impossible not to mindlessly nod your head along to the groove. It was unapologetically brash, and Ditto’s band were transformed from a clan of Dance-Punk disruptors to Pop phenomena in the process.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ (LP/Album) (Released on January 24th, 2006) (via Back Yard Recordings/Kill Rock Stars)

That brings me to the end of another nostalgic throwback post on One Track At A Time, and I hope that you have a pleasant day, and thank you for showing your support for the site today. I’ll be diverting your attention back to brand new music tomorrow, as we review the latest single by a Grime-meets-Punk duo based in East London who have toured with hardcore rapper Nascar Aloe, supported Gallows at their comeback gig at House Of Vans in 2019 and were featured in a guest appearance on a BBC Radio 1 session by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes presented by Annie Mac.

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Today’s Track: Porij – ‘Figure Skating’

March 14, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: ‘Eggy’ (Lead Vocals/Keyboard), ‘Tommy’ (Rhythm Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), ‘Jammo’ (Bass Guitar/Percussion) and ‘Tom’ (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (in July 2021) (Photo via The Guardian/PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke here – and it’s time for me to kick off another long week’s worth of daily track posts on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Porij are back with ‘Figure Skating’, their first new track of 2022, and it warms me up for what’s shaping up to be yet another hectic and engaging year for the Manchester Art-Pop collective – who were formed by Eggy (Vocals/Keys), Tommy (Guitar/Vocals), Jammo (Bass/Percussion) and Tom (Drums/Vocals) when they studied and stayed together at The Royal Nothern College of Music. They explore a fluidity between genres such as House, Liquid Drum ‘N’ Bass, Garage, New Wave and Lo-Fi Rock under the Indie Pop umbrella, with early covers of tracks originally from The Prodigy and Disclosure earning them attention from industry insiders. Porij have released a wide range of singles like ‘Nobody Scared’, ‘Can’t Stop’ and ‘Dirty Love’, some of which were also released on 2020’s ‘Breakfast’ and 2021’s ‘Baby Face’ EP’s, and a lot of these tracks have been selected for daytime airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music. Support has also poured in from ITV Granada, The Guardian, NME, DIY Mag and more including, since I haven’t forgot to mention, this very blog. As I mentioned, it’s looking like a restless year for Porij as they will be supporting Lynks, Metronomy and Obongjayar on tours throughout the year, playing a handful of solo headline gigs, and they will be performing at various music festivals in the summer months like Green Man and The Great Escape. The Winter Olympics may finally be over, but, for their latest track, Porij explore intimacy and immovability through ‘Figure Skating’. Let’s give it a spin below.

Porij – pronounced as ‘Porridge’ as you would expect – seemingly picked their name at random as an inside joke between the band’s original four members, and they recruited future touring partner Lynks to show off his ice figure skating skills in the music video for their most recent track. The band break ‘Figure Skating’ down by saying, “Figure Skating is about intimacy and sensuality in moments that aren’t overtly sexual”, in a press release, explaining, “It’s appreciating romance in the day to day, not the big dramas or passions but the kind of stuff that’s put in a montage in a film. It’s an insight into a secure relationship and explores the moments that are beautifully average, but somehow turn out to be the best bits”, in the note. Starting off with humming synths that evoke a Horn-like texture, Porij take to the rink with soft and gliding vocals which convey the high level of trust and the rehearsed training that goes into a couples ice skating dance routine, with lyrics in the verses like “Crinkled eyes cut white and blue/When I tickle your elbow grease” that sound a little witty on paper while also toying with the close level of intimacy found in the warm textures of the euphoric synths and the right drum melodies. Lyrics like “Inverse, Focus/I’ll hold you down, just you and me” and “Drifting past subconscious feel/Phaser building from within” achieve the similar effects of the Soulful vocals in the verses and chorus, while Eggy’s post-chorus croon of “Skin lying under me” glides seamlessly above the more high tempo percussion. The bassline has the driving melodies and the lyrical determination of a modern dance track, but their croons keep the tone feeling very warm and more grounded in emotive qualities throughout the 4-minute number. Overall, ‘Figure Skating’ just shows Porij getting even better and better, and they were already fairly good to begin with. The track embraces dance music culture, but the band never forgets the inward ideas of intimacy and profound deepness in which they shaped the songwriting and production around. I was simply along for the skate.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Baby Face’ (EP) (Released on September 22nd, 2021) (via Oat Gang Records)

If ‘Figure Skating’ finds you scavenging for more of Porij, you can check out some of their other tracks on the blog below:

‘Can’t Stop’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/11/30/todays-track-porij-cant-stop/

‘Nobody Scared’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/06/15/todays-track-porij-nobody-scared/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Nobody Scared’ (Single) (Released on April 21st, 2021) (via Oat Gang Records)

That brings us to the end of another blog post for today! Thank you for checking out my little musing and thank you for sparing a moment of time out of you day to show some support for independent creatives like Porij and myself today. I’ll be back tomorrow for something a little bit different as we take a listen to some contemporary classical music from another Manchester-formed act who were shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2014. They are currently signed to Blue Note Records, and their most recent single is their first to feature drummer Jon Scott, who replaced Rob Turner in December 2021 for their line-up. They will play at Cambridge’s Junction in November.

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Today’s Track: Kojey Radical (feat. Knucks) – ‘Payback’

March 12, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Kojey Radical in a glamorous photoshoot for a Q&A feature with The Badger Online (2022) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for us to take a quick look at one of the UK’s most well-received Grime upstarts for yet another track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Rapper, creative director, mixed media visual director and a first class degree graduate in Fashion Illustration from the London College Of Fashion – is there anything that Hoxton-based musician Kojey Radical can’t do? His debut mixtape, 2016’s ’23 Winters’, debuted at #3 on the UK’s Rap & Hip Hop Albums Charts and reached the top 40 of the UK Singles Charts and, since that point, he has received three MOBO music awards nominations. He has also collaborated with a wide variety of artists such as Mahalia, Lex Amor, Ray BLK, Tom Grennan and MJ Cole. He has recently given us another ‘Reason To Smile’ with his titular first full-length studio album that was released last Friday – on March 4th – via the major label Atlantic Records. The new record is about giving people greatness and striving for self-perfection, and it features a guest appearance from his own mother alongside a plethora of other featured credits, which he explores through a progressive range of Grime, Spoken Word, Alternative Hip-Hop and Psychedelic Funk backdrops. The latter is the most prominent option on ‘Payback’, the lead single, which finds Kojey enlisting the aid of Knucks. The Jazz/Soul-oriented production was also handled by frequent collaborator Swindle. Let’s give ‘Payback’ a listen with the opulent music video below.

“When you’ve been taught to be the victim for so long, it feels great to stand up and say, no one can bully me”, Kojey says in a simple statement about ‘Payback’ as a single. Talking about the ambitions of his new album, he says, “This is the first time I’ve done it to the scale and ambition of what I speak. Previously it’s been ‘I’m warming, I’m warming, I’m warming up’ – but I’m warm now, put me in the game”, in a press release. ‘Payback’ gets off to a heated start with the brassy refrains of “Dark and bullseyes/the dress code black/Count my money up, I need my racks” in the opening chorus, before Knucks takes the lead for an equally strident verse where he raps about the different qualities that are perceived to represent black success, all of the while that a Saxophone-enhanced bassline and a taut sample-based backdrop helps to glide his vocals above the melodies with a floating flow. There’s references to popular culture, such as the Netflix series ‘Top Boy’, while there’s nods to the sample-based production of Madlib and J Dilla in the richly Funk-influenced backing beats. Some of the strongest lyrics, like “Rap my freedom like a gift/and I ain’t seen the trap since” and “From 1993, I’ve been f***ing up the narrative”, are also the most bold ones, as they speak candidly of finding wealth and measuring power with a nonchalantly poetic flair. There are subtle themes about flexing over your enemies and justice being made, where hooks like “Until we multiply black wealth/**** a statue” and “Don’t let the ivory towers come distract you” make reference to recent cultural events, but it never feels too pretentious or as if Kojey or Knucks are flaunting too much, as black financial generational wealth is the goal instead of personal ambitions within the songwriting. A very fast and furious Hip-Hop anthem with a light touch of Kojey’s undeniably Jazz-oriented and soulful Funk influences, ‘Payback’ comes at you with a hard and honest personality that makes it feel like a cut above the rest. I would have liked to hear a tad more expression from Kojey on his own, as ‘Payback’ shows that a host of collaborators have been behind the steering wheel of it, but this is a strong effort from all involved that gets a lot of the fundamentals right.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Reason To Smile’ (LP/Album) (Released on March 4th, 2022) (via Atlantic Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you very much for taking a moment out of your day to check out what I had to say, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review some more rhythms as we head back to our teenage years for a new entry of my weekly ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature. We’ll be listening to a modern classic from one of the few female-led bands of the era who have collaborated with Tom Morello and last released an album in 2021. The single in question was memorably used in the edgy comic book movie ‘Kick-Ass’ that bought Hollywood actors like Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnston to fame.

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Today’s Track: Maylee Todd – ‘Show Me’

March 10, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Toronto’s Maylee Todd in a recent photoshoot to promote ‘Maloo’ (2022) (Photo via TheStar.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has arrived for me to guide you through yet another exciting daily track on the blog from a very brave and ambitious singer-songwriter, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Brave’ and ‘Ambitious’ are just two words that describe the Toronto-based Art Pop musician Maylee Todd, who is new to this young writer’s eardrums, who has experimented with instruments as obscure as the Paraguayan Harp and the Tenori-on in her career since she began recording material in the 00’s. Todd has played across numerous festivals including the Crossover Jazz Fest and the Billboard Live Stage, she has performed alongside the likes of Janelle Monae, The Budos Band, Aloe Blacc and Thundercat on stage throughout the years, and she contributed her vocals to Bob Wiseman’s collaborative LP release ‘Giuletta Masina At The Oscars Crying’ in 2012. Todd was also the creator of Virtual Womb, a practical art exhibition where the audience walks through an enlarged CGI image of a Vagina and lies on the floor, awaiting the vibrant projections that float across on the ceiling, in 2017. Maylee Todd’s music seems just as visual and provoking, as a wide assortment of Indie Pop, Prog Jazz, Psych Funk, Bossa Nova and more have been incorporated into the sounds of her musical projects. Her latest full-length album – ‘Maloo’ – was released on March 4th via Stones Throw Records – an eclectic Funk, Jazz and Soul specialist label based in Los Angeles, California that has introduced several amazing artists like MNDSGN, John Carroll Kirby and Kiefer to my streaming libraries throughout the last few years of my work. Let’s give ‘Show Me’ a listen below.

To produce her latest artsy-craftsy LP project, Maylee Todd spent a lot of time researching VR throughout the pandemic, which led to some ideas on utopian, futuristic technology. The result is ‘Maloo’, a fictional character that she has designed in virtual reality that she created while working on the story and setting of a prototype VR video game, as she learned the skills of 3D modelling and body tracking to bring her vision to life. Dubbed as ‘The Age Of Energy’, a virtual space where the character is based, the concept album and the ‘Maloo’ avatar are influenced by intimate, personal origins. As Todd writes, “We participate in the digital landscape and our digital life has real-life implications”, in her press statement. Musically, she wrote and recorded ‘Show Me’ as the introductory single with the Yamaha Tenori-on – a discontinued electronic sequencer that was built by Toshio Iwai, a Japanese interactive media and installation artist. Her single begins with some glitched keyboard chords that convey visuals of futuristic cyberspace and post-modern technology immediately. The bass grooves grow deeper as her downtempo vocals become more hypnotic, and she allures you in to ‘Show Me’ with a noticeably Soulful skew that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sly & The Family Stone or a Toro Y Moi record in it’s nostalgic, but free-form, nature. Lyrics like “Watch the birds, take their form/Icy hands, blood is warm” complement the peaceful and tranquil vibes, while the minimalist chorus of “Show me, your heart” is deep and intimate in it’s Lo-Fi textures. ‘Maloo’ may be conceptually driven and visually influenced at large, but the single is accessible enough to a fairly mainstream because it feels simple yet not simplistic. I also really admire the work that Todd has put into ‘giving the project her all’ by focusing on how the audio-visual aspects of the piece were written in tandem with her vocals. It reminds me of Bjork and St. Vincent, who are undoubtedly driven artists that have similar characteristics of boldness and communicating an idea through all aspects of the media at their disposal. In conclusion, it seems clear that Maylee Todd has a lot more to ‘Show Me’ – and I look forwards to seeing the rest of it.

Pictured: Vinyl Copy of ‘Maloo’ (LP/Album) (Released on March 4th, 2022) (via Stones Throw Records)

(That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you very much for reading what I had to say about Maylee Todd for a few moments today, and I’ll be back tomorrow to guide you through a sneek peek at one of the weekend’s notable and new album releases. This week’s post involves the debut LP release from an emerging Alternative Rock 4-piece Post-Rock band who have been supported by the daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6 Music and they have been praised by NME. If you’re a fan of hard rock outfits such as Coach Party and Kid Kapichi – you’re going to enjoy it!

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Way Back Wednesdays: The Specials – ‘Gangsters’

March 9, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Art for’The Best Of The Specials & Fun Boy Three’ (LP) (Released In 2006) (via Pegasus Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to go retro with another weekly blog entry of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the site, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Today, we really are going ‘Way Back’ because we are talking about the British Ska revival band The Specials, who were part of the 2 Tone and Alternative Reggae movements all of the way back in the late-70’s and they have continued to represent these styles through to the present day. I was going to see a tribute band for The Specials in Stoke-On-Trent before the pandemic hit in 2020 – which I was very much looking forward to, in a way – but, unfortunately, we know how that turned out in the end. Known for combining uplifting Dub melodies with the ferocious spirit of Punk, The Specials were formed back in 1977 when they lived in Coventry – and that is way before my time. They used to wear mod-style 60’s period ‘rude boy’ outfits complete with pork pie hats, tonic & mohair suits, and loafers on-stage, likely performing their greatest hits like ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’ that reached #1 in the UK’s singles chart. They continued their career throughout the 80’s and 90’s under a revised line-up with an alternate name of The Specials AKA, which represented their informed political stance and their wry social commentary on British society. Most impressively, The Specials are still recording new material today, and they most recently released ‘Encore’ in 2019 – an original album that re-introduced vocalist Terry Hall to their ranks, and it was a #1 entry on the UK Albums Chart. ‘Gangsters’ was another of their classics, which was recorded in Studio One of Horizon Studios in Coventry during 1979 to be released as their first track under The Specials AKA name, and it peaked at #6 in the UK Singles Chart following release. Let’s give it a spin below.

Terry Hall created the vocals for ‘Gangsters’ by mixing an “angry” recording and a “bored” recording that were cobbled together, while Horace Panter had to re-cut the Bass parts because they were originally so extreme that they “blew the needle out of the record’s grooves” and pianist Jerry Dammers overdubbed a treble-heavy Piano instrumental on to the track to compensate for the low-end of the Bass. Lyrically, ‘Gangsters’ was allegedly written about a real-life incident where The Specials had to pay for damage caused to a hotel by another band (rumored to be The Damned) as they were held responsible, and the track is also reportedly a re-working of Prince Buster’s 1964 ska track ‘Al Capone’ because ‘Gangsters’ samples the car sound effects which played at the beginning of Buster’s track. Moreover, The Specials changed the refrain in the opening line to “Bernie Rhodes knows, don’t argue” as an insult aimed at Bernie Rhodes, who was the band’s manager for a brief stint. Taking all of these different stories into account, The Specials telling a story of dis-establihment in a bizzare way as they reference incidents like a mis-step involving a guitar above a perky variety of gently Skanting Dubplate beats and odd Middle Eastern-sounding instrumentals, while the lead vocals retain an energetic – yet eeire – delivery. The guitar melodies sound different to Al Capone’s track, and so The Specials did an excellent job of re-writing that track in their own image, with the deadpan vocals conveying a feeling of self-awareness about them. Overall, ‘Gangsters’ was a vital step in introducing The Specials’ take on British Ska to wider audiences at large by paying tribute to some nice influences in clear, yet poignant ways. The vocals have a quality of vagueness which retains an aura of mystery throughout, and the danceable Rocksteady drums are likely to encourage weird great uncle’s to partake in some questionable “jerky dancing” at some family parties. Injected with humor, darkness and youth – The Specials had a big hit on their hands when they released ‘Gangsters’.

Pictured: A LEGO r-ecreation of the ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ music video (2018) (Photo Credit: Musical Brick)

That same year, The Specials also re-created ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ with the famous British-Jamaican saxophonist Dandy Livingstone. You can find out more about that here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/06/todays-track-the-specials-a-message-to-you-rudy/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ (Single) (Released in 1979) (via 2 Tone/Chrysallis)

That brings me to the end of another nostalgic breakdown of a beloved classic for another week on the blog, and I thank you for spending a moment of your day with me on the site today. I’ll be back to bringing some new music to your eardrums tomorrow, as we take a light gander on a downtempo soul track by an experimental Toronto-based performance artist and producer whose music encompasses Pop, Indie Rock, Jazz, Neo-Soul and Bossa Nova. She has learned to play several exotic instruments including the Harp, a Pairometer and the Tenori-on. She has shared the stage with the likes of Janelle Monae and Aloe Blacc, and she contributed her vocals to Bob Wiseman’s ‘Giulietta Masina At The Oscars Crying’ that was first issued in 2012.

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International Women’s Day 2022 Special: Little Simz (feat. Cleo Sol) – ‘Woman’

March 8, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Little Simz with the ‘Best British Album’ award at the NME Awards 2019 (Photo by Dean Chalkley)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and I would like to give a shout-out to all of the heroic heroines of the world as we celebrate International’s Women’s Day on this fine morning, with a themed track on the blog, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Woman’ is perfect for this occasion, and it comes from the British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz, who continues to become an icon of contemporary popular culture and her music keeps veering into the consciousness of the mainstream. Simz is a real talent who knows how to say it how it is lyrically, she certainly knows how to make an impression without auto-tune, she knows how to work a crowd, plus her flow and production is both effortless and diverse. Also, she raps candidly about a wide diversity of topics, both social and political, with a hyper-personal touch on every subsequent release. She has been around since 2015, and since that time, she’s won both NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards. She has also performed acting roles in series like Netflix’s ‘Top Boy’ and E4’s ‘Youngers’, as well as appearing in and recording the theme track for the recent comic book blockbuster sci-fi film ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’, and, most recently, she took home the BRIT Award for ‘Best New Artist’ for this year. ‘Woman’ is one of the strong singles from her latest full-length record – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ – that she released last September via Age 101 (her own label). The album appeared on year-end best lists from the likes of Exclaim, Clash, The Telegraph, The Independent and The Line Of Best Fit. The single finds Simz just paying tribute to all of the women who have inspired her during her life. Check out the lavish video below.

Simz enlisted the help of Joy Crookes, Denai Moore, Sienna King, Zeze Millz and more to star in her video, and each of these ladies look as glamorous and fashionable as something straight out of a fashion show. She says, “I love it when I see women doing their thing and looking flawless; I’m here for that”, in a press statement, adding, “It’s empowering; it’s inspiring; I wanted to say thank you and I wanted to celebrate them”, about the track ‘Woman’ at the time of release last year. We start off with a soulful and Jazz-oriented string of instrumentation, where soulful backing vocals that sound golden and retro collide with mellow Keys and slow percussion, but Simz recites lyrics like “Bajan honeys/Know you reppin for your country/Sun kissing your brown skin, looking like money” with a fast flow to give the pacing an uplift, and she summarizes topics like racial identity and personal identity with a gently wisecracking tone that feels like she is almost telling a narrative or story. Throughout the verses, she recites bars like “Miss sierra leone, looking like a gem/Works hard in the week/Party on the weekend” and “Brooklyn ladies/Know you hustle on the daily/Innovative, just like Donna Summer in the 80’s” that shouts out the different role models who have played a role in Simz’ life as a fellow woman and selects a wide variety of name-drops of icons from around the whole world, while highlighting their strengths with a smartly intimate touch. It has a clear Neo-Soul and Psychedelic Jazz vibe throughout, with a mellow style of vocal delivery and Simz makes her lyricism feel wholesome with her unsullied sense of honesty. The backing vocals by Cleo Sol – who worked nicely with Simz on earlier tracks like ‘Selfish’ during previous albums – complements Simz’s warmth neatly because her harmonies feel luscious and smooth, so the two work cohesively again and make a decent pair together because Sol adds even more radiance to the richness of the Soul, Gospel and Jazz fusion of the backing instrumentals. Overall, ‘Woman’ is absolutely the definitive single for us to celebrate International Women’s Day along to, because it is a captivating take on saluting female gender in the media from a songwriting perspective, yet it never feels like it does so in a way that feels ruthlessly marketed or conformed to a particular formula. Instead, it boasts a message of self-confidence and connects with Simz’ own story of finding personal success and creative fulfillment despite gender politics in the mine-field of the industry, before ending on the witty plea of a voicemall call from a family member – who is very lucky, honestly, to be talking to such a fantastic talent in Simbi.

Pictured: Little Simz in an official promotional photoshoot for the ‘Drop 6’ EP (2020) (Photo Credit: TAMIYM)

I’m a huge fan of Little Simz, so she’s no stranger to these parts. If you loved hearing all about ‘Woman’, you can check out some of my other features regarding Simz here:

‘I Love You, I Hate You’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/09/03/new-album-release-fridays-little-simz-i-love-you-i-hate-you/

‘Introvert’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/04/27/todays-track-little-simz-introvert/

‘Where’s My Lighter?’ (2020) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/15/little-simz-feat-alewya-wheres-my-lighter/

‘God Bless Mary’ (2015) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/04/todays-track-little-simz-god-bless-mary/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ (LP) (Released on September 3rd, 2021) (via Age 101)

That brings us to the end of today’s celebrations! Thank you very much for joining me today, and I’ll be back tomorrow as we go retro for another weekly iteration of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’. We’re going truly old school this week, as we celebrate a British Ska revival and 2 Tone band who have been around ever since they were formed in Coventry during 1977. They famously recorded hits like ‘Ghost Town’ and re-created ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ with Dandy Livingstone. This act last released an LP in 2019.

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Today’s Track: Obongjayar – ‘Message In A Hammer’

February 17, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Some Nights I Dream Of Doors’ (LP) (Available from May 13th, 2022) (via September Recordings)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to hear a defiant word of resistance from today’s important new voice in music with yet another daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Long-time readers may remember how Obongjayar reached the last spot of my ‘Top 5 Best EP’s Of 2020’ list with ‘Which Way Is Forward?’ eons ago, and that’s because this artist is doing a lot of very creative things within the Afrobeat genre by blending elements of Electronic, Spoken Word, Psych-Pop and Post-Rock music together to create frightening and visceral soundscapes that lyrically explore non religion-specific spiritual overtones about searching for your soul. Obongjayar is the release moniker of London-based Afrobeat artist Steven Umoh, who was born in Calabar, Nigeria and he moved over to the UK with his mother to escape their abusive relationship with his father. He is influenced by the US Hip-Hop artists of the 2000’s who he spent his childhood listening to including Eminem, Ciara, Usher, Nelly and Snoop Dogg. His work has gained praise from Pitchfork, The Guardian, New Wave Magazine and Deep Cuts – and he has recently collaborated with Pa Salieu and Little Simz. He also contributed to the ‘Everything Is Recorded’ project that was started by Richard Russell, who is the executive of XL Recordings. Umoh will be releasing his debut studio album – ‘Some Nights I Dream Of Doors’ – via September Recordings on May 13th. In an attached press release, Umoh says, “This album dives into the idea of opportunity and tries to explore what that means, what lies beyond those doors, and asks if we’re ready for it”. Check out his haunting single ‘Message In A Hammer’ below.

The new album features 12 tracks including the other pre-release single – ‘Try’ – and a new collaboration with the Mercury Prize-nominated Prog-Jazz musician Nubya Garcia. ‘Message In A Hammer’ is built on a pummeling beat that Umoh devised with co-producer Barney Lister, and Umoh makes his stern warning sound clear, saying, “Message In A Hammer is about fight, and fighting against the powers that take and steal and rob from us, and calling them by their name – thieves and murderers”, in a press release. The ‘hammer’ in the track’s title is not metaphorical in the video, and he matches this striking imagery with a piece of music that finds him chanting methodically with his vocals that sound very determined and brutal with honesty. Refusing to be placed into a box, he protests against colonialism and state corruption with unbridled lyrics like “Born in trouble water/Every stroke is war” and “They drowned the ones before us/But we’ll make it to shore” that hint towards the actions bought about by SARS, a Nigerian authority who has come under scrutiny for the violence that it has inflicted on young Nigerians with its special police force. Synths hover and waver in the backbeat, while the drums thump along at a relentless pace and sell the disdain that Umoh has instinctively felt about the history that he refuses not to get overburdened by, and he instead turns the tide – in both a literal and a lyrical sense – with the leading hook of “You can beat me, shoot me, kill me, throw me in jail/You can strip me, use me, abuse me” that makes his very commanding presence felt and leads his unsullied chorus. His tone is furious and hellbent, but his vocals come across as passionate instead of preachy, for the most part. I think what really works about Obongjayar’s music is how his voice stretches through a plethora of political and intimate themes, while set against a range of different influences and subsequent backdrops, without coming across as too self-righteous and it feels harsh, but well-balanced, instead. This is another solid example that he displays on ‘Message In A Hammer’, a message against the dispatch of systematic oppression that acknowledges the past while conveying a forward-thinking ethos and delivery. The naval percussion, the sinister Synths and the brisk pace tie a neat ribbon around it all.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Which Way Is Forward?’ (EP) (Released on February 7, 2020) (via September Recordings)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out some different music with me today, and thank you for lending a pair of eyes to my site for just a few minutes today. I’m visiting my sister in Kent tomorrow – so you can rest assured that I’ve gotten ahead of my game and written all about tomorrow’s pick for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ in advance. We’re discussing the ambitious double album project from a Chamber Pop duo from Baltimore, Maryland who have been nominated for a Swedish GAFFA award.

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