Tag Archives: Soul

May 01 2025
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Etta Bond – Make Me Cry

One of the most unique talents out of the UK, the beautiful singer/songwriter Etta Bond is one of the pioneers, a prominent talent who stood out early with her unconventional style. Similar to soulful acts like Cleo Sol and Bluey Robinson, the artistry found itself falling behind in what was a transitional period for the music industry, none the less her distinct tone and authenticity cut through and fast forward, as the natural talents rightfully progress, with the likes of Cleo, Jorja Smith and newcomer Kwn, Etta Bond is definitely one deserving to shine. Having teased fans with 2023’s A1, Lie To Me and the introspective (and a personal favourite) Zone, she returns with another two quality tracks, Let Me See Your Phone and the latest release, Make Me Cry

Let Me See Your Phone, is classic Etta, sultry, enchanting and captivating, with longtime producer Raf Riley, it’s a slow and soulful number, her vocals like an additional instrument, taking centre stage as she croons with a perfect balance of confidence and vulnerability. As great as her voice is, her lyricism is heavily underrated and this track emphasises that songwriting ability. Which brings us to the more uptempo offering, Make Me Cry

This is exactly why fans have been craving for an album from her, these contrasting sounds like ranges of feelings are what make artists special and she does this effortlessly. With it’s catchy drums, she’s able to match it’s infectiousness and deliver an emotionally strong and sexy effort. It definitely reminds me of a particular song from the past and though it must be from a while back as I can’t seem to remember, I’m thinking Justin Timberlake or Beyonce maybe, but that merely highlights the level of quality of this song. Credit to Raf Riley, once again creating a perfect canvas for Etta to vocally paint across and being able to delve into these real subjects so organically further champion why she’s so underrated to me.

Like Let Me See Your Phone, Make Me Cry is another step in the right direction for the songstress and hopefully will be part of a full length project in the near future, giving us a greater sample of her artistry, with her blend of innovative, relatable and honest music.

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Mar 28 2009
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Music

Musiq Soulchild – SoBeautiful

One of the most gifted artists of our time, Musiq Soulchild is back with the third single from his fifth album ‘OnMyRadio’, the track ‘SoBeautiful’ reminds me of earlier Musiq material such as ‘Aimewitue’ and ‘You Be Alright’, which were considered classics from his debut album ‘Aijuswanaseing’. SoBeautiful has Soulchild raising the falsetto to let his lady know just how much he feels for her,
“Girl don’t You know your so beautiful
I wanna give all my love to you girl
Not just tonight but the rest of your life
I wanna be always here by your side”,
that chorus says it all, it is simple in terms of word play, which lately I feel is the best approach for real meaningful soul songs, they appeal to such a wide range of people, many can relate and the song feels so much more honest in comparison to the generated R&B tracks we hear today. The simplicity of the song is furthermore boosted with the production itself, I use the word simple in regards to the heavy-synths and complicated drum pattern combinations that we’re exposed to with most tracks, SoBeautiful offers easy listening with its melody driven tempo, the piano intro starts it off and then the drum kicks in to emphasise Musiq Soulchild’s voice as he starts,
“Your my baby
My lover, my lady
All night you make me
Want you it drives me crazy
I feel like you
Were made just for me babe
Tell me if you
Feel the same way”,
the snare added and all in all it fits perfectly as Musiq’s voice carries the song to the chorus where more instruments are introduced, these instruments are introduced again, leading towards to the end the song, where it becomes far more emphatic and really delivers the feeling across to the listener, ‘SoBeautiful’ is one of many classic Neo-Soul tracks to come from Musiq Soulchild who never disappoints his audience and I recommend this song to anyone that likes real music.

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