Frank Ocean - Thinking About You

I couldn’t get into this artist’s popular album Channel Orange no matter how critically lauded it was, and the only song on it that did anything for me was the one I previously posted. However, this song apparently has grown on me because when I heard it played before a concert a couple days I found myself liking it.
Note: HD listening!

Frank Ocean - Thinking About You:

Melanie Fiona - Ay Yo

This artist’s voice is deadly! Whether subtle or in power mode, she sounds en pointe. You can tell that her vocals are so tightly controlled. I searching for her music, I found a lot of love ballads. This song, however, it meant to be uplifting and positive, which I appreciate.
Note: Listen to that voice in HD!

Melanie Fiona - Ay Yo:

Kevin Olusola - Heart Attack

I saw the a cappella group this artist beatboxes for, Pentatonix, live last night, and they were amazing! It was the first show of the tour, too. I didn’t know until they mentioned it during the show that this member was releasing solo music now, but that news made me happy because ever since I learned that he could play the cello in addition to (and often at the same time as) beatboxing I felt that his talent was too big to be encased exclusively within his participation in the group. He performed solo last night with the cello and beatboxing, BTW, so it’s real, folks! This is a cover of a Demi Lovato song I don’t remember hearing but it sounds familiar.
Note: I recommend hi-def!

Kevin Olusola - Heart Attack:

Kimberly Anne - Liar

I can see the Janelle Monaé comparisons flying already, thanks to her slightly unconventional style, but at least that's a flattering comparison. I heard this very song in the British show Hollyoaks, and it’s my favorite of the handful of songs I’ve heard by her so far. I’ll have to be on the lookout for this one.
Note: This is the official music video because it’s all I could find in HD!

Kimberly Anne - Liar:

Craig David feat. Sting - Rise and Fall

I loooove this artist’s voice, with his understated vibrato, but I always forget to look up his music. I really should get around to that… Anyway, this is one of the songs of his I came across years ago and really liked. This song features Sting, which I guess makes sense because the instrumental sounds very much like a Sting song. It’s kind of a sad song, as it feels very autobiographical and is about the pitfalls of fame, from its transient nature to its temptations.
Note: HD quality here!

Craig David feat. Sting - Rise and Fall:

Laureen Rose - 1-2-3 Soleil

I was just cruisin’ around YouTube for random zouk songs and happened across this song. At first it sounded mildly interesting, but the quality of her voice eventually sucked me in. With this post, I have the first inclusion of an artist from Guyana!

Laureen Rose - 1-2-3 Soleil [1-2-3 Sun]:

Michael Jackson - Will You Be There

The late King of Pop had this song on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Free Willy. While I did see the movie, I hardly remember it. However, I clearly remember this song despite not having heard it since probably the 1990s, which leads me to believe my exposure to it was most likely through a commercial for the movie that featured the song instead of the movie itself. I also clearly remember thinking as a child that the song was really pretty, and that’s my guess as to why it lodged itself so firmly in my memory bank.

Michael Jackson - Will You Be There:

Emeli Sandé - Mountains

This song narrates the changing stages of life in a relationship, from idealistic dreaming to coming to grips with the realities of building a life together and making it work. Even after making compromises, she still has room to dream of the future. This artist has the abilities of a power vocalist, but she goes restrained on this track, which I think could be interpreted as speaking to the attitude with which you dream when coming from a place grounded in reality.
Note: Go HD!

Emeli Sandé - Mountains:

Extended Famm - Velocity

There’s definitely profanity and vulgarity and such… But if that doesn’t bother you this hip hop track is worth the listen. Tonedeff is the obvious spotlight-stealer on this track, with his ridiculously flawless flow. In fact, it’s evident from the title of this track that the intent was to showcase each emcee’s speedy delivery, but Tone is the only one who seems able to achieve actual speediness.
Note: HD quality probably helps in catching the words!

Extended Famm - Velocity:

Mary J. Blige - Family Affair

WOW, I never posted this song?! This was my jam back in the day! It was everyone else’s too, judging by its rampant commercial popularity at the time. I remember being at a school dance in middle school and this was the only song they played that I was happy about. Although it’s been over 13 years since its release, a matter of weeks ago I heard a car full of people drive by me bumping this song with the windows rolled down, and the passengers were all singing along enthusiastically. It brought me joy to see people so excited about a song that came out in my childhood, treating it as if it was the top hit of the present day.

Mary J. Blige - Family Affair:

Lecrae - Outsiders

I found this Christian hip hop artist today by YouTube surfing. This opening track of his aptly-named album Anomaly expresses a running theme in the record by unapologetically labelling him an outsider. I suspect he’s referring to his position as an emcee whose music explicitly promotes Christian values, and I respect that. I like the message of not compromising yourself to fit in. I assume his reasons for feeling like he doesn’t fit in are different from mine, but it’s still a sentiment I can relate to, and I’m all for positivity in hip hop. Really liking the production on this track, too.
Note: You know you want that hi-def quality!

Lecrae - Outsiders:

Buika - Jodida Pero Contenta

It’s not surprising that this Spanish artist writes her own music when you take into account that she also released books of poetry. I discovered her through YouTube surfing, but it seems I’m late to the game as she’s already garnered a high level of international renown as a well-respected Latin music artist and has even been nominated for Grammys. In a departure from my usual taste, this is probably the most upbeat tune I’ve heard by her.

Buika - Jodida Pero Contenta [Screwed but Content]:

Baby Huey & The Babysitters - Hard Times

This 1971 song is famous, and I know I’ve heard it numerous times, but I can’t remember where. Oh well. Yesterday I posted a modern cover, but today I post a song that gets covered by modern artists. The name of the song and lyrics speak for themselves.

Baby Huey & The Babysitters - Hard Times:

Destiny’s Child - Emotion

This is a cover of a song by Samantha Sang, but I haven’t heard the original. I did, however, become somewhat fixated on this song when I got its album as a Christmas present back when it first came out. Despite being less “catchy” than the other songs on the record, this was among my most-played songs from it, largely because of those silky vocals!
Note: This is a hi-def upload!

Destiny’s Child - Emotion:

Issa Bagayogo - Saye Mogo Bana

I think I found this Malian artist through YouTube surfing. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get the translation of the title, but in the end I had to attempt to translate it myself, word by word, knowing no Bambara… so for all I know the translation here is laughably wrong.

Issa Bagayogo - Saye Mogo Bana [Dead Person Sickness]:

Nabiha - Trouble

I made a note to look up more music by this Danish artist. A lot of it was too dancey and clearly made-for-radio for my taste, but I liked this one because it had sounded less heavily produced. I like the song’s motivational message to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and all-around do better at life.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Nabiha - Trouble:

Lupe Fiasco - Gotta Eat

The wordplay in this song is NUTS. This song is an achievement of double entendre, and a masterclass in puns. Homophony (along with rhyming) is the bread and butter of hip hop lyrics, and many hip hop songs venture into the realm of the extended metaphor, but this song takes them to another level. It's genius and a feat of lyricism that leaves me in awe. I wrote a 20-page paper on the overarching metaphor in this song. This song uses a story about a drug dealer to comment on the fast food industry. I'm serious. All the slang words he uses are related to the fast food to simultaneously narrate two stories—and address two issues—at once. There’s some profanity.

Lupe Fiasco - Gotta Eat:

Rebecca Ferguson - All That I’ve Got

This was another Hollyoaks discovery. This artist gained fame in the U.K. through the singing competition show X Factor. I like other songs by this artist that I sampled, but this one, the first I heard, is still the standout because it has a power behind it.
Note: HD listening is available!

Rebecca Ferguson - All That I’ve Got:

Gym Class Heroes feat. Speech - Biter’s Block

Conicidentally, yesterday I was listening to classic hip hop songs about biting (A.K.A. plagiarizing), and then I came across this (much more recent) song on the same topic. I kept meaning to delve into music by this artist, but put it off even although I was familiar enough with it to know they cover a range of subject matter in their lyrics. This song goes after not just outright plagiarists, but also unoriginal “artists” making hip hop music, and one can’t help but detect a tone of bitterness over lesser artists being the ones who often get the fame and money, and resentment towards a system that rewards conformity over creativity.
Note: Woohoo, HD!

Gym Class Heroes feat. Speech - Biter’s Block:

India.Arie - Flowers

Her voice is glorious (that sounds overstated, but in all seriousness I’m envious). Diggin’ that Middle Eastern segment that comes in! I’ve posted songs from her first album—one of my favorites that I grew up with—but I thought I’d post something from her most recent album for a change.
Note: HD listening for those smoky vocals!

India.Arie - Flowers:

D’Angelo and the Vanguard - The Charade

I saw this artist’s performance of this song on Saturday Night Live a little over a week ago. It made a statement in line with the song’s meaning, it expresses frustration with a system of insidious racism and well-deserved cynicism towards the idea that equal treatment across races will come anytime soon. The live performance makes explicit the song’s implied references to the specific issue of police brutality and excessive police force against black Americans. Many have commented on the muffled sound obscuring the lyrics, but some claim that this effect is intentional because it forces the listener to consciously pay attention in order to catch any of the meaning.
Note: I recommend HD if you want any chance of deciphering the lyrics by sound!

D’Angelo and the Vanguard - The Charade:


Here’s the live performance on Saturday Night Live:

Marsha Ambrosius - Far Away

Ohhhhhhhhhh snap, at first this song sounds like it’s about a breakup, but if you listen to the lyrics through to the end you find it’s actually about a loved one committing suicide. Supposedly the artist wrote this about her friend, soooooo… that’s pretty sad.

Marsha Ambrosius - Far Away:


Here’s the official music video, because it shows the intended meaning of the song clearly:

Labrinth - Let It Be

I only recently discovered this British artist (credit to Hollyoaks again for using it in its soundtrack). It has an intensity to it, but also a bit of a retro feel. His vocals are good enough for me to be intrigued in the first place, but his profile suggests that he’s even further talented as he’s also a songwriter and musician, so I’m driven to look up more of his work.
Note: This is yet another official video (though this time not for lyrics) with HD!

Labrinth - Let It Be:

Rihanna - Diamonds

I didn’t realize Sia hadn’t written this song, but once I learned that it made sense. It totally has her sound to it, and I can easily imagine her voice being put to it instead of Rihanna’s. Supposedly she wrote it in 14 minutes. And this ish gets stuck in your head! It gets stuck in mine, anyway. I guess that’s why it was a hit single.
Note: It’s another official lyric video with HD!

Rihanna - Diamonds:

Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong

This song has been dominating American airwaves, and I had no idea that the artist behind it was Norwegian. What I DID pick up on, however, was the distinct African flavor to the instrumental component of the hit track. It turns out that’s no accident—The parents of both members of the duo are from Africa, and the two consciously incorporate elements of that heritage into their work. I’m glad they do, too, because it’s primarily the African-inspired production of this track that won me over!
Note: This is the official lyric video, with HD!

Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong:

Troi - Red

When I heard this artist’s guest vocals on Lupe Fiasco’s most recent album, I couldn’t determine whether she was male or female because of her wonderfully androgynous voice. Through the hazy production, at some points she sounded like a male R&B singer with a high register, and other times she sounds like Imogen Heap. Either way, her voice is amazing. Imagine my joy at discovering a SoundCloud with music of her own authorship! She writes and produces it herself too. God, I just discovered her and I think I’m in love already.

Troi - Red:

Anthony Hamilton - Ain’t Nobody Worryin’

The message of the song is simple: society has lost its way—people have become apathetic and settled with suffering. One could label this a hopeless song, but I think that’s not necessarily true because in expressing his mourning it becomes a call to action.

Anthony Hamilton - Ain’t Nobody Worryin’:

Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu - Q.U.E.E.N.

I admit: sonically, this isn’t my favorite song. BUT the message of the song is great, in line with her running theme of non-conformity and self-acceptance. Like many of her songs, it contemplates outsider status, but in a less morose way than in some of her other works, this time celebrating and declaring it proudly. And the music video is pretty dope too. When she changes into her signature suit I’m like, “Oof, she’s MY queen!!” I also love that a lot of her songs are meant to be empowering for marginalized groups like women and allude to the oppression of black Americans.
Note: I couldn’t resist posting the official music video, which has HD.

Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu - Q.U.E.E.N.: