Sometimes good R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to all the great music that appeases the musical palette, every Friday we’ll be offering a weekly digest of the hottest R&B jams fans of the genre should hear.
This week, GOOD Music’s first lady Teyana Taylor released a touching music video for her track “Gonna Love Me” off her Kanye West-produced album K.T.S.E. and Ro James dropped a music video for his single “Excuse Me” off his upcoming project. Also, bubbling R&B singer H.E.R. put out her EP I Used To Know Her: Part 2 this week and on it lies “Carried Away.”
Teyana Taylor — “Gonna Love Me”
“Gonna Love Me” is one of eight songs off Teyana Taylor‘s album K.T.S.E. and is certainly one of her standout cuts off the project. Taylor released a heartwarming visual for the song this week and it features a montage of intimate clips displaying the undying love she has for her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert, and their daughter Junie. Everything about the video for “Gonna Love Me” matches the aura of the track. Is someone cutting onions in here?
Ro James — “Excuse Me”
Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Ro James is getting ready to follow-up his 2016 Hot 100 album Eldorado. “Excuse Me” is the first single he’s released so far and is expected to make an appearance on the forthcoming project. This week, he dropped a music video for the too-honest-for-words track. “Excuse me, what’s your problem? / Why you so mad? You’re crazy, babe,” James croons in the visual while revisiting pain from a past relationship. “Excuse me, you must be out your mind, baby / But you got the right one this time / You got me fucked up.”
H.E.R. — “Carried Away”
With “Carried Away,” H.E.R. explores a different kind of sound that infuses more acoustics and it sounds just lovely. The song lifted off her EP I Used To Know Her: Part 2 clamors the desire to not allow feelings to get involved if the object of her affection isn’t going to take her serious.
Inayah Lamis —”Fairy Tale”
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Houston native Inayah Lamis created some buzz on her Instagram at the top of 2018 by posting impressive videos of her singing relatable tales detailing the up-and-downs that come from being in a romantic relationship. More notably, it was her remix to Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” that made her go viral across all platforms. Now, she’s inked a deal with EMPIRE and “Fairy Tale” is the up-and-coming R&B singer’s first release. The cut lives within that same subject vein of which caught the attention of so many, including actress Tiffany Haddish and decorated songwriter Rico Love. Inayah utilizes her velvety angelic vocals to drag the man who wasted her time by selling her a fairy tale. As empathetic as “Fairy Tale” is, it’s hard not to feel this one in your soul.
Dawn — “New Breed”
Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard is readying her next album New Breed and she unleashed the album’s title track this week. “New Breed” is a daring electro-R&B song that infuses elements of New Orleans bounce — seemingly an ode to where she’s from. It champions individuality and womanhood as Dawn effortlessly switches between poetic rhymes and singing. In a tweet, Dawn promises that New Breed is “a new project about what it means to be a ninth ward girl from Jonlee [Drive] before all the industry shit.”
THEY. Feat. Ty Dolla Sign — “18 Months”
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Los Angeles R&B duo THEY. came through with their latest EP Fireside today. Among the six cuts off the project lives the Ty Dolla Sign-assisted “18 Months.” Beside the production being absolutely intoxicating, Dante Jones and Drew Love’s voices add the necessary emotion to make this track what it is — a forthright number that calls for relationship accountability. “It’s been eighteen months, you should what’s up right now / We’ve been through way too much to be f*cking up right now,” THEY. sings on the chorus before going into a rousing series of “yeahs” that deserve to be repeated. And Ty Dolla Sign, well, he might as well be THEY.’s honorary third member.
Brother Zulu — “Honey”
London-based modern jazz group Brother Zulu, made of members Lawrence, Noah, Max, Alex, and Youssef, get a bit funky on their latest track “Honey.” The track is a grand interpolation of sound reminiscent of Mo-Town’s heyday, featuring plenty of high notes and breathtaking runs over a groovy bass line. “Honey” serves as the Brother Zulu’s debut single and is a great introduction to an obviously very talented group of instrumentalists, songwriters, and singers.
Ruth B — “Crave”
Emerging singer-songwriter Ruth B gets honest on her new track “Crave” produced by D’Mile. Missing an ex but not wanting to say it (or reach out) is the song’s mantra. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss you / But you know I got some damn pride issues,” she sings. Ruth B released her first album Safe Haven last year, which featured her platinum-selling single “Lost Boy” and hopefully the release of “Crave” indicates the sign that another project is on the way.
