Rhona Bennett (aka Miss RnB) is no stranger to contemporary soul music. After being cast in the ‘90’s reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club (alongside Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera), acting on sitcoms (Living Single, Martin) and landing a recurring role on The Jamie Foxx Show, the Chicago-born singer/actress signed with hitmaker Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins on his newly developed Darkchild Records.
Dubbed the “First Lady of Darkchild,” Bennett released her self-titled debut LP and later joined En Vogue in 2004, filling in for the departed Dawn Robinson. After a brief stint with En Vogue, another solo LP emerged, this time on her own label. This was followed up by a joyous return with the “Don’t Let Go (Love)” group.
Now Miss RnB has a new stage name, Coach Rho, and a new single on her hands. Using uplifting inspiration and a profound message of unity, “We (A Powerful Thing)” stands tall as a passage of feelgood urban R&B. Inside, Rhona navigates the groovy ‘synth ‘n beats’ pattern laid by producer David Kater as she plays to her vocal strengths, showing off an occasionally soulful melisma and hitting notes with a youthful, bright tenacity akin to Mýa.
The song’s heartfelt message melds well with her mission as an empowering life coach while overseeing her own online coaching school, Personal Power University. With a catchy chorus and irresistible funky swagger, we won’t be surprised if this ends up being the school anthem.
Stay tuned. Miss RnB has a forthcoming album called Instant Classic. Listen to “We” below.
Kehlani announced on Wednesday (May 15) that she’ll release her fourth studio album, Crash, on June 21.
Less than 24 hours after the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter teased the LP’s title with a bevy of crash-related tweets, they also revealed the incredibly intricate album artwork on social media, which features them sitting atop a demolished red car while their legs are covered in a metallic, almost mermaid tail-like apparatus.
Kehlani (real name Kehlani Ashley Parrish) dropped “After Hours” as the first single from Crash in April, and the record — which samples Cordel “Scatta” Burrell’s “Coolie Dance Riddim” and was produced by Khris Riddick-Tynes and Alex Goldblatt — reached No. 14 on Rhythmic Airplay and No. 40 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Kehlani released the “After Hours” music video last week, which was set in Las Vegas. She teased a 30-second snippet of her upcoming single “Next 2 U” last week. “when y’all want it,” Kehlani wrote on Instagram and X.
Crash comes two years after her third album, Blue Water Road, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Prior to Blue Water Road, Kehlani dropped their Billboard 200 No. 2 sophomore album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t in 2020 — which is their highest charting album to date — and their debut album SweetSexySavage in 2017. She’s also previously dropped three mixtapes: Cloud 19 (2014), You Should Be Here (2015) and While We Wait (2019). See the album artwork below.
Salt-N-Pepa are an American hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985. The group is comprised of Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper. Their debut album, “Hot, Cool & Vicious”, sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America. They are known for such hits as “Push It”, “Tramp”, “I’ll Take Your Man”, and “Whatta Man.”
This song is the property of Atlantic Recording Corporation
Average White Band is a Scottish funk/R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are known for their million selling instrumental track “Pick Up The Pieces”, and their albums “AWB” and “Cut The Cake.”
Since the time he had access to a record collection and a hunger for American roots music, Quinn DeVeaux was well on his way envisioning his artistic niche. Besides experiencing a rock and R&B library at home and learning from a grandmother who performed jazz, it was blues masters like Muddy Waters that motivated the singer/songwriter/guitarist to hit the road to play in several cities.
The connection with his band, The Blue Beat Review, brought DeVeaux a respected regional following in the San Francisco Bay area. And his performance background includes sharing the stage with American roots greats Taj Mahal and Rebirth Brass Band. While new to SoulTracks, DeVeaux has previously dropped an impressive mix of soulful droppings with a raw blues aftertaste as evident through several self-released works in the past decade such as his 2020 full-length recorded in Nashville, Book of Soul.
With DeVeaux now signed to Sofa Burn Records, his latest full-length due this summer, Leisure, is filled with plenty of stories along with explorations into other musical territory stirring fiercely in that soulful belly. And SoulTracks provides a hearty introduction for DeVeaux in a World Premiere showcase, “You Got Soul.”
The Gary, Indiana native explains the song’s purpose: “Sometimes you meet someone that just moves you front to back and it’s hard to tell why… Their story is your story and I love that, so this is about that.”
The ambitious soundtrack soaks in 80’s synth pop, and Southern blues punctuating brass and pop guitar licks. This revitalizing World Premiere from DeVeaux should mark the beginning of a long-deserved breakthrough demonstrating his savvy and admiration of American roots. Check out the vibes of “You Got Soul.”
Rapper 21 Savage and producer Metro Booming team up with dancehall artist Burna Boy on the single “Just Like Me.” The track deserves to be put on repeat.