LOONY - "Dare You"

Just got word this morning that Scarborough R&B act LOONY will be opening for Rhye this Sunday at the Garrick here in Winnipeg.

LOONY just dropped a new video for the track "Dare You" (below) and listening to the loping beat and delicate vocals, it's no surprise they'll be serving as the opener on all the Western Canadian dates.

My interview with Mike Milosh - aka Rhye - will air tomorrow night just after 6:30pm CT on my show TGIFR, and I'm pretty sure I'll be kicking things off with this cut.

Yazmin Lacey - "A Mother Lost"

The entirety of the Black Moon EP is worth your time, but start with the subtle, jazzy "A Mother Lost." Yazmin Lacey's vocals manage to somehow seem both light and effortless, while conveying weight and depth in this beautifully sad song.

Mel Alston Jr. - "The Big Picture"

It's not the song they've embedded on their piece about the best new soul releases, but kudos to Bandcamp for bringing Dayton, Ohio's Mel Alston Jr. to my attention. After listening to leadoff track "The Day After Forever" I just let the LP keep rolling and when "The Big Picture" (track 3) hit, I was all in on this soul-singer. Great plaintive voice, fantastic production, this is some top-shelf r&b.

Jimetta Rose - "Rhythm Of Life"

Rose just dropped her new album The Light Bearer last Friday. Lead-off track "Rhythm of Life" is an insistently shuffling tune that marches onward the way time does - but with a little bit of a swagger-step that you'd expect from something produced by the Goddess Georgia Anne Muldrow.