This March, the West coast has been blessing the rest of us with some great music, beginning with my discovery of artist Frank Ocean and the release of Jhene Aiko’s “Sailing Souls” mixtape.
I stumbled across Frank Ocean via a mention on twitter. After listening to him, it’s clear that artists such as Brandy Norwood have definitely proved an influence to his voice and tone, but his music in’t anything comparable to your standard R&B record. His LP “Nostalgia/Ultra” gives you vibes of all kinds. On some tracks, Oceans is reminiscent of Ryan Leslie, while on others he is entirely original. This versatility in Oceans range makes his music very innovative and provides listeners with a variety of favorites to choose from. I cite “We All Try”, “Dust”, “Nature Feels”, “Swim Good”, “Novacane” as my personal picks, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented new artist. For those who remember “little” Jhene Aiko and her affiliation with B2K (she’s the cousin of the quartets rapper, Little Fizz), you might be surprised to learn this month she’s released her new mixtape called “Sailing Soul(s)”. The release features appearances from Drake, Kanye West, Miguel and more. Not that Jhene needs the big names; her album is effortlessly sexy and unique. Sounding like a cross between Drakes’ smash 2008 mixtape “So Far Gone” and something you’ve never heard before, Ms. Aiko sounds to me like shes ready to take the music world by storm. “Hoe” ft Miguel, “Higher”, “My Mine”, ‘You vs Them” have been on repeat non-stop in my playlist. Listening to both projects there’s no specific aspect of these records that amazes me. You might get some soul, some eletronica, some alternative, some funk, R&B or a myriad of other things, but It’s “all over the place”, in a great way.
Having said that, both Ocean and Aikos appeal are sure to spread wide expanses as their stars grow. Be sure to check out Frank Oceans’ album: ““Nostalgia/Ultra” and Jhene Aikos’ Mixtape: “Sailing Souls”, available for download online.
No comments:
Post a Comment