R&B

new R&B festival, Souled Out, makes an impression on a young Sydney crowd

The market for R&B festivals in Australia is tricky, but the demand is clearly at a level that seemed unreachable a few years ago. It felt unlikely we’d ever get a modern R&B festival with a solid all-round lineup, especially since Soul Fest folded and Made in the 90s is set on that vintage niche….

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Will Souled Out be the modern R&B festival Australia needs?

Scheduled for the tail-end of March, Souled Out by Whatslively will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth with a solid line-up of on-trend R&B acts. I’ve typed similar sentences many times over the past decade, and I’ve watched sadly as R&B-flavoured festivals folded. Soulfest is the most obvious one, and slow ticket sales in…

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Brent Faiyaz is the R&B star of the moment, and we’re all here for it

A silky smooth hook on GoldLink’s 2017 hit “Crew” was all it really took for Brent Faiyaz to become one of the brightest R&B stars of the past decade. The earnestness in his soft, vulnerable vocals can carry any message and deliver it with sweet, sharp and precise tones. Back that with deep, bass-driven beats…

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The ultimate ’90s R&B playlist: From D’Angelo to TLC

Running the gamut of emotions that fuelled R&B in the ’90s, The AU Review’s “Hip Hop and R&B Retrospective” playlist has turned away from 100 greatest songs by women in hip hop and turned attention to rap’s silkier, smoother cousin. From Janet Jackson and SWV to Maxwell and 112; Brandy and Monica to Usher and…

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Track Of The Day: Gareth.T “best me i can” (2020)

Hong Kong-born R&B artist, Gareth.T has unveiled his debut single “best me i can” with Umami Records. Self-producing the track himself, the soulful tune consists of slow and uplifting beats mixed with modern and old school R&B. The single evokes a profound and powerful message of living your truth and harnessing the best version of…

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Live Review: OVO Sound’s dvsn show Sydney what R&B really is

The recent debate about who is the current “King of R&B” (sparked by a claim from Cash Money artist Jacquees) is not as clear cut as it has been made out to be. This isn’t the first time someone who has claimed to be the king of a genre or style of music. T.I once…

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The 40 best hip hop and R&B tracks of 2018

2018 has been a very difficult year for ‘best of’ lists where hip hop and R&B is concerned. The often intertwined genres haven’t seen this much quality output for years, constant head-turning and critically acclaimed albums from artists both old and new have made the past 12 months the best in the scene since 2012….

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Album Review: Mac Miller – Swimming (2018 LP)

On the back of the soulful and romantic The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller has returned with another album cut from this cloth. Swimming is similar in style, but more mournful and self-reflective than romantic and starry-eyed, with welcome introspection from Mac, reminiscent of his earlier rap-oriented projects like Watching Movies With The Sound Off and Faces….

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