What I'm Listening to This Week: Joël, Peyton, and Marc E. Bassy
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The spooky season is here, b*tches! In between my daily streams of "Thriller" and Lady Gaga's "Teeth" (my favorite non-Halloween Halloween song), I'm diving into three fantastic new R&B albums. In this edition of What I'm Listening to This Week, Toronto singer Joël is giving me everything I need in just 20 minutes, and Peyton's equally soulful EP will remind you of greats like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. Also, Marc E. Bassy is easy on the ears and the eyes. Here's what you should slam the play button on this week and why.
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PMD by Marc E. Bassy
San Francisco-based R&B singer Marc E. Bassy has a great voice and knack for pairing insightful lyrics about anxiety and depression with danceable, funk-inflected beats (my favorite music genre?). He's also pretty easy on the eyes, so.
Standout track: "Nothing Compares," because it's a great reminder of how important it is to be your own hype man.
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Reach Out EP by Peyton
Houston singer Peyton has the voice of an angel, and on her 6-song EP, she delivers classic R&B grooves that remind me of sunny afternoons, family parties, and my mom making me do chores on a Saturday morning. I mean that in a good way.
Standout track: "Clown Song," because it's a beautiful plea for a f*ckboy to stop playing with your emotions.
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Grunge Gospel: Side A by Joël
For my short attention span folks, Toronto-based singer Joël's debut album is 20 minutes of pure, soulful goodness. I was hooked on his singles "Vent" and "Everything's Cool," but the full project truly gives me everything I need.
Standout track: Folks, I can't even pick one.