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Indiana – Bound

UK R&B ingenue Indiana (shout to all our friends in the Hoosier State) first hit our radars last year with her sweetly lugubrious cover of Frank Ocean’s “Swim Good”. On new track “Bound”, the British newcomer has delivered a gem. Built on a deftly evil bassline & minimalist production, “Bound” succeeds on ellipsis, on what’s omitted. The drama, cinema & tension created by the track’s relatively simple instrumentation is transfixing really. To move, to break from that tension, is to invite that character of menace that exists within the spaces and gaps in the track.

Indiana (Facebook)

Rating 8.0

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reviewed by
01-30-13

Charles Bradley – Strictly Reserved For You

b3 fave Charles Bradley picks right back up where he left off on 2011’s great No Time For Dreaming with new single “Strictly Reserved For You”. The lead track off his upcoming sophomore LP (!) Vision of Love, “Strictly Reserved For You” marries the feel and arrangements of early 70’s soul groups like The Dramatics and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes with Bradley’s one-of-a-kind infinitely soulful vocals. Welcome back CB!

Charles Bradley (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
01-29-13

Review: Jessie Ware w/ Rochelle Jordan @ The Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco 01/24/13

We LOVE Jessie Ware. Love Love Love Love. That level of love, admiration and Devotion seemed to radiate not just the (infinitely psyched) members of the b3 team at Thursday night’s Rickshaw Stop show but the entirety (and this is not hyperbole) of the sold-out house on hand. So much love. After a somewhat banter-formulaic beginning (shout the city, tell them how good it is to be there, how cool that city is), that love seemed to overwhelm and grab hold of our Ms. Ware not long into her approximately 60 minute set. “(San Francisco) really is our favorite city.”

Jessie Ware, who first emerged in 2010 & 2011 as a featured vocalist on electronic and dubstep tracks by artists like SBTRKT & Joker, received near universal praise for her debut LP Devotion last year. Blending the classic R&B strains of artists like Aaliyah and Sade with more modern arrangements & instrumentations, the album’s (which somewhat ludicrously has not yet seen a physical release in the U.S.) 10 tracks span various and disparate (yet entirely complementary) styles of production and writing and our #5 album of last year.

Jessie Ware’s vocal performance. Just WOW. The quality, texture & conviction of her singing was very very impressive. Captivating without resorting to cheap needless theatrics; commanding while seeming totally accessible; Ware’s on stage persona and performance is one of a star. It seemed odd that Ware would play a venue as tiny as the roughly 200-person capacity Rickshaw Stop and her star was no doubt much larger than the venue size.

Opener & b3 fave Rochelle Jordan’s brief 20 minute set did also impress. The Torontonian soulstress’ spare voice + MPC set included roughly four-five songs and was highlighted by the excellent Kaskade-sampling “Shotgun”.

Thursday night’s performance felt special; it felt starmaking; it felt rare & valuable. We were witness to the emergence of a major star and Ms. Ware’s arrow could not point further northward now. A+.

reviewed by
01-27-13

Othello Woolf – Odysseus

Interestingly, the marquee for “Odysseus”, by London R&B singer Othello Woolf, covers all literary bases from ancient (“Odysseus”) to medieval (Othello) to modern (Woolf). “Odysseus”, much like its actual intended reference point in Greek myth (a ref that definitely takes a measure of boldness to pull off) , lyrically describes a love story that persists against odds. That, and it’s a knockout of a track, offering a top class future R&B instrumental and enough melodic swagger to make Othello, Virginia Woolf & Homer all nod their heads.

Othello Woolf – Odysseus

Othello Woolf (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
01-24-13

Robert Raimon Roy – Axela

Jacksonville R&B man Robert Raimon Roy (a/k/a Rob Roy) dials up a haunting bit of eerie neo-soul with “Axela” off his Dim Mak LP Le Tigre Blanc.

Robert Raimon Roy – Axela

Robert Raimon Roy (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.0

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reviewed by
01-23-13

Zak Waters – Runnin Around

Our family Zak Waters is back with a new single and video for “Runnin Around”. On the track, Waters earns ample b3 points for “Runnin Around”s immediate hooks and tastefully anthemic chorus. What really knocked out the whole b3 team, though, is “Runnin Around”s awesome (and again tasteful) nods to early 80’s R&B in its instrumentation and feel. Can we really ever get enough lazerblast synth leads.

Zak Waters – Runnin Around

Zak Waters (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
01-23-13

Laura Mvula – Green Garden

Laura Mvula is soul songwriter out of Birmingham UK. Coming off a Brits’ Critic’s Choice nomination (with AlunaGeorge and Tom Odell), which is a really big deal if you’re unfamiliar with the award, Mvula is readying the release of her February debut LP Sing to the Moon. Ms. Mvula often gets compared with Nina Simone, and that influence is certainly a component of her sound, (the rattling rhythms, the precise diction) but what’s especially remarkable about Laura Mvula is the unexpected twists in her music. “Green Garden”, Sing to the Moon’s second single, features among other really cool qualities, some next harmonic voicings and melodic turns.

Laura Mvula – Green Garden

Laura Mvula england (Facebook)

Rating 8.6

reviewed by
01-18-13

Dag Savage – When It Rains (Feat. Aloe Blacc)

The West Coast team of Johaz (rhymes) & Exile (beats) a/k/a Dag Savage get some soulful support in the form of Aloe Blacc’s buttery tones. Dag Savage’s “Salvation” EP is out today, so catch a little holy ghost, and get at your neighborhood iTunes ASAP.

Dag Savage – When It Rains Ft. Aloe Blacc

Dag Savagem california (Official)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
01-15-13

Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie (Feat. Jay-Z)

Of course we love this. Still, everytime we hear the 50 year old man component of this track rap about make-up sex, it’s a little weird. Welcome back, JT.

Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie

Justin Timberlake (Official)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
01-14-13

Avant – Best Friend

Cleveland R&B man Avant returns to his hometown blog with new track “Best Friend”. Embracing more modern trends in R&B with spacier textures and broader more opened-up arrangement, “Best Friend”‘s DNA (especially melodically) is still squarely late 90’s/early 00’s. Look out for Avant’s upcoming “Face the Music” LP, due in February.

Avant – Best Friend

Avant (Facebook)

Rating 8

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reviewed by
01-10-13

George Maple – Uphill

Aussie-born London-based George Maple’s sultry A class lead vocal headline her newest track, the nouveau R&B-informed, minimalist “Uphill”.

George Maple – Uphill

George Maple england (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

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reviewed by
01-08-13

Denitia Odigie – Weekend

Denitia Odigie continues to impress the b3 team with new track “Weekend”. Driven by jazz-inflected guitars, quiet storm rhythms, and a overall breadth to the track that sounds almost analogued to latter-day Radiohead (the picked arpeggios, the deep in the mix glacial vocal harmonies) “Weekend” is an absolute do not miss track.

Denitia Odigie – Weekend

Denitia Odigie (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

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reviewed by
01-08-13