Jazz

Billie Holiday

For the younger generation, it might be surprising to discover how Billie Holiday, whose music is defined by its muted and subdued crooning could possibly tap into an impressive emotional range; but that’s exactly the magic behind this legendary jazz singer. And as Holiday beautifully warbles a quiet serenade, a younger audience might realize that highly stylized vocal gymnastics aren’t the only weapons in a singer’s arsenal when it comes to making people feel their music.

Gregory Porter

Grammy-awardee Gregory Porter is a force to reckon with in the world of jazz and R&B music. Want proof? His latest release, Liquid Spirit, won the 2014 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. This LA-born and California-bred grew up as a football player until a shoulder injury sidelined his future as an athlete. Bad luck on his young self but good news for jazz aficionados out there as this little bend in the corner gave us this crafty and soulful singer.

Mick Jenkins: The Water[s]

Rated as “very hot” on HNHH, Mick Jenkins‘ sophomore album, The Water[s], has been creating waves on the hip hop scene for a few weeks now. The 15-track collection is a follow-up on his debut Trees And Truths, which received a lot of positive reviews from critics and fans.

Bonnie Bordeaux: The Damsel Diaries

In the mood for a throwback? We’ve got the damsel for you. Taking a share of the delicious musical pie is newcomer Bonnie Bordeaux (even her name sounds super gorgeous), who’s bringing her own iteration of pop by tastefully concocting it with 40′s style of jazz and soul. The result? A stunning 7-track debut masterpiece that we’ll simply refer to as The Damsel Diaries.

Leah Reis-Dennis: Demo EP

The soul genre might be experiencing a resurgence, as proven by the various acts incorporating its styles onto their material. One of them is newcomer Leah Reis-Dennis, who, with her demo EP (aptly titled Demo), is devoted to bringing the ‘jazz’ cause a modern inflection which the new generation will likely devour.

The Suits: Navy

Better get your “suits” on, because we’re in for a lot of good tunes! Electro-rock acts are in so much abundance nowadays, you can’t really tell which is which. Luckily, for The Suits, their sound is distinct and sonic enough to stand up among their peers.

Delaca: Delaca

Fusion is the game, and Delaca plays it smoothly [even literally]. Skirting along the neo-soul genre, the quartet — composed of Austin Antoine (vocals), Devon Taylor (bass), Justin Jackson (vocals and keys), and Amir Oosman (production) — is bringing a more laid-back brand of R&B to the table, kind of like the loungey type that dominated the 90′s.

Balance and the Travelling Sounds: Departure

Here’s one ‘departure’ from the usual R&B and soul you’re exposed to: Balance and the Travelling Sounds. Calling their funky music as “neo-soul” (remember Lili K?), the group meshes musical tropes from the jazz, R&B, and hip-hop genres to create a type of music that’s both nostalgic and unmistakably modern at the same time.

Liza Ellen: Everything’s Okay

Let Liza Ellen take you on a trip back to the early 2000s. The Dallas-based songstress, who labels her music stylishly as ‘neo soul’, is out to bring the lucrative R&B genre back to the way it used to be — smooth and chill. One spin on her latest EP, Everything’s Okay, and this budding talent is one to be compared to acts like Jill Scott and even Erykah Badu.