- Joined
- Jun 13, 2005
- Messages
- 61,690
- Reaction score
- 25,908
More than two decades have passed since it was released, and no female R&B artist has matched it. Her only peer was Amy Winehouse with Back to Black, but Amy is gone. Lauryn was less retro-jazz, and more neo-soul similar to the longtime queen of the subgenre Erykah Badu. This thread is devoted to and delights in the search.
Poppy Ajudha is my favorite recent discovery. I adore the instrumentation in the top songs:
(Don't sleep on this drummer; song doesn't come to life until around the 1st minute)
Ledisi was the Grammy nominee last year, and her hit "Let Love In" is spectacular, no doubt. Here is her TinyDesk:
Lianne La Havalas brings more soul than any of the other artists in this OP. You can tell she grew up listening to Aretha Franklin. Yet despite that she sounds more like Alicia Keys than Jill Scott. She's infectiously adorable in a way that reminds me of Corinne Bailey Rae. Think this vid/material is the oldest here (from 2016). If you're not familiar with her listen to her speak after her first song. It may catch you off guard:
Imagine if Britney Spears or Nelly Furtado sang more like Rihanna; that will give you a sense of what it's like to listen to Jorja Smith. She has a bit of the same flavor as SZA, but she trades the heavy club beats for reggae fusion. I find most R&B today overproduced, so sticking to the minimalist TinyDesk theme, these background instrumentalists sound more Roots than Dr Dre:
My brother is a fan of Ella Mai who is obviously also very popular, but has much too commercial a sound to carry Lauryn's legacy. Although I enjoy this song I think it is more in the vein of Mary J. Blige. I like Ella and Jhene Aiko most among those who sound like girl versions of The-Dream. No TinyDesk, so here's the Vevo:
Last edited: