new 'kinda' soul: estelle feat kanye west, leon jean marie, funkerman, sam sparro, taio cruz feat luciano

estelle feat kanye west - american boy [link 2]
[this wonderful second single by uk rapper/singer estelle is not only produced by will.i.am (isn't it weird how he continues to produce better songs for artists other than himself), but also features kanye as a collaborator. damn! moolah is being spent on this gal and all this effort sure is working! love her!]


leon jean marie - bed of nails [link 2]
[leon jean marie seems to be part of this new breed of acts that incorporate retro uk influences with soul funk to create something completely their own (see david jordan). produced by a certain mark ronson are you surprised this track has all these diverse influences involved?]


funkerman - speed up [link 2]
[considering that this tune is at least 2 years old and STILL causing buzz really tells you that a good song is hard to squash. disco-y and soulful, this usually falls under club music, but strip away the beats and you have a really wonderful tune here!]


sam sparro - black & gold [link 2]
[there's something really complex about this song (even though it sounds like 'fever' pt 2) and much has to do with sam's intricate vocal harmonies mixed in with a chilled out sexy groove. though the track has been around for ages, it continues to snake around in my psyche and linger. genius.]


taio cruz feat luciana - come on girl [link 2]
[though taio cruz has been making a name by doing ne-yo uk knockoffs, he ends up getting the biggest hit of his career by merging the current electro craze with soul music. the end result now sounds like a craig david knockoff. sigh... the guy just can't win!]