WONGIE INDIE SONG OF THE WEEK: vampire weekend feat steve lacy - sunflower

vampire weekend feat steve lacy - sunflower
the new vampire weekend single "sunflower" is a catchy jazz scat jam featuring the internet's steve lacy on some crazy guitar picking throughout! produced by the awesome ariel rechtshaid (who also did their previous jam "harmony hall") this just gives me an inkling that the upcoming 'father of the bride' album is going to be a hodgepodge of sounds that i can't wait to get my hands on! love this!!

WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: lake street dive - i can change

lake street dive - i can change
normally when you hear a lake street dive song, you're expecting an upbeat fun retro jam led by the thick soulful vocal of rachael price. so imagine my surprise listening to their new single 'i can change' from their upcoming album 'free yourself up'. instead of a jazzy four piece number, it's a thoughtful acoustic ballad which strips down their sound to just rachael and a guitar. it's immensely lovely and tells me that the new album will be expanding their talents to incorporate some new sounds. yaaay!

but don't fret, you can still listen to rachael soul out vocally on their album's 1st release 'good kisser':

lake street dive - good kisser (live)

and since we're such big fans, here is the song that introduced me to this glorious posse:

lake street dive - you go down smooth (live)

WONGIE SOUL SONG(s) OF THE WEEK: leon bridges - bad bad news / bet ain't worth the hand

leon bridges - bad bad news
directed by natalie rea and starring the gorgeous paloma elsesser, this jazzy groove jam marks an updated sound from the soul crooner that has diehard fans learning how to process potentially dancing to his music from now on. all this makes his upcoming album 'good thing' very exciting for the rest of us who are more than happy to go along with whatever musical direction he's taking us on.

leon bridges - bet ain't worth the hand
[UPDATE 4/2: check out the video premiere of this dreamy video!] ok fine, you want retro soul, you got it! leon channels the spirit of the doo wop era with lush orchestrations of the 60's thrown in. it's gorgeous and marks a perfect bookend of what's to come on this album. so excited!!!

NEW LUCY ROSE: lucy rose - all that fear

lucy rose - all that fear
singer / songwriter lucy rose finally offers up her popular album track as a proper release for the fans. taken from the album 'something's changing' which seems to have an endless amount of gems to choose from, lucy is finishing up a successful world tour by finishing up in the US the next few weeks. the woman is great live so check her out if you get the chance!

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: lauv - paris in the rain

lauv - paris in the rain
ari staprans leff (aka lauv) has been penning introspective love songs with an electronic/r&b/jazzy edge since he was 14. but this year has been a big turning point with songs he's written for other artists charting (charli xcx 'boys', cheat codes / demi lovato 'no promises), plus he's getting much love with his own work gaining popularity around the world. i'm highly obsessed with his latest quiet swagger filled single as it's been on repeat for a good week already! turn this up and fall in love yo!

WONGIE FUTURE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: sza - supermodel

sza - supermodel
the acoustic loop playing below sza freestyle vocals is easily one of the highlights of her acclaimed debut album 'ctrl'. when the drums kick in at the end it's like we are officially in total celebration of her thoughts and it's kind of genius. no wonder people have been buzzing about this talented voice for the past year. i'm a late-comer but damn i sure enjoy the discovery!

WONGIE INDIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: jack garratt - strong enough

jack garratt - strong enough
i'm just obsessed with jack garratt's blend of his celebration of soul / funk musical chords with a twist of uk modern. every jam literally is that, a hodge podge mix that weirdly meshes perfectly and turns it into something well... jack garratt. love this guy so much.

NEW SOLANGE!: solange - cranes in the sky / don't touch my hair

solange - cranes in the sky / don't touch my hair
just the visual language alone that solange has for her videos (co-directed by her hubby alan ferguson) sets her up as an artist that's doing interesting things for herself. but then throw in the genre busting music from her new album 'a seat at the table' and you've got one of the coolest releases of the year! nice one!

WONGIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: corinne bailey rae - been to the moon

corinne bailey rae - been to the moon
the return of corinne bailey rae is both joyous and mysterious as she has taken the discreet road over the years as an artist to only reveal herself when new material is ready. with the new album 'the heart speaks in whispers', corinne offers up a beautiful jazzy number accompanied by this gorgeous video by directors favorite colour black. we have missed you, but you're back so happy news for all!

VIDEO PREMIERE: pharrell williams - freedom

pharrell williams - freedom
after world premiering the song at glastonbury over the weekend, pharrell went on to give apple music the exclusive for his dynamic new single 'freedom'. it's instantly sing alongable which also means you'll probably be hating this song in a few weeks time. until now, lets all sing for our freedom!

pharrell williams - freedom (live @ glastonbury)

NEW CONOR MAYNARD: conor maynard - royalty

conor maynard - royalty
i have to be honest here, as much as i'm a fan of conor maynard, i much prefer his previous single 'talking about' than this jazzy pop number. hopefully there are better songs in the upcoming album to choose from.


conor maynard - royalty (live @ red bull music)
actually this stripped down version is MUCH better. they really should do a remix with a more ragtime arrangement.

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: nikki yanofsky - necessary evil

nikki yanofsky - necessary evil
i'm kind of obsessed with this song after seeing it on the dance show 'dancing with the stars' (i just LOVE all things dance related, especially when there are SYTYCD alums involved!) the other week. taken off canadian jazz pop chanteuse nikki yanofsky's "little secret" album, this orchestral pop tune has been on repeat for the past week. now i share it with you! enjoy!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: lady gaga - bang bang (my baby shot me down) (tony bennett & lady gaga: cheek to cheek live)

lady gaga - bang bang (my baby shot me down) (tony bennett & lady gaga: cheek to cheek live)
recorded at the jazz at lincoln center stage, this classic piece (originally recorded by cher!) gives our gaga the perfect vehicle to express her wonderful vocals. i've always felt that there was a jazz album in her career and this #1 collaboration with tony bennett is a great start.

VIDEO PREMIERE!: tony bennett & lady gaga - anything goes

tony bennett & lady gaga - anything goes
a full on jazz standards album was always the route that i felt gaga should embrace as part of her musical portfolio. so it really is a joy to see her release this joint album of cole porter classics with the lovely tony bennett. they really do make a wonderful pair!

5 SONGS YOU SHOULD KNOW NOW: melanie de biasio - i'm gonna leave you (live @ ancienne belgique)

melanie de biasio - i'm gonna leave you
belgian jazz chanteuse melanie de biasio isn't usually the kind of act that i'd place on my music blog, but this 8 mins performance (of the nina simone classic) is one that initially seems repetitive, but slowly turns into a focused hypnotic emotional work of art. the woman is buzzing in music loving circles and her album 'no deal' is being called one of the albums of the year. wise up to this talent if you haven't already.

WONGIE R&B SONG OF THE WEEK: usher feat nicki minaj - she came to give it to you / HOT REMIX: usher - good kisser (disclosure remix)

usher feat nicki minaj - she came to give it to you
producer pharrell sprinkles his magic dust on yet another track and it's phenomenal! usher takes on one of the more complex vocals of his career (the vocal jazz phrasings on some lines is SICK!) and nicki just kills it with her verse. your fun breezy jam for the week!

want more? check out this HOT remix by disclosure for usher's current single!!

usher - good kisser (disclosure remix)

VIDEO PREMIERE: mnek - every little word

mnek - every little word
it's taken a LONG time for mnek to officially put out solo fare (we've been buzzing about him since last year), but the soul singer/songwriter has come up with a nice 90's retro soul number that establishes the kind of sound you'll be hearing from him. we are excited for sure!

BEATS MIX: jakwob feat tiffani juno - somebody new

jakwob feat tiffani juno - somebody new
i love how jakwob's sound is pretty unclassifiable. though he found his fame in drum b bass, his sound goes from breakbeat to dubstep to jazz in one fell swoop. in the case of his latest release, the mellow house vibes definitely has some lovely soul sprinkled on top. it's subtle and kind of wonderful.

COOL MIX: robert glasper feat emeli sande - somebody else

robert glasper feat emeli sande - somebody else
jazz pianist robert glasper recently offered up a surprise of an album featuring a slew of collaborations including jill scott and norah jones, all singing over robert's special musical sauce. but one of the highlights definitely comes in the form of this number featuring emeli sande. though it's mellow in nature, the song showcases emeli's ability to take on characters through her lyrical vocals. pretty neat.

here's an additional bit of cool, robert describes how he met emeli and how she ended up recording this slick track for his new album:

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: laura mvula - little girl blue (ost: 12 years a slave)

laura mvula - little girl blue (ost: 12 years a slave)
with music inspired by the powerful '12 years a slave' film, the john legend curated soundtrack features alicia keys, alabama shakes and a beautiful duet between chris cornell and joy williams (civil wars), but this gently heartbreaking number by laura mvula uses the opening notes of the christmas carol "good king wenceslas" and brings us to a time where this kind of celebration would basically be a young girls pipe dream. throw in laura's jazzy vocals and you've got something incredibly special for the week. just brilliant.