Tis the season to be eaten alive…
Okay, this opening was a tad dramatic, but as we get closer to Halloween and the start of Mariah Carey’s favorite time of year, it works. According to the streets, R&B needed saving, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yet, we still combed through the countless new offerings available and selected our top new R&B picks to get into.
Samara Joy has released her first holiday EP while a bit of peer pressure spawned Yebba‘s new single. Mariah The Scientist celebrated her birthday with the arrival of her new album and BJ The Chicago Kid finally shared details about his forthcoming LP with the drop of a new single.
We also found ourselves indulging in Leslie Odom Jr.‘s return to music as Leela James shared her first album in two years. Before hitting the road with The Weeknd, Chxrry22 issued her new EP. Plus, we were introduced to rising sensations, Breez Kennedy and Boys World.
Samara Joy – A Joyful Holiday
Samara Joy’s festive debut is perfect for a jazzy winter and this time, she’s bringing her talented family of musicians with her.
A Joyful Holiday is a six-song collection of her favorite holiday classics like “O Holy Night,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” and the studio and live versions of “The Christmas Song,” with one featuring her father, Antonio McLendon.
“Singing alongside my family has always been a special time kept between us but this December, I’m excited to share that special feeling with you all!” said the two-time Grammy winner. She intends to support the EP on a month-long domestic tour with her “first role models”—her family.
Yebba – “Waterfall (I Adore You)”
We kind of have Drake to thank for this release. Yebba’s new offering, “Waterfall (I Adore You),” samples Drake’s “Polar Opposites” and after learning of this, the Toronto crooner demanded her to drop the song.
“@yebbasmith drop the full song from end of ‘Polar Opposites,’” he wrote on his Instagram Stories. “This is not a request it’s a demand [lock emoji].” She laughed, but obliged and responded, “Drake said it so we must.”
The soothing track is just as alluring as her prior releases and is the first ounce of newness since her debut album, Dawn.
Mariah The Scientist – To Be Eaten Alive
Even though Mariah doesn’t believe she should be categorized as an R&B artist, she is. Her new album, To Be Eaten Alive, is the first major release since inking her deal with Epic Records earlier this year and is an alt-R&B lover’s dream. Her Scorpio nature dominates the project as she merges strength with emotional vulnerability.
When explaining the album to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Mariah stated, “I just feel like I wanted to use my best work. Because my other projects are more like the segment of time that I just used from a particular… Just only that I feel like this project is like there are songs that are as old as four years old, and there are songs as old as three months old. So I just would say it’s like the best compilation for me personally. These are the songs I listen to. These are the songs that I’ve written that I like the most so far. And so I just feel like it was a good representation of my actual art, my actual expression, and also a good representation of what I like as a consumer.”
To Be Eaten Alive features collaborations from Young Thug, Kaytranada, 21 Savage, and Vory.
BJ The Chicago Kid – “Long Time”
BJ The Chicago Kid has shared the fourth single, “Long Time,” from his long-awaited new album, Gravy.
The soulful track starts with a consistent 808 as BJ’s collaborative partners Charlie and Yeti ease in other instruments to create the infectious melody. It’s one of those ones that get better with every listen, especially as BJ reminisces on the one who got away.
Created in less than a week, the crooner describes his new album as “the persona of what the new cool is.” In a statement, he added, “Gravy smothers, covers, and makes everything taste better. It’s that feeling when you’re at your absolute best, got on your best clothes, exuding confidence in every step and word. This project embodies the very essence of how you carry yourself, how you assert your authority, and how you rise to the occasion. In essence, it’s the soul of the music, and in turn, the music becomes the gravy that defines me.”
Gravy lands on Nov. 10.
Leslie Odom Jr. – “Holding On To Us”
Leslie Odom Jr.’s latest single is more pop-leaning than R&B, but it’s enticing and familiar. It’s the second drop from his new album, When A Crooner Dies, slated for release on Nov. 17.
“On we go. There’s a lot I could say. But I hope you can hear it all in the music,” he wrote about the album on Instagram.
The LP’s lead single, “Show Me,” was far more reflective as Odom shared, “Whoooo boy. I can feel the season of turmoil (and growth) that gave rise to the sentiment of the song in the first lines of music. ‘Do I have the capacity to love someone for real? Do I have the capacity for that kind of unselfishness? Can I be that generous? That open? Or am I somehow…unfit…for all that true love asks of us?’ I prayed to God for proof of life…proof of my own humanity. I wanted heaven to show me.”
When A Crooner Dies is his fifth full-length album and first original music since 2019.
Boys World – “Gone Girl”
Boys World is a new girl group out of Los Angeles, ready to take R&B by storm. With their debut single “Gone Girl,” inspired by Destiny Child’s “Girl,” these girls aren’t anything to play with.
In a statement about the song, the quintet—comprised of Lillian, Queenie, Makhyli, Olivia and Elana—expressed, “’Gone Girl’ is the perfect song to serve someone the hard truth about a toxic relationship. We LOVE that we fully embraced the nostalgic 2000’s R&B energy on this record, and also used that era as inspiration for our visuals. ‘Gone Girl’ is what you play for your friend when you realize her relationship has taken her to a place of no return! It’s about supporting your friends through their ups and downs and always having their back.”
The group went viral on TikTok in 2021 with their debut EP, While You Were Out, and continue to dominate as one of pop’s top girl groups in recent years.
Chxrry22 – Siren
Before she opens for The Weeknd overseas, Chxrry22 is first gifting her fans with new music. Her latest EP, Siren, is how she displays the most “realized version of herself.” Complete with guest appearances from Offset and Vory, this EP is sultry albeit empowering.
“I’ve been working on this project for a very long time, but it wasn’t until the very end where I realized that the energy that I was embodying was that of a siren,” she explained in a statement. “Just one look of a siren can assert your dominance, and that’s your power. This is a soundtrack to the art of being a siren.”
The focus track is the Offset collab, “Favorite Girl,” where Chxrry22 spotlights how she’s captivated by dominant women. “I’ve always been drawn to women with a dominant energy, and I don’t know why. It’s probably because I was always trying to find myself in them. Let me be clear, I don’t want to only be known for being beautiful, but if that’s what makes you pay attention, then I’ll use it to my advantage.”
Leela James – Thought U Knew
Leela James is back with Thought U Knew—her first release in two years under She Sangz Music/BMG. As she compliments her man or confronts his infidelity, James’ tone has us in a trance. Upon first listen, we gravitated towards the title track, the yearning “Whatcha Done Now,” and the confident “Be Your Baby.”
When discussing her album’s lead single, “Right Back In It,” she explained, “My music is my art and I’m always excited to share my craft with the world. ‘Right Back In It’ is special as it highlights the importance of getting back to yourself, getting back to love, and getting back to what makes you feel good.”
Breez Kennedy feat. Genia – “Need U Tonite”
Rising phenom Breez Kennedy is mesmerizing his growing audience with this sultry duet, “Need U Tonite,” featuring Def Jam bandmate, Genia. The enchanting chorus, “Need you by my side, you’re my favorite vibe,” makes way for Genia‘s hypnotizing register as she adds, “You know what it is, wanna feel a vibe/ You know that it’s here, I could change your life.”
Breez’s debut single, “Love Crazy (Blowing Up Your Phone),” cemented him as one of R&B’s newest stars as he balances what he says is “Bryson Tiller’s adventurousness with pop magnetism a la Justin Bieber.”
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