Listen Up
A trio of tunes that moved us this week
Jazmine Sullivan: Pick Up Your Feelings
Jazmine Sullivan’s break-up banger “Pick Up Your Feelings” marks a powerful return for the talented vocalist. Sullivan sashays across the song, belting out soulful, acrobatic vocals. Co-written by Nova Wav (aka Brittany “Chi” Coney and and Denisia “Blue June” Andrews), the song eschews the traditional heartbreaking break-up ballad for a dynamic dismissal that’s drenched in resilience and triumph. The song will appear on Sullivan’s upcoming album, expected this winter.
Janko Nilović + The Soul Surfers: PRELUDE
“PRELUDE” serves as the introduction to 80-year-old Turkish pianist Janko Nilović and Russian “raw soul” group The Soul Surfers’ collaborative album, Maze of Sounds, which debuted on 6 November from Broc Recordz. Nilović (a Grammy Award-winning composer credited on Jay-Z’s “DOA,” Dr Dre’s “Loose Cannons” and more) offers cinematic piano, while the four-piece funk group does the rest. The entire album is around 30 minutes, but every moment proves worth paying close attention to.
Cam Chambers: Used To
An upbeat single from New Kensington, Pennsylvania-based R&B singer Cam Chambers’ debut album, Prodigal, “Used To” harkens back to dark nights on the dance floor. Groovy and a bit grimy, each verse offers several commands: to get down (“like we used to”) with steps to follow. The track was produced by Bobby Webster and DanSully, and includes additional instrumental elements from Chambers. The album’s art direction—which includes an album trailer shot in the artist’s hometown—was handled by local creative agency HOUNDS.
Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel. Hero image courtesy of Janko Nilovic
