Legacy Track of the Week - Snoh Aalegra - FEELS
“But I just feel… we're arguin what's in my heart, sing it to, I never knew, no, no, all of these feels…” The best record off her supposedly debut album is a breath of cold fresh air in the wintertime with snow on the lamp posts under the lights of time square, this one right here is pure soul and a timeless classic that could’ve already been around forever and will likely stand the test of time until the end, this sultry singer from Sweden has officially arrived and is likely to become a global sensation.
Snoh Aalegra - All I Have (intro)
“All that I have… is all I need” Out the gate the FEELS album is the “cinematic soul” that she’s branded her style to be, and with NO I.D.’s production and direction Snoh Aalegra has clearly put together some of the most refined music of the last decade. Go ahead and quote me on it.
Snoh Aalegra ft Logic - Sometimes
“I've been speakin' in code this whole verse, lyrics disperse like MF DOOM, then hit 'em in reverse, my curse, is this blood I spill, metaphorically I kill, yes, that's for real, can we all keep it trill?” Logic floats on this instrumental with relative ease, and quietly his Snoh Aalegra collaborations have made them both a tandem together worth recognizing. Apparently they shared the same recording studio at one point and Logic heard the music and the rest was history, or perhaps only in the making as they’re just getting started 👀
Snoh Aalegra ft Vince Staples - Nothing Burns Like The Cold
“Can we talk about us, like we care about us? Can we talk about love, like we care about love?” This one could be out of a James Bond feature film and I’m here for it. Press play on the record and check out the cinematic teaser below.
Snoh Aalegra - You Got Me
“Tell me why I, I can't keep my eyes off you, the feeling is new, yeah, the feeling is you” This infectious tune is one of the more uptempo records on the project, and ultimately it provides a balance that makes the album all the more complete.
Snoh Aalegra - Out Of Your Way
“Feeling you, feeling all of you, babe, hear me out, cause I go out of my way, can I come your way, babe, if it isn't too late? If it is, if it is, I'll stay out of your way” 🔥🔥🔥 her voice is immaculate and the songwriting is incredible and through the speakers her performance in these records has already made her one of the top female vocalists of the time period - and that’s just off the strength of this album alone.
Snoh Aalegra ft Vic Mensa - You Keep Me Waiting
“You keep me waiting, with the worst of you, you keep me waiting, with the worst of you… and you call that love, you give me nothing but I still can't get enough, and I call that love…” Another timeless 💎 produced by NO ID that reminds me of Christmas Eve with the Bally's Gift Set and a beautiful woman sitting alone at the bar, and all together it sounds like a perfect night until Vic Mensa comes through and swings and misses badly on it - where even though he sounds decent (the production is 🔥) he’s really not saying ANYTHING worth quoting at all, which is unfortunate because he was really set up to hit a Home Run (where in fairness if not a strikeout then it’s a lazy single and nothing more). Nonetheless it’s still a great record regardless and again it’s right on time for the holidays and I’m here for it ❄️🎄
Snoh Aalegra - Time
“Memories fading, I try to hold on, when I don't know where I belong, no more, the sound of your voice was my all, was my home, but these walls, they can't hear you no more, no more” Another timeless 💎 once again produced by NO ID, whose fingerprints all over this album reaffirming himself as one of the most notable producers of all time in any genre.
Keyshia Cole - Incapable
“Oh what a oh what a feeling, the one that I thought that I needed, was incapable incapable of needing me back, incapable incapable of loving like that” Produced by Danja this is one of the standout records off Keyshia Cole’s latest album 11:Reset, that through 11 tracks and 35 minutes plays like a cohesive album that definitely serves a purpose, s/o Keyshia Cole for still coming with it more than 10 years now into the game.
Keyshia Cole - Best Friend
“I would be your best friend, be there late at night when you’re walking in, be there in the morning when, you open your eyes, I'll be by your side” This infectious tune is written and produced by Antwan “Amadeus” Thompson, Rashad Johnson & Aaron Rogers and this was absolutely made for no one else but Keyshia Cole… who definitely does her numbers on this doin what she always does so well.
Keyshia Cole - Vault
“I know there’s love in my vault, only thing that I want is someone to want me, yeah, put your ear to my thoughts, only thing that I want is someone to hold me, hold me” Produced by Ray Keys & Bongo the Drum Gahd (the latter who's become one of my favorite producers thanks to his work with The Game and many others) this was a promotional single off the 11:Reset album and it’s a ballad written by Jeremih that Keyshia Cole knows what to do with.
Lalah Hathaway - change ya life
“I can be all you need and more… heaven is knocking on your door, just let me prove it…” The widely acclaimed daughter of the legendary Donny Hathaway has released her 8th studio album (including a Live album in 2015), and almost 30 years into the game Lalah has put together a catalogue that has certainly made her father proud. honestly is her latest release and through nine records and 28 minutes it’s certainly a nice deviation from the R&B standard at the present moment, highlighted by this particular record that’s about the heart and soul just as it should be.
Lalah Hathaway - y o y
“I need to know… y o y…” This catchy tune is rather straightforward and for that reason all the more effective, one of the highlights off honestly that’s sure to hit home with many.
Lalah Hathaway - i can’t wait
“I never want to be apart from you, not a minute not a second more … I can’t wait…" The outro of the honestly tape is truthfully one of it’s strongest cuts altogether, as this one is smooth enough to definitely get some heavy rotation.
Boyz II Men - Tears On My Pillow
“You don't remember me, but I remember you, twas' not so long ago, you broke my heart in two… tears on my pillow, pain in my heart, caused by you (Oooh, oooh), you (Oooh, oooh)” Boyz II Men has recently released a cover album entitled Under The Streetlight (right on time and I co-sign this move completely), and one of it’s highlights is this rendition of the Little Anthony and Imperials classic - seen here performed in the late 1980’s with perhaps the most legendary group in New Edition.
Boyz II Men ft Take 6 - A Thousand Miles Away
"You're a thousand miles away, oh but I still have your love to remember you by, and oh my darling, dry your eyes, baby, daddy's coming home soon…” Along with another throwback group in Take 6 (based out of Alabama with remarkably 10 Grammy wins) Boyz II Men takes on a rendition of this Heartbeats classic.
Boyz II Men - Up On The Roof
“When this old world starts getting me down, and people are just too much for me to face (Up on the roof), I climb way up to the top of the stairs, and all my cares just drift right into space (Up on the roof)” Here they cover the Drifters classic and this record was made for Wanya & Nathan & company
Boyz II Men ft Brian McKnight - A Sunday Kind of Love
“I want a Sunday kind of love, a love that lasts past Saturday night, and I wanna know that it’s more than love at first sight” Brian McKnight has his fingerprints all over this album and this is a nice remake of the Etta James classic.
Boyz II Men - Ladies Man
“She thinks I’m a ladies man, but I’m just a gentleman, cause I couldn’t be the one to ever break her heart” This one happens to be a remake of their own song from their 2014 album Collide - nicely done.
Hustle Gang ft Peanut da Don, London Jae, Young Dro & TI - So High
“I put my fucking footprints up on the moon, I got high and got a room, made a pool full of shrooms, how cool, I was dreaming I met a bitch at the bar, yeah, she didn't hesitate, she jumped right in the car, yeah, she asked me, how much weed are we gonna do? I told her, shoot at the moon and she might hit her a star” Off all people Peanut da Don (strong name) flexes on this record that thanks to Nottz production is one of the sole highlights off the latest Hustle Gang release. Sidenote - Dro needs to cut it out with his flow on this - everyone else was cool tho.
Hustle Gang ft B.O.B., Translee, & TI - Still Young
“It's four AM, the night is still young, still young (still young) still young ooh, the world's so fucked up, but it's still fun (still fun), still fun when I'm with you” Thanks to a smooth vibe and a catchy hook this is one of the other sole highlights off the We Want Smoke compilation release, which otherwise leaves a lot to be desired both conceptually and musically. On the other hand TI & B.O.B. both do their numbers on this - where it should be noted that individually the Hustle Gang CEO has definitely been in his bag in recent weeks.
EARTHGANG - So Many Feelings
“I feel the anger oozing out my family portraits, who knew posing in the gutter could turn out so gorgeous, ooh? ***** Metta World Peace with my metamorphosis, Hey Arnold, all these bandwagon fans boarding, I feel like Marvin Gaye on his birthday, sometimes I feel like God on her worst day” Produced by Anonxmous this is one of the standouts off EARTHGANG’s latest release Robots, which though start to finish isn’t as memorable as their previous release in Rags (released only a month prior), is still a reminder of just how creative J Cole’s Dreamville brand has become.
EARTHGANG - Flickted
“What's your addiction? Is it money? Is it hoes? Is it weed? I've been afflicted, not one, not two, but all three, what's your addiction? I've been afflicted…” The outro off Robots is one of it’s strongest cuts, which conceptually is as honest and introspective as it gets.
H.E.R. - Rather Be
“There's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you, you, you… there's no place I'd rather be…” The mysterious artist with a hidden identity known only as H.E.R. (and otherwise singer Gabi Wilson) has just released her debut album of the same name? That confusingly and somewhat underwhelmingly is a combination of all her previous material released in two separate EP’s, in addition to five extra songs that she’s also just released separately as the B-Sides. Nonetheless all put together the album is a very soulful and enjoyable listen, where the above record is undoubtedly the standout of the newest and latest material.