Lonnie Holley ft. Moor Mother: I Am Part Of The Wonder

Beautiful sounds emanating from Atlanta, thanks to a new album from Lonnie Holley. Although the full release is not expected until next month, the first glimpses from Oh Me Oh My are tantalising enough to build my anticipation. In particular, I Am Part Of The Wonder, which sees the acclaimed artist bringing on board the equally talented, Moor Mother, resulting in a rhythmically charged, bluesy, jazz-flecked amalgam of cosmic joy. You can hear the song for yourself below, with downloads and more information on the album available via Bandcamp.

Crow Billiken: If I don’t have red I use blue (Stream)

Speaking of R.A.P. Ferreira, he was behind another new release his week, under the guise of his bluesman alter ego, Crow Billiken. It’s been a while since Ferreira first announced his desire to enter into the world of blues and after seeing a few snippets of his progress on Twitter, the arrival of If I don’t have red I use blue was a joy to my ears. I’m no expert on the blues, but I know what I like when it comes to that sound and this EP is definitely in that category. And if your debut only leaves the listener wanting more, then you are definitely doing something right. The EP is available to peruse below, with downloads available over on Bandcamp.

CW Jones: I’ll Be Good Someday

It’s always a joy to hear new material from CW Jones and this latest song is exactly what we need right now. Mellow soulful bluesy vibes, from an artist who seems totally at ease within his musical world.

Raekwon & Blakroc: Stay Off The F*ckin’ Flowers

One of my favourite albums of all time is the one-off collaborative project that The Black Keys embarked on, back in 2009, when they enlisted the ample talents and connections of Dame Dash for Blakroc. Together they crafted a bluesy hip hop and rock infused album that featured some incredible contributions from the likes of Mos Def, Jim Jones, Q-Tip, Nicole Wray and Billy Danze.

Button Eyes: Nobody’s Baby (Stream)

Great compilation from genre defying London outfit, Button Eyes, as we finally get all their beautiful songs in one place. Button Eyes first came to my attention with the release of Simple Days and A Fever, back in 2013, which featured vocalists Gemma Williams and Rag’N’Bone Man – still some of my favourite work of his to date – as well Please Don’t Take My Blues, featuring contemporary blues man, CW Jones. Now thanks to Lewis Lindgren (184, Taunton Manor etc.), the man behind the music, we have those tracks alongside later releases like Chemicals and Erase Me. Nobody’s Baby is available to stream below and downloads are available via Western Decadence.

Sniff x Lyza Jane: Blue Sunday

Really strong lead single from the new Sniff and Lyza Jane EP. Blue Sunday juxtaposes Lyza’s ethereal vocal style – which wouldn’t sound out of place on a David Lynch soundtrack – with Sniff’s trademark monotone flows, resulting in a bluesy track laden with depth and feeling. A promising start to the full project. The Baby Blue Champion EP is out now on Blah Records. The video was shot by AboveGround.

Button Eyes: Burn It Down

Great new track from Button Eyes, which is taken from a recent compilation by Berlin-based collective, Project Mooncircle. Featuring typically sublime vocals from CW Jones, as well as 184’s ever dope production, I’m hoping we’ll hear more from the crew this year. You can stream the track below and the compilation itself is available here.

Rag’n’Bone Man: Interview

Rag’n’Bone Man is one of those rare artists who has managed to make the leap from underground to mainstream, without losing any of their integrity. I was lucky enough to to chat with him recently about his early influences, staying grounded and his recurring themes of death and mortality, among other things. The interview took place at the Cypher Lounge at the Windmill in Brixton.

Rag ’N’ Bone Man: Human (Live on Jools Holland)

It was only a matter of time before Rag N Bone Man was asked to make an appearance on Later…, especially given the commercial success of his latest single. Well last night the inevitable became reality as he made a stunning debut on the show, including this performance of Human.

Rag’n’Bone Man: Human

Powerful new song from Rag N Bone Man as he continues his rise to commercial success. Human has been getting a lot of much deserved hype since its release last week, helped along by a great video too. The song is available to buy now via iTunes.