Kiss-Offs, Come-Ons, and a Rider Full of Rum
Jorja Smith stays up all night with Wizkid, Fana Hues torches an ex, and Manchester’s finest soul duo ends a long quiet spell. Summer R&B is here.
Welcome to the Soulpolitan weekly feature, where we highlight the R&B singles worth your time. As people who spend an unreasonable amount of time pressing play on things nobody asked us to press play on, this is our way of passing along the best of what we’re hearing—and occasionally arguing about, so you don’t have to sort through every New Music Friday playlist yourself.
This week, we have a load of R&B with absolutely none of the air con. You can expect a pair of first-time duet partners in a night shoot in Paris, a dancehall departure from a crooner who just snagged a Grammy nomination, a year’s worth of kissing off packed into one two-pronged takedown, an anthem for the smoke from a guy who subsequently stopped. Hit it.
Jorja Smith, “Alive” feat. Wizkid
About time Jorja Smith got something up her sleeve. Her third album, What Are the Odds, is a collaborative effort with P2J, who also produced 2023’s Falling or Flying. This upcoming project will highlight UK garage, 2-step, and Afro house. “Alive,” a duet with Wizkid, is the first song they’ve worked on together, written and recorded in London. It’s about the feeling of being at the start of something with someone. The chemistry between Smith and Wizkid is undeniable. They sound like the beginning of something special. Smith’s verse is all about closing the distance, singing “It’s late, I’m coming over/Can’t stay away for too long,” and then measuring out the wait. Wizkid responds in pidgin, promising a loving that will make her feel her best, and later, to take over the city and make others jealous. The Gabriel Trautmann-directed video exhibits Smith trailing through a summer night in Paris before Wizkid appears towards the end. They don’t share the frame until the song is nearly over, a move that adds to the anticipation. With “Alive,” Smith has finally created a song that’s getting people moving, and it’s a big change from her previous work. She’s decided it’s time to dance, and this album is the result. —Tori Hammond
Destin Conrad, “Nervous”
Destin Conrad’s next move after touring his alternative-jazz set wHIMSY! is a reggae album, set to drop next month. “Nervous” explores his Jamaican roots, with producer Louie Lastic handling the riddim. Conrad says his jazz experience pushed him to stretch, and now he’s honoring his roots while getting everyone else moving. Conrad jumps into patois right away: “Boy ah vex cause him girl want itch up.” Most of the song is about walking into rooms and making an impression. His girl walks in and “she do batty and breast/She say it with her chest, she nuh shield,” with every man watching and every woman annoyed, but they don’t care. Then he lists all the people he’s involved with, like one who’ll roll his trees, one he might see next week, “a blasian one weh speak Chinese,” and it’s like he’s counting his blessings. The hook tells you what to do: “If you bad, wave your hand inna the air.” The video is a block-party celebration of Jamaican fashion and dance, and everyone’s having a good time. Conrad’s music used to be soft and shy, but on “Nervous” he’s confident and swaggering, and it suits him well. —Jhanel
Fana Hues, “Sweet n’ Sour”
Fana Hues has a voice that’s appeared on records by Tyler, The Creator and Doechii, and her own music has been slowly gaining momentum since 2020’s Hues, through 2024’s Moth. Her upcoming EP Catch N’ Release, set for August 4, uses a fishing theme to inquire what sparks interest and what’s worth keeping. One song, “Sweet n’ Sour,” is about throwing back what’s not worth it, and she doesn’t do it gently. These verses are like the last conversation before a breakup, with “I’m not the one to hold it together/After all that shit you talking, now you can’t remember.” The forecast for the man in question is straightforward: “One day you sweet, then you flip like the weather,” which says a lot about his character. The chorus drops the metaphors and gets straight to the point: “Fuck you, fuck you/Guess it’s a bitter end”, followed by “Fuck you, fuck you/Now I can love again.” The profanity conveys grief and liberation, and eventually, it’s turned outward: “I’m fucking done/... You’re fucking dumb.” This song will surely resonate with someone who’s been through a similar experience, and maybe, just maybe, an ex will hear it and know it’s about him. —Mina Abdel
Children of Zeus, “Weed & Rum”
Manchester’s Children of Zeus had been quiet since 2021’s Balance, but both members have stayed active. Konny Kon got his start MCing with local trio Broke ‘n’ English. Tyler Daley, formerly known as Hoodman, has lent his voice to tracks by Goldie and Soul II Soul’s Caron Wheeler. Their new song, “Weed & Rum,” is out now on First Word, with production from Beat Butcha, Coop the Truth, and Justin Zim. It’s a smooth return, like they never left. The song is set backstage. Daley’s hook is all about contentment, love songs, and sunshine. Kon’s verse adds complexity, rapping about empty bottles of premium Bajan rum, fans taking pics with Tyler, and late nights. But the best line is him quitting weed and rum, despite having them specified on the Zeus rider (“Weed and rum specified on the Zeus rider/Truth is I quit both by this plane pilot”). He wrote this song from the sober side, making it the grown-up sequel to their 2013 song “Smoke With Me.” This is for everyone who’s cleaned up but still misses the old days. —Ameenah Laquita
Isabelle Mettle, “GOOD IN ME”
Isabelle Mettle is the sole name in the production credits for her single “GOOD IN ME” and its parent EP (CMD), which is set to be released in September. She built this project alone, and it’s a self-produced effort that she considers an important statement of authorship in a male-dominated production world. Mettle describes “GOOD IN ME” as a song that feels like coming home to yourself, and the verses support this idea. It’s a love song about feeling comfortable with who you’re when someone else is around. Mettle’s comfort is intentionally unglamorous. She feels brand new every morning, and she’s fine without makeup. The compliments she gives her partner are practical, like “You read between the lines I write/And shift my point of view.” One notable line is “And I’ll let you have the map of me/Let you read the roads like they are poetry.” Even the hook’s biggest moment, “You make me feel hotter than a third degree,” is part of a chorus that starts with “Baby I love your company,” a straightforward declaration of love. Mettle admits she’s used to hearing fake love, but now her partner’s voice is her favorite sound. —Charlotte Rochel
Bonus: Beyoncé, “MORNING DEW (DONK)”
Being half-asleep while scrolling, I took the push notification as a joke. The Hive has been trading the leaked track “Donk” like contraband for more than a decade since its leak around 2013. Pleading for its release which didn’t happen until now, and Beyoncé has just released “MORNING DEW (DONK)” on the Fourth of July. This song, her first piece since Cowboy Carter, has been produced by Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams (with DIXSON in the background vocals). There’s an album to celebrate the upcoming twentieth anniversary of B’Day scheduled to be released on the artist’s 45th birthday on September 4. My favorite of hers.
The plot revolves around a morning hangover nobody wishes to be over. She is drinking champagne and watching Purple Rain before dreaming about getting back into homeroom where she will be having her locker filled with the images of her lover who she hopes to get an A in biology: “I think I wanna go back to school and have my locker full of pictures of you”. About halfway through the pre-chorus, she says “and he said” and hands the song over to her man who then begs for the dew of the morning in the post-hook. Second verse brings the matured B’DAY heat into the equation. She is in “Forty one degree weather” with her mind faded out and establishing the house rules: “You can tap in but don’t, don’t tap out”. All the while, underneath, there’s a “donkey, donkey, donk’” chant which may be the goofiest thing she’s put her name on after making a banger out of a closet with “Freakum Dress.” The director of the lyric video, the one who captured Beyoncé on the cover of Sports Illustrated at her 25th birthday, has used decades-old clips from her for the video, sixty days away from her 45th birthday. —Jill Wannasa
R&B, Soul, or Blues Albums to Check Out
SIENNA SPIRO: Visitor
Bigg Robb: Mr. Southern Soul Music
sahn: the garden
Leo: STILL HERE (EP)
Echo Huang: SELF-HELP TAPE (EP)
Michi: Dirty Talk: Sunshine Hotline Mixes
Other Songs to Check Out
Maverick Sabre: Eleven
Johnny Burgos: Right Here
BJRNCK & G Herbo: Coming Home
Adrian Younge: Shake Down
FKJ: Changes Rising
Lä’Myah: Just In Time
Thee Sacred Souls & Victor Axelrod: Waiting on the Right Time
Feux & Cassius Cherry: better
Myshaan: Bless the Broken Road
Soless: Jamais
Naisha: so then (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
Orla Rae: So Loud
95ANTNY: CAN’T IGNORE
Amelia Rose: more from you
Jayo: I’ll Take Care of U (ITCOU)
OVI WOOD: Expectations
MALIA: Masquerade (feat. Homeboy Sandman)
Adanna Duru: 2 Sweet
Ferris Pier & Kyle Dion: Pink Lights
EKENE: Relations (feat. Braye)
Charlie Bereal: Out There for Me
FrankHaveMercy & BJRNCK: IMY
Gene Noble: Undertones
Khari & Rexx Life Raj: ILY
Ezra: Let Me Love U Better
Quanie: Something (Stripped)
Rowlene: Hurts 2b Reminded
sunkis: Pretty Eyes (feat. FLO)
Papa Jay: Work Dat
CAIRO!: LET HER GO
Sylo: Levitating
Haley Bridge: Flying
Rosado: Focus
Drea Dominique: I’m Fine
Mikey Jose: HOPE THIS FINDS U WELL
Nasty C & Tellaman: T’s & C’s Apply (Maxi-Single)