The best soul and R&B EPs of early 2018

There's no denying it: among music consumers in the streaming era, the album format is slowly losing importance, bringing with it all the attendant decline and renewal. Not only that, but with free access to gigantic digital databases containing millions of songs, the contemporary landscape has turned into a boundless ocean of music in which it's all too easy to get lost or simply throw in the towel. So a common question naturally arises for both consumers and the industry and musicians involved: how do we deal with this situation? There's obviously no single answer, but at the moment it seems that the good old extended play is (re)assuming a role of vital importance within the record industry.

The reason is, all things considered, simple: the EP is both a solid stepping stone through which an artist can present their work to the world, and a lean container of music that's easier for listeners interested in discovering new artists to digest. The industry benefits too, since an EP is less costly to put together and less officially demanding to promote – no small matter even for the major labels producing them, given that with the huge economic fractures within the record industry caused by free streaming, reaching the album can be too long a process that still doesn't guarantee safe returns. Better, then, to proceed cautiously and take things step by step, some argue.

So the EP has now become an almost obligatory stage for cutting one's teeth while gathering the acclaim needed to move forward, and this is especially true for all those artists who operate outside today's chart-topping dance-pop trends and aspire to a quality that isn't necessarily "crowd-pleasing." This trend is certainly bearing fruit in the field of a certain alternative R&b and of variants of old-school soul updated electronically for the ever-hungry ears of the modern audience. Over the last couple of decades these genres have turned into a kind of Esperanto that has crossed the borders of American soil to range from Senegal to Canada, from England to France and Korea, capturing the love of the most attentive listeners and creating a simmering microcosm of names who – hopefully – will one day all manage to make the big leap. With no pretense of completeness and in no particular order of importance, below we round up a few releases from recent months that have most piqued our curiosity and interest.

Charlotte Day Wilson – Stone Woman (self-released)

With her searching gaze, fresh-faced looks and a voice that's solitary yet seductive in its calm elegance, Canadian Charlotte Day Wilson is the sophisticated lady of the moment, a markedly intimate songwriter absolutely worth discovering for anyone who still holds dear the Jessie Ware of “Devotion” or the Rosie Lowe of the intense “Control“. But that's only a first impression. We also know that, thanks to an internship at the offices of the celebrated Toronto label Arts & Crafts, Charlotte went on to work with Daniel Caesar and the BadBadNotGood of the acclaimed “IV” (the track was “In Your Eyes“), widening her audience while also getting a feel for the record industry and the means needed to make her own way – both the previous 2016 EP “CDW” and this new “Stone Woman” are independent releases, with Charlotte serving as writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer (though there's still the drumming of BadBad's Alex Sowinski lending that touch of jazz).

“Stone Woman” reads almost like a book: the plot is the end of a love affair, told by Charlotte across six tracks of impeccable electro-soul woven with jazzy acoustic textures. The title track is like a mantra embellished by exquisitely fine synthetic touches, where the author seems almost to be trying to wake herself from the torpor that has left her emotionally defenseless. The following “Doubt” goes straight for the heart: a placid, almost symphonic pace that climbs toward a finale of drums in full flourish with hi-hats everywhere, swirling guitars and a voice that travels along circular patterns – a spare style but rich in nuance and complementary to the meaning of the lyrics. The perfect balance between acoustic and synthetic makes the following “Nothing New” a small miniature of desolate beauty, while “Let You Down” takes on a nocturnal, more urban feel, only to open up into one of the most soulful melodies of the whole project. Also lovely is the languid, open-hearted confession of “Falling Apart,” enriched by thick layers of lounge, but the real gut-punch comes with the closing “Funeral,” a crystalline melody paired with lyrics of postmodern nihilism so merciless that they wouldn't sound out of place in the mouth of the reigning queen of post-Xanax despair herself, Lana Del Rey. In short, an essential listen for 2018. (Damiano Pandolfini)

Ravyn Lenae – Crush (Atlantic)

Among the youngest and most sparkling talents of that (art-)soul renaissance which for years has been bringing new interpreters of soul music to the fore, Ravyn Lenae is probably the one with the best chance of making the great leap in the years to come. Just 19 years old, with a solid run of EPs already behind her, the Chicago artist combines the vocal effervescence of Erykah Badu and Ella Washington (with whom she shares her surname) for her coming-of-age project, in which she can speak of growth and maturity with all the necessary rigor and intimacy.

Sinuous funk guitars, alluring bass grooves and driving rhythm sections (courtesy of Steve Lacy, here also acting as vocalist) keep the project at a safe distance from the latest electro trends, focusing instead on distinctive compositional interlocking (the psychedelic hints of “Closer (Ode 2 U)”, the jangle effects of the following “Computer Luv”) and highlighting the distinctiveness of the vocal lines (the memorable little breaks of the single “Sticky”), for a work that helps give new luster to the golden age of soul music. Her moment in the spotlight could be very close. (Vassilios Karagiannis)

Anaïs – Before Zero (Virgin)

A life on the move, from her native France to Senegal (her father's homeland), then studying in New York at the prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recording Music (in class with Arca and Gallant) and finally landing in London, where Anaïs Aïda now lives and works. A long process and a family already well underway, yet with that dream never abandoned, and the maturity to take all the time needed to find her own sound and tie it to a fitting visual world (the accompanying videos for “Nina” and “Set In Stone” are simply gorgeous) make the four tracks of “Before Zero” a listen of songwriting, performance and production that is simply superior soul/songwriting.

If the heartfelt dedication to Nina Simone on "Nina" moves along a sultry path somewhere between Solange and Corinne Bailey Rae, "Set In Stone" ventures into a more driven, percussive groove, where Anaïs's voice takes over with firm sweetness. But the enchantment of "Before Zero" also lives on in the EP's other two tracks, through a "Window" that twirls like the most romantic of waltzes, and a cover of Charles Aznavour's famous chanson "La mamma", transposed into a melodramatic minimalism of violins and electronics. An intimate, elegant and distinctly feminine work, which makes Anaïs one of the most promising still-unknown names of the moment. Given all this, anticipation for her announced debut album – reportedly titled "Zero" – is through the roof. (Damiano Pandolfini)

Heize – Wind (Baram) (CJ E&M)

In an industry like South Korea's, which rarely opens the door to solo careers, the success and standing of a personality like Heize is a happy, if necessary, exception to the rule. Equally at home as an energetic rapper and a subtle r&b interpreter, for her fourth EP the singer-songwriter opts almost exclusively for the latter path, delivering six tracks that showcase her diligent melodic instincts and remarkable expressive sensitivity.

Split evenly between placid ballads ("Didn't Know Me") and more interesting mid-/uptempo numbers, "Wind" catches an artist in a phase of experimentation and renewal, filling her delicate r&b harmonies with substantial jazz elements (the splendid "Jenga") as well as brilliant electro detours ("Wish You Well", alongside co-producer and arranger Davii), all effective in bolstering the instinctive appeal of the melodies. The retro piano of the closing "MIANHAE", suspended between soul moods and hip-hop breaks, is the icing on the cake of an eclectic, refined record that pushes forward the linguistic and compositional research of a receptive songwriter in full form; Heize can certainly be counted among the best Korean urban-music vocalists of the moment. (Vassilios Karagiannis)

St. Beauty – Running To The Sun (Wondaland)

From the Wondaland camp – the imprint of Janelle Monáe under Epic – comes at last the debut EP from the much-talked-about St. Beauty (real names Alexe Belle and Isis Valentino), two young women utterly lost in an Insta-vintage world of pastel colors and filters lifted from faded old photos of flower children grazing in the fields – after all, with 7 tracks and 3 interludes, "Running To The Sun" is almost a mini-album, one that seems to harken back to the vinyl era. There's no shortage of more modern touches, though, which combined with a healthy dose of blissful youth make the whole thing a likeable and rather peculiar project: two full, round voices that complement each other beautifully, a minimal production juggling sun-soaked synths and delicate drum machines, the inevitable guest verse from the rapper of the moment (Deanté Hitchcock on the drowsy "Tides"), and a handful of lovely art-soul melodic lines clearly indebted to the work of Solange and Blood Orange.

The lead singles had already stirred up plenty of curiosity around the project; "Caught", with its concentric lines, and "Not Discuss It", with its delicate sensuality, were two moments of pure electro-art-soul capable of turning the spotlight onto the duo and catching the ear of every fan of the genre. Fortunately, the rest of the EP doesn't disappoint, from the emotion of "Borders" to the dancehall echoes of "Colors", both able to fire up the imagination while staying well clear of any radio-friendly trend. Naturally, there are also tributes to two new divas of contemporary alt-r&b who are clearly a source of inspiration for today's youngest artists: the lovely chorus of "Stone Mountain" shows a very clear debt to SZA's "The Weekend", while on "Lucid Dream" the melodic ghost of godmother Janelle Monáe appears, and that's clearly far more than mere coincidence. A scant half hour of warm, sun-drenched vibes to bask in. (Damiano Pandolfini)

Jeong Sewoon – Part. 2 After (Starship Entertainment)

Emerging as a teenager from the ranks of a K-pop talent show, twenty-year-old Jeong Sewoon is one of the freshest faces in Korean pop, a name well worth banking on in the years ahead. The second part of his debut EP, while not exactly brimming with innovation, certainly shows enough to hint at a personality on the verge of fully blossoming, a melodic sensibility that keeps him at a safe distance from the kitschy average of so many of his compatriots, embracing instead a gentler, more subdued urban-pop, one that's not lacking in nuance and variety for all that.

While the slower, moodier tracks still need some fine-tuning before Jeong can be considered a more personal and incisive balladeer, the singer's talent comes through with much greater conviction on the upbeat moments and bolder stylistic combinations, whether in clean tunes with delicate electro-r&b contours ("Baby It's U", with its very classic feel; the more modern "IRONY", dotted with brief trap flourishes) or in simple but effective meetings at the crossroads of pop, electronics and jazz (the closing "Close Over", a track that proves the South Korean also knows his way around arrangement and production). A fuller album will allow the young artist's qualities to be appreciated to the fullest, but in the meantime we're left with a light, airy little record. (Vassilios Karagiannis)

Poppy Ajudha – FEMME (self-released)

Very young, short hair and a doe-eyed look somewhat in the vein of Dolores O'Riordan, she cut her teeth supporting Jamila Woods on her recent European tour, from whom she surely also picked up a few ideas about the electronic manipulations to apply to her own songwriting. But Poppy's true point of reference is fellow Londoner Amy Winehouse, and her deep, lived-in vocal timbre certainly confirms it – just listen to "Where Did I Go?", an elegant ballad that glides along on dreamy string sections and a jazz guitar.

Taken as a whole, "FEMME" isn't really that vintage a work (even if the quirky comic-strip cover art might suggest otherwise) – what we have instead is an interlude and four jams of pure urban-soul, best enjoyed between parks and city sidewalks. "Spilling Into You" (featuring Kojey Radical) arrives buoyed by warm layers of synth and a highly singable refrain, the deconstructed afro-funk echoes of "Tepid Soul" gently rock the air, while the closing "She Is The Sun" arrives like a heartfelt choral ode.

Nothing too groundbreaking, perhaps, but the seeds of real talent are already all there, and with "FEMME" Poppy Ajudha proudly carries the banner of soul music conceived within urban settings, in her own way not so far removed from the gospel spread by her ever-excellent fellow Londoner Fatima. (Damiano Pandolfini)

Moss Kena – Found You In '06 (Colt Club Records)

Not much is known about Moss Kena at the moment, other than that he's British and evidently still very young: the title "Found You In '06", in fact, is a nod to "Back To Black", the hugely famous second album by Amy Winehouse, whose release had such a strong emotional impact on him that it pushed him to dedicate his life to music. That said, there's no concession here to jazz or to Amy's trademark vintage horns; Moss Kena's sound is instead a kind of light-footed electro-soul, with clear echoes of Prince in his use of falsetto (the lovely single "Square One") and other, more ethereal moments recalling the How To Dress Well of the "Total Loss" era (see "You Don't Know").

Rapper Leikeli47's presence on "Spend Some Time" boosts its urban credentials, while the track glides along on a sly, Timberlake-esque melodicism. The pleading "Games" and the piano-driven midtempo of "Problems" — on which Moss unleashes high notes worthy of Gallant — close the circle, both tracks showcasing solid songwriting chops alongside a youthful yet already fairly personal delivery.

A fitting voice, meticulous production and a melodicism that's undoubtedly very mainstream but also steeped in that youthful anxiety typical of early Weeknd – maybe nothing will come of it, but Moss Kena could turn out to be a name capable of best representing England's new electro-soul scene, and "Found You In '06" is too well-crafted a listen not to be appreciated. (Damiano Pandolfini)

Rina Sawayama – RINA (self-released, 2017)

A last-minute catch-up on one of last season's most significant releases, courtesy of a name destined to be talked about a lot. Born in Japan but relocated to London at a very young age, the musician crafts one of the most exciting and frenetic amalgams of recent times, blending into a single, vividly colourful mix noise-pop debris, eccentric guitar detours, playful electro trinkets and nostalgic r&b melodies, echoing both the punchiest hits of Destiny's Child and Brandy ("Take Me As I Am") and the more romantic approach of Hikaru Utada and her countless imitators ("Ordinary Superstar", the minimal calm of "Tunnel Vision", featuring Shamir).

Clarence Clarity's sophisticated, schizoid co-production undeniably plays a part in giving the tracks this extreme juxtaposition of futuristic and nostalgic, while the soulful, emotional touch of the performances and lyrics (which grapple with digital life and our use of technology) lends these intricate sonic constructions depth and humanity, dynamism and a touch of sadness. The crowning achievement of this thrilling pop'n'b collection is the melodic crescendo that closes "Alterlife", probably the best summary of one of the most compelling and distinctive calling cards of recent years. (Vassilios Karagiannis)

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