What We’re Listening To

Petros Fessas with his newest selection of tracks for the week

Maxine Ashley is seen as the protégé of Pharrell Williamsallbum.it

by Petros Fessas

Friday October 31 2014, 10:09am

It is extremely difficult to turn heads with yet another slow RnB jam. Having said that, it is probably quite easy at the same time if you’re hailed as the ‘protégé’ of none other than Mr. Pharrell Williams. The omnipresent pop mastermind has done some production work on Maxine’s new EP ‘Moodswings,’ but here he lends the wheel to Kerry Brothers, Alicia Keys’s long-term collaborator (eg. ‘No One’): a touch evident in the immersive harmonies of ‘Between You & I’. Nevertheless, it is Maxine’s spine-tingling vocals that probably win this game, creating a vintage soul atmosphere without losing any of their edge.

Spanish Mary, The New Basement Tapes

Never making it onto the release of The Basement Tapes, ‘Spanish Mary’ was released last week as a promotional single by an all-star cast of musicians calling themselves nothing else but The New Basement Tapes releasing unused lyrics from the sessions. The Americana flavour is dressed with darker hues, accompanied by minstrel banjo and by Rhiannon Giddens’ dynamic vocals to create an exceptional track.

Pluto, Grace

A sinister barely-there beat begins Pluto, introudcing newcomer Grace’s smoky vocals. A beat courtesy of Dave Sitek, the TV on the Radio member and producer to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Foals. The song does, however, take an unexpectedly pop direction with its straightforward chorus. This does not cost it its charm: the lyrical theme of “being willing to sacrifice everything in desperation to satisfy an urge or craving” is carried masterfully to the end, cultivating speculation of what is to come next from Grace.

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