SoulBack R&B Podcast

The SoulBack R&B Podcast Episode 144

We’re back with another episode of the SoulBack podcast to talk about R&B. We touch on Mary J. Blige’s Superbowl performance as well as her new album “Good Morning Gorgeous”. We also talk about new music from Jazmine Sullivan, J. Holiday and Marques Houston. We get into the battle between Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Souchild and VERZUZ’s choice to charge for the showing. Lastly we talk about the success of “Pressure” by Ari Lennox as well as “Hrs & Hrs” by Muni Long and what it means for R&B to have these songs playing on mainstream radio.

0:00:23 – Rihanna’s pregnancy
0:03:03 – Which drinks gotta go?
0:08:21 – Mary J. Blige’s Superbowl performance
0:15:29 – Our thoughts on Mary J. Blige’s new album “Good Morning Gorgeous”
0:25:45 – The importance of “Pressure” and “Hrs & Hrs” being hit records
0:30:37 – New music from Jazmine Sullivan, J. Holiday, Marques Houston
0:36:05 – Do male R&B artists have to step it up?
0:43:40 – Ne-Yo’s statement about ladies wanting to be called the B word
0:49:22 – VERZUZ deserves a Playa Please for charging money for the Anthony Hamilton vs Musiq Soulchild blame
0:54:15 – Edd’s Love Letters

The SoulBack R&B Podcast Episode 143

The SoulBack R&B podcast is back! On this week’s episode, we talk about new music from Ari Lennox and Muni Long. We also talk about Aaliyah's upcoming album which includes the new single "Posion" with The Weeknd. We also talk about the Jodeci reunion and if more R&B groups need to reunite, Lastly we play a fun game to decide which R&B ballads are the strongest from male artists. Check us out!

0:02:10 – JD Vegan Ice-Cream, Taco Bell's chicken wings, White Castle/Fat Joe collaboration
0:06:20 – Which table are you sitting at: Male R&B ballads edition
0:12:36 – What R&B groups need to reunite?
0:17:00 – 90's R&B fans aren't streaming which hurts the genre
0:20:44 - Aaliyah's upcoming album has features from The Weeknd, Future and more
0:29:15 - Brandy and Mariah Carey are working on a song together!
0:31:55 - Albums missing from other outlets' year end lists
0:35:28 - Is there a difference between what The Weeknd is doing with his throwback sound and Bruno Mars' retro music? 
0:39:00 - Muni Long and Ari Lennox land their first hits on the Billboard Hot 100
0:41:10 - Should artists handle their own social media pages?

The SoulBack R&B Podcast Episode 142 (The Top 100 R&B Songs of 2021)

We have been gone for a minute, but we had to finish the year off strong. In this special episode of the SoulBack podcast, we discuss our picks for the top 100 R&B songs of 2021. We published the whole list recently, but find out the rationale behind the picks. There were plenty of great R&B songs that came out this year, so definitely take a listen to each song after you listen to the episode. We’ll be back next year on a regular basis with episodes as well!

The SoulBack R&B Podcast Episode 141

The SoulBack R&B podcast is back! On this week’s episode, we celebrate Andrea Martin’s contributions to R&B. We also talk about the upcoming Silk Sonic album. We also touch on the latest releases from Anthony Hamilton, JoJo, Stokley and Sevyn Streeter. We also talk about R. Kelly's career now that he's officially guilty and what things will look like for him going forward.. Lastly we discuss some of our favorite songs from each artist in a fun segment.

0:01:30 – RIP Andrea Martin
0:06:00 – Silk Sonic announces debut album coming next month 
0:09:08 – The brilliance of The Shindella's debut album "“Hits That Stick Like Grits”
0:14:50 – The art of sampling
0:20:21 - R. Kelly is officially guilty. Now what?
0:27:53 - New albums from Anthony Hamilton, JoJo, Stokley
0:34:20 - Mary J. Blige will be performing at Superbowl
0:37:00 - The Dru Hill burger 
0:40:20 - Favorite songs discussion from these artists...
01:00:0 - Love Letters: Tyrese's Instagram post, Lil Fizz apologizes to Omarion 

The SoulBack R&B Podcast Episode 140

We're back with another episode of the SoulBack podcast. On this week's episode, we celebrate Chucky Thompson's contributions to R&B. We also talk about the success of BET's "The Encore" and the R&B supergroup BluPrint. We also touch on the new group The Chi which consists of Dave Hollister, Carl Thomas and Donell Jones. We also talk about the release of Aaliyah's "One In A Million" to streaming to platforms and what these upcoming Blackground releases mean for her legacy. Lastly we discuss our favorite R&B albums of 2021 so far.

0:00:30 – Remember R&B producer Chucky Thompson
0:04:15 – Why BluPrint was such a success
0:14:06 - Donell Jones, Carl Thomas and Dave Hollister form R&B supergroup The Chi
0:18:45 – The Blackground catalog is finally coming to stream platforms. Music from Aaliyah, Timbaland & Magoo, Tank, Toni Braxton and JoJo
0:28:34 – Love Letters: Aaliyah - 4 Page Letter
0:31:09 – Top 3 favorite R&B albums of 2021 so far
0:47:01 – Which album comes out first: Usher or Silk Sonic? 

The SoulBack R&B Podcast: Episode 139 (Special Guest Kevin Ross)

It's been more than a month but we're back with a new episode of the SoulBack R&B podcast. This week we have our friend and R&B singer/songwriter Kevin Ross with us. We talk about his journey as an independent artist, some of the challenges that he faced while on a major label and also some of the current issues that we're seeing in R&B right now. We also talk about Kevin's new single "Looking For Love". Lastly we get into a special love letters as we discuss the Kevin Ross penned "What's Best For You" by Trey Songz and analyze the lyrics. We compare the approach that Trey Songz takes on that record with Donell Jones' classic "Where I Wanna Be". Take a listen and see if you agree!

0:00:48 – New music from Kevin Ross, Silk Sonic and Kem
0:16:08 – BJ the Chicago Kid leaving Motown and going independent
0:21:32 - Learning to be profitable as an independent artist
0:28:14 - The stigma changing on Adult R&B and Urban AC radio
0:39:44 – Is modern R&B a victim of ageism?
0:54:38 – Is 90's and 2000's overrated in the grand scheme of things?
1:02:00 – Love letters: Trey Songz - What's Best For You
1:08:02 – Upcoming "Drive 2" project from Kevin Ross

The SoulBack R&B Podcast: Episode 138

We're back with a new episode of the podcast. We continue our discussion on The Encore show as the Cherish/702 conflict as really sparked up opinions on Twitter. We also talk about new music from Justine Syke, H.E.R. and Snoh Aalegra. Lastly we look at albums in 2021 and debate whether they should be considered playlists because of the amount of songs on these projects as well as the random features. Lastly we give a history lesson on T-Pain and his usage on R&B. We look at how he impacted the genre long term and what that meant for R&B.

0:01:06 – There's no tuna in Subway's tuna sub?!
0:02:00 – The drama on BET's "The Encore"
0:08:19 - Will this TV show benefit any of the artists musically?
0:12:32 - The album cover for Snoh Aalegra's "Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies"
0:15:08 – Is there a difference between a playlist and an album in today's streaming era? Using H.E.R.'s debut album as an example.
0:25:30 – Kyle will retire from R&B for good if this new Usher album isn't good
0:30:00 – T-Pain vs Usher: a discussion on autotune
0:46:00 – Love letters: Nivea - Don't Mess With My Man

The SoulBack R&B Podcast: Episode 137

We went on a little bit of a hiatus but we're back! We talk about the new R&B super group with members from Blaque, Cherish, 702, Danity Kane and Total as they will be broadcasting the recording of the album on BET. We also talk about new music from Teedra Moses and Anthony Hamilton. Lastly we discuss "signature song" from some of the most popular R&B songs today.

0:02:26 – New music picks of the week: Anthony Hamilton and Teedra Moses
0:09:00 – Our thoughts BET's "The Encore" and people who are in the R&B supergroup
0:31:00 – Chicken intermission: Free McFlurries at McDonalds?!
0:33:10 – Our thoughts on the SWV vs Xscape VERZUZ battle
0:40:40 – What is the signature song for certain R&B artists?

The SoulBack R&B Podcast: Episode 136

We're back with a brand new episode of the podcast. We debate which Aaliyah song on the "Romeo Must Die soundtrack is the best". We also talk about some new music from Sevyn Streeter, JoJo Hailey and The Isley Brothers. We also talk the latest on Usher's upcoming album. Lastly we try to find out what happened to the R&B singer Deemi. Check us out and also follow us @SoulBackPodcast on Instagram and Twitter.

0:06:00 – Tom's R&B Trivia
0:17:43 – Looking back at Aaliyah's songs on the "Romeo Must Die" soundtrack
0:25:00 – There should be a union for Rap and R&B artists funded by major labels
0:27:46 – New music picks of the week: Sevyn Streeter, JoJo Hailey and The Isley Brothers
0:33:59 – Jacquees covering Jon B, Donell Jones and Joe 
0:40:11 – Is Usher's album finally done? 
0:49:05 – Chicken intermission: Top 5 best chocolate bars?
0:53:48 – What R&B artists are still passionate about music making?
0:59:40 – Edd's love letters
1:04:35 – Whatever happened to Deemi?

The SoulBack R&B Podcast: Episode 135

We're back with a brand new episode of the podcast. We talk about H.E.R.'s dominance in R&B right now as she just won a few more GRAMMY's. We also talk about some new music from Ruff Endz, Pleasure P and Brian McKnight. We also talk about the state of the industry today and how it compares to the mid 2000's. Lastly we list out the top 10 saddest R&B songs of all time which includes Boyz II Men's "Doing Just Fine". Check us out and also follow us @SoulBackPodcast on Instagram and Twitter.

0:03:15 – Tom's R&B Trivia
0:17:19 – H.E.R. and her dominance in today's industry
0:30:53 – Kyle's chicken intermission: Favorite spreads on bread
0:38:40 – Artists in the 2000s all using the same producers
0:50:15 – New music picks of the week: Ruff Endz, Pleasure P and Brian McKnight
0:53:23 – The top 10 saddest R&B songs of all time
1:01:05 – Edd's love letters