London’s Funkystepz put the UK bass in your face *and Jeremih’s) on their latest remix, the grimy nighttime creeper “All the Time”. (ABEANO)
Funkstepz 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
London’s Funkystepz put the UK bass in your face *and Jeremih’s) on their latest remix, the grimy nighttime creeper “All the Time”. (ABEANO)
Funkstepz (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
That moment when one of your favorite artists returns from a long hiatus with really great new material is truly a gift. Danish duo Quadron’s return single “Hey Love” is one of that moments for the b3 squad. “Hey Love” wins on its irresistible drum hook and singer Coco O’s subtle as silk empassioned delivery. It’s new Quadron!
Quadron 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
New York soul songwriter Jared Evan makes his B3 debut with the feel good “Are We Almost There Yet?” Evan gets on well enough on the track; particularly in the melody department, where JE’s laid back flow and in-no-hurry sung hook do nicely to complement Statik Selektah’s excellent (and the track’s true star) sunny Sunday afternoon beat. Jared Evan’s Boom Bap and Blues project is due a week from today, February 26th.
Jared Evan – Are We Almost There Yet?Jared Evan 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Shlohmo makes it all look so easy. The Los Angeles based producer yet again showcases his immense talent with latest single, “Don’t Say No” featuring How to Dress Well. The newest track from his “Laid Out” project, the new EP demonstrates Shlohmo’s unique ability to draw the listener out of their world and into his. How to Dress Well’s Tom Krell’s R&B-laden vocals and Shlohmo’s mastery of all that is beats make the wait for “Laid Out” due out March 5th, that much more difficult. By Phoebe Severin
Shlohmo 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Finally! Longtime friends Theophilus London and Jesse Boykins III make it legal with new PARIS 96 collaborative project. First track “Afternoon” is the perfect mix of JBIII’s sophisticated R&B stylings and T. London’s percussive rhyming playboy thing. Expect an EP from these two in April. Psyched!
PARIS 96 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Check out the soulful (& awesome) hip hop-informed space pop of Natural Self a/k/a Brighton-based producer Nathaniel Pearn and his track for “Machine”. The single will be available Feb 18th on Tru Thoughts. Get familiar. (TLOBF)
Natural Self (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
R&B upstart Phil Beaudreau and producer Dawaun Parker convert another track to the gem category (each track’s been a diamond thusfar) with the beautiful conscious-driven “This Is Why”. The production (between the soulful horns and gloomy textured atmospheres) is absolutely lights out; and that dreamy falsetto chorus hook? Heavenly. Get familiar ASAP.
Phill Beaudreau – This Is Why (Feat. Dawaun Parker)Phil Beaudreau (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.7
“Pinecone” is new from Bay Area soulstress Kacey Johansing. Melodically styled more in the lane of torch song jazz or even classic Southern soul, Ms. Johansing on “Pinecone” takes her time with the tune; let each note breathe up and out into the mix. Arranged with some beautifully atmsopheric harmonies and an instrumental that we’ll make you feel as if you’re floating somewhere just off the Golden Gate, “Pinecone” winds and ebbs, sways and flows like any great story (or Sunday afternoon in The Bay). (KKS)
Kacey Johansing (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
UK R&B ingenue Indiana (shout to all our friends in the Hoosier State) first hit our radars last year with her sweetly lugubrious cover of Frank Ocean’s “Swim Good”. On new track “Bound”, the British newcomer has delivered a gem. Built on a deftly evil bassline & minimalist production, “Bound” succeeds on ellipsis, on what’s omitted. The drama, cinema & tension created by the track’s relatively simple instrumentation is transfixing really. To move, to break from that tension, is to invite that character of menace that exists within the spaces and gaps in the track.
Indiana (Facebook)
Rating 8.0
b3 fave Charles Bradley picks right back up where he left off on 2011’s great No Time For Dreaming with new single “Strictly Reserved For You”. The lead track off his upcoming sophomore LP (!) Vision of Love, “Strictly Reserved For You” marries the feel and arrangements of early 70’s soul groups like The Dramatics and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes with Bradley’s one-of-a-kind infinitely soulful vocals. Welcome back CB!
Charles Bradley (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
We LOVE Jessie Ware. Love Love Love Love. That level of love, admiration and Devotion seemed to radiate not just the (infinitely psyched) members of the b3 team at Thursday night’s Rickshaw Stop show but the entirety (and this is not hyperbole) of the sold-out house on hand. So much love. After a somewhat banter-formulaic beginning (shout the city, tell them how good it is to be there, how cool that city is), that love seemed to overwhelm and grab hold of our Ms. Ware not long into her approximately 60 minute set. “(San Francisco) really is our favorite city.”
Jessie Ware, who first emerged in 2010 & 2011 as a featured vocalist on electronic and dubstep tracks by artists like SBTRKT & Joker, received near universal praise for her debut LP Devotion last year. Blending the classic R&B strains of artists like Aaliyah and Sade with more modern arrangements & instrumentations, the album’s (which somewhat ludicrously has not yet seen a physical release in the U.S.) 10 tracks span various and disparate (yet entirely complementary) styles of production and writing and our #5 album of last year.
Jessie Ware’s vocal performance. Just WOW. The quality, texture & conviction of her singing was very very impressive. Captivating without resorting to cheap needless theatrics; commanding while seeming totally accessible; Ware’s on stage persona and performance is one of a star. It seemed odd that Ware would play a venue as tiny as the roughly 200-person capacity Rickshaw Stop and her star was no doubt much larger than the venue size.
Opener & b3 fave Rochelle Jordan’s brief 20 minute set did also impress. The Torontonian soulstress’ spare voice + MPC set included roughly four-five songs and was highlighted by the excellent Kaskade-sampling “Shotgun”.
Thursday night’s performance felt special; it felt starmaking; it felt rare & valuable. We were witness to the emergence of a major star and Ms. Ware’s arrow could not point further northward now. A+.
