Leon Thomas Enters His Funk Era On Our “R&B Season” Update

For our newest and biggest R&B Season Spotify playlist replace, we’re showcasing a handful of various areas and their takes on the style. Headlining our smaller however extremely high-quality batch this week (October 3) is Leon Thomas with “Simply How You Are.” It is the lead single for his upcoming seven-song EP titled PHOLKS, which arrives on October 24.

The Brooklyn-born, Los Angeles-based singer, producer, and songwriter has been using an unbelievable wave as of late. It is due to the success of 2024’S MUTT and its self-titled, mainstream smash single. The enveloping and typically stripped again grownup R&B manufactured a ton of success for the EZMNY signee.

However the former tv star is aware of not solely tips on how to capitalize on the hype, however to additionally evolve. That is what “Simply How You Are” signifies for Leon. He is incorporating the weather of MUTT however throwing soulful and groovy funk rhythms into the combo that do really feel East Coast-inspired.

This tune reminds us loads of what Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak did with their Silk Sonic mission. Nevertheless, “Simply How You Are” feels just a bit bit extra explosive, whereas on the different was about catching a vibe and setting a sensual temper.

Thomas does that right here too although as he tries to win a woman over regardless of her being fairly cussed and chilly. It creates a large amount of pressure.

General, the instrumental is killer too and we won’t anticipate what’s to return on PHOLKS. However it’s not simply his launch that wowed us. Bryson Tiller, Chase Shakur, in addition to rising West Coast expertise Karri, who teamed up with fellow Cali native Kehlani, all offered catchy and intoxicating vibes.

Tiller’s Solace facet to his double album has been broadly praised since releasing on October 2. A part of that’s due to “I Want Her,” an early fan favourite. Over a throwback instrumental from Charlie Warmth, Godtiller croons passionately as he sings a few girl he wants greater than he wants water.

As for Karri and Kehlani’s “go,” they incorporate the naturally bouncy nature of West Coast hip-hop and mix it with R&B for an ideal summer season evening vibe.

Final however not least is Chase Shakur’s “seeing pink,” a tune that very a lot borrows from the woozy Atlanta sonic palette that he grew up on. The Def Jam artist stays persistent in his mission to win again a woman he was too immature for again within the day. It options intelligent writing too, utilizing colours like “pink” within the title and blue as method to inform a narrative about his admiration for this woman.

General, if you happen to want some nice suggestions for brand spanking new R&B, look no additional than the playlist above.