Welcome back to our R&B Season playlist, whose latest update is covering you on all the new drops and drama in the genre's world. Mariah The Scientist teamed up with Kali Uchis for this week's headliner, the new single "Is It A Crime."
It's the latest teaser from Mariah's upcoming album HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY, and it's a very sultry and ethereal experience with languid pads and blocky percussion. Compared to some of their previous material, it's also more firmly in the sonics of contemporary R&B. While we love their experimentation, there's nothing like ol' reliable sometimes.
Elsewhere on R&B Season, Kehlani gave fans an odyssey with the dramatic and harmony-led new song, "(un)Folded." There are very sparse elements on this cut beyond the singer's vocals, the background harmonies, and some very light and subtle breathy synth pads. You might hear a snap here and there, but it's mostly a cloudy and transportive ride.
Even though it doesn't change or modulate much throughout, this feeling of stasis and constance is pretty powerful on "(un)Folded." Also, it leaves the focus on the lovelorn narrative within, amping up its impactful potential.
HNHH R&B Season Playlist
Finally on R&B Season, we wanted to join the discourse and comment on the new posthumous Aaliyah and Tank collaboration, "Gone." Wondrous strings and pianos define this controversial cut, and some fans took issue with the treatment of the late singer's vocal treatment. Not only that, but Tank himself had some clarifications to make.
"The Aaliyah song you are hearing featuring myself i did out of love for her," he wrote on social media. "I had concerns and i expressed them. From the track, to the vocals, to the mix, and to the visual. I STILL went forward knowing i would at least be able to approve the final products. I haven't approved one thing you've heard or seen, I find out when you find out. Me thinking people had changed was my mistake and i own it! Aaliyah deserves better! My silence would only imply that i support this and i can no longer."
