[Video] Kelis: "Jerk Ribs"

Kelis has been  somewhat quiet for awhile. Since marrying Nas, the "Milkshake" singer hasn't been heard from much, save for a string of well-received but commercially disappointing albums between 2009-2012, Kelis seemed to have faded into the background after a career that garnered her two Grammy nominations, 10 top ten UK singles and tours around the world. That is, until recently when she announced her first four U.S. shows in four years with the release of her video for "Jerk Ribs" off her album, Food due out April 22. The Le Cordon Bleu-certified chef, who also announced the unveiling of a cooking show on The Food Network, "Saucy and Sweet" which premiers February 26th at 8:30 EST, lives a slice of life piece in her latest visual offering as well, with cameras following her from here to there. Along with the SXSW sets announced, Kelis plans to make her presence known in Austin this year, as she will be manning her own food truck and cooking for fans and patrons of the festival on March 13 & 14. Follow her at @IamKelis for updates on where she'll show up!

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SXSW DATES

Wednesday, March 12 - NPR @ Stubbs
Thursday, March 13 - Filter @ Clive Bar
Friday March 14 - Hype Hotel @ 505 7th St


Album art for The Tontons

[Review] The Tontons: "Make Out King and Other Stories of Love"

Hailing from Houston, groovy foursome The Tontons put themselves on the national radar with their brand new, soulful album The Make Out King and Other Stories of Love. Out officially today, the album has been streaming for the past couple weeks, inviting listeners to experience the buzz of The Tontons magnetic record before they can get their hands on a copy.

The band (singer Asli Omar, bassist Tom Nguyen, drummer Justin Martinez and guitarist Adam Martinez) have been together for the long haul, pumping out their seductive rock sound to everyone who would give them a chance. The Tontons don't fit into any one genre, but instead spread themselves over an array of sounds leaving you reeling and wondering how you are going to describe them to your friends.

"Our song is as random as our look. Like, you look at us and people usually don’t know what to expect or what we’re going to sound like, I think we like to keep people on their toes," Omar said during an interview with Ruby Hornet's own Jake Krez at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2013.

Make Out King comes out of the gate with the up-beat single "Magic Hour," which I believe is the best way to start off the album. This song is currently my favorite. It's surfer rock vibe eases you into the song only to blow you away with Omar's powerful, thick vocals. Her voice has a sultry rawness that reminds me of Amy Winehouse at times, mixed with a belty, strong sound of Genevieve Shatz from Chicago outfit Company of Thieves. Weird match up, I know, but oh so good.

The album plays a bit of tug-o-war between a fresh pop-rock sound and steamy, laid back, blues-y R&B ballads like "Kidd Cemetery." This song really stuck out to me because of it's sexy, cosmic sound and revealing lyrics. Omar sings "I hurt, you hurt, but it's all in fun." The album seems to be extremely personal, allowing listeners to envelop themselves in the stories. In "Bones 1," Omar sings about daunting life decisions like having children, getting a 9 to 5 and settling down almost as if she's convincing herself: "Today's not that day, I'm not that girl."

The Make Out King and Other Stories of Love shimmers, radiating strength and sadness, all the while making you want to dance. The buzz and boldness of the bass from Ngyunen, the sick dynamic riffs from guitarist Adam Martinez, and the steady super tight beats from Justin Martinez, operate smoothly with passion and precision allowing Asli Omar to wail and whisper over the tracks with deep lustrous vocals.

You can and should snag the album on The Tontons bandcamp or iTunes today!


[RH First Glance] DENA: "Bad Timing"

DENA is described as a "Berlin-via-Bulgaria heartthrob" with a "post-ironic take on R&B." Those are big words for an artist still finding her lane, but the eclectic, sultry songstress isn't so much a breath of fresh air as it is an easy illustration of a feeling; essentially what every artist should be striving for. "Bad Timing", with DENA's dry, literal vocals accented by well-timed harmonies, takes the listener through exactly what it's like to meet someone that seems so right, except for the situation in which the rendezvous took place.

Everyone's been there, not everyone can ruminate on the emotion the way she does here. The accented black and white visual accompaniment plays on the themes of the writing wonderfully, adding an appropriate medium from which to further understand both the artist and her message. The video is her first from her upcoming album, Flash, due out March 12 on K7. Check out the video for "Bad Timing" below.

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[Video] Autre Ne Veut: "Counting"

Autre Ne Veut is one artist who has to be a little upset 2013 is coming to an end. The experimental 31-year-old R&B artist certainly got his shine this year, with widespread positive reviews for this year's release, Anxiety, which got the Pitchfork nod for Best New Music and a spot at their annual festival in Chicago and Gorilla vs. Bear named it their "Best Album of the Year, So Far" back in June. Finding himself atop many year-end lists, Ne Veut decided to celebrate by releasing this video for his song "Counting", shot for Yours Truly at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. The mixture of the pure beauty of the building, coinciding with the pure, unabashed emotion of Ne Veut, makes for one hell of a visual experience, and one that makes the song more poignant as well. Check out the video below.

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Beyonce Surprises With New Album Release

Well, this kind of turns the whole 'Friday The 13th' thing on its head, huh? Last night, without fanfare or promotion, Beyonce released her fifth full studio album via iTunes. To call it an album is a bit of an understatement. The self-titled project consists of 14 songs released complete with 17 accompanying videos, for something that the First Lady of hip-hop and R&B referred to as a "visual experience."

In a press release, Beyonce described the idea for the new album. "I see music," said Beyoncé. "It's more than just what I hear. When I'm connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they're all connected to the music."

The album is a family affair of sorts, with husband Jay-Z and infant child Blue Ivy making appearances on two tracks. I haven't had a chance to hear "Blue" yet, but I'm sure it's meant to melt many a young girl's heart, queue the "awwws". As she is apt to do, Beyonce handpicked the rest of the features, adding to of the top artists in music today to a project that was already sure to be groundbreaking. Drake stops by for "Mine" and Frank Ocean hops on "Superpower", which should be a treat. Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, The-Dream and Noah “40? Shebib handle the bulk of production duties. Taking a page out of the rest of the music world, Beyonce released the album, complete with videos with simply a posting on her Facebook wall. You can check out some of the videos below and pick up the full album on iTunes.

Album tracklist:
01 Pretty Hurts
02 Haunted
03 Drunk in Love (feat. Jay Z)
04 Blow
05 No Angel
06 Partition
07 Jealous
08 Rocket
09 Mine (feat. Drake)
10 XO
11 ***Flawless (feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche)
12 Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean)
13 Heaven
14 Blue (feat. Blue Ivy)

Video tracklist:
01 Pretty Hurts
02 Ghost
03 Haunted
04 Drunk in Love (feat. Jay Z)
05 Blow
06 No Angel
07 Yoncé
08 Partition
09 Jealous
10 Rocket
11 Mine (feat. Drake)
12 XO
13 ***Flawless (feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche)
14 Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean)
15 Heaven
16 Blue (feat. Blue Ivy)
17 Grown Woman
18 Credits

Watch a Mini Documetary that Explains Beyoncé’s Visual Album

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[Video] R. Kelly Performs on Jimmy Kimmel + "Black Panties" Stream

R. Kelly essentially took over 'The Jimmy Kimmel Show' last night, performing three songs from his recently-released album Black Panties ("Genius", "You Deserve Better", "My Story"), with some help from 2 Chainz. Along with the songs, there was also a passionate reading of the lyrics to "Genius", as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Kellz even recreated the album artwork to Black Panties by posing onstage while playing a woman like a violin. . . only R. Kelly. This is the same guy who dry-humped Lady Gaga a couple weeks ago on national television and who released an album that will have you needing a shower and a cigarette afterwards, so no real surprise here. Check out the video of all three songs below, along with a full stream of R. Kelly's twelfth studio album.

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Maya Symone: "Perfect"

Earlier this year, during the summer, we posted 18-year-old R&B artist Maya Symone's track, "Summertime Chi" which caught our eye because of the young Chicago native's haltingly beautiful voice. Much like fellow young songstress Lorde, Symone touches on the things that young girls touch on: relationships, finding the right one, realizing they're not. But she does it with a sense of understanding and ingenuity that call to mind someone much past her years.

Currently, Symone is hard at work in the studio in her hometown preparing her full-length debut project titled #MelodicEvolution, due out early next year. Take a minute out of your day to give Maya Symone a listen, you won't be disappointed.

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R. Kelly: "Lights On"

R. Kelly has had quite a lead up to his latest release, Black Panties. After enjoying a summer which saw him headline both Bonaroo and Pitchfork festivals, a slew of new videos and his dry hump of Lady Gaga last week on Saturday Night Live, it's safe to say Kellz is back. Yesterday he dropped the latest single from his reportedly and not surprising over-sexed fantasy album. On "Lights On" the Chicago crooner talks about his love of keeping things lit while under the sheets. Check it out below and keep an eye out for the Black Panties release December 10.

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