Lyris Greene
Love Me in a Special Way – Tamia
5 March 2019
Sometimes all you need is a piano and AMAZING vocals! And Tamia doesn’t deliver nothing but amazement on this cover version of DeBarge’s 1983 single “Love Me in a Special Way.” Let’s be clear, any cover of a DeBarge song is no easy task if you truly understand the depth of family talent held between the siblings;…
Latch – Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
12 February 2019
A classic deep house/EDM track by English electronic duo Disclosure (brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence) featuring vocals from English singer Sam Smith. Considered a sleeper hit, “Latch” is one of those tunes that I fell in love the first time I heard it, so why not pick this one for Valentines day…
Never Stop – The Brand New Heavies
29 January 2019
First post of 2019 and I wanted to start the year off with a classic feel good record. “Never Stop” by the Brand New Heavies is a groovy track released in 1991. And when I say groovy, there isn’t a better word to describe the rhythm section of this track…
Happy Feelin’s – Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
5 December 2018
The feeling when you experience listening to this playlist, “Happy Feelin’s”. But seriously, the “Warm the Soul” playlist is to evoke positive sentiments while listening and this Maze classic encompasses those exact emotions, again it’s a perfect fit…
Never Too Much – Luther Vandross
14 November 2018
A classic tune by the late Luther Vandross, “Never Too Much” is a feel good record that combines the elements of soul, funk, disco, and jazz influences. Written, composed, and produced by Luther Vandross, the song was released in 1981 on Vandross’s debut album Never Too Much
Strawberry Letter 23 – The Brothers Johnson
30 October 2018
Intros to songs always announce a certain energy that the track will bring. It’s one of the first characteristics I connect with when I first hear a track. Sometimes it just takes those first 10 seconds that let me know the journey a song will take me. And that’s why tracks with memorable intros land on this playlist…
A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
16 October 2018
One of the great opportunities to curating this playlist, is selecting songs from any genre and/or decade that echoes the warmth of the soul. One of the best feelings in the world is to gaze into the night sky and feel one with the universe, and a song that perfectly embodies that feeling is Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars.”…
That’s the Way of the World – Earth, Wind, and Fire
2 October 2018
I can remember hearing Earth, Wind, and Fire (EWF) aka the “Elements” every Saturday morning as a kid growing up. One of my father’s favorite groups. And understandably so. EWF took jazz, soul, gospel, pop and more and wrapped it up in one psychedelic, mystical package…
All That I Can Say – Mary J. Blige
18 September 2018
Keeping the theme of soft string openings, this week’s track is coming from the Ms. Mary J. Blige. Curating hip-hop soul over the last 26 years, Mary J. Blige is credited for merging hip hop and R&B music, coining her the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul”. The track “All That I Can Say”, was released in 1999 off Mary J. Blige’s fourth studio album, “Mary”…
Summertime Magic – Childish Gambino
12 September 2018
Nothing like an ode to the summer than this gem. If I was to pick a 2018 summer track, this one would hit the mark. Why? Simply, the rhythms. This mellow R&B track sums up that summertime feeling, opening with steel drums that immediately take you to paradise. A place of joy!…
Free – Deniece Williams
29 August 2018
A jazz-kissed ballad penned by Williams and produced by the late great Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire. Another 70s classic, that perfectly fits into this playlist with it’s angelic melodies…
Optimistic – Sounds of Blackness
22 August 2018
It’s my personal testimony of faith. Written and produced by Gary Hines, and the legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1991, “Optimistic” embodies an uplifting rhythm of hope and inspiration…