From our editor:
Hey Philly Soul Live Readers,
I don’t know if I can accurately express how proud I am of our music scene right now. This has been the toughest year by far and yet there have been artists that have released great material in the midst of it all: singles, videos, EPs and full-length albums, live-streamed performances, etc. The resilience and talent that comes out of Philly is unmatched and that’s why I love getting to learn more and more about it so others can learn and support too.
A little bit about me: I’m a newbie to the Philly Music Scene. Before I started writing for Philly Soul Live, I was heavily involved in the local soul music scene in Nashville, TN. I grew up in South Jersey but lived in Nashville for about 14 years. Coming back home to discover what’s been poppin’ in Philly lately has been a treat. Becoming a fan and avid supporter of the scene here has been my joy. Having music as good as it gets coming out of Philly makes my job easy.
I’ve compiled a list of twenty of my personal favorite songs to come out this year by artists in Philly’s soul music scene. By no means am I saying that these songs are the best- they are just MY personal faves; the songs I play on the regular and sing loud and wrong in my car. I am proud to say that dwindling my list down to 20 was really hard; 10 would’ve been painful. That’s how much good music has come out this year. You can check out every one of these songs on our Spotify playlist below. Please follow our Spotify page for the latest and best in Philly’s soul music scene.
Happy New Year!
Toya Haynes, Philly Soul Live, Editor
Top 20 of 2020 Playlist (in alphabetical order)
“For the Evening”- AJAY ft. ELLYÄNA: According to my Spotify wrap up, I’ve played this song A LOT this year (I own his entire Sun Go Down EP on iTunes but Spotify has all of my best playlists at the moment). The groove just rides perfectly on any kind of day and is easy to keep on repeat. ELLYÄNA’s turn on the vocals gives the entire track a chef’s kiss.
2. 
“Puff of Smoke”- Aquildawud: I was first introduced to Aquildawud’s music during the virtual Roots Picnic this year and was excited to learn that he had a full EP. This song reminds me of driving downtown on 676 on a summer night in Philadelphia. I fell in love with this song the moment I heard it.
3. 
“Align”- Balmour: While I was impatiently waiting to hear more from Good Brother, half of the duo, Balmour, dropped a few singles. Hey, I’ll take it in the meantime. Love this song, love the video. Still not letting Good Brother off the hook though.
4. 
“I.J.W.B.H.”- Pain: MPRYNT fans stand up! I was first introduced to Pain as a member of MPRYNT. His vocal versatility is just unreal. Over the past few years, he’s given us a few teasers on Soundcloud but never any clue of when a full project would be released at all. But finally in 2020, he dropped this single and video. This song is a great taste of his air tight vocal arrangements as well as his talent as a songwriter. I hope this is the first of many coming very soon.
5. 
“Homerun”- Great Time: This song snuck into my top 20 just like an instant homerun off the bat. It dropped just a few weeks ago. I got into Great Time when I read that one of their inspirations is music virtuoso Patrice Rushen. You really can’t go wrong with a heavy influence like that. This is a really fun song.
6. 
“Empty Promises”- Hannah Lorimer: The lightness of her voice reminds me of butterfly wings fluttering on top of the notes. This song is just oh so pretty.
7. 
“BITTERSWEET”- Ivy Sole: The lyric “I don’t want it if it ain’t for me” became an instant affirmation after hearing this song just one time. It is straight up undoubtedly hip hop but the writing and flow takes me back to good memories at spoken word nights.
8. 
“Things Change”- Jasmine Cassell: I was doing some deep diving one day trying to find artists in Philadelphia and came across Jasmine Cassell. I don’t even remember how I found her music but I am so glad that I did. This song easily made my top 20.
9. 
“Stay”- Jeff Bradshaw, Jeff Murrell, The Magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff: I dare you to find a voice with more perfect tone than Jeff Murrell’s. His voice comes from the same “perfect tone garden” as Eric Roberson and Frank McComb in my book. It’s just effortless. I’ve always heard him do ballads so it was great hearing him on an uptempo like this because it proves that he really can sing anything. This is just one of many wonderful collaborations on Jeff Bradshaw’s latest album Stronger which I highly recommend.
10. 
“Heart”- JustFrenchie: Much like Jeff Bradshaw’s album Stronger, I had a hard time picking one song off JustFrenchie’s latest album It’s All Love for my top 20. I honestly believe that they are all equally good just for different reasons. However, if I had to pick which one I sing loud and wrong the most, “Heart” takes the win.
11. 
“So Kind”- Kingsley Ibeneche: I really can’t say enough about Kingsley Ibeneche. I first saw him perform when he opened up for The Midnight Hour at Johnny Brenda’s. He’s such a passionate and compelling performer. I was really glad to be introduced to his music last year.
12. 
“Straight Face”- Mare: This is some of my favorite songwriting this year. Definitely a good EP overall but the transparency of this song really made this a standout track for me.
13. 
“Deia”- Namarah: This song is beautiful yet haunting with lyrics that sound like they are coming straight from heaven. I remember rewinding the song from the middle the first time to make sure I was hearing it correctly. You can check out the lyric video here.
14. 
“Icy”- Pink Sweat$: Just when I thought there could be no song of the summer, Pink Sweat$ drops “Icy”, my instant dance party song. Oh how I would’ve loved to dance to this song with a bunch of my friends at a backyard BBQ but well, 2020 was what it was so there was none of that. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop me from dancing to this song every chance I got.
15.
“Little Sinews”- Rubber : After hearing this song for the first time and then instantly putting it on repeat, I sent a text to my BFF in medical school that said “The kids are using words like ‘sinews’ in songs and I am here for it”. Love the writing and love the smooth and soulful vocals that make me think I can actually do vocal runs (I very much cannot).
16.
“No Hard Feelings”– Tanikka Charrae: Tanikka Charrae has put out some really solid singles this year but this one is my absolute favorite. I catch myself singing the chorus often.
17. 
“I Am”- Taylor Kelly: “I am everything, beauty, strength, love and pain. I am enough.” Once outside opens back up for good, I’m running up the museum steps like Rocky and Creed to this song. It is beautifully inspiring.
18. 
“Roll Play”- TreWay & The Now Generation: This song is so fun! It’s giving us that great big signature Now Generation band sound with just a twist of tongue in cheek storytelling that was a bit different from what I expected. Between this and their new single “Home”, I can’t wait for the new album to drop.
19.
“Afraid”- Wesley Curtis ft. Jonill: Wesley Curtis was another artist I discovered on one of my deep dives and I am so glad that I did. Philly has some really interesting electronic R&B happening right now and his album Ephemera gives a good taste of that.
20. 
“The Room”- Zeek Burse: Although this list is in alphabetical order, this is still the perfect song to round out this playlist. Zeek Burse is a phenomenal artist, another singer who could just sing the phone book. This song is a beautiful journey that reminds me a bit of Seal’s earlier work that I love so much yet it is completely and uniquely Zeek Burse.