#aphrose

Posted on https://www.thewordisbond.com/tanika-charles-reasons-to-stay-album-review/

 Tanika Charles- 'Reasons To Stay' [Album Review]

Toronto R&B singer Aphrose honors heritage and love on her sophomore album Roses. The longtime supporting vocalist spent the last decade elevating the work of others including, Daniel Caesar, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Charlotte Day Wilson, and more before she moved into the solo arena. The natural warmth, clarity and powerful pitch control of her voice conveys the kind of emotion that turns every song into a living portrait. 

SafeSpaceship Music, her friends and collaborators from years back, produced Roses which is named after her grandmother. They back her vocals with a lot of soul music's past conventions but still show respect to some of R&B's modern stylists. She lists Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin and contemporary artists Frank Ocean, Sir and Sza as some of her muses. Roses does pull a lot of its moves from a wellspring of classic soul and for that it would get the neo label but it is not a period piece.  

"Good Love" is timeless intimate relationship ballad embedded with some of the ideas heard in Quincy Jones' Dude era or Rick James' work around the same time. "Honey (Don't) Come Back" also has flashback flavors but starts with Aphrose singing over a suspended flutter of a beat that gives the halo of Miguel's 21st century stance. The "Chop The Cake" interlude is a dead ringer for the grooves from D'Angelo's Voodoo that sounded like they were being played underwater. Lastly, Aphrose observes new motherhood with humility and a doting eagerness for the future. Roses succeeds as an album because Aphrose claims her own space by ignoring trends and writing songs from the heart. 

Aphrose drops the third single and title track of her upcoming Roses album. Armed with memories of her grandmother Rose, the song is a beautiful tribute to a life that made her own possible. The Canadian singer's gratitude leaps out from the arrangement with the force of familial love. She took her stage name from her grandmother and has audio of her throughout the album. Roses is a proud reflection on her roots and the album is dedicated to her all of her family. Aphrose's voice handles the tenets of neo-soul with the heart of gospel as she gives her testimony about loving her heritage. Roses is her sophomore album following her 2019 Element debut and it comes out in the fall. 

Aphrose releases "YaYa" in time for summer playlists and not long before the arrival of her sophomore album. The Canadian songstress takes cues from neo-soul in the song which has vibes from the '70s and '90s present in the gospel-patterned rhythms and vocals provided by production team SafeSpaceship. The pace is amiable for dancing and trips with the wind blowing in a top-down convertible. "YaYa" is the second single from Roses and is different from "Good Love, " a slower, more traditional R&B record. Aphrose emerged with her debut album Element in 2019 after several singles and 10 years of working as a supporting vocalist. She revealed the story behind the new album in a press release: 

"It combines all the sounds I love and is a love letter to my family and where I come from. Throughout the record, there is audio of my (late) grandmother Rose speaking/praying that was isolated from old hi8 home video tapes, and the title single that will be released Roses, is a tribute to her. I’m excited about this body of work because it feels really honest and is exactly the music I want to make right now.”

"YaYa" is a soulful twirl that invites you into Aphrose's voice with enjoyment and the desire to hear all of Roses when it comes out in the fall. 

Aphrose is an R&B artist from Toronto and “Move On” is her new single and video. She says,

“(Move On) It is not your average love song about relationships between two people, but rather about the love a person finds when they realize their own self-worth. Move On is that feeling you get when you finally become aware that you’ve had enough of barriers like hate and fear and you’re not going to let those walls hold you back anymore.”