BJ The Chicago Kid is one of my absolute favourite voices in soul and R&B today. While you might not know his name, you’ll certainly know his voice; he’s featured on tracks from the biggest and best in hip-hop, including Kanye, Kendrick, Chance, and Bada$$. Most recently, he features on It’s All On Me, from Dr. Dre’s LONG awaited Compton (read our album review here.)
This week sees the release of a tremendous cover of Charlie Ray, a classic from Raphael Saadiq’s catalogue (here’s the original.)
The track is the first in a series of six releases featured in the E&J Brandy Generations of Soul, which sees BJ joining forces with Saadiq and the legendary Lee Fields — three generations of artists uniting to celebrate that sweet, sweet soul music.
Charlie Ray is one of those soft and stunning soul classics, and BJ has put an incredible, unique spin on the beautiful track. Adding a chunky bass, twirling guitar licks, and backing vocal hooks, the track springs to life from the very first beat. With a hip-hop spin and the kind of voice that simply makes you melt, he has done this fine track real justice.
Keep an eye out for the remaining five songs as well as an online release — they will also be available on vinyl throughout the year.
We are very, very excited that BJ The Chicago Kid will be gracing our shores for Soulfest this November. Check out the full lineup, ticket details and more here.
I originally wrote this on Indie Shuffle.