Old Souls, New Sounds: Artists Bringing the Past Into the Future

On his latest track "Pray For Love," Kwabs gives you an immediate understanding of the buzz that has been surrounding the UK singer-songwriter since mid-2013. It's easy to make a comparison to his contemporary Sampha when you listen to Kwabs, but a deeper familiarity with his work reveals the association to be a tad superficial. Kwabs' voice rings out with power, unburdened by filters and textures, letting its raw simplicity serve as his work's emotional compass. It's the kind of voice that overwhelms you with its clarity, finding its way from his own core to yours.

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With the release of her debut EP in early February, the Swedish/Barbadian artist Naomi Pilgrim quickly established herself as a force on the alt-soul landscape. Short but sweet, the release showcased Pilgrim's intoxicating croon, backed by a catchy blend of electro-pop. Pilgrim's voice, however, is a rare treat, displayed best on her cover of Lady's "Money," a throwback track asserting her independence as an up-and-coming female star.

"Money, I love you," she sings. "Money, yes, I need you." With vocal cords like hers, it doesn't seem like Pilgrim will be kept from her love for too long.

If you haven't heard Sampha by now, prepare to be amazed. The British electro-soul singer has steadily been building up his discography for the past few years now, whether through solo material like his 2013 EP Dual, or from collaborative efforts with artists like Drake and SBTRKT.

Indeed, it was from SBTRKT's eponymous album that Sampha first began to reach a larger audience, and his somber tune "Too Much," which he used on the Drake on a song of the same name, has only quickened Sampha's upward ascent. His voice is one capable of breaking your heart. It's a delicate thing, always seemingly on the verge of falling apart. But in every track, Sampha holds it together well, piecing together material that allows us to journey deeper within ourselves.

With his debut EP Indigo Child set to hit stores this summer, Raury is ready to turn the spotlight toward a simpler brand of soul, born of uncomplicated instrumentation and an unvarnished vocals. The Atlanta native first gained attention with "Bloom," a no-frills acoustic tune featuring nothing but Raury and his guitar. His next track, "God's Whisper," managed to dart in a different direction while still maintaining the artist's distinctive flair. Driven by anthemic hand-clapping and a youthful spirit, the 17-year-old proves that he isn't too green to attack issues of political importance by using his voice to say something bigger.

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Hailing from London, Royce Wood Junior enters an already-crowded field of alt-soul singers currently cropping up from the UK. However, when you listen to tracks like "Nuff," you're tempted to ask his contemporaries if they can scoot over. Royce's strength lies in his production abilities, which manage to coalesce a range of soul influences stemming from eras both old and new. By doing so, Royce brings together the foundational opulence of soul music with the bare-bones vocal style of today's more melancholic talents. If you're looking for soul that has space for the best of both worlds, then Royce Junior Wood is your man.

Dropping the "Cornerstone EP" on January 14, Benjamin Clementine started off 2014 the right way, delivering a release that displayed Clementine's emotional and technical versatility with bravado. On the title track, Clementine explores octaves both high and low, oscillating between anger, frustration, and angst, while still maintaining an approachable and honest air. Clementine doesn't wallow in his sorrows, instead opting to find his way through them with a piano and his natural, unblemished talents. Clementine doesn't have the gauzy mystery of other modern soul artists, but when you hear him on tracks like "Cornerstone" or "I Won't Complain," you quickly understand that he's better off leaving nothing hidden.

An outsider by nature, the Chicago-born Willis Earl Beal first came to public attention when he released Acousmatic Sorcery in 2012, a simple, heartfelt collection of tracks filled with Beal's world-weary tales. Beal often trends toward folk as well as a soul, but manages to fit into the latter genre because of his organic vocal style and the sentimental qualities of his work. While he never boasts the rich, super-polished sheen of soul's earlier roots, Beal's heart manages to shine through more than any orchestral melody could.

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The Brooklyn-based Nick Hakim will sometimes shelter his voice in a hazy shroud as he does on "Pour Another," but he's also savvy enough to counterbalance this approach by doubling and perhaps tripling his vocals over, creating a reverberating echo with a soft, haunting resonance. In this manner, his voice never carries you away, but it always invites you closer, drawing you in to Hakim's sonic tapestry and gradually enveloping you. Little has been heard from Hakim since he dropped "Pour Another" a month ago, and earlier tracks like "Cold" and "The Light" have since been deleted off of his SoundCloud. Whether he's storing them away for a larger project or simply being reticent, one can't help but be intrigued by what lies in store for Hakim's future.

Har Mar Superstar has been around for over a decade now, but on his latest LP, Bye Bye 17, the Minneapolis native moved away from the hyper-sexual dance-rock and R&B that defined his early career and settled into hyper-sexual soul instead. With "Lady, You Shot Me," the artist gives a nod to the death of the legendary Sam Cooke, taking the famous soul singer's last words and turning them into the framework for a love song gone wrong. It's a vivid, well-crafted track that serves as a highlight of his ongoing evolution as an artist, displaying the wide range of influences Har Mar Superstar incorporates into his work while transcending mere imitation or homage.

Whether Janelle Monáe wants to be an android or a human being, you'd be hard-pressed to say that she doesn't have soul. Known for her eccentric performances and a voice much larger than her physical presence, Monáe has managed to string together two back-to-back powerhouse albums with 2010's The ArchAndroid and 2013's The Electric Lady. She certainly hasn't been ignored either, as the latter LP received a co-sign from Prince as the best album of the year. With company like that, it's safe to say that Monáe is headed in the right direction, and she's doing it by combining soul, funk, and doo-wop elements with her own vision.

Anyone who watched Sam Smith’s SNL debut on March 29 witnessed the English artist's breakthrough performance. Standing tall on the 30 Rock stage, Smith made something out of a spotlight that is rarely spectacular. Certainly, SNL is capable of hosting quality musical performances, but it's extraordinary to see one that resonates with the power that Smith's did, as he belted out "Lay Me Down" and "Stay With Me" in a stunning show of vocal strength. With his debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, set to be released on May 26, Smith is set to go from buzzing London singer to international star.

INTERVIEW: “I WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE READING A DIARY”: SAM SMITH ON IN THE LONELY HOUR, UNREQUITED LOVE, AND BEING THE NEXT ADELE

On Sing to the Moon, Laura Mvula produced an album filled with emotional touchstones both airy and onerous, sometimes even in the course of the same song. With songs like "Green Garden" and "She," Mvula's own evolution is put on display, showing the steps an artist can take when she tackles broader and more mature themes while blending Nina Simone-style soul with unorthodox structures and rhythms. Sing to the Moon was a positive first step for Mvula. Now, the only question is what she'll do next.

TAKING FLIGHT: LAURA MVULA