VANJESS

Silk Canvas

There’s a delightful throwback feel to the debut full-length from sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike, collectively known as VanJess. The Cali-based soul duo sound exactly like what they’re highly influenced by — ’90s era R&B acts like Zhané, or the ’00s neo-soul of Floetry. Non-ironic vibes abound, paying respect to the sounds that came before while moving — and grooving — things in a new direction. The duo, of Nigerian descent, can credit their come-up on their YouTube covers of their favourite artists, and the 14-track Silk Canvas feels like a love letter to modern-day R&B. “Touch the Floor” comes off like a summer jam straight outta of the mid-’90s, its Zhané-meets-TLC groove offering breezy harmonies and an appearance by fellow emerging star Masego. The UK-dance R&B feel of “Best Believe” is infectious, Goldlink lends a hand on the straightforward dance vibe that is “Through Enough” and Little Simz turns up on “Rewind Time,” a stripped-down slow-burner. VanJess show a lot of musical colours, leaning on tight harmonics and a laid-back vocal approach to deliver one of the better R&B debuts in a while. (Independent)