Drananda Summons is an up-and-coming R&B artist with new hot singles "Blu Dreem" and "Unfinished Business." hungry to tap into a universal soul sound molded around his ever-eclectic vocal performance. Combining the smooth, mature tenor of Luther Vandross, the unshakeable sincerity of Ed Sheeran, and a finger on the pulse of both hyper-modern and retro soul-pop sensibilities in the likes of Khalid, Sir Summons rides, pioneers, and ushers in a new wave of the R&B genre.
Blu Dreem opens with the plucks of ethereal, reverb-drenched strings, the murmurs of some far-away woman drawing us into a seemingly far-away plane. This is the last we will hear of anyone other than Drananda, and rightfully so. The abstract settles into the concrete with a sparse drum and bass combo that pushes the tempo, reminiscent of a groove you might find producer SBTRKT draw up for songwriter Sampha across the Atlantic. Drananda’s vocals operate as both the lead as well as his own chorus, with a constant dynamic at play between his full tenor and a controlled, soaring falsetto that refuses to wear thin. The tempo is urgent but never rushed, with the density of the piece drawing from the counterpoint between the vocals.
If Blue Dreem asks for careful listening and a quiet nodding along, Unfinished Business demands you get up, toss your earbuds and inhibitions away, and put on your dancing shoes. The simple snares and bass lines are eschewed in favor of a force driven by bass drums and claps, the bass slyly syncopating against the percussion and vocals. The strings are still there to be sure, but their tone is tighter and angular, the melody similarly cutting without feeling abrasive. Drananda’s progressive vocal interplay takes center stage, but there is nevertheless surprising confidence for such a young artist in his willingness to rip the rug out from the listener, make use of negative space, and let the beat speak for as well as with. Both pieces pulse, with Blue Dreem focused on you, and Unfinished Business focused on the audience because that’s who you need to be dancing with to appreciate what’s at stake in its short runtime fully. You can listen, dance to, and experience Stay tuned for tour dates for Drananda.
Pictured,Drananda
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