R&B is in nostalgia mode. As the genre continues to experience a long existential crisis over where its going next, record companies are finding success repackaging the recent past for a murky present, by updating sounds audiences are familiar with (See Summerellas Do You Miss It, Chris Browns Undecided); its a kind of business as usual approach, if you squint at it. This year, Roc Nation has two stars finding success on radio and the charts through this recently tested strategy for plumbing nostalgia: updating 90s and early 00s hip-hop samples. The first was Nicole Bus, who used Wu-Tang Clans C.R.E.A.M. and lyrics from the Charmels As Long as Ive Got You to launch her song You onto the airwaves.
Angelica Vilas More In The Morning pulls from the same playbook, employing a sample of Grace Joness 1977 cover of La Vie en Rose, which was recognizably sampled on Shynes 2001 song Bonnie & Shyne. To the Bronx singers credit, shes exploiting a hole in the marketplace thats high on meandering slow jams and low on high energy R&B singers who still care about things like choreography. Sensual, bright and simple, More In The Morning sounds indebted to early Jennifer Lopez, and its tropical Cool & Dre-produced beat is well positioned to dominate the spring.
The songs video has garnered over a million views in two weeks, appears on Shazam charts throughout the Tri-State area, and is finding early success on radio. Vila was discovered by Fat Joe, who made sure to position her as an heir apparent to R&Bs most recent golden age during an interview with Angie Martinez.
I think she has the best album, the best debut album from an artist since Mary J. Blige [Whats The] 411, Joe emphatically explained. Thats just my opinion. As a Latina we aint never seen nothing like Angelica Vila. Thats just the bottom line.