Soul Singer Manasseh “Let’s Be Cool”
Chicago psychedelic soul artist Manasseh announces his second album today, R&B[eyond], with his lead single, “Let’s Be Cool.” A reimagining of his earliest release, the new arrangement and production make it sound like an entirely new song, also symbolizing the importance of looking back to the past in order to find a new way forward.
As a singer, vocal coach, and arranger, Manasseh Croft has worked with Johari Noelle, AMI (pianist/md for Jamila Woods), Isaiah Collier, and more. He’s recently appeared on releases by Marquis Hill, Heavy Crownz, Rich Jones, Galaxy Francis, Rhea the Second, and more. While Manasseh has spent years working with other artists as a vocal coach and studio vocalist, he’s also proven he has a voice of his own.
When sharing his last EP (Variations V1: I’ll Be, 2023), Sound Opinions‘ Jim DeRogatis said, “I hear echoes of gospel, house music, and psychedelic soul. That tradition from Curtis Mayfield through D’Angelo.” After listening to the title track “I’ll Be (Live, Pt. 1),” Greg Kot added, “that track was moving to me, it reminded me a lot of old gospel recordings from the 50s and 60s. There’s some of that ambiance, it’s very powerful to take on that tradition.”
Croft said R&B[eyond] is a tribute to the permission his mom gave him to explore secular music, having grown up in a strict Baptist household. He said, “Even so, my mother always recognized just how deeply I loved music—and that truth lives at the core of this body of work.”
