The ever so charming New York and Tennessee based singer/songwriter Valerie June shares with us some of the journey that's led her up to her upcoming album, Pushin' Against A Stone. The sound can be described as blues, folk, country, and thanks to our man Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who is helping with songwriting and production, some good old soulful rock-n-roll, too.

Gotta love a good hearty musical stew. The album drops May 6 in the UK.

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Oooh, yes! More bluesy soul, please. Gary Clark Jr., The Black Keys, and now these guys CharlieRED comprised of singer/songwriter Rocki Evans and producer Cobaine Ivory are giving us life. The new EP, Religion, dropped last week and is available for free streaming and download below.

Above, catch the rich video for the passionate "Radiant Child" single. Loving the perspective and coloring. Word on the streets is more music from CharlieRED is coming soon!

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Some awesome artists getting recognized with the 55th Grammy nominations this year. Super glad to see our boy Frank Ocean, Alabama Shakes, The Black Keys, M.I.A., Florence & The Machine, The Roots, Bjork, and Miguel, amongst many others making the list.

And once again, we are thrilled to see so many great projects we worked making the nominee list as well. A big congrats to Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, and Anthony Hamilton for snagging more than one nomination, too! The 55th Grammys will air on February 10. For a full list of the nominees, click here.

Best Pop Solo Performance
Set Fire To The Rain [Live] - Adele

Best R&B Performance
Thank You - Estelle
Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.) - Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Ledisi

Best R&B Song
Pray For Me - Anthony Hamilton
Refill - Elle Varner

Best R&B Album
Black Radio - Robert Glasper Experiment
Back To Love - Anthony Hamilton

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Real Good Hands - Gregory Porter

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Cross Roads - Ravi Coltrane

Best Jazz Vocal Album
Radio Music Society - Esperanza Spalding

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
City Of Roses - Esperanza Spalding

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The Absence - Melody Gardot

Best Long Form Music Video
Radio Music Society - Esperanza Spalding

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This guy is so damn cool. First time we saw him was at SXSW 2012 when he buzzed about with his eleventy-billion showcases, murderating stage after stage. Hailed by the press as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix after wowing crowds for the last couple years going hard on the festival circuit, Gary Clark Jr. is that dude.

The newest single from his upcoming album, Blak and Blu comes in the form of a distorted, gritty wonderland called "Numb" and carries a vocal style reminding us a but of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys fame. No going wrong with that, either.

The first single, "Ain't Messin 'Round," was released in September and has a crispier, poppier, high energy vibe. The man boasts variety - go 'head, boo.

Look for Blak and Blu on October 22, and the meantime take a peek at Gary's fashion spread in the August/September issue of Vibe, which happens to be shot by our editor, Seher Sikandar. Pretty rad!

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Purchase "Numb" on iTunes

Pre-Order Blak and Blu on iTunes

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Spirited rapper and vocalist K'Naan has set the release date for his upcoming third album, Country, God or The Girl, for October 16.

The all-star list of collaborators on the album is definitely something to make a fuss about. Gear up for tracks with Bono, Will.i.Am, Nas and Keith Richards. Awesomeness.

K'Naan's tour kicks off this weekend in NYC at The Global Poverty Project’s Global Festival. The show will be a free-ticketed concert on September 29 in Central Park, and will include other acts such as The Black Keys, Neil Young and Foo Fighters.

Tour Dates
9/29 New York, NY @ Global Fest 2012
10/21 St Louis, MO @ Rock n Roll St. Louis
10/23 Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/25 Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
10/26 Austin, TX @ Beauty Ballroom
10/27 New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Festival
10/30 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live - Downstairs
11/1 New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
11/3 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
11/4 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
11/7 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
11/8 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
11/10 Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/11 Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
11/13 Seattle , WA @ Neumos
11/14 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
11/16 San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club
11/17 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
11/18 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern

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