Jill’s June In Rotation Picks

Written by Jill Hopkins on June 21, 2021

June brought the heat a little early this year, and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins checked out our June In Rotation playlist and chose some heat of her own: tracks that are perfect for a day at the lake or a night on the town.

Jessie DeFranco – “Just Pretend”

I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for a boom-bap beat under floaty vocals. There I said it.
Houston transplant Jessie DeFranco sounds like she’ll be just at home here in Chicago where we take our summers seriously, and our summer jams even more so.

Iverson – “How Does It Make U Feel?”

I don’t know if Iverson were around for the 80s, but I was, and this song manages to take the best parts of the best pop bits of it and still sound incredibly fresh.

Holy crap! Who wants to go to Neo on a Thursday night in 1989? Let’s take this record to the DJ. I bet she’ll play it!

Chore Boy & Brad Kemp – “Bada Bing!”

“Bada Bing!” sounds like the kind of thing the GZA or Adrian Younge would ask Questlove to spin at a house party, and I can’t tell you how big of a compliment I meant by that.
The drum production alone is worth a listen, but the whole thing just gets so much done in under two minutes.

Joseph Guess – “LaRisa”

Okay, you should know that this is the first song Joseph has ever written. And, that he wrote it as a gift for his wife. And, if his wife worked as an A&R person, Joseph would be famous by now.
It’s a love song in the most classic sense, and just makes me wonder what else Joe has up his R&B sleeve.
Congrats to the happy couple, and sorry to every husband who now has to step up their game.

LeftJones – Who Flyer

LeftJones describes their sound as a woven tapestry, and I couldn’t agree more. Elements of hip hop, classic soul, island music and a dash of funk make this track pretty irresistible on a hot June day. I can’t wait to see how all of this comes together live!