If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sesse Lind We've been loving the jazz meets hip hop and soul sound of Dave Guy's solo singles so far. The member of The Roots and The Dap-Kings has had this great laid back sound, and his latest single steps things up a bit. Particularly at its beginning, "Still Standing" is the most Roots-esque single we've heard from Ruby so far. It's still laid back, but Guy's playing has a certain intensity to it. And then it just takes off into this world of jazz that's perfect for music fans who don't consider themselves to be fans of the genre. Guy's playing and the composition of "Still Standing" is mesmerizing. Despite the song being just over two minutes long, it brings you on a full sonic journey you'll want to take again and again. You can listen to "Still Standing" below. Ruby is due out September 20 on Big Crown Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Dave Guy, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Sesse Lind Trumpeter Dave Guy of The Roots, The Dap-Kings, and Menahan Street Band has a new single out, and it's everything you'd expect an artist with that cred to sound like. Like his previous solo singles, "Pinky Ring" is predominantly jazz, but is layered with soul and hip hop. The drums in the new single are especially hip hop-esque, and although "Pinky Ring" has a smooth jazz vibe, it also has an unexpected edge to it. This is the perfect jumping on point if you've been trying to get more into jazz but have been unable to. Dave Guy takes the coolness of classic jazz and updates it for the modern listener. You can listen to "Pinky Ring" below. Ruby is due out September 20 on Big Crown Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Dave Guy, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Sesse Lind Trumpet player Dave Guy is a member of The Dap-Kings and Menahan Street Band, as well playing with The Roots on The Tonight Show. He's released a new single from his upcoming debut solo album, and even if you're not normally a jazz person, you need to check this out. "I'll Follow You" is a jazz song, but with drums that sound like they were taken from a hip hop track. (And yes, I know that a large percentage of hip hop beats are sampled from jazz, but this sounds like sampled drums. Listen, you'll see.) It's a smooth track that simply sounds cool and fresh. Hip hop and soul have been borrowing from jazz for decades, so it's great to hear jazz returning the favor. You can listen to "I'll Follow You" below. Ruby is due out September 20 on Big Crown Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Dave Guy, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by Sesse Lind Dave Guy is best known as a member of The Roots, The Dap-Kings, and Menahan Street Band. Now the trumpet player is stepping out on his own with his debut solo album. The first single off that album, "7th Heaven," is a New York Jazz track with elements of hip hop and soul. It's a mostly instrumental track, and even though we don't cover much jazz here, we'll happily make an exception for a track as good as "7th Heaven." If you like hip hop artists that incorporate jazz into their music such as Guru, the collaboration between Damu the Fudgemunk, Raw Poetic, and Archie Shepp, or The Roots, you're going to be into Dave Guy. Dave Guy says about his new single: “It has a groove and is more in line with what the guys and I are known for with Menahan Street Band, but it is also in-your-face and catchy. It’s a bit of an ode to Tijuana Brass too, a Herb Alpert-esque track with a tight horn line and has that energy that pops.” You can listen...

Photo by Corey Poluk We tend to like music that lives in the world between alt-rock/indie rock and pop music, and that is perfectly illustrated by the latest from Yea-Ming and The Rumours. "Ruby" is a jangle pop song rebelling against society's concept of a perfect woman. The song has a light and playful feel, but it can't quite cover up the anger hiding below the surface. (The opening line is "I'm weak enough to give a fuck about Rudy," after all...) "Ruby" is a fun song fully in the jangle pop genre, but with enough of a punk attitude creeping in to keep things interesting. You can watch the video for "Ruby" below. I Can't Have It All is due out May 24 on Dandy Boy Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Yea-Ming and The Rumours, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .