Scarborough’s Francesco Yates is about to hit 20, and already he’s checking off a list of professional career goals that seems surreal. Signed to Atlantic Records at 16, his 2014 summer single was endorsed by Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell recruited Yates to play electric guitar on the rapper’s 2014 single "Gust of Wind," featuring Daft Punk. This month, Yates is about to release his debut, self-titled EP, which was co-produced by Pharrell and Robin Hannibal (Kendrick Lamar, Aloe Blacc). It’s a lot of name-dropping.
But Yates’s brand of R&B deserves the attention: his new single, "Change the Channel," is filled with Prince-like vocals and that trademark Pharrell hit melody, while still feeling like Yates had a hand in it all. It’s funky yet (mostly) PG, and the new songs on the EP lean more on that sound than summer 2014’s "Call," which could more comfortably find a home on the We Are Your Friends soundtrack. Yates's style dips from '80s-era Michael Jackson to modern-day Miguel, and his YouTube channel includes covers of Leonard Cohen ("Hallelujah") and Kendrick Lamar ("Swimming Pools"). Yates is as comfortable behind an acoustic guitar as he is hitting those sultry notes.
Don’t take our word — or Pharrell’s or Timberlake’s — for it: stream Yates’s debut EP below, the week before its release, and get hooked on those vocals on your own time.
Pre-order Francesco Yates's EP here.
Tracklist:
1. "Honey I'm Home"
2. "Something Different"
3. "Better to be Loved"
4. "Call"
5. "When I Found You"
6. "Change the Channel"
Find me on Twitter: @hollygowritely
by Holly Gordon via Electronic RSS
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