Keeping up with music news and resources like Spotify’s giant and regularly updated New Music Friday playlist are great ways to keep your listening habits from getting stale. Sometimes, though, you need a deeper dive. That’s where Uproxx’s Baylee Lefton comes in as she routinely offers quick-hit lists of songs you need to add into your rotation this week.
She just delivered a fresh mix and it pays homage to years of standout women making R&B and soul music.
Beylee had the impossible task of sorting through decades (starting in the 1960s) of music and choosing just a song or two to represent each era: “I’m not going to lie: This was so difficult to only pick like one or two songs from each generation,” she says.
But, she did it and the mix is worth diving into. It starts with Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By,” which music fans know through either its original version or the numerous hip-hop songs that have sampled it. From there, the set includes Aretha Franklin’s “Day Dreaming,” Sade’s “Is It A Crime,” Brownstone’s “Grapevyne,” SWV’s “You’re The One,” Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady,” Ashanti’s “Baby,” Jazmine Sullivan’s “Excuse Me,” SZA’s “Go Gina,” Cleo Sol’s “Golden Child (Jealous),” and Coco Jones’ “ICU.”
Check out the video above and to listen to the full songs yourself, hit up the link in Lefton’s Instagram bio.