This week we are tapping in with GENA, a new project from Dallas-born, now L.A.-based vocalist Liv.e and legendary Detroit drummer and producer Karriem Riggins. The name is loosely inspired by Gina from the classic sitcom “Martin,” and the music moves in that same playful but grown lane, blurring jazz, R&B and left-of-center soul.

“Circlesz” is the first single from their collaboration, and it plays like a late-night loop: dusty drums, fluid keys and Liv.e’s floating vocal lines all orbiting each other in motion.

Here is GENA with “Circlesz,” and it is my Pick of the Week.

That was “Circlesz” from GENA, the duo of vocalist Liv.e and artist-drummer Karriem Riggins.

If jazzy, future-soul cuts like this are your lane, tune in to The Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and at wdet.org. 

This week we are tapping in with Detroit emcee, producer and sonic shape-shifter Ilajide. A former member of the acclaimed underground crew Clear Soul Forces, he has carved out a deep catalog on his own, dropping five full-length projects and seven EPs along the way.

Ilajide is back with a new release, “Pocket Jams 2,” a record that blends late-70s and early-80s funk and hip hop with the future-leaning sound of 2025. It is proudly Detroit to the core and carries the kind of cosmic swagger you could imagine The Electrifying Mojo spinning during his late-night transmissions.

The cut we are about to get into is a standout. It channels Rick James energy, P-Funk flavor and Ilajide’s signature rhythmic snap, with Radio Galaxy riding shotgun for an extra layer of groove. Here is Ilajide featuring Radio Galaxy with “Stallion,” and it is my Pick of the Week.

That was Ilajide featuring Radio Galaxy with “Stallion,” from his latest release “Pocket Jams 2.”

If this kind of Detroit-bred funk hits your bloodstream, lock in with The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and at wdet.org.

This week’s pick comes from multiple Grammy nominated artist and producer Solomon Fox, who has been steadily building a reputation as one of soul music’s most intriguing emerging voices.

After a much acclaimed mixtape in 2021, he is back with his proper solo debut album “Sweettooth,” loaded with collaborations from rising talents like Duckwrth, Samm Henshaw and Mai Anna.

The cut we are about to get into features vocalist Amaria. Their back and forth on this track is all chemistry and feel, wrapping tight melodies around a warm, future soul groove.

Here is Solomon Fox featuring Amaria with “Fallin’ Back,” and it is my Pick of the Week.

That was Solomon Fox with “Fallin’ Back” featuring Amaria, from his debut album “Sweettooth.”

If future soul sounds like this move you, tune in to The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and at wdet.org. 

This week we are rocking with the legendary De La Soul, who just dropped a new album called “Cabin In The Sky.” It is part of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It series, which links up classic rap crews with new projects for a new era.

De La steps back into the spotlight missing a core voice. Trugoy the Dove, also known as Dave, passed two years ago, but he is here posthumously alongside Pos and Mase, trading verses with a who’s who from progressive hip hop and beyond: Nas, Killer Mike, Black Thought, Q-Tip, Yukimi from Little Dragon and more, with production from heavyweights like Pete Rock and DJ Premier.

The cut we are about to get into is classic De La: laid-back, witty, conversational and groove-centered. Here is De La Soul with “The Package” off “Cabin In The Sky” and it is my Pick of the Week.

That was “The Package” from De La Soul, the lead single from their new album “Cabin In The Sky.”

If progressive hip hop like this moves you, lock in with The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and online at wdet.org.

Thanks for listening, and we will see you next time.

Today we center the lens on Detroit-based vocalist, songwriter, producer, and label owner Miyan Bryant, a house and R&B force whose voice has been threaded through this show’s playlists for years.

Miyan’s story is classic Detroit: church-honed soul, club-tested stamina, and a refusal to stay in one lane. She first emerged in the early 1990s, stepping into the global underground with a collaboration with Key Statements, an alias of deep house artist Scott Grooves. From there, she moved through live band work, remakes of R&B standards, deep-house one-offs, and studio session work with heavyweights like Amp Fiddler, James Jamerson Jr., and the Detroit Beatdown camp.

At the same time, she was building a life outside the booth, earning a bachelor’s, a master’s, and PhD credits in deaf communications and developing sign language expression art that folds the deaf community directly into the experience of her music. For Miyan, house music isn’t just rhythm and vocals; it is access, language, and connection.

We’ll trace her journey in five cuts that show her range as a vocalist, a collaborator, and a builder of worlds on the dance floor.

Five Essential Tracks by Miyan Bryant

1: “Over You (Vocal Mix)” – Key Statements feat. Miyan Bryant

We start at the beginning. The record that introduced Miyan Bryant to the international house community and stamped her as a force from day one.

“Over You (Vocal Mix)” arrived in the early 1990s as a Key Statements production that rides a classic drum pattern, rubbery bass line, and minimal keys, leaving space for Miyan’s voice to carry the emotional payload.

There is a rawness to the performance that feels almost live: ad-libs curling around the beat, notes that crest just as the hi-hats start to hit. There’s a tension between vulnerability and power, a trait that would become one of her signature characteristics. 

A foundational anthem, the track helped introduce her to club crowds far beyond Detroit.

2: “Believe (Main Vocal Mix)” – Dwayne Jensen feat. Miyan Bryant

From here, we move to another underground favorite that cemented her status among music heads who pay attention to record labels, producers, and catalog numbers as closely as they follow artists.

Produced by Dwayne Jensen, this cut lives in that sacred space where soulful house, gospel, and late-night techno tension intersect.

You can hear the kinship with Chicago’s vocal house tradition and the influence of figures like CeCe Peniston and Steve “Silk” Hurley, both of whom Miyan cites as inspirations and peers. But the phrasing is pure Detroit: unpolished in the best way, conversational, and emotionally direct. 

The tune has lived several lives, including a later remaster that reintroduced it to a new wave of underground listeners and reaffirmed Miyan as a vocalist whose work rewards rediscovery. 

Track 3: “Love That I Want (BASSRemix)” – Miyan Bryant

From the collaborative lineage of early Detroit house, we turn now to a track that carries her name alone, spotlighting her as writer, vocalist, and conceptual center.

Here, Miyan stands in full command of the song’s architecture. The vocal is crafted with a songwriter’s eye for detail: verses that move, a hook that lands and lingers, and stacked harmonies that thicken the emotional field without cluttering the mix.

It is a clear marker of her evolution into a self-directed artist who can hold her own name on a record and deliver something that hits just as hard as her collaborations.

Track 4: “I Am Energy (Detroit Disco Funk Mix)” – Miyan Bryant

Next up, we step into her current chapter, a record that doubles as a personal manifesto, spiritual declaration, and club weapon. On this cut, Miyan’s voice rides the beat like a wave, turning the dance floor into a space where affirmation, Black futurism, and Detroit’s musical lineage converge. 

“I Am Energy (Detroit Disco Funk Mix)” is a fitting emblem of who she has become: an artist whose life, scholarship, and creative practice all revolve around the frequencies she puts into the world.

Track 5: “Treat Me Right” – Miyan Bryant / Carl Bias

For our final selection, we return to collaboration, a space where Miyan has always thrived. Here she teams up with producer and musician Carl Bias who brings Miyan’s sensibilities into a more stripped, conversation-level space. She alternates between direct address and melodic flourish, making the title phrase a demand, a reminder, and a dare.

“Treat Me Right” from Miyan Bryant and Carl Bias, a fitting closer that distills her approach to love, respect, and self-worth over a groove designed to move bodies and shift mindsets. We hope you enjoyed getting to know Miyan Bryant in five songs.

For more journeys into the worlds of artists like this, keep it locked to The Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. on WDET 101.9 FM and online at wdet.org.

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This week we are locking in with UK singer, songwriter and guitarist Lianne La Havas, who has carved out her own lane in alternative soul and folk, drawing on influences that range from Nina Simone to Lauryn Hill.

She first turned heads in the early 2010s with a mostly acoustic, intimate blend of folk and soul. Now she returns after a five year break with a single that puts everything back in focus. This track is built on sparse, airy guitar and that unmistakable voice, delivering emotional weight without a lot of extra production. It is stripped down, honest and vulnerable in a way that feels almost conversational.

Here is Lianne La Havas with “Disarray” and it is my Pick of the Week.

That was Lianne La Havas with “Disarray,” her first new material in five years and an early signal of what is coming on her next album.

If you are into raw, acoustic soul like this, tune in to The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and online at wdet.org. 

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This week we tap in with British-Canadian vocalist and songwriter Rochelle Jordan, who has been quietly carving out her own lane as one of electronic music’s most distinctive voices. She just dropped her third album, the sleek and sophisticated “Through The Wall,” a 17-track ride that moves through deep house, future soul, rhythmic R&B and hazy dream-pop textures.

Across the record she gives a masterclass in restraint. She does not belt; she glides, letting breath, phrasing and tone do the heavy lifting. That approach is on full display on the cut we are about to get into.

Here is Rochelle Jordan with “Ladida” from “Through The Wall” – our Pick of the Week.

That was Rochelle Jordan with “Ladida,” taken from her latest full-length, “Through The Wall.”

If you are into lush, melodic electronic grooves like this, lock in with The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and online at wdet.org. 

Thanks for listening, and we’ll catch you next time.

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If you want to understand where the soul-revival movement really lives, you have to look past the big coasts and into the Rustbelt. Detroit is a place where factory sirens and church organs have always shared the same air. It is the city that raised Aretha, Marvin, Stevie and Parliament-Funkadelic, and it keeps producing singers who treat soul music as a calling, not a costume.

Laura Rain is very much in that lineage. Before she ever cut a record under her own name, she did her time in the musical trenches in Detroit and Los Angeles clubs, learning to project over clinking glasses, loud conversations and indifferent sound systems.

In 2012, she met guitarist, producer and fellow music historian George Friend, and the chemistry was immediate. Within a week they were writing together, building a band around a lean, organ-driven trio format that merged Memphis soul, juke-joint blues, tough Detroit funk and R&B.

Under the banner Laura Rain & The Caesars, they went from Motor City bars to the international soul circuit: five full-length albums, a run of 45s and digital singles, heavy touring across more than 25 states plus Canada and Europe, and steady rotation on BBC, NPR and CBC networks. Along the way, they picked up Detroit Music Awards in both blues and urban categories, proof that their sound sits comfortably at the crossroads of soul, blues and R&B rather than in any one lane.

What makes their story compelling is not just the retro flavor, but the work ethic and intent behind it. The five tracks we will explore trace that arc: from a raw debut statement to UK crossover appeal, to tracks that double as Detroit-style soul anthems that shows they are still pushing forward. Let’s get into five songs that define Laura Rain & The Caesars.

5 Essential Tracks by Laura Rain & The Caesars

1. “I Don’t Wanna Play”(Electrified – 2013)

We start at the beginning, with “I Don’t Wanna Play” from their 2013 debut album “Electrified.”

This was the record that introduced Laura Rain & The Caesars to the wider soul world: a stripped-down lineup of organ, guitar and drums that captured the feel of a late-night neighborhood bar where the band is playing for keeps.

This track sets out their mission statement. Laura’s vocals are all grit and control, equal parts gospel testifying and blues shout, while George Friend’s guitar laces the groove with stinging fills that nod to Chicago and Memphis without ever sounding like imitation.

2. “Closer to the Win” (Single – 2021)

That was “Closer to the Win,” a track that would see success on UK soul charts and across digital media and help pave the way for their alliance with LRK records. That song also set the tone for the material that would end up on their 5th album, “Rise Again.”

The next track is built on a steady mid-tempo pulse, with horn accents and rich organ swells. This track highlights the core husband/wife partnership between Laura and George. Their writing combines her direct, emotionally honest lyric approach with his deep knowledge and dexterity of musically distilling blues, soul and jazz styles that is more about building a songbook that can withstand time and travel. Let’s check them out on the cut “I Am (Who I Want To Be).”

3.  “I Am (Who I Want to Be)” – Rise Again (2022)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “I Am (Who I Want to Be)” from their album Rise Again. We next move to the title track for that album, where the focus widens to include not just one singer’s journey, but the city that shaped her. This track plays as a love letter to Detroit itself, a city in the midst of its own rebuild and renaissance.

The arrangement is classic Caesar territory: driving drums, melodic bass, warm keys and guitar lines that mingle with Laura’s vocals, her voice tethered to the rhythm with a mix of urgency and assurance. Given their story, the song feels autobiographical. Since forming in 2012, Laura Rain & The Caesars have self-financed tours, hustled merch at the back of the room, been intentional in cultivating relationships and fostering belief in their music with DJs around the globe, and have steadily built a reputation strong enough to earn multiple Detroit Music Awards in both blues and R&B categories.

This track distills that hustle and grind into a sermon about persistence and hope. Let’s check it, here’s Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Rise Again.”

4. “Rise Again” (Rise Again – 2022)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Rise Again,” the centerpiece of their 2022 album of the same name. From a raw organ-trio debut to UK modern-soul 45s, from affirmations of self to anthems of resilience and late-period slow burners, Laura Rain & The Caesars embody what it means to be a working soul band in the twenty-first century. They write their own material, tour relentlessly, collaborate across genres and keep the focus on real instruments, melodies and thoughtful composition.

For our final track, we move to their most recent work, a single that shows how this band continues to evolve while staying rooted in its core sound. Here’s Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Feels So Right.”

5. “Feels So Right” (Single – 2024)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Feels So Right,” a recent chapter in a story that is still unfolding.

If this 5-on-5 has pulled you into their universe, be sure to check out more musical journeys into the artists who are shaping modern soul by keeping it locked on The Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 on 101.9 WDET and wdet.org.

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What’s up, Detroit. Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground Pick of the Week. This one comes from Chicago native now Brooklyn-based artist keiyaA, who broke through with her 2020 debut “Forever, Ya Girl.”

She returns five years later with a widescreen sophomore statement, the 19-track “hooke’s law,” an immersive blend of future soul, jazz, and psychedelia. The cut we’re about to bump captures the album’s off-center groove design with dizzy drum patterns, sly beat switches, and elastic time.

Here’s keiyaA with “take it,” and it’s my Pick of the Week.

That was keiyaA with “take it,” from her new album “hooke’s law.”

If future soul and psychedelic textures hit your ear, lock in every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. for The Progressive Underground. We move through soul, nu-jazz, deep house, electronica, B-sides, and rare groove with a Detroit-centered, global lens.

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Hey, what’s going on, Detroit. Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground Pick of the Week. This week’s feature comes from Swedish vocalist Yukimi, best known as the frontwoman and creative engine of the Gothenberg-based band Little Dragon.

Fresh off her solo debut “For You,” Yukimi follows up with a new EP titled “Yume,” which means dream in Japanese. It’s a genre-bending collection weaving together jazz, soul, electronic pop, hip hop, roots, and psychedelia across four immersive tracks.

We’re tuning into one of its standouts, a song that moves through love, loss, and renewal. Here’s Yukimi with “All Over Me,” and it’s my Pick of the Week.

That was Yukimi with “All Over Me,” from her recently released EP “Yume,” out now on Ninja Tune Records.

If you’re drawn to the deeper shades of acoustic soul and left-of-center sound, join us every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. for The Progressive Underground. We explore soul, nu-jazz, deep house, electronica, B-sides, and rare groove through a Detroit-centered, global lens.

For The Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell. Until next time, stay inspired and keep grooving. Peace.

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