R&B newcomer Elle Varner breezed through last summer with the minor hit "Only Wanna Give It To You," a sprightly ode to cute boys and new shoes. She retains its bright pink spirit on this free mixtape, with producers J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and Pop & Oak twisting grandiose instrumentation and crispy drum tracks into a fresh spin on classic hip-hop soul. Varner is blessed with a raw, powerful voice that blends Alicia Keys' wails and Faith Evans' coos, best showcased on impassioned ballads like "Go." But her lyrics can get buried behind delivery, at times for the better: "I meet so many men but I’ve never found the one… it sucks so bad," she pouts on "Ghosts." Still, Lush is a promising sign from the young singer – still finding her voice, but looking in the right places.

Listen To Elle Varner's "Go": 

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• Photos: Random Notes

“Ambling Alp”

The "Ambling Alp" was the nickname of the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Primo Carnera. Though the song is named after the Italian-born 1930s heavyweight champion, Yeasayer are actually paying tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis with this first-person psychedelic dance-rock tune. “I was always interested in writing a song that had boxing mythology in it,” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating said. “It’s pretty fascinating: There were so many amazing characters, and it was so closely entwined with 20th century history.” Yeaseyer also invokes German champ Max Schmeling and hints at the historical significance placed on the historic bouts between the Nazi-era boxer and the African-American Louis.