[embed width="560"][/embed]

It has been eight years since Rhian Benson released her sultry debut album Gold Coast. The Ghanaian born singer burst onto the music scene in 2003 with all the wisdom of a world traveler and the type of musical chops that can only come from grinding out a living on small stages and intimate night clubs. Born in Accra, raised in Ghana, Wales, and India, and a student of schools from London to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rhian Benson’s voice comes from a multitude of places and experiences. Despite a stable career in banking, she took the road less traveled and worked her way through London’s night clubs until she scored herself a record deal. Out of this came; a critically acclaimed album, a TV show on BET, touring gigs with Brian McKnight, Raphael Saadiq, and Angie Stone, solo shows in the US, and a UK tour. Now she’s back with her sophomore album, Hands Clean, and a unique take on R&B and neo-soul.

While her debut album drew apt comparisons to the likes of Sade and Norah Jones, for her follow-up Benson has collaborated with Danish production duo Daniel Fridell and Jonas Rendbo to create a sound that blends her smoky neo-soul vocals with pulsating electronic beats. The new album removes the laid back grooves that traditionally reside in the genre and replaces them with anodic uptempo rhythms overlaid with Benson’s dusky voice. Her latest single, “Be” featuring Jonas, is a prime example of how the two sounds mesh the soulful and the frantic to create music that makes the listener want to lay back and zone. It also helps that the video straddles the line between a mechanized nightmare future and an electro-infused Salvadore Dali fever dream.

Be sure to check out the audio below for the Goldielocks remix track, which gives the song a much welcomed super-boost of adrenaline and an industrial overtone.

Rhian Benson “Be (Goldielocks Remix)” feat. Jonas

[audio:https://www.okayafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/Be-feat.-Jonas-Goldielocks-Remix.mp3|titles=Be feat. Jonas (Goldielocks Remix)]

Download the Goldilocks Remix of "Be" ft. Jonas, free (just right click the link and "save as") - RIGHT HERE.

Hands Clean is currently available for download on iTunes.