Us East Coast people may joke about the so-called “flyover states,” but the nation’s heartland has went ahead and produced a unique scene all its own. And if everybody that comes from the Show Me State sounds like Miles Bonny, then we better take notice.

The first time I heard about Bonny was when he was with Sounds Good, his collaboration he put out with MC Joe Good, which we played on the Podcast back in the day. Bonny provided the beats to the album Biscuits & Gravy which is one of the more underrated hip-hop releases of 2005, and offered a glimpse of the Lawrence, KS hip-hop scene which birthed the equally underrated Deep Thinkers. I lost track of Bonny until a week ago, when I heard some of his new tracks that put him in front of the mic. Bonny, was known more for his production skills, dropping almost 15 albums on his own Innatesounds label, but he left the vocals to other artists.

Bonny has put his vocals at the forefront, and the dude’s sound is incredible. Bonnny’s smoky voice sets this dude apart from a lot of R&B singers out today. Personally, this might actually hold me over until D’Angelo decides to put out another album. Bonny is also as jazz trumpeter, and his work blends hip-hop, jazz, and soul.

I can’t nail down a particular album to check because there are so many but his Closer Love EP is a good start (iTunes), Check his MySpace and Innate Sounds homepage and see for yourself.

myspace.com/milesbonny

Miles Bonny “Yes i Do”