Dreamy slide guitar playing guides us into this bouncy new folk-pop ditty from singer-songwriter Sug Daniels, out today. “Be Cool” is the Philly-via-Delaware singer-songwriter’s first new release since the 2021 release of her debut solo project Franklin Street, and it’s a snappy tune about forging connections but hitting an impasse where you and your person can’t seem to agree “I just wanna be cool with you,” Daniels sings on an effervescent hook.
Introduced to the scene as the dynamic frontperson of Wilmington funk/soul powerhouse band Hoochi Coochi, Daniels’ solo work is more intimate and reflective, and can captivate crowds in a solo configuration, or with a more robust group of players, like we saw at the inaugural Sweet Juice Festival that Daniels organized in Germantown this summer.
In the coming weeks, fans have several opportunities to see Daniels live; tonight, she hosts the Kimmel Center’s Happy Hour Sessions co-starring Aijee, Jakeya Sanders, and Justmadnice; next weekend, she plays a Friday night fundraiser on the 16th for the Sarita & Claire Foundation at Center City’s Thomas R Kline Institute, and on Saturday the 17th she’ll return to the Marina Stage at XPoNential Music Festival, this time as part of Black Opry Revue. Daniels also plays a full band set on September 30th as part of Townsend, Delaware’s Weedstock festival. Details on all these events can be found at Daniels’ IG; listen to “Be Cool” below.