What do you get when you combine one of the music industry’s most reliable hitmaking machines with a golden voice and an underrated and versatile rising star brimming with charisma? One of the year’s most anticipated projects that still somehow managed to exceed expectations. Give the credit to funk legend Bootsy Collins for creating this … Continue reading Silk Sonic – An Evening With Silk Sonic
Funk
Zara Larsson – Poster Girl
Though without the bevy of global smash hits attached this time, Swedish pop phenom Zara Larsson returns for the first time in four years with her third studio album. Still only 23 years of age, Larsson’s last project, So Good, certainly came equipped with great pop tunes but suffered from an overall lack of identity … Continue reading Zara Larsson – Poster Girl
Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
20-year-old singer-songwriter and poet Arlo Parks has been attracting critical attention in her home country of the UK for a couple years now, and she’s managed to bring that energy across the Atlantic just in time for her debut studio album. With a deeply soulful sound drawing influences from funk and jazz yet recorded in … Continue reading Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
Omar Apollo – Apolonio
Genre-defying singer and guitarist Omar Apollo has recently been making waves and growing his profile through collaborations with people like Kenny Beats and Joji, so now would be the perfect time to unleash his debut album. While Apollo’s artistry has never truly shone through on his collaborations, often sounding a bit like an off-brand Frank … Continue reading Omar Apollo – Apolonio
Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 3
A musical prodigy and the disciple of both Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock, multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier has made a lasting impression on many musicians due to his unparalleled technical skill and understanding of music theory. The third installment in his Djesse series comes loaded with quite a few interesting guests, but not even they can … Continue reading Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 3
Thundercat – It Is What It Is
I’m glad that enough people have delayed their albums that I actually get to talk about someone like Thundercat on this blog – the jazz bass virtuoso is one of the most incredible musicians working right now on a technical level and has done more than his fair share of taking good albums and making … Continue reading Thundercat – It Is What It Is
Childish Gambino – 3.15.20
After a somewhat confusing rollout involving a mysterious website that could only have come from the mind of the eccentric and boundlessly creative Renaissance man that is Childish Gambino, the “single-track opus” 3.15.20 has finally arrived on streaming services and it’s just as weird as you might expect – though not always in the best of ways. … Continue reading Childish Gambino – 3.15.20
Rapid Fire Reviews (LSD, Cage The Elephant, Lizzo)
LSD - Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Present... LSD While it seems like the oddest of pairings on paper, Diplo, Labrinth and Sia have teamed up for a brief project under the name LSD. Diplo is one of the most tried-and-true hitmakers in the business, and adding the nearly boundless voices of these British and Australian … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (LSD, Cage The Elephant, Lizzo)
Rapid Fire Reviews (Anderson .Paak, Sara Bareilles, Khalid)
Anderson .Paak - Ventura Only 5 months after his rap-heavy third studio album Oxnard, which kept a high level of quality but ultimately disappointed some fans searching for the feel-good charisma that coloured his breakout project Malibu, Anderson .Paak returns with the soul-based companion piece. Thank goodness he did. The singer, rapper and BEST teeth … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Anderson .Paak, Sara Bareilles, Khalid)
Rapid Fire Reviews (Gesaffelstein, Flume, Solange)
Gesaffelstein - Hyperion Endlessly experimental electronic producer Gesaffelstein tones down the weirdness a little with some more accessible instrumentals and big-name pop collabs for his second full-length project, Hyperion. Gesaffelstein was a major contributor to Kanye West’s Yeezus, the minimalist and industrial sound of which is currently everywhere you look in the world of pop … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Gesaffelstein, Flume, Solange)
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 