#MustListen Top 10 Albums – Week of 08|21|2017 Edition
Curated by Ron Worthy
The past few months have been incredible in terms of the continued stream of new music. Across all genres, it seems that each week, there are scores of new records to sift through and consume. Of course, as a music lover, I relish the opportunity to listen to the evolution of sound. New artists are continually reinterpreting classic techniques and approaching and interweaving them with their own artistic manifestations. Over the past week, I have personally previewed over 75 separate albums in search of those that I deem worthy of a deeper dive. Time is a limited resource and my hope is that this list will improve your listening experience so you gain an appreciation for some of the best new music being released. With such a flood of options, it can be difficult to find what you love.
Along that path, we have also listened to over 30 singles that were recently released to get a sense of the various flavors that are bubbling up. In the past, we would have expected full length LPs from these artists. However, today, many have opted to attempt a succession of singles, EPs or other non long player projects. As such, we felt it was necessary to peep those releases as well as to provide more thorough insight into those works that we feel deserve your attention this week and beyond.
As is the case with previous editions of #MustListen, this week includes a few albums that were released earlier this year. When we are listening to those LPs that were released through the now conventional channels (e.g. Spotify, Apple, Tidal, etc.), many times I will come upon an incredible piece of music that we feel deserves your attention. Thus, I present my findings for your review and commentary.
The Process
The process is simple: I scan our list of inbound releases as well as those from other reliable sources and make a preliminary call on what should be reviewed. From there, I spend a few minutes with each option to get a sense of the production, content and overall feel. This is NOT a full review but more of a #NeedleDrop for a quick assessment. I then rank those LPs and present the top 10 along with a list of honorable mentions that may not have made the cut but may deserve a listen. As mentioned above, I will periodically include a list of notable singles as the release schedule warrants.
This list represents my ranking in order of anticipation based on the initial quick review. My goal is to help soulheads Worldwide break through the clutter of all the music that is being released and focus on the cream of the crop. Each week, I am sure to miss some albums so please let us know if there are projects I missed and I will include them in future weeks.
This Week
Like other weeks, I received a number of interesting options in our inbox to preview. Those, combined, with the latest releases on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and a large selection of trusted sources, made for a packed week of consideration. This week represents a motley crew of genres that all represent the spectrum of soul music, which is the goal.
We have two large bands from Australia representing in our top 5. I was truly floored by the quality and depth in Baldwins‘ Fear of Flying EP. From start to finish, the interplay between the buttery vocals and instrumentation left me wanting more. In a similar fashion, the Memphis inspired soul of the Teskey Brothers pleasantly surprised me with its sincerity and authenticity. This list also include a number of futuristic sounds like Jamila Woods, who should be required listening for those heading to Afro Punk this year as well as the eclectic next level groove of The Steoples. These cats are doing something really unique and we like it….a lot.
At the same time as these groups are creating something completely new, I was equally excited about Gavin Turek and Dimitris & Sulene and Ms. Irene Renee, all of whom have created very fresh interpretations of classic sounds like disco, bass and contemporary R&B. Finally, in the top 10 list and the Honorable Mentions, I have included a number of hip-hop acts from a variety of styles including hood inspired joints from various locales as well as a couple eclectic selections from those less street oriented. As with most lists going forward, I want to provide a little something for everyone. As recommended above, I urge to you take a listen to our Top 10 as well as our Honorable Mentions and the new list of notable singles we feel you will like.
Check out the list below and feel free to bookmark this article for easy access to the full streams for each in the Top 10 along with links to honorable mentions and singles. Throughout the week, I will be providing compact capsule reviews of the music throughout our social media platforms including our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram outlets. Please subscribe to each to stay in the discussion and let us know which albums and tracks you like the most.
#MustListen Top 10 – 08|21|2017 Edition
1. Baldwins – Fear of Flying EP
Goose-bump inducing vocals dipped in a jazzy funk fondue from Down Under.
2. Gavin Turek – A Common Wonder
Retro disco pop at its best with saucy vocals.
3. Jamila Woods – HEAVN
Funky, futuristic jazzy grooves and inspired clever vocals.
4. Dimitris & Sulene – Sparkle
British jazz soul ensemble with a classic sound, solid songwriting and instrumental performances.
5. The Teskey Brothers – Half Mile Harvest
Australian soul with a hard nod to the blues and Staxx.**
6. Ms. Irene Renee – Ubiquitous Soul
Strong contemporary British R&B from a sister who can sang! Grown folks music but more real than old.
7. Myke Bogan – Pool Party
Eclectic hood tales with a twist.
8. The Steoples – Six Rocks
Unique in every way, this group will make you groove and think.
9. Two Another – Drive Slow
Bouncy and fun at times and loungecore in others.
10. Bibi Bourelly – Boy (In Studio) (EP)
Minimal, acoustic and soulful.
*Released February 17, 2017
**Released January 19, 2017
***Released July 7, 2017
Honorable Album Mentions
Click on the artist name to visit artist’s website and title to open full album stream:
- Mozzy – 1 Up Top Ahk – Sacramento rapper spots street oriented rhymes over new age West coast grooves.
- Dave East – Paranoia: A True Story: Lush street tales told by emerging Harlem cat you should be checking for.
- Herrick & Hooley – Summer of Love: Eclectic 20 something soundtrack for Summer.
- Phora – Yours Truly Forever: Blue collar Drake-esqu cat with something to say.
- Dolphin – The Heartbroken Shogun EP: Moody and jazzy.
- ZHU – stardustexhalemarrakechdrea: Atmospheric dub step with a soul.
- Leaf – Trinity: Catchy club pop with a street edge and multiple styles.
- blessed – See Through All of the Colors: Dancey club pop that works before, during and after the dance floor.
- A$AP Ferg – Still Striving: Hood tales about the usual suspects (i.e. weed, money, women).
- Lil B – Black Ken: East Bay Hood spitter with throwback flow.
Interested in listening to all these albums in one stream back to back (not including the Bandcamp selections), check out the playlist below:
In addition, this week, we came across a few singles of note, listed in order of interest.
Top 10 Singles:
- QUIÑ- Sticky Situation (featuring Syd
- Mariam Sawires – Wow (Bandcamp)
- Kari Faux – Lowkey
- Lizzo – Water Me
- Noah Slee – Radar
- Saba – There You Go
- 2Edge – Usta Be
- Luke James – Drip
- Gucci Mane – I Get The Bag (feat. Migos)
- Skip Market – Refugee
Want to hear all of these tracks, back to back? If so, check out the playlist below:
Interested in submitting music for consideration to #MustListen? Email Us at info@soulhead.com