January 3, 2021
Listening selections for the week of January 3, 2021, best enjoyed with a French press of Bent Tree Coffee’s Breakfast Blend, for enlivening notes of chocolate, citrus and a satisfying nutty aftertaste.
Streaming links:
Highlights include:
Progressive ‘70s funk from Brooklyn outfit Mandrill
Sublime organ jazz in the bop style from Ms. Shirley Scott
Vibey, sun-kissed alternative R&B from London singer-songwriter Joel Culpepper
A transfixing collaboration between Moroccan Gnawa-master Rabii Harnoune and Frankfurt electronic producer V.B. Kühl
Wistful pastoral pop from British comedy actor and multi-instrumentalist Matt Berry
Tasteful contemporary R&B, and killer harmonies, from sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey
The otherworldly talent of Stevie Wonder, accompanied by Herbie Hancock on keys
Nostalgic, reverb-kissed psychedelic soul from LA’s Sunni Colón
The latest positive-minded, soul-influenced offering from SZA
The magnificent grandiosity of The Moody Blues
Gorgeous art-soul from Moses Sumney, and painful omission from last week’s Favorites of 2020
Energetic afro-futurist grooves translated through the musical prisms of London and Ghana from Onipa
Vibrant cinematic soul from prolific U.K.-born, New York-based musical polymath Will Holland
A highlight from the best punk record recorded after 1979, from a band whose career was cut tragically short
Technicolor Ghanaian disco from Kiki Gyan
Sample-heavy club grooves from American electronic music artist Nicolas Jaar
An infectious jam from Jamiroquai, replete with classic soul and disco sounds
A tantalizing preview of Rhye’s forthcoming Home, due out January 22, 2021
Bright bedroom pop from LA duo Momma
Warped electro-rock from Holy Fuck’s Deleter, another painful exclusion from my Favorites of 2020
Pop-injected post punk from British art-rock act HMLTD
The Chayla Hope Choice Find of the WeekTM
Brooding electro-pop from the collaborative duo of Dave Harrington and Nicolas Jaar
The reuniting of BADBADNOTGOOD and MF DOOM for the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto Online
The unmatched artistry, flow and rhyme density of one of hip hop’s finest, may he rest in power