May 4, 2020

Best enjoyed with:

• Leisure time

• Coava Coffee Roasters Kilenso, Black

Highlights include:

• A tribute to the Afrobeat pioneer, Tony Allen

• The groovy first single from Khruangbin’s forthcoming Mordechai

• The Millennial generation’s “The Boys of Summer,” with a little dash of Prince

• A reminder that money should not be the only measure of self-worth

• A bop that proves Mahalia is making the most of quarantine

• Griff Washburn’s continuing, and compelling, progression from indie to dance rock

• Exhibit A that Prince was one of the baddest to ever do it

• The opening cut off of Brendan Benson’s experimental new Dear Life

• A bouquet of vibey tones sure to appeal to everyone from psych lovers to hip hop heads

• Tony Allen’s influence manifested

• Possibly, the truest song title of 2020

• A wild bit of electro-jazz fusion from Britain’s Kamaal Williams

• Dark, lush cinematic pop from Nebraska’s Other Lives

• Proof BØRNS has superb songs that aren’t “Electric Love”

• Flamenco-hip hop fusion from Rosalía’s third studio album, that can’t drop quickly enough

• The first Joey Bada$$ feature I’ve ever enjoyed

• Heavy breakbeat funk from across the pond

• One of a few reasons Dua Lipa’s first album is one of my favorite pop records in years

• Continued demonstration of how much better Missy Elliott is at music than everyone else

• A dreamy, richly arranged cut from Fruit Bats’ latest

• The return of the mighty Herzog

• A remembrance of the four murdered at Kent State 50 years ago

• The opening cut from a peerless piece of pop art

• Modern Americana from Chicago’s Josephine Foster

• A reminder from two of Cleveland’s best that we should spend our time on the important things