alexanderking

[alexanderking]

Another Top 20 Albums of 2024:

"...And have I left anything out?" – Albums of 2023:

Kiefer – It's Ok, B U: 'Some strong instrumentals on here. I enjoy this project more each time I come back to it. Maybe I heard this too late in the year to make the list...

Robert Glasper – In December: Glasper adds his signature playing style to take on a number of classic Christmas standards, while giving us new music with scenarios relevant to how many of us experience the holiday season. 'Make it Home' and 'Memories with Mama' are fantastic examples of this. The second half of 'Little Drummer Boy' is also a very welcome arrangement...

Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows: Corinne Bailey Rae revisits her punk roots with 'Black Rainbows'. So a fair few bursts of electric guitar with messages of rebellion, as well more modal production from previous collaborators We Are KING. This is another one I hadn't listened to enough to make last year's list...

Mac Ayres – Comfortable Enough: 'A more stripped down collection of songs this time around. I can't say this project elevated anywhere above 'pleasant' for me...'Still worth a listen for 'Ayres fans though...

Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure: The departure from the 'Metropolis Suite' continues with an ode to joy and self-acceptance. The music takes a foray into the modern R'n'B sounds, Afrobeats and Reggae while somehow keeping that signature Wondaland production that we know and love. 'A great listen for the summer months. 'Short and sweet I suppose (frequent readers of these posts know how I feel about short albums)...

Jean-Luc Ponty – Enigmatic Ocean: It came out in 1977...

Logic – College Park: 'Another retired emcee who couldn't stay away from the booth. 'College Park' serves as a prequel to Logic's career. 'Some pretty good production on here, but I found the lyrical subject matter a bit forgettable. 'Better than the 'Everybody'/'Sinatra IV' era though...

Masego – Masego: I hadn't quite gelled with a Masego record until this one. 'Some strong Lo-fi R'n'B melodies. 'Generally relatable lyrics. 'Another one I enjoy more when I go back to it...

Shokazulu – Earth is not for Humans: 'Some nice broken beat offerings. 'Not one I've repeated very often but enjoy enough when I revisit it...

2024:

20) musclecars – Sugar Honey Ice Tea:

This project leans very heavily into the Soulful House realm, beginning and ending with more prominent soul melodies, while the middle tends to contain lengthy (at times repetitive) instrumentals, often with a welcome musical shift to keep things interesting. Tracks like 'Dream Boy', 'Tonight', 'Ha Ya! (Eternal Life)' and 'Water' keep ,e coming back to this project...

19) JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU:

While I thoroughly enjoyed 'Scaring the'...errrm 'Startling the Maidens', I hadn't quite got on board with much of JPEGMAFIA's music. Shawn Cee's listening video had my ears prick up a number of times, particularly with tracks like 'I'll Be Right There', 'it's dark and hell is hot', 'Don't Put Anything On The Bible' and the grandiose 'JPEGULTRA!'. Musically, JPEGMAFIA only further hones his craft of creating avant garde instrumentals, borrowing influences from Grunge Rock, Drum 'n' Bass, Soul and Jazz. Subject matter-wise, we continue to receive rant-like flows, often which contain that random thought you've had not too long ago, causing you to laugh out loud...

18) Hiatus Kaiyote – Love Heart Cheat Code:

The Future-Soul band from Melbourne, Australia returns with a collection of songs that length-wise, stay in the vein of their previous effort 'Mood Valiant'. Musically, the band seem to be straying further into experimental territory. The hip-hop influence on Hiatus Kaiyote's music is clearer than ever in my opinion. It's also great to see the Nai Palm lean more into her electric guitar playing, particularly on the closing tracks. Adversely, while there are a number of great pieces of music on here, as a collection, it often feels disjointed...

17) Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal:

Doechii has compared the process of creating this body of work while dealing with label politics to a series of Alligator attacks, specifically referencing their death roll when attacking prey. Heaven forbid we can simply receive an honest, vulnerable hip-hop mixtape with a series of bangers, some more thoughtful pieces and some satire thrown in, without some fat cat throwing a hissy fit!! The first half is more straight forward, nostalgic, head-nodding hip-hop while the second half contains a more modern take on the genre, the occasional singing and all. I'm glad to see Doechii getting her flowers!...

16) Robert Glasper – Code Derivation:

I consider this Glasper's best solo project since 'Double Booked'. 'Code Derivation' pays a great homage to 90s 'Boom-Bap Era' hip-hop, where many jazz samples were instrumental (see what I did there?) to a lot of the production. We get Glasper's straight ahead jazz pieces, accompanied by a hip-hop flip of said piece, even a couple by his own son Riley Glasper. Favourites include 'Say Less', 'AJ's Vibe' and the 'Waiting on Arrival' flip...

15) Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Vol. 1:

'The emcee/producer collaboration we didn't know we needed! Well...I didn't know we needed...Much like his extensive work with a No I.D. or a Kanye West, Pete Rock's production compliments Common's thoughtfulness and bragging writes splendidly! My only flaw is that I would have liked a few more rap verses from Pete Rock...

14) Rapsody – Please Don't Cry:

Somehow, Rapsody presents us with her most personal work to date. This is one a lot of people can relate to as it details the importance of alone time ('DND'), the need to express emotions in all of their many shades ('A Ballad for Homegirls', 'Lonely Women' and 'Diary of a Mad...' to name a few), joy and fear in relationships ('3:AM' and 'Loose Rocks') and good old perseverance (in tracks like 'Stand Tall', 'Raw' and 'Faith'). Musically this album flows really well, starting with the kick heavy beats we've come to expect from Rapsody, going into the smoother, slower melodies and even having a reggae influenced section to start off the second half of the project, all while bringing the energy back by having those hard hitting instrumentals and rhymes every so often. My biggest gripe with 'Please Don't Cry' is how short so many of these tracks are...I actually blame MF Doom...

13) Blue Lab Beats – Blue Eclipse:

David Mrakpor and NK-OK continue to hone their craft of finely produced hip-hop/jazz inspired...music...The envelope hasn't been pushed here I don't feel, but I enjoyed this project enough for it to be this high up on the list. 'Favourites include 'Never Doubt', 'Sky Paradise (Interlude)', 'Take Time' and the title track...

12) Resolution 88 – Vortex:

Tom O'Grady's Jazz Fusion outfit venture away from the more Herbie Hancock 'HeadHunters' to 'Mr. Hands' era inspired sound...to the Mizell Brothers 'Sky High' era inspired sound, going as far as having a track that pays direct homage to Larry and Fonce's once-living imprint. This is something I personally have a lot of time for! even while clearly taking influence from these times, the band are only becoming more assured in their writing and playing in pieces like 'Never Ever Ever' and both versions of 'Love Will Come Around'...

11) ScHoolboy Q – Blue Lips:

Strong beats. Strong flows. Some nice lyrics. A consistent quality of tracks. A welcome return collab with 'Black Hippy' cohort Ab-Soul. I'd argue that this is groovy Q's best project to date...

10) Tyler, the Creator – CHROMAKOPIA:

Tyler's creative winning streak continues! On 'CHROMAKOPIA', we get a glimpse into what Tyler has been up to, enjoying and what challenges he's been facing in the past few years. The more vocal opening to the album harks back to 2019's 'IGOR', but a closing rap verse and the braggadocio that follows let us know that there is still more rapping this time around. The lead single 'Noid' takes on live instrumentation, drums and electric guitar front and centre. That being said, there is still way more piano featured throughout than anything (this is evident on tracks like 'Like Him' and 'Judge Judy'). The posse cut 'Sticky' surprised me as well as it plays more like a roll call than a cypher. I enjoyed this more than 'IGOR', but less than 'CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST'...

9) Quiet Dawn – Celebrate:

'A strong collection of broken beat rhythms reminiscent of Kaidi Tatham's more experimental years; syncopated drum patterns, the blast of Moog synths, video game-esque chords and a lively mood throughout most of the 39 minute runtime...

8) Nathan Haines – Notes:

This was a fairly highly anticipated release for me, after hearing the hip-hop tinged 'Just Holding' On', rhymes, beats and keys interwoven with Haines's distinctive sax playing. That being said, 'Notes' is primarily a Soulful House affair. Mellow chords over thumping drums with the occasional foray into modal, percussive moments like 'Storm' and the title track, as well as more frantic rhythms like 'Don't Think' or the bonus track 'Get Up to Get Down'. My favourites on here are the shining, string laden 'Journey to the Peak', the aforementioned 'Storm' and the slightly melancholy 'Belo Dia'...

7) Lalah Hathaway – VANTABLACK:

I personally believe' this is Lalah Hathaway's strongest project since 2008's 'Self Portrait'. As the title suggests, some of the subject matter does touch on daring to exist as a black person. The opening track speaks on what's still happening regarding race relations in the US and how much more needs to be done, the defiant blast of horns during the songs breakdown signifying the determination to do so. Romantic love and self-love are also key themes on 'VANTABLACK'. The shiny 'No Lie' will probably become a classic somewhere down the line. 'Returning' is another beautiful slow(ish) jam, maintaining the general untarnished reputation of an album's 'Track 6' (seriously, check your favourites on almost any project 🤷‍♂️). Also, I dare you to not belt out "I'm the #BITMFW!!" after hearing that track...

Side note: It's also pretty cool that musician and friend C R O W N has writing credits on this project 😁...

6) Bruk Rogers – Loopholes:

'Another Dan recommendation (he comes up a lot in these breakdowns). As he predicted, I did enjoy this project...WAY MORE than I realised after going back to it a few times. Albums like 'Loopholes' not only cement broken beat's influence on current UK music, but also keeps it alive. More syncopated drums, keys and accompanying vocals aplenty!! Most of the pieces here can easily be floor fillers at a 'Room 4 Movement' or 'CoOperation' night. Favourites are 'Lalela', 'Gravity', 'Jelly Head' and 'Gravity'...

5) Daniel Casimir – Balance:

'Balance' picks up where Casimir's 2021 album 'Boxed In' dropped off. The scattered busy energy the string and horn sections provided are only more focused, creating some truly head-nodding, "stink-face activated" moments. No matter the mood, the musical arrangements are all held together by Daniel Casimir's bass playing. Clocking in at only 37 minutes, this is a short but sweet listen...

4) Logic – Ultra 85:

I'm surprised this ended up as high on the list as it did. 'EASILY my favourite Logic project! 'Ultra 85' serves as a prequel to 2015's 'The Incredible True Story' and so has a lot of the radio play-type skits that featured on that album. This time, they detail Kai and Thomas's first space exploration mission together, using the narrative to weave in a present day Logic's perspective on his life. Consequently (in the best way possible), there is a lot of self-reflection and back-to-basics rhyming (departing from the multi-syllable rhyming of Logic's 'EVERYBODY' era), which offers a lot of clarity sonically as well as emotionally. I can also safely say that many of the beats are on point!...

3) Marquis Hill – Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox:

I'd consider this a bit of a 'Modern Flows 2.5'. The hip-hop and Neo-soul elements present on this record makes this peak contemporary Jazz for me. Hill's horn playing gives us (or at least me) easy to hum along to arrangements that are very easy to revisit. 'Favourites include the opening two-parter in 'A Star is Born' and 'Joseph Beat', the vibraphone lead 'Shorter Days (Longer Nights) and spiralling descent that is 'I Remembered You'...

2) Ashley Henry – Who we Are:

Fantastic piano playing and ever-growing confident vocals. The modern influences are obvious but this still plays as a straight ahead jazz album. I don't have a lot to say except that I thoroughly enjoyed to be honest...'Favourites are 'Same Ole Song', 'Take It Higher', 'Oh La' and the title track...

1)

Sy Smith – Until We Meet Again:

Nearly six years after what I'd considered to be Smith's Magnum Opus comes this beauty of an album, which may possibly have taken that mantle. With FE+ cohorts Zo! & Tall Black Guy on music production, Sy Smith takes the time to remember those no longer in her life, both living and transitioned. The first half of the project takes on a more reflective, emotional approach to this subject matter, particularly with tracks like the lush, delicate 'Photograph' and the absolutely heart breaking ballad 'Always Pick Up For You'. The second half allows us to celebrate those no longer with us by upping the tempo with the party-starting 'Slide', the house-influenced 'Masterclass' and the slightly scandalous 'Summer of '93', a track of which I wouldn't have been surprised if Smith started rapping her 16s. The title track closer serves as the penny drop and allows us to remember those no longer in our lives. I got this in January of last year and it remains as my 'number one' of the year...

Honourable Mentions:

Boreal Sun – Dawn: 'My non-official #1 of 2024. This 20 minute EP clearly pays homage to the former Broken Beat duo 'Brotherly', going as far as sampling their 4/4 shuffle from the anthem 'System'. The music and message stays uplifting, tying in with how we often feel when first waking up or catching a sunrise at dawn...I was fortunate to attend Powne's release party to see the many earthly melodies and enchanting vocals that adorn this project. I haven't revisited this enough, hence why it's here...

Tess Hirst – HERStory: Hirst takes centre stage while still working with longtime collaborator Daniel Casimir. I did enjoy a lot of the music on here, but again, I didn't revisit' enough...

Ghetts – On Purpose, With Purpose: Strong rhymes. Complimentary beats. Generally strong features, particularly on the second track 'Mount Rushmore'. The mood remains grimy despite covering a wide range of subject matter...

Kev Choice – All My Love: 'Ushered in my spring beautifully. Lush keys and strings accompany honest and thoughtful lyrics...This would have easily made the list were it not an EP...

Brown Penny – Brown Penny: A UK Jazz all-stars collaboration (I'll leave it to you to check the line up). The music and glorious imagery conveys adventure and wistfulness. 'Makes me think of 'Steven Universe' or 'Craig of the Creek'. 'Looking forward to more from this group...

Elmiene – Anyway I Can: The third EP from the already established but still growing R'n'B singer/songwriter. Coming across Elmiene was an example of 'Law of Attraction' for me; a woman I was speaking to on a hike bigged up his music and a couple of days later my sister was suggesting we take Dad to go see him live. Fabulous vocals. Ear worms for melodies. Due to him keeping sentimental R'n'B alive, this had to get a shout...

BeMyFiasco – Pretty Little Love: The FE+ camp rarely disappoint'. Some fantastic Neo soul as usual. I just heard this too late...and it was too short...

Darien Brockington – Where Love Grows: This is the first solo Brockington project I've thoroughly enjoyed. 'More splendid music from the FE+ team...too short again!!...

Redman – Muddy Waters Too: My man's been promising this album for SEVENTEEN YEARS!!!! I only heard that this was out due to a round table discussion I was watching on YouTube! Rodman and his roster of longtime producers still have it!!...

Javier Santiago – Warrior Energy: I have time for ANYTHING this musician releases! The explosive energy that permeates much of this album justifies the title with ease! Check the title track and the preceding single 'Nocturne Du Romare (ReBirth)'...

[alexanderking]

Another Top 20 Albums of 2023

“…And have I left anything out?” – albums of 2022:

E L U C I D – I Told Bessie: Elucid isn't a name I'd checked for since his 'Lessondary' days. To find out he's part of what I call the "Off-Kilter Hip-Hop Movement" was pretty welcome. 'Really enjoyed the flows and production but didn't come back to this enough...

EARTHGANG – GHETTO GODS: The Dungeon Family legacy lives on through this duo (not just them obviously). 'Some impressive flows, beats and messages. 'Another one I didn't come back to enough...

Ego Ella May – FIELDNOTES PT II: This chapter in the 'FIELDNOTES' series details the joy and excitement of a new relationship, only for it to end so soon. The slower, at times stripped down Neo-Soul vibe conveys this well...

Joe Armon-Jones & Fatima – Tinted Shades: A welcome collection of Jazz-influenced Soul from this partnership. An album would be welcome...

Joey Bada$$ – 2000: 'A (spiritual?) sequel to '1999'. I found the lyrics more relatable this time around (especially on a track like 'Survivor's Guilt'). The production isn't as strong, which makes it's predecessor more enjoyable for me...

Quelle Chris – DEATHFAME: 'Some great production on here. I didn't fully absorb the theme of the album though...

Lucky Daye – Candydrip: Lucky Daye continues his streak of quality modern R'n'B. The mood of this album does remain quite samey; I need to be in a certain mood to return to this project...

Phife Dawg – Forever: Darting effortlessly between more vulnerable, reflective topics and braggadocios verses, this project is truly bittersweet...

Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen: This is slightly more pop-leaning R'n'B, which contains the bluntness of a SZA or a Summer Walker and some great violin playing woven throughout the 18-track run. I genuinely forgot to put this in my honourable mentions last year...

KingKlavé – KingKlavé: This is just awesome hip-hop influenced jazz fusion! This may have made #19 last year...

2023:

20) Terrace Martin & Alex Isley – I Left my Heart in Ladera:

Alex Isley takes a slight departure from the mellow, lo-fi sounds of ‘Marigold’ to deliver a deep R’n’B project with musician/super-producer Terrace Martin. At this point, you can generally depend on Terrace Martin to give us pleasing, west coast tinged melodies with a hint of 80s and 90s throwback. The centre-piece of this album brought a welcoming end of October for me. I’ve come back to this project a fair bit…

19) Alfa Mist – Variables:

Alfa Mist’s playing has only become more assured with each project. The explorative melodies are accompanied with confident solos, well-placed vocals and the occasional rap verse from Mist himself. I haven’t played this very often throughout the year, but each time I do I think: “Why didn’t I?!!!??!”…

18) Butcher Brown – Solar Music:

Elephant in the room (for me): The tracks getting shorter and shorter with each project is irksome. That being said, a lot of the music remains on the chipper, optimistic side, making this a particularly great listen when the sun is out. There are a couple of three to four track runs on here I often play through easily...

17) Gregory Hutchinson – Da Bang:

After hearing the 30 second sampler of 'Blow Your Mind / Take it Back', 'Da Bang' became one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Unfortunately this did fall a little' short of my expectations; a lot of the instrumentals are great on initial listen, but can overstay their welcome without a chord progression or a breakdown (despite some again, criminally short tracks on here!). Pieces like 'My Turn Now', 'Losing You' and the aforementioned escape this criticism. 'Still an enjoyable listen...

16) Mick Jenkins – The Patience:

This was a late entry to the list for me, literally hearing this on New Years Eve. The Chicago based emcee delivers a flurry of hungry, frustrated verses over his usual and more than welcome jazzy instrumentals. Despite my pedantry when it comes to this trend of short albums, 'The Patience' comes across as succinct, closing off nicely with the importance of remembering to take a breath and the value in learning patience...

15) Yasmin Lacey – Voice Notes:

If this isn't UK Neo-Soul at its finest, it's pretty damn near! 'Voice Notes' opens with the very relevant message of just creating and releasing the project, whatever it is! The subject matter from there covers relationships (family, friends and romantic), cultural legacy, uncertainty and the difficulty that can come with trying to let go...

14) Pedro Martins – Rádio Mistério:

This is my first venture into the music of guitarist Pedro Martins, outside of hearing his guest feature on Thundercat's 'It is What it is'. Needless to say I was not disappointed. A lot of the music harks back to the Jazz Rock Fusion era of the 70s, which works perfectly for me! Standouts for me include 'Liberdade', 'Estrela Do Rock n' Roll Do Planalto Central', 'Polos' and 'Kaya Noite'...

13) Kaidi Tatham – The Only Way:

I'll refrain from saying the thing I've said every time Kaidi Tatham has released an album (you'll know what I mean if you go back through these lists...). What I will say is that there are some awesome track progressions on here, something that has become synonymous with the 2000black sound. I found 'Alien @$^%' particularly inspired, reaching into the frenetic sound that the broken beat genre has provided over the years. Kaidi's output continues to be insane (this isn't the thing I'm referring to...)...

12) Cherise – Calling:

'Another anticipated album of 2023 for me! There are great soulful R'n'B pieces throughout this (solo) debut. While romantic love is a prominent topic on the album, the main theme for me is cultural impact and legacy, heard through the joyful thump of '2 Steppin'', the "barbecue during carnival" vibes on the title track and the various snippets of Cherise's grandmother telling her story...

11) Daniel Caesar – NEVER ENOUGH:

'NEVER ENOUGH' departs from the more syrupy sentiments of a 'Best Part' or 'Blessed' and comes across way more brash over this stripped down, folksy, guitar-laden collection of ballads and reflections. Much like Caesar's previous work, the melodies are on the slower side, a few of them quite subdued. However, the vocal arrangements make these pretty easy for me to sing along to. 'NEVER ENOUGH' has only gotten better and better with each listen...

P.S.: *mumble mumble* 2019 *mumble* apology *mumble mumble*...

10) Lil' Yachty – Let's Start Here.:

The first thing I noticed about the track listing was, the songs were actually over 2 bloody minutes!!!! The second thing I noticed when I clicked the sampler to the opening track 'the BLACK seminole.' was the psychedelic rock instrumental accompanying Yachty's vocals. The push over the edge was when Chris messaged me saying that this album was awesome. He wasn't wrong. Alternating between the more guitar and drum heavy moments of 'the BLACK seminole.' or 'IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!' and the poppy glide of tracks like 'running out of time' or 'drive ME crazy!', 'Let's Start Here.' marks a welcome turn for the once controversial emcee, although the question of why stepping away from the emceeing pillar of hip-hop is regarded as growth, is a valid discussion to have...

9) Kali Uchis – Red Moon In Venus:

If anyone asked me why it took me so long to get into Kali Uchis, it would be valid. With delicate (sometimes grandiose) melodies and gentle vocal stylings, 'Red Moon In Venus' offers a more tender side of R'n'B that has taken a break in recent times. This being the case, the subject matter hovers around romantic love by and large (although the title involving the word 'Venus' should be a dead giveaway)...

8) JPEGMafia & Danny Brown – SCARING THE HOES... Startling the Maidens:

JPEGMafia's off-kilter production style compliments Danny Brown's often frantic style of emceeing! Given the organised confusion (no pun intended...I think) of various sound bytes, harsh snares and the odd blast of synth, this album title is pretty apt...

7) Sampha – Lahai:

After a slew of high profile features, Sampha returns with his deeply personal sophomore body of work. Musically, 'Lahai' contains elements of Broken Beat and the more modal electronic sound you might associate with a Floating Points or a Kirk Degiorgio. My favourites include 'Suspended', 'Jonathan L. Seagull' and 'Can't Go Back'...

6) Black Milk – Everybody Good?:

Given the amount of projects that speak on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on our mental health, I can't help but wonder if life has imitated art to an extent; I sometimes find myself referring to these kind of albums as 'Post-blip albums'. Black Milk reflects on how the pandemic has affected him and in doing so, gives us what I believe to be his magnum opus. The verses are succinct. The production is top notch, channeling the signature Detroit sound with higher chords conveying hope, a light in the tunnel and sometimes, surrealism. We also get a hell of a feature verse from Phonte at the back end of this project...

5) Gareth Donkin – Welcome Home:

After a slew of singles over the years, musical prodigy Gareth Donkin releases his debut project. 'Welcome Home' plays as a bit of the throwback record, the bouncy drum patterns and synths taking us to the 80s. I did find this a bit of a shame as earlier singles like 'Inside' or 'Catharsis' were less on the nose with it. Tracks like 'Til' the End of Time (Night Sky)', 'By Your Side' and 'Tell Me Something' is why this is so high on the list (although I think September bias played a part too...).

Side note: I'm glad Gareth Donkin dropped the 'Master Soul Boy' moniker...

4) Ta-ku – Songs to Come Home to:

Ta-ku wasn't a name I'd heard until I was looking for more music by ROMderful. That's when I came across the impressive opening single 'SMILE'. 'Songs to Come Home to' closes out a trilogy of 'Songs to *insert thing here* to' on a peaceful yet hopeful note. The subject matter remains mostly in the realm of romantic love, reflecting Ta-ku's own personal life. A lot of the music stays in the lo-fi vein, but the highs are just that. I found myself enjoying this the more I listened to it also...

3) Shafiq Husayn & The Dove Society – So Gold:

One of the reluctant musical heroes of the West Coast returns! 'So Gold' continues in the vein of 'The Loop', utilising patchy drum loops to compliment the pleasing melodies and occasional beat change. 'So Gold' also takes the time to critique the more stereotypical side of black culture with advertisement interludes that wouldn't sound out of place on a show like 'South Side'. There are also a couple of call backs to Miquel Atwood-Fergusons string arrangement from 'Shafiq En A' Free-Ka's 'Dust and Kisses', a definitive favourite of my mine from the Sa-Ra founder...

2) Incognito – Into You:

Despite Bluey's furious output with his other musical acts, the last few years have formed an Incognito shaped hole that I'd didn't realise was there until my excitement for 'Into You'. This album exceeded my expectations. 'Still fairly predictable, but recruiting Goldie collaborator Natalie Duncan and Soul/R'n'B act Cherri V keeps the sound fresh, while having vocal stalwart Tony Momrelle keeps it familiar. 'Into You' fits comfortably in the top half of an Incognito 'worst to best' list for me (I've been watching a lot of those recently)...

1)

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1:

The Brainfeeder label has Miguel Atwood-Ferguson pick up where Kamasi Washington left off, giving us a triple album of 52 tracks and three and a half hours of music. We are gifted with a wide range of compositions featuring an all encompassing roster of musicians, evoking many emotions ranging from reflective, subdued, hopeful, enchanted, intense, relaxed, going as far as nostalgic; seriously. The many synth-programmed solos have me thinking of Nobuo Uematsu's compositions for the 'Final Fantasy' series (specifically 'FFIX'). There's a lot to come back to on here as many of the pieces are revisited through the three-disc run. My favourites are...too many to count. I have played 'Kairos (Amor Fati)' a lot though...

Honourable Mentions:

Zeñel – 5ive: 'An unofficial favourite of the year! 'Boss Drum' and the 'Aliens' suite are fantastic...

Golden Mean – Oumuamua: 'More great contemporary UK Jazz from the Jazz Re:freshed family...

Ashley Henry – My Voice: I've got so much time for an Ashley Henry release. The vocal tracks on here are beautiful...

Terrace Martin – Fine Tune: This album unofficially continues the 'Sounds of Crenshaw' series for me. 'Some great compositions and instrumentals from the middle to end...

ROMderful – ICE CREAM CLONES 2: 'An enjoyable collection of tracks from the ever more self-assured producer/musician...

Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips: I don't know if I'm quite there yet with the appeal of Billy Woods but I enjoyed this a lot...

Summer Walker – CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP: This cemented my spring wonderfully...

Danny Brown – Quaranta: Danny Brown takes the time to share where he's been to get to this current stage of life...with much more rapping in his calmer persona...

Amber Navran – Knock on the Orange Door: Navran's talent shines behind the boards as well as on the horns, woodwinds and vocals...bloody hell!

Geneivah – Songs and Soliloquies: If self-care and self-affirmation were a soundtrack.

[alexanderking]

Another Top 20 Albums of 2022

“...And have I left anything out?” – Albums of 2021:

Jon Batiste – WE ARE: A HUUUUUUGGE apology to Chris on this one. He’d been telling me all year to check out this one, but I ignored’ due to my indifference to Modern Soul (the only album of this genre I have genuinely loved is ‘Of All the Things’ by Jazzanova). When I did finally listen to it, I really appreciated the elements of Jazz and Hip-Hop that would show up throughout the project. Stand outs for me are ‘WHATCHUTALKINBOUT’ and ‘SHOW ME THE WAY’. This would have made my honourable mentions...

Emma-Jean Thackray – Yellow: ‘Another recommendation from Dan. This Jazz project is yet another pointer as to how important the Jazz Re:freshed movement is and has been to the UK Jazz circuit. The arrangements on this album have me wanting to nod my head uncontrollably, chant along with the messages of self acknowledgement and speaking up for ourselves, or simply reflect and enjoy. The broken beat influence shows up on ‘Say Something’, ‘Third Eye’ and ‘Yellow’. This may have made the 13-8 range on last year’s list...

Kyoto Jazz Massive – Message From a New Dawn: After some 19 years and a barrage of solo projects, side projects and the like, the Japanese collective have reunited for a new collection of tracks. Vanessa Freeman also returns on vocal duties to convey messages of self-affirmation, proactivity and owning our s**t. Musically, the arrangements remain very similar to that first album, some being very monotonous in tone yet for the live instrumentation, to more bursts of energy through the various keys, synths and horns. My favourites are ‘Get Up’, ‘Get it Together’, ‘The Mask’ and the 10-11 minute ‘Revolution Evolution’. This may have knocked ‘Turbulence’ off of last year’s list...

Kiefer – When There’s Love Around: I heard the title track on one of Sherman’s instagram stories, which caused me to investigate. The music on ‘When There’s Love Around’ is very pleasant. While the energy plays mostly mellow, as a fan of keys, this album plays generally well for me. My highlights are ‘Areti’s Love’ and ‘Crybaby’...

Lord & Kaidi – Find Another Way: This was Matt Lord’s second project of 2021, teaming up this time with frequent 2000black collaborator Kaidi Tatham. ‘Find Another Way’ ventures from Broken Beat (with tracks like the optimistic title track and the bouncy closer ‘Strollin’’) into Deep House (with tracks like ‘ABC’, ‘Sensitive Souls’ and the more minimal ‘Full On’). As with most 2000black recordings, there are welcome beat changes aplenty to keep things interesting. It was only because there were other albums that I ultimately liked more that this hadn’t made last year’s honourable mentions...

Mndsgn. – Rare Pleasure: I found out about this album’s existence via an across the pond friend who had shared ‘Colors of the Sunset’ as the track on an instagram story post. Annoyed is an understatement as to how I felt that I missed out on this project!! While I haven't really been feeling his previous albums, Mndsgn. has some fantastic production credits under his belt. Much like Nick Hakim or Figmore, ‘Rare Pleasure’ leans more on the lo-fi, psychedelic side of Neo Soul; we get a lot of wavy guitar strums and dazzling keys throughout. There are also a couple of dramatic jazz breakdowns to change the mellow pace up a bit. This would have cracked the Top 3 of last year’s list easily! Shout out to Kristyn and only Kristyn for this one -_-...

Takuya Kuroda – Fly Moon, Die Soon: I hadn't properly checked for a Takuya Kuroda project since 2014′s ‘Rising Son’, an album that I only tend to return to for the closing tracks these days. The Corey King assisted opener ‘Fade’ is what sucked me into this album. Although ‘Fly Moon, Die Soon’ does a great job of leaning into 70s Jazz and West African musical influences, it’s the slower, more soulful moments that made me enjoy this so much. This album actually came out in 2020 but I wanted to shout this out somewhere...

Russ – Chomp 2: Despite having released many albums and mixtapes, as well as having quite a thriving career for a considerable amount of time, Russ wasn’t a name I’d taken note of until his feature on Logic’s ‘Therapy Music’ this year. A sequel to his ‘CHOMP’ EP, Russ continues with lengthy and well-delivered verses speaking on success, the value of self-belief and investing and enlisting featured verses from an array of this generation’s hip-hop greats. There’s a pretty solid selection of beats which I think will cater to older and younger hip-hop fans alike. I do feel that the “I pull women”/“They used to ignore me, now they’re on my...” lyrics are pretty boring at this point though...

On an incredibly pedantic note (and an age old rant that some of my older friends may remember and roll their eyes to), this album almost achieves not having a single 16-bar verse on the album (André 3000 & Rick Ross addressed this enough for me to not feel entirely crazy but still...). To this date, the only album I’ve heard pull this off is Lord Finesse’s ‘Return of the Funky Man’...

ROMderful – PLEASE RECONNECT CONTROLLER: My sister had played a couple of tracks in passing that stood out, but the thing that had me properly investigate is when one of my comrades in music, Shaniss, had used ‘FEELS SO GOOD TO SMILE’ from ‘ICE CREAM CLONES’ on one of her instagram stories. For me, ROMderful’s music is like that first cup of tea/hot chocolate/other loved food that hits the sweet spot. The melodies often tend to go for notes that are slightly less predictable by mainstream standards and never fail to pull me in.

‘PLEASE RECONNECT CONTROLLER’ utilises more keys over guitars (although they’re definitely still present) and stays mainly in the soulful r’n’b arena, save the alarming pulse that is ‘SIMULATION??’. Regarding the concept, this album follows the narrative of a new relationship (along with all the excitement and anxiety that can accompany it), that reveals itself to have been a situationship, concluding with first lament, ‘then acceptance. ‘PLEASE RECONNECT CONTROLLER’ may come off as sickly sweet for some, but for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed! This would have cracked my top five of last year’s list...

2022:

20) Kaidi Tatham – Don’t Rush the Process: 

I’m pretty biased when it comes to a Kaidi Tatham release, as I’m always comparing his projects to ‘In Search of Hope’. That being said, the journey each album has taken me on can not be denied. There are some true gems in the title track, ‘Knocknee Donkey’, ‘Mystery Solved’ and ‘Sooretama’. I do feel a bit robbed with the criminally short length of this album though...

19) Ab-Soul – Herbert:

Six years after ‘Do what thou wilt.’ and having dealt with some extremely close losses, creative blocks, depression and even a suicide attempt, Ab-Soul returns with what could be argued is his most personal project to date...and it is most welcome. While there are more than the usual shades of vulnerability on ‘Herbert’, ‘Soul still delivers straight, honest hip-hop, full with catchy beat selections and punchlines galore, although the latter does come with quite a few forced puns and some ‘dad joke’ level wordplay. I found this’ a really enjoyable listen and given the quality, leaves me wondering if this could lead to ‘Longterm 3′ in the (relatively) near future... 

18) Kwesi Yvorra – I’m About, Still.:

The Jazz re:freshed label brings us another quality release, this time with the sounds of drummer/producer Kwesi Yvorra. ‘I’m About, Still.’ gives us contemporary Jazz Fusion, with the influence of hip-hop that many of us have come to expect. Said influence even goes as far as to feature hip-hop stalwarts Greg B. & John Robinson on a couple of the tracks. My favourites are the quirky hip-hop tinged tracks ‘Copastetic Movements’ and ‘TKO’, the slow and slightly sensual ‘Give Go Scenario’ and the elevating closer ‘Noble Way’, which ends with a pretty solid drum solo...

17) Phony Ppl – Euphonyus:

Elbee Three and co. are back!!! ‘Euphonyus’ continues in the vein of Phony Ppl’s previous offering by featuring way more singing than rapping. The album leans very heavily into the r’n’b/pop arena with many of the tracks here. The subject matter tends to stay around the ups and downs of love and lust, although we do close with a bit of a throwback in the form of a “What if I was rich?” track. With both a Jojo and Megan Thee Stallion feature, could this be the album that has Phony Ppl crossover to mainstream success?...

16) Raveena Aurora – Asha’s Awakening:

A huge thanks to Tahn Solo for putting me on this one! While this is an introduction for me, 'Asha’s Awakening’ is Raveena’s sophomore album release. This project allowed me to venture into more of my pop and r’n’b tendencies with bouncy head shakers like ‘Magic’ and ‘Mystery’, along with smoother tracks like ‘Circuit Board’. The influence of Indian music on this project is pretty prominent too, heard in tracks like ‘Rush’, ‘Kismet’, ‘Asha’s Kiss’ and ‘Time Flies’. 'Asha’s Awakening’ is actually a concept album, following the character of Asha as she spends centuries training in exile from Earth on the planet of Santaan, in order to better temper her spirit. It is through this concept that Raveena is even further allowed to convey her reflections on society as well as sharing some personal vulnerabilities. The latter element is why the second half of the album plays a lot slower, leaning into Jazz and Neo Soul influences. We even close with a 13-plus minute guided meditation!...

15) Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers:

May of 2022 ushered in the MUCH AWAITED return of Kendrick Lamar. Five years on from ‘DAMN.’, Kendrick has (gone to therapy and) taken the time to explore his greatest vices and evils (see what I did there?), which includes his infidelity, homophobia, past trauma with both parents and (somehow) most importantly, the burden of being a hero, a saviour, a prophet and everything in between, given his status in hip-hop, regardless of who has perceived him to be such. Musically this album is far less accessible than ‘DAMN.’, due to the heavy subject matter in many of the tracks’ presented. For me, there’s a pretty big lull between the intense ‘We Cry Together’ and the ‘Saviour’ interlude, which makes it a bit more difficult for me to come back to this project very often. I do love the closing four tracks however (yes, even ‘Auntie Diaries’)...

14) Eric Roberson – Lessons:

‘The way I’m surprised that this ended up so high on the list!! This is another mention from Sherman that had me eventually check out ‘Lessons’. I had only really liked ‘Wind’ from the ‘Earth’, ‘Wind’ and ‘Fire’ EP series and I’d only gravitated to the Josh Milan produced ‘Hurry Up’ on ‘Hear From Here’. Furthermore, while I thought the lyrics were strong, I wasn’t really feeling the title track to this album. But every preceding track reminded me why I’d fallen in love with Erro’s music in the first place. He’s definitely still got it!!...

13) Soweto Kinch, Lee Reynolds & The London Symphony Orchestra – White Juju:

Born from an already strained relationship with the UK and only bolstered by a below-parr response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fallout of ‘Brexit’ (-_-) and the racial unrest of not only ‘Brexit’, but the heightened protests of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, ‘White Juju’ attempts to have Britain to hold a mirror to itself and take accountability for its past transgressions and current shortcomings. During the many distorted intervals, blunt saxophone notes and tumbling bass riffs are interspersed with soundbites of interviews and conversations/speeches in Parliament, aiming to be as uncomfortable as the soundbites themselves. What’s put ‘White Juju’ on this list ultimately is the dazzling strings and arrangements of ‘I. Dawn’, ‘VI. Sanctuary’ and ‘X. Clarity’, the jaded moments on ‘The Cycle of Violence’, ‘IX. Eternal’ and ‘Casting Out’ and the urgent bursts of horns, strings, drums and raps on ‘III. March of the Unicorns’ and ‘V. Curated Chaos’. Politically charged is an understatement!!...

12) Moonchild – Starfruit:

Moonchild return with their very welcome, bright and delicate brand of Neo-soul. Sparkling keys, twirling synths and feathery horn breaks a-plenty with their latest offering, ‘Starfruit’. This album takes the time to appreciate the monumental moves in music made by black women by featuring an array of well known (albeit not mainstream) artists, from Tank of Tank and the Bangas to Maimouna ‘Mumu Fresh’ Youssef by way of Alex Isley and Lalah Hathaway. Having not gone back to their previous album, ‘Little Ghost’ that often, ‘Starfruit’s’ melodies signify a return to form for myself...

11) Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyes See Your Future:

This album brought me into the spring quite comfortably. Having gone through therapy, Curry uses this project to reflect on how far he’s come as well as look within. It’s mainly the selection of jazzy instrumentals and absolute head bangers that has me return to this so often. I also really enjoy Curry’s more aggressive delivery on many of these verses. Favourites include ‘John Wayne’, ‘Melt Session #1′, ‘Walkin’’, ‘The Mental’ and ‘The Smell of Death’...

10) Kilo Kish – American Gurl:

Kilo Kish makes a huge departure from the more monotonous instrumentals and almost lackadaisical poetry/rap stylings, to venture into an electronic pop sound, fully equipped with electronic guitars, synths and slightly rock leaning drumming (and enabling me once more to revel in my more poppy tendencies). ‘American Gurl’ uses the metaphor of an arcade game to explore the many facets of living in the “land of the free” as a Black American Woman, giving us what I believe to be Kilo Kish’s most focused project to date!...

9) Black Folks Don’t Swim? – For The Source:

I learned of this band in the music sharing rooms I attended on clubhouse. The bass player and bandleader Sweet, shared a great amount of artists from DC including their own music. ‘For the Source’ mixes rock and funk influences to create a contemporary Jazz Fusion album of which the main theme throughout is JOY! My favourite is ‘The Midnight Theme’, on which the breakdown often has me thinking of the ‘Spring Hill Zone’ music from the first ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ game...

8) Deborah Jordan & K15 – HUMAN:

Producer/Multi-instrumentalist K15 was responsible for some of my favourite tracks on Deborah Jordan’s previous album ‘See in the Dark’. So what a pleasant surprise for me that they continued in that vein by producing an entire album together!! As expected from a Deborah Jordan project, the overall vibe of ‘HUMANS’ stay pretty low-key. We get a lot of piano/keys over slow drum beats, although the pace does change up from time to time to faster, busier kicks and snares, almost to remind us of their broken beat roots. The vocals and occasional beat changes keep the album sounding pretty fresh throughout...

7) Tank and the Bangas – Red Balloon:

Tank and the Bangas return with their third album and concluding concept in the ‘Balloon’ series (I thought there would be more but apparently Green and Red were as far as’ was intended...). There’s a lot less rapping on this project than its predecessor ‘Green Balloon’ (which I loved), allowing for more of Tank’s divine vocals, some funkier numbers and some soulful ballads. My favourites include ‘Oak Tree’, ‘Jellyfish’, ‘Where do we all go?’ and the grandiose ‘Stolen Fruit’...

6) Blue Lab Beats – Motherland Journey:

Blue Lab Beats really are just going from strength to strength. Having dropped a steady amount of releases despite a global pandemic, the dynamic duo give us the aptly titled ‘Motherland Journey’, going from their signature soulful hip-hop sound, equipped with synth solos, into a guitar-laden Afro Beat centrepiece and further on into deeper jazz cuts with energetic horns and sultry vocals. The ‘We Will Rise’ EP is also worth a listen (for fun, I blended the EP tracks into the album)...

5) J.I.D – The Forever Story:

Dynamic flows, introspective, relatable verses on family relationships, storytelling, brags, actual complete songs (I’m still not over this whole 2-minute, “you’re lucky if a track scratches 3 and a half minutes” trend!), great beats, great beat changes when needed. ‘Even further proof that there is still great, hip-hop being released amongst this current crop of emcees!!...

4) Saba – A Few Good Things:

...Yet somehow, this still ended up being my favourite hip-hop release of the year. Years on from the murder of his cousin and more so from the release of ‘The Bucket List’, Saba reflects on the good in his life, particularly his musical success. The trap and lo-fi elements (prevalent throughout Saba’s discography to be fair) only compliment the Pivot Gang’s production style. For me the album remains strong throughout, but it is the closing three tracks that stand out to me the most...

3) Sohan Wilson – Love is the Key:

A huge thanks to Simon Skofield of ‘Futuristica Music’ for sharing this on his Facebook page. Sohan Wilson gives us a sonic journey through the soul and jazz of the ‘70s and the electronic grooves of the ‘80s, telling the story of a growing romantic relationship. Unlike more of the love-based concept albums I’ve heard in recent years, ‘Love is the Key’ remains on the positive side of the relationship, speaking on how beautiful things became once they met and the value of letting past inhibitions go. The album has an optional ending, as it could end on the satisfying ‘Anthem for the Universe’, or the sharp, hard-hitting bonus track ‘RAGE’...

2) True Think – The New Resistance / Hold The Light:

I’ve often found Robert Mitchell at his best when playing in one of his collectives. ‘True Think’ hark back to the epic, almost elemental sounds of ‘Robert Mitchell’s Panacea’, even calling on Panacea vocalist Deborah Jordan to deliver many of the messages on this double album. ‘The New Resistance’ is another project that asks us in the UK to face our prejudices, while ‘Hold The Light’ asks us to hold on to our most positive values. If I were to choose an element that describes the dramatic instrumentals, spacious strings and sometimes grating synths we hear, I’d go with lightning...

P.S.: What a JOY to hear Ty’s voice once more!... 

1)

DOMi & JD BECK – NOT TiGHT:

This find was me reading liner notes yet again (’Can’t Punk Me’ by J.I.D) and then seeing the name on a festival billing. The best way for me to describe this album is the musical alternative route that Thundercat may have taken after his ‘Golden Age...’ release. A lot of the chords remain in the upper octave, emitting a light, optimistic feel. JD’s tight, rapid drum playing is impressive (although the tinny arrangement of them may not work for everybody) and DOMi only keeps up with her improvisations on the keys and synths. Even more impressive is that I don’t think they’re even over 19 years of age!! The music gives influences from the Jazz Giants of the West Coast (very specifically Thundercat), a hint of Weather Report and A LOT of ‘70s Herbie Hancock (+’Mr. Hands’). The inclusion of modern greats such as Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes and Mac DeMarco (not to mention Herbie and Thundercat themselves) keeps this feeling current...

...I may be biased as this is a release I heard right at the end of Summer; the winds of change that have come with this time for so long feel incredibly welcoming. This is the fourth year in a row that my #1 pick was first heard or released in September...

Honourable Mentions:

PJ Morton – Watch The Sun: I’m kinda hit and miss with PJ Morton’s studio music, but his live performances are always top notch and his last show was enough for me to listen to his latest offering. ‘Watch The Sun’ leans into lush string and uplifting melodies, taking the time to remind us that despite currently navigating a global pandemic, amongst other things, the Sun will shine again, literally and figuratively. My favourites are ‘My Peace’, ‘Please Don’t Walk Away’ & ‘Still Believe’, although the soul-singing cypher that is ‘The Better Benediction’ deserves props!...

DoomCannon – Resistance: This nearly made the main list. As the title suggests ‘Resistance’ also holds a mirror to the UK as the DoomCannon imagines a world where we have successfully moved on from prejudice and constant barriers being flagged up. My favourites are ‘Uncovering Truth’ and the stunning “struggle to optimism” suite ‘Amalgamation’...

Alex Isley & Jack Dine – Marigold: ‘More beautiful, slow, sultry, lo-fi Neo Soul from this duo. I think the vibe remained just a bit too samey for me. If I listened to this a a different time, in a slightly different mood, this may have made the main list...

Smino – Luv 4 Rent: ‘Another return to form for me as I wasn't really feeling ‘NØIR’. ‘Luv 4 Rent’ teeters between mellow hip-hop (with trap seasoning) to more upbeat funk numbers pretty smoothly. I may have just needed more time with this one. ‘No Ls’, ‘Pro Freak’, ‘Garden Lady’ and ‘Settle Down’ are my favourites...

tyroneissacstuart – S!CK: ‘The debut from dancer/actor/emcee/musician tyroneissacstuart. A lot of the pieces come off as free and chaotic as the physical movements Issac-Stuart can pull of when’ on a stage, which I believe to be intentional when closer listening to the subject matter; the weight of constantly having to perform for adulation is exhausting!!! There are some great moments with tracks like ‘Anderson’, ‘Pure Body’ and ‘Instaworthy’...

Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights: I found the music and subject matter on this LP tighter and more sure of itself than ‘Apollo XXI’. This may have been another one I just needed more time with. My favourites are ‘Helmet’, ‘Amber’ and ‘Give you the World’...

Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music in Zion: “Rappers die too much / ...that’s it, that’s the verse...” is a WORD! Having recorded the album over three days, Lupe returns with his esoteric brand of anecdotes and metaphors to deliver...a metaphor for the current state of mainstream hip-hop. The delivery of the verses are impressive as usual and at ten tracks, the album run time is succinct and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome...

Duckwrth – Chrome Bull: Duckwrth jumps into his electronic house bag on this EP, with great results!!! ‘Ce Soir’ and ‘Power Power’ don’t fail to get my head bouncing...

Robert Glasper – Black Radio III (Supreme Edition): I’m afraid to say I’ve found some of Robert Glasper’s more recent music a bit lacking. I wasn’t in love with this LP but the music on the standouts ‘In Tune’, ‘Why We Speak’, ‘Everybody Love’ and many of the additional tracks on the later released ‘Supreme Edition’ made this worth a shout...

Culross Close – Pressure: ‘K15′s jazz side-project. Many of the pieces stay as engaging as his work on ‘HUMANS’, but with more live instrumentation. ‘Misguided’, ‘Tipping Point’ and ‘The Will to Live (i, ii)’ are worth a listen...

[alexanderking]

Another Top 20 albums of 2021

“...And have I left anything out?” – Albums et al of 2020:

Yakul – Kaleidoscope EP: All I can do is facepalm with this one. The songs are a lot shorter than the previous EP, but still take us through a journey of various musical movements. My favourite on here is the situation ship anthem ‘Streetlight’...

emil – Ambrosia: This was an artist I discovered in the legendary Clubhouse Neo soul moment room that closed out 2020. As usual I turned my nose up at how short the tracks were on the project. That being said, there’s barely a missed moment with the production. This is a project I’ve revisited a couple of times this year and appreciated it more each time...

Reel People – Dancing on the Moon EP: After a few years of various remixes and covers, the production trio of Mike Patto, Oli Lazarus & Toni Economides return with an EP of original music featuring independent and underground legends, old and new alike. This EP marks a welcome return to the collective voyaging into Soulful funk with elements of Jazz and Hip-Hop for good measure...

Demae – Life Works Out...Usually: For many people, the first wave of lockdowns, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, damn near forced many people to reflect on the current situation, past memories and also the demons that our busy lives allowed us to ignore to an extent. ‘Life Works Out...Usually’ is a UK Neo Soul journey into observations, reflections and life lessons that 2020 brought to light. My favourite on this EP is the self-affirming ‘Use It’...

Javier Santiago – Phoenix: I came across this project looking for more music by Nicholas Payton and noticing how frequently he collaborates with members of the Jazz-Funk outfit ‘Butcher Brown’. This project actually came out in 2018 but BLOODY HELL I love this!!!!! I needed to give this a mention somewhere...

Tiana Major9 – At Sixes and Sevens: This needed a mention because of how beautiful I find the track ‘Exclusively’!!!...

Jeff Bradshaw – Stronger: While this latest offering from Trombonist Jeff Bradshaw doesn’t quite reach the highs of ‘Bone Deep’, there are some pretty cool covers and original gems in ‘Closure’, ‘I Do (Sincerely)’ and ‘Betta’...

Hope Tala – Girl Eats Sun: This is just a really cool low-vibe R’n’B EP. Another shout to Gia from Twitter for putting me on this one!...

2021:

20) Turbulance – Turbulance:

I stumbled upon this album while checking out Afronaut’s latest batch of music, having not listened to much of his stuff lately. This project is a rather lengthy collection of Broken Beat/Nu-Jazz pieces, some being pretty laid back, others being quite whimsical and some with a bouncy head-nod factor. My favourites are the aptly titled ‘Super Mario International’ and ‘One for Misho’...

19) Kaidi Tatham – An Insight To All Minds:

I always look forward to a new Kaidi Tatham release. While there is still some venturing into Broken Beat, this is very much a realm that belongs to Kaidi alone. The music ranges from being fairly monotonous to a swift journey of different sounds, covering Hip-Hop, (some) Electronic, Brazilian and Jazz genres. While I’m still caught up on the heights of ‘In Search of Hope’, there are some gems on the project...

18) l o r d & d e g o – Lord & dego:

Dego releases his second album in 2021 alone, this time working with frequent collaborator Matt Lord (Lordamercy). This is pretty straight forward broken beat/London boogie going on here. A lot of the tracks are pretty short so as to not overstay their welcome. That being said, most of the tracks still give us that signature beat change! My favourites are ‘The Curtain Falls’, ‘Your New Life Costs You Your Old Life’, ‘People Lie, Actions Don’t’ & ‘Pale Care, Avant!’...

17) Theo Croker – BLK2LIFE II A FUTURE PAST:

This is one of the few instances where I thought this American musician was British (as opposed to the other way ‘round). Theo Croker adds yet another contribution to the West-Coast Jazz scene with this blend of futuristic jazz, Neo soul, broken beat and hip-hop, while also throwing back to the sounds of Fela Kuti at times. My favourites are ‘Lucid Dream’ and ‘Happy Feet (for dancers)’...

16) Esperanza Spalding – SONGWRIGHTS APOTHECARY LAB:

I almost ignored this project because of how experimental it gets with the vocals and some of the instrumentals (I’m looking at YOU, ‘Formwela 7′!!!). I was able to enjoy the ongoing march of ‘Formwela 2′ and the “In the meantime” chant of ‘Formwela 3′. I was able to catch the quieter moments of ‘Formwela 4′, the optimism of ‘Formwela 8′ and the love lament of ‘Formwela 10′. I think if you get past the chanting of ‘Formwela 1′, you’re in for a treat (...mostly...)...

15) SPELLLING – The Turning Wheel:

This was an album that got a much coveted ‘10′ from Anthony Fantano. On seeing this I thought to check it out. Words like ‘whimsical’ and ‘enchanted’ are appropriate to describe this synth-pop journey. In terms of writing and production talent, all of which was done by SPELLLING, I’d put her up there with artists like Gwen Bunn, Paris Strother, Angela Johnson and (maybe to a lesser extent) Georgia Anne Muldrow...

14) Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant:

Hiatus Kaiyote return with their highly anticipated 3rd album, which I take as a more fleshed out version of ‘Tawk Tomahawk’; a lot of these tracks feel a lot more complete. My favourites are the desert tinged ‘All the Words we Don’t Say’ and the reflective ballad ‘Stone or Lavender’. I do want to shout out the solitary ‘Red Room’... 

13) Daniel Casimir – Boxed In:

On first listen I thought that ‘Boxed In’ was mainly around belonging and being forced to fit into a certain narrative being Black in the UK. However listening more and more I’m taking in the theme of prioritising our own safety. The music on this project is very busy. Most of the tracks feel like being in a hurry, the bustle of city life in general. There are a lot of great musical movements on here that make me come back every so often...

12) Nubiyan Twist – Freedom Fables:

Nubiyan Twist are part of the UK Jazz wave that are utilising the West African influence in their music. This is most evident in pieces like ‘Tittle Tattle’, ‘Ma Wonka’ and ‘If I Know’. There are some great soul tinged moments with ‘Morning Light’, ‘Flow’ and ‘24-7′ as well...  

11) Mac Ayres – Magic 8Ball:

This is another lockdown influenced album which plays quite mellow a lot of the time. The first couple of tracks on the album hit close to home on its release as it was something I was going through at the time. I found the second half of the project to be way more optimistic in tone. My favourites are ‘Nothing Else’, ‘Every Time’ and ‘Almost Home’...

10) Joyce Wrice – Overgrown:

Joyce Wrice is a name I paid attention to after her feature on Devin Morrison’s throwback influenced ‘With You’. Vocally she gives me Amerie ‘All I Have’ era vibes. Musically this is very straight ahead R’n’B album that calls back more to the early 2010s while keeping a lot of the more mellowed out style in the genre. ‘Definitely one of my favourite R’n’B projects this year...

9) Zo! & Tall Black Guy – Abstractions:

Hot on the heels of their collaboration on the energetic ‘Step Up Front’, Loren(Zo!) Ferguson and Tall Black Guy brought in the spring with ‘Abstractions’. As well as the usual themes of romantic love interpersonally, there's a real love for Detroit, Michigan throughout. While there are songs that clearly speak on it such as ‘Sightseeing’, ‘The Ride’ and ‘Northland’, musically this shows up in the Detroit house banger ‘Blackout’ and the optimistic house number ‘Connected’ (is this a nod to The Foreign Exchange family?). The lead single and album opener ‘Talkin’ To Myself’ is a favourite... 

8) BeMyFiasco – Where I Left You:

New to the FE+ camp, BeMyFiasco has collaborated with Little Brother, particularly Phonte a number of times. She featured on one of my favourite tracks of 2021 (see above) and now graces us with this soulful R’n’B offering. As well as the subjects of romantic desire, situationships and break-ups, we get  a fantastic anecdote of ‘Fiasco’s living situation in LA with ‘2 Car Garage’. This project is short but sweet...

7) Alfa Mist – Bring Backs:

It wasn’t until Alfa Mist released the bonus EP ‘Two For Mistake’, that I realised that ‘Bring Backs’ refers to the rule of the secondary school card game ‘Blackjack’ (not to be confused with the gambling game ‘Blackjack’, sometimes referred to as ‘21′). The quality of Jazz music played here continues on from 2019′s ‘Structuralism’, although many of the tracks are shorter and when we get some vocals, the subject matter conveys a tiredness for me. A stand out is Lex Amor’s no BS verse on ‘Mind The Gap’...

6) Tyler, the Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST:

After releasing a concept breakup album that I’m afraid still goes over my head, Tyler, the Creator returns to more straight ahead braggadocios rhyming over some rather grimy material. ‘CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST’ gives Tyler the opportunity to reflect and appreciate many of his successes musically, financially and romantically, although love loss is also covered with the album’s overture ‘WILSHIRE’. Like most hip-hop albums these days, a lot of the tracks are super short...but surprisingly focused...

5) Javier Santiago – Verses Vol. 2:

As well as being an accomplished Jazz musician, Javier Santiago also produces hip-hop. ‘Verses Vol. 2′ is a collection of instrumentals and (as the title suggests) various rap verses that touch on the COVID-19 pandemic, police brutality and influence to name a few topics. I found myself falling in love with many of the instrumentals with verses on them and the closer ‘On You (Jungle Mix)’, a cover of the Pete Rock & CL Smooth classic...

4) Debórah Bond – compass: I:

Almost 10 years after the release of ‘Madam Palindrome’ comes a bout of inspiration during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic in ‘compass: I’. For me the quality of soul music stays as high as her previous offerings, while feeling somewhat more optimistic in tone, despite some of the more gritty subject matter. My favourite on here ‘Smoulder’ comes off to me like a sensual version of ‘Devil Music’ (by The Pharcyde)...

3) Figmore – Jumbo Street:

‘Jumbo Street’ is in that lane of trippy, lo-fi soul that I really enjoyed with Nick Hakim’s ‘WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD’. As well as having some quite quirky soul numbers on here (like ‘Mr. Barreleye’ and ‘The Tale of the Rattlesnake’), there are some trip-hop moments that I actually really appreciated (tracks like ‘Black Velvet’, ‘Practice’ and ‘Wormhole Teatime’). There’s a nine track run on this album that I can play through with no issue at all...

2) Michael Mayo – Bones:

This was a recommendation from the singer/songwriter ‘Tahn Solo’ as he was sharing his favourites of mid-2021. ‘Bones’ for me sets the standard of a contemporary vocal Jazz album. There are fantastic vocal arrangements as well as musical’. My favourites are the “I’m protecting myself” anthem ‘You and You’, the appreciative ‘Silver and Gold’, the second-guessing ‘20/20′ and the moody title track ‘Bones’. Typing ‘Michael Mayo’ into YouTube sent me to my number one album of this year...

1)

Nate Smith – Kinfolk 2: See the Birds: I think this album was pushed back by about a year ‘cause I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. There’s some great jazz numbers on here but my favourites are the more R’n’B and Soul led tracks like ‘Don’t Let Me Get Away’ and ‘See the Birds’. I also find myself head nodding often to the closing hip-hop track ‘Band Room Freestyle’ most times I listen to the track...

Honourable Mentions:

Dego – The Negative Positive: I don’t know if this was an EP or an album...anyway! There were a few gems on here but I didn't find them as consistently as on his previous offerings...

Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert: I was really late on this album. I enjoyed it on first listen, so much it almost made the list. After a couple’ more listens I found that I enjoyed the others on the list more. This may change as time goes on...

Ego Ella May – FIELDNOTES: The way I related to EVERYTHING Ego Ella May covered on this EP!!! This is an unofficial favourite of the year...

Mark de Clive-Lowe – Midnight Snacks Vol. 1: ‘Another project that ushered in my spring in stellar fashion. For me the music and production on this EP is Mark de Clive-Lowe at his best. Check out ‘37,000 Feet’...

Mark de Clive-Lowe – Midnight Snacks Vol. 2: The quality continues and even has dedications to the late, great Phil ‘Phlash’ Asher (look up his discography if you haven't already) and the late great Chick Corea in a cover of ‘Sorceress’. I enjoyed Vol. 1 a bit more in the end...

Children of Zeus – Balance: While I’m glad for the recognition that Children of Zeus are finally receiving, I can’t say I always get their sound. ‘Balance’ has grown on me quite a bit though...

Butcher Brown – ENCORE: The Richmond, Virginia outfit return with a few leftovers from 2020′s ‘#KINGBUTCH’. There’s some gems on this EP too. I have yet to edit the track list with ‘#KINGBUTCH’ to create a super album...

Mick Jenkins – Elephant in the Room: I did enjoy this, but I found the tone a bit samey. I think I just need more time with this one...

Dave – We’re All Alone in This Together: There’s some nice introspective and self-reflective rhyming found throughout the album, and some straight spitting with ‘Clash’ and ‘In The Fire’ and even an Afrobeat portion!...

Kev Choice – Tatu – The Trio Sessions: This is the jazz genre EP release, which was intended as a series of EP releases covering different genres over last summer. While I didn’t love all of the arrangements, the ones I did really stayed with me...  

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 albums of 2020

...So I’ve had a really hard time finding a number one this year...It’s likely’ I’ll choose which album I revisited the most although it may not have been my favourite...ANYWAY!!!!...

“...And have I left anything out?” – Albums of 2019

Thank You Scientist – Terraformer: I was going through the “liner notes” of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘The PLAYlist’ project and clicked on the saxophonist Sam Greenfield as I’d recognised his name from a favourite of 2018. I saw that he had played on this ‘Prog Rock’ album. Having dabbled in rock over the years, I jumped on Thank You Scientist’s ‘Bandcamp’ page and pushed ‘Play’...and I’m so glad I did!!! This band for me is ‘Dream Theater’ meets ‘The Mars Volta’ in how explorative the music can become. I also found myself head nodding along like a madman. While the album does peak at its centrepiece, the amazing 10 minute instrumental ‘Chromology’, it does pick up again from ‘Life of Vermin’, not at the dizzying heights of earlier on, but enough for a satisfying conclusion. I think would made number 3 of last year’s list...

Alexander Claffy – Claffy II: ...Somehow I missed this despite loving this group’s 2016 album ‘Claffy’, which focused on a romantic break-up. This project feels like a continuation with what sounds like a new love interest coming into the picture. Toward the end of the 5-track project it sounds like Alexander is lamenting his previous partner. Will he be able to fully move on to pastures new? This would probably have made my honourable mentions...

Emmavie – Honeymoon: Towards the end of December, I was in the most AMAZING Neo-Soul room on ‘Clubhouse’ (thank you Shaniss and Shey!!!!), where I not only got to share a few tracks, but was thoroughly schooled with the amount of artists I had yet to check out, or in this case, revisit. Not only were shout outs aplenty for Emmavie, but she also shared a few tracks as well...anyway! This prompted me to check out the ‘Honeymoon’ album. This project for me progresses the UK Soul genre forward by utilising some elements of Broken Beat, a tiny hint of 80s Synth and a spot of Hip-Hop. I love that the interludes go harder than some of the main tracks. This may have made 19...

BlaqueStone – Full Circle: This was shared in THAT Clubhouse room by ‘S. Sweet’, ‘bassist and bandleader for the Neo-Soul outfit ‘Black Folks Don’t Swim?’. ‘Full Circle’ sucked me into that deep, rich Neo-Soul that I still visit every so often. Any tracks that didn’t really stand out for me were MORE THAN MADE UP FOR by the standouts on here. My favourites are ‘Peace of Mind’, ‘Find A Way’ and ‘Only Way Out’. This would’ve got a 16...

Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿: ...I played myself by not checking this out when it released (sometimes I feel cheated by how short albums are these days that I take a while to get to them...). Strong production, great flows and feels like a much lighter note than ‘Atrocity Exhibition’. This might have made 13...

Blue Lab Beats – Voyage: And AGAIN!!!! -_- I missed the EP and the album, both which I thoroughly enjoyed and for me is a strong progression from ‘Xover’. From the airy optimism of tracks like ‘Voyage’ and ‘On & On’, to the soulful hip-hop stylings of ‘Next (Wake Up)’ and ‘What R U Here 4?’, to that insane horn cypher on ‘Stand Up’, ‘Voyage’ peaks time and time again. This may possibly have made my top 3!

Yakul – Getting Late EP: I wasn’t familiar with this group until the group leader James Berkeley featured quite heavily on Incognito’s latest project. My sister had played one of their singles from 2020, ‘Streetlight’, which caused me to look for more of their music. To which I found this 6-track EP. ‘Thoroughly enjoyed and looking forward to more! ‘Past Tense’ and ‘Blossoming’ are standouts for me...

Alfa Mist – Structuralism: Yep! I missed this too...literally JUST AFTER having shared my 2019 list...’Structuralism’ ventures as deep into the keys as its predecessor ‘Antiphon’, but this feels like the stronger project for me. I think I just enjoy the instrumentals more...This may have made 15...

...2020:

20) Dominic J Marshall – Nomad’s Land:

After a number of more beat-based projects, musician Dominic J Marshall returns with more of a Jazz-led body of work. This time around however, there is a fair amount of singing and freestyle rapping, which doesn’t always work for me. Fortunately the compositions saves and in some cases enhances the singing et al. My favourites are ‘Herb-Lady’, ‘Feeling’, ‘On Time’ and ‘Hypernormalised’...

19) Run The Jewels – RTJ4:

‘Run The Jewels’ released this project for free! Production-wise, El-P bounces between head-nodding, almost backpacker hip-hop and more synth-led sounds. While I haven't really taken much of the subject matter in (apart from ‘A Few Words For The Firing Squad’), I’m feeling the flows, features and of course, the production. My favourites are ‘Out of Sight’, ‘Goonies vs. ET’ and ‘Never Look Back’...

18) Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes – What Kinda Music:

I’ve been looking forward to more music from Tom Misch since hearing ‘Geography’. The teaming up with Yussef Dayes has a lot of the tracks feel more explorative; The first half of the album particularly has me picturing spacious landscapes, the drumming bringing visions of some kind of quest to be fulfilled. I haven't revisited this album a lot this year, but it gets stronger for me every time I play it...

17) Mark de Clive-Lowe – Dreamweavers:

This project is the brainchild of drummer Tommaso Cappellato, features bassist Andrea Lombardini and allows multi-instrumentalist Mark de Clive-Lowe to revisit his musical roots as well as a few of his earlier compositions. A lot of the music on here offers moments of reflection, although it takes moments to bring quite high energy in tracks like ‘Volta Ao Mundo’ and elevation in tracks like ‘Dreamweavers’ and ‘Masina’s World’ (if you got the additional tracks). I loved the cover of ‘Motherland’...

  16) Royce Da 5′9″ – The Allegory:

The idea behind this project is that most of (if not all) the tracks contain a hidden story or meaning. While a few of the messages went over my head (that or I didn't necessarily agree), I really enjoyed Royce’s flows and rhyme schemes, the features and the production, most of which was handled by Montgomery himself! My favourites are ‘I Don't Age’, ‘Pendulum’ and ‘FUBU’...

15) Duckwrth – SuperGood:

I checked this out based on a share from Gia from Twitter (I get a fair few recommendations from her...). Hearing ‘Kiss U Right Now’ prompted me to watch the visual album, which REALLY enhanced the experience of the project! ‘SuperGood’ is effectively an opportunity to reflect on those moments in life...where everything is cool (-_-). This doesn’t mean to ignore the stresses life throws at us but to appreciate the good regardless. I feel quite uplifted after playing this album. My favourites are ‘New Love Song’, Super Bounce’, ‘Weekend?’ and the optimistic closer ‘Find A Way’...

14) Nubya Garcia – SOURCE:

The first minute of the title track on here initially didn’t draw me in to hear more. But when that break came in...I was pretty much hooked. ‘SOURCE’ showcases Nubya’s growth as both a player and a writer/composer, as well as further cementing her place as a standout in this wave of contemporary UK Jazz artists. My favourites are ‘The Message Continues’, ‘Inner Game’ and ‘Boundless Beings’...

13) Ivan Ave – Double Goodbyes:

I wasn’t privy to this release until much later in the year. I checked this out having really enjoyed 2017′s ‘Every Eye’. The first three tracks felt like a departure from the aforementioned. The slightly stripped down sound wasn’t one I was particularly feeling, but the album picked up for me with ‘Triple Double Love’ onwards. I really related to the subject matter on ‘Guest List Etiquette’ and some of ‘Doobie’s Shout Outs’...

12) Georgie Sweet – Misunderstood:

My relationship with the Futuristica label is kind of like my relationship with ‘WWE’. I’m really deep into them for a while, then I leave for a while...’then I return. 2020 has been a year where I’ve perused the Futuristica projects deeper than I have in several years. I heard ‘What Have I Done’ and liked the hip-hop tinged Neo-Soul sound enough to check out the full album when it came out. I found the first few tracks pleasant enough and then ‘Sorry’ kicked in! The album then peaked again for me with ‘Half Human’ and stayed pretty consistent until the end. I’d definitely be interested in hearing more from Georgie Sweet in the future...

11) Ego Ella May – Honey For Wounds:

What a joy to see Ego Ella May return to music over the past few years!! I loved her EPs from the mid 2010s!! ‘Honey for Wounds’ shows a strong progression from her earlier work, taking on a more jazzy element this time around. The album covers themes of current events, love (self- and interpersonal), belonging and self-healing to name a few. ‘Honey For Wounds’ is a fitting album for these times, but will most certainly play well when on mellow, relaxed, or reflective moods...

10) KinKai – A Pennies Worth:

This was a recommendation from Dan. I’d kind of liked his feature on the Blue Lab Beats album ‘Voyage’ but I didn’t really pay attention until checking this album out. I will say that the soulful hip-hop production sucked me in initially. The production compliments KinKai’s flows and bars really well...

9) Nick Hakim – WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD:

This was another share from Gia from Twitter. I would best describe this album as ‘Trippy Soul’. The music remains at a slow, almost sleepy pace, but with some welcome progressions. The longer tracks give me the opportunity to get lost in the instrumentals as Hakim’s vocals wane in and out during the vamps and ad-libs. My favourites are ‘BOUNCING’, ‘QADIR’, ‘GODS DIRTY WORK’ and ‘WHOO’...

8) Marie Dahlstrom – Like Sand:

This was a recommendation from Zoe, who was also in THAT clubhouse room! This album showcases the current direction that the Neo-Soul genre has been going in for a while, crossing over with some RnB elements and pushing that blunt delivery from time to time. ‘Like Sand’ stays at a relatively mellow pace, that for me is great to walk/drive to in the evening. My favourites are ‘Time’, ‘A Loveletter - And improvisation’, ‘I Want You’ and ‘Lullaby’...

7) Deborah Jordan – See In The Dark:

Deborah Jordan’s third solo album (I think it’s her 7th or 8th album overall) could possibly be her, dare I say it, magnum opus. ‘See In The Dark’ stays generally in the realm of Soul, but ventures into acoustic, hip-hop, broken beat and lo-fi genres. The subject matter covers self-belief, self-doubt, love, the pace of life and loss. The closing track ‘I’ll See You Again’ has become a personal standout for me...

6) Katalyst – Nine Lives:

I wasn’t privy to this band until World Galaxy Records said to check this out via Bandcamp. ‘Nine Lives’ is a welcome addition to the ever-growing slate of contemporary west coast Jazz albums coming out. This album for me stays at quite an optimistic tone, although the pace varies here and there to allow for the whole band, but particularly the horn section to showcase their versatility. My favourites are ‘BBB’, ‘The Leimert Suite’ and ‘Fitted’...

5) Thundercat – It Is What It Is:

This album title is easily the most used phrase of 2020 and that was before the handling of the current pandemic (specifically in the West). ‘It Is What It Is’ continues in a similar vein to Thundercat’s previous work ‘Drunk’. The subject matter stays particularly quirky, touching on trying to impress a love/lust interest, friendship and acceptance to name a few. The first third of the album does hint at the more focused direction that Thundercat could move on to. There are still the odd short tracks that don’t quite feel fully fleshed out. This has been a grower for me...

4) Quelle Chris & Chris Keys – Innocent Country 2:

Quelle Chris returns with previous collaborator Chris Keys to bring us the second season of ‘Innocent Country’. This album is more about the production for me although (again) I’m feeling the bars, flows and features. I particularly enjoyed the celebration of black culture toward the mid-portion of the album...

3) Kev Choice – Social Distancing:

The effects of the current pandemic inspired musician/emcee Kev Choice to write, record and release this time capsule of a project in the space of a little less than four weeks! ‘Social Distancing’ documents disappointment in the government’s response to the virus (specifically in the states), panic shopping, the effects on families, the self-reflection that time alone at home has offered and messages of staying positive despite everything. Standouts for me are ‘Morning Prayer’, ‘Be Still’, ‘Take Me To Your Leaders’ and ‘Break Me Down’...

2) Derrick Hodge – COLOR OF NOIZE:

Freda had shared the music video of ‘Heartbeats’, which prompted me to check out this album. Although Hodge on bass is clearly running the show, ‘COLOR OF NOIZE’ features two pianists and two drummers throughout the project. The music for me is like going on a long walk, my thoughts and emotions ranging from guilty, to angry, ultimately to hopeful, all while not really paying attention to how my surroundings have changed until the end...

1) Butcher Brown – #KingButch:

While this might not necessarily be my favourite of the year, it was (probably) the one I revisited the most. The band’s Trumpeter and (kind of) frontman Marcus Tenney takes on a fair amount of pretty well delivered emceeing throughout ‘#KingButch’. The first third is a funk affair, easing into Jazz after the mellowed out ‘Gum In My Mouth’, those tinges of funk do come and go in the latter thirds though. This was another project I really enjoyed driving to. The closing track ‘IDK’ is one of my favourite tracks of the year...

Honourable Mentions:

Nathan Thomas – Still Water: ‘Another Futuristica release. This project is also on the soulful side but makes the guitar more present on a lot of the songs on here. I did think this would make the list but (as always) there ended up being projects I enjoyed more so...

Samii – Figuring it Out: The 2000Black camp bring singer/songwriter Samii to the forefront for this 4-track EP. Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks bring their signature genre-bending sounds and chord progressions as per...

Mike Blankenship – Living For The Future: This was released in 2015...

Cherise – Paradise (EP): My unofficial favourite project of 2017 was ‘Trope’s 5ive’ by the band ‘Trope’, which Cherise (Adams-Burnett) fronts. So I was quite pleased to find that this had been released. Throughout this 4-track EP, Cherise vocalises over quite a romantic soulful piece, a fairly traditional acoustic track, a grandiose jazz piece, ending with a stripped down orchestral number. The opener is my favourite...

Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks – 6th: 2000Black doing what they do and still doing it well...

Bree Runway – 2000AND4EVA: Bree Runway elevates to Pop star status with her debut high-energy mixtape. This project flows so well; from the head nod energy of ‘Apeshit’, into the burst of electric guitar on ‘Little Nokia’, bringing us back to the poppy hip-hop sounds of ‘ATM’ and beyond. Hopefully we can get our act together by the summer and the music on here can be played where it’s SUPPOSED to be!!!...

Nate Smith – Light and Shadow: While waiting for the release of the next ‘Kinfolk’ project, Nate Smith gives us this short, cinematic collection of pieces, those elements of Jazz, Soul and Hip-hop ever present in Smith’s drumming and all around production. I can play this whole thing through pretty easily...I wonder if this is my unofficial favourite of 2020?...  

Bluey – Tinted Sky: This is mostly more of the same from Bluey and (some of) the Incognito camp. I tend to like of a lot of the music they write and play. I do want to shout out the mid-portion of the album and Bluey’s disillusionment with how the UK has handled this pandemic so far was resonant...

Kamaal Williams – Wu Hen: The flow on this project is INSANE!!!! ‘Wu Hen’ realises what Kamaal Williams has been doing with his more recent live shows in such a coherent way!...

Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham – Sankofa Season: Vocalist Andrew Ashong teams up with legend Kaidi Tatham on the music to give us a 30-minute project, covering looking back, love, positivity and encouragement for change...

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 albums of 2019

This is another tough list for me as there were quite a few standout albums this year, as well as some I’ve still yet to check out. With that being said...

“Have I left anything out?” – Albums of 2018:

Chris Dave & The Drumheadz – Chris Dave and The Drumheadz: While I can’t say I was blown away by this project (hence it not making my honourable mentions list last year), there are some truly standout moments on here. Those being ‘Dat Feelin’’, ‘Spread Her Wings’, and the fantastic cover of ‘Lady Jane’...

Georgia Anne Muldrow – Overload: I paid very little attention to Georgia Anne Muldrow’s output after 2010, despite it being consistent. I checked this project out due to its grammy nomination and was impressed by the more complete and focused selection of tracks, while keeping those quirks that I loved about Muldrow when I got into her earlier work. This would have made the honourable mentions. I no doubt have a rabbit hole to venture down in the future...

Alex Isley – The Beauty in Everything Part 1: While ‘La Brea’ is one of my favourite Soul/R’n’B tracks of the decade, and I love the work she’s done with Brandon Williams, I haven’t loved a lot of her full projects. I really enjoyed the music on here however...

Ashley Henry – Easter EP: Henry’s growth as a composer continues to grow. While the more jazz-leaning pieces appeal to me the most, I love the tinges of hip-hop influence appearing through the stylised cover of ‘The World is Yours (I love Music)’ and the sampling on ‘St Anne’s (Remix)’...

Dame Drummer – Loveloution: I DESPERATELY wanted to have this on this year’s list, but alas, this was released in October of last year (according to Bandcamp). This project covers politically conscious aspects like racism, self-worth and police brutality, as well as loving ourselves and each other. What’s more, all of this flows really well with the tracks being in alphabetical order! This would’ve got an 8 or a 9...

Ray Angry – One: I loved the work Angry did with ‘The Roots’, particularly on ‘How I Got Over’. Sy Smith had shared ‘Bjork City’ on Twitter, which caused me to check this album out. ‘Really enjoyed the compositions on here. I think this would have got a 19...

Mac Ayres – Something to Feel: Despite constant plugs of this artist on my Twitter feed, I STILL ignored this album last year. I have no idea why I did this...This album has a slight throwback to the borderline slow jam/neo soul sounds of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. The subject matter covers love and relationships on the whole but the real standout here is the composition. This would’ve got a 6...

...2019:

20) Flying Lotus – Flamagra:

This is probably Flying Lotus’s longest project to date, but it stays as musically consistent as its predecessors. Not only are there strong moments in tracks like ‘The Climb’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘More’, there are also a lot of callbacks to earlier pieces later on to tie this project together. This will be one I appreciate more and more on each listen...

19) Little Brother – May the Lord Watch:

Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh reunite after (at least) eight years apart, blazing their own respective trails may I add. Each emcee brings their frequent collaborators on board to deliver some head-nodding and some soulful beats, well-delivered flows and some great in-jokes for Little Brother fans. And apparently there’s EVEN MORE to come...

18) Solange – When I Get Home:

This album takes on a way more positive and celebratory theme than the highly acclaimed ‘A Seat at the Table’. While this can be seen as a sequel to the aforementioned, I personally consider this a side quest taking off from the “intermission” track ‘Borderline (An ode to self care)’; this is literally what I would think a whole album in the vein of that track would sound like. This project also reminded me of Thundercat’s ‘Drunk’ in how all these short pieces are put together to create a fully cohesive album. My stand outs are ‘Way to the Show’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Almeida’ and ‘Jerrod’...

17) Anderson .Paak – Ventura:

Not even six months after ‘Oxnard’, we get ‘Ventura’! This can be arguably seen as the more soulful side of a double album, the first side containing more rapping. Despite this being so low on this list, I enjoyed ‘Ventura’ way more than ‘Oxnard’; these are the kinds of melodies I vibe more with these days. ‘Reaching’ 2 Much’ to ‘Chosen One’ is the strongest part of the album for me...

16) Rapsody – Eve:

Rapsody becomes more and more focused with each project! Much like ‘When I Get Home’, ‘Eve’ takes on a celebratory theme, but this time using each track to highlight one of her personal heroes, all of whom are women. My favourites are ‘Oprah’, ‘Maya’, ‘Iman’ and ‘Afeni’.

15) SEED Ensemble – Driftglass:

The Jazz Re:Freshed label deliver yet ANOTHER quality project via the SEED Ensemble. The subject matter on here is pretty dark as it deals with race relations in the UK; a narrative which I feel was becoming increasingly dismissed with the “but at least you’re not Black American” argument when discussing racism in this country, passive-aggressive or otherwise. The piece ‘Interplanetary Migration’ closes the album with a more hopeful message through the bouncing thump of the drums and the blaring burst of horns. My favourites are the ‘Stargaze’ interludes, ‘The Dream Keeper’ and ‘Mirrors’, although the piece ‘W A K E (for Grenfell)’ must be noted...

14) Raphael Saadiq – Jimmy Lee:

I’ll be honest. I was not a fan of the ‘Modern Soul’ era of Raphael Saadiq. I cautiously gave this a listen, keeping in mind that his last album was in 2011. I was impressed, not just with the selection of musicians that brought their sound to the table, but with the narrative it follows. ‘Jimmy Lee’ is the story of Saadiq’s eldest (and favourite) brother and his battle and eventual defeat with drug addiction. That being said, ‘Jimmy Lee’ doesn’t entirely take a sombre note. There are moments of hope in tracks like ‘So Ready’, ‘I’m Feeling Love’ and to a far lesser extent, ‘My Walk’. Not only is this (for me) Saadiq’s best project since ‘As Ray-Ray’, but it’s his most personal album in his entire career so far...

13) KAYTRANADA – BUBBA:

I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed ‘BUBBA’. This project takes on the similar bouncy, dance-tinged groove that KAYTRANADA is generally known for, but also includes some elements of Afrobeats to give it an edge. This album also gives ‘Teedra Moses’ another iconic track through her feature on ‘Culture’...

12) Resolution 88 – Revolutions:

Resolution 88 have fully come into their own on this project. While there are still clear influences of the Headhunters/Weather Report era, the music feels a lot less like a direct homage. Each track is inspired by a sequence or nuance when dealing with vinyl records. My favourites are the title track, ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Warped Memories’. It’s also worth noting the ‘Butcher Brown’ shaped rabbit hole I went down after hearing the Marcus Tenney feature on here (well...this and their feature on Mac Ayres’s ‘Juicebox’... 

11) Mac Ayres – Juicebox:

This is one of the many recommendations Dan has sent me over the past few years. There was something about the opening track ‘I Wanna Give Up’, nothing to love right off the bat but something. It was the following track ‘Shadows’ that made me want to hear the rest. ‘Juicebox’ has less of the throwback element of ‘Something to Feel’, which for me is most welcome. While this project stays on a high from ‘Where do we go from Here?’ to ‘Come Thru’, my favourites are ‘Jumping off the Moon’, ‘S**t Covered in Gold’, ‘Caught Up’ and the closing track ‘Something More’, which has an extended closing that I can't help but hum/sing along to...

10) Zo! – FourFront:

I’m not sure of my mood had anything to do with it, but ‘FourFront’ marked a return to form for me after ‘SkyBreak’ (I liked it, ‘didn’t love it). The Soul, Jazz, R’n’B and Disco influences are a-plenty, all which lend themselves to this album well. Devin Morrison and Madison McFerrin are welcome additions to the FE+ friends of family. And might I add, the interludes are as strong as some of the tracks here...

9) Dego – Too Much:

I’m thinking and hoping that the pattern for a specific Dego album release will be every four years as this has been the case with the last three (along with the myriad of releases under different pseudonyms and with different artists over the years...). ‘Too Much’ delivers some good old broken vibes while leaning more on the vocals for the first two thirds of the album. There’s a nice revisit in ‘You Are Virgo’, referring to the 2011 track ‘We Are Virgo’. It’s only the last few tracks that wane for me a little bit, but not enough to put this any lower on the list...

8) Shafiq Husayn – The Loop:

After about a nine year wait, Shafiq Husayn releases his sophomore solo project !! I would say this album feels a tiny bit less cohesive than ‘Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka’, but the tracks are individually stronger. My favourites are ‘May I Assume’, ‘On Our Way Home’, ‘Cycles’ and ‘Hours Away’...

7) Ashley Henry – Beautiful Vinyl Hunter:

I. Am. KICKING. MYSELF. For missing the Ashley Henry show at Jazz Re:Freshed on December 19th!!!! I love this album! There’s some great contemporary jazz as well as hip-hop and orchestral influences to make ‘Beautiful Vinyl Hunter’ really shine! My standouts are ‘Realisations’, ‘I Still Believe’, ‘Sunrise’, Lullaby (Rise and Shine) and ‘Battle’...

6) Kendrick Scott Oracle – A Wall Becomes A Bridge:

This album was the result of a bout of writers block, which musical director Derrick Hodge helped Kendrick Scott work through. The result is effectively an off branch of the Robert Glasper Experiment, through its use of echoed recordings and DJ scratches to deliver themes or words of wisdom. Much like 2013′s ‘Conviction’, ‘A Wall Becomes A Bridge’ plays seamlessly, so seamlessly that I either forget to skip to my favourites, or I let the filler play as it introduces my favourites so well...

5) Devin Morrison – Bussin’:

A tweet from ‘KING’ (or ‘We Are KING’) put me on this album. For anyone wanting to fill that classic R’n’B void, Devin Morrison is another artist keeping that era alive. Even the funk inspired jams that I wasn’t too hot on have become growers. My favourites are ‘Guaranteed’, ‘The Call (407)’ and the slightly smug ‘No’...

4) Lucky Daye – Painted:

My sister put me on Lucky Daye. And how glad I am she did!! ‘Another crooner filling the R’n’B void (and helping us forget how hard Daniel Caesar ****ed himself in Feb...). While Lucky Daye has been behind the scenes as a songwriter for a while, it’s great to see him step to the forefront with his own blend of vulnerable lyrics, as well as the occasional blunt rap verse, delivered with an impressive flow might I add! ‘Extra’ is one of my favourite R’n’B tracks this past decade...

3) Daniel Casimir & Tess Hirst – These Days:

The sounds of Daniel Casimir kept me company during my walk on the Capital Ring trail back in 2017. Hearing ‘What Did I Do’ had me itching to hear the rest of this album. And I wasn’t disappointed! ‘These Days’ also has Soul, Jazz and some big band influences throughout. Tess Hirst impressively delivers vocals touching on race relations in the UK and the effects of gentrification in the capital...  

2) Esperanza Spalding – 12 Little Spells:

The first 12 tracks were actually released in 2018, but the full release came in March of 2019, hence why this is on the list. I see ‘12 Little Spells’ as an amalgamation of Spalding’s musical journey so far. Tracks like ‘All Limbs Are’ and ‘Readying to Rise’ calling back to ‘Chamber Music Society’, tracks like ‘Touch in Mine’ and ‘The Longing Deep Down’ calling back to ‘Radio Music Society’ and tracks like ‘To Tide Us Over’ and ‘With Others’ calling back to the more recent sounds of ‘Emily’s D+Evolution’ and ‘Exposure’. This continues in the experimental vein as each track is part of a long sentence and touches on the nuances and subtleties of various parts of the body. This was nearly my album of the year but...

1)

Brandon Williams – The Love Factor: Despite ‘matters of the heart’ being a sore spot for me at the moment, I couldn’t deny how much I enjoyed the offerings on ‘The Love Factor’, one of those being a cover of one of my favourite George Duke pieces, which opens and closes the album. As the title suggests, each track covers a facet of love, including our resilience toward desiring love, trust issues, vulnerability and the dream-like state love can create. While there are many vocal and musical features on here, Alex Isley takes the MVP spot for her work on the album’s centrepiece ‘Say That You Love Me’...

Honourable mentions:

There are many honourable mentions, but I only have space for 10...

Tyler, the Creator – IGOR: I was as taken aback as a lot of people on initial listen. I also can’t pretend that the narrative concept doesn’t still go over my head. But I can’t deny Tyler’s progress in his music writing and composition, nor his skill utilised on the various verses throughout the second half of ‘IGOR’

Steve Lacy – Apollo XXI: ‘An enjoyable debut from who has become one of the most prominent members of ‘The Internet’. As well as the sounds we’ve come to expect from the band, Lacy gets a chance to delve into more of the rock influences on tracks like ‘Lay Me Down’ and ‘In Lust We Trust’. There’s also a potential anthem in the coming out suite ‘Like Me’ and a beautiful moment in ‘Amandla’s Interlude’...

Matt Martians – The Last Party: ‘Martin’s second solo project (’something closer to his 12th project overall). ‘The Last Party’ has a theme of being accepted as we are this time around, but keeps the format of having hidden tracks in each song. My favourites are ‘Off My Feet/Westside Rider Anthem’ and ‘Look Like’... 

C R O W N – Unlearning: After a number of EPs, C R O W N graces us with her debut LP. ‘Unlearning' utilises Jazz-tinged soul instrumentals to ultimately deal with addressing our needs and letting go to help ourselves grow. My favourites are ‘15 Summers’, ‘S**t To Do’ and the acoustic track ‘Lines’...

  Moonchild – Little Ghost: This was a strange one for me. All the elements that I love about this group is present. But I wasn’t feeling this as much as ‘Voyager’ (2017′s #1). I’m not sure what’s missing for me here...there are still glowing gems in ‘Wise Women’, ‘Got To Know It’, ‘Whistling’ and ‘Still Wonder’...

Bree Runway – Be Runway EP: It’s criminal that Bree Runway hasn’t quite gained the recognition she deserves just yet. Bree is easily one of the most interesting vocal artists the UK has to offer right now. I found myself head nodding uncontrollably to ‘2ON’ and ‘X2C’! I’m looking forward to even more in the future...

Quelle Chris – Guns: Quelle Chris returns so soon after ‘Everything’s Fine’ to touch on race relations in the US through the love of guns, at times to people’s detriment. The head-nod factor of the slightly odd-ball instrumentals, along with the various reflective and celebratory moments in the second half had me return to this album a lot... 

YBN Cordae – The Lost Boy: This was another recommendation from Dan and yet another welcome surprise! It’s emcees like this, who integrate the trap rhyme style with storytelling and punchlines that will progress the genre even more. Standouts are ‘Have Mercy’, ‘Thousand Words’ and ‘Been Around’...

Alex Isley & Jack Dine – Wilton EP: I found out about this EP through someone who liked my tweet listing my top 10 R’n’B songs of this decade. I recognised Jack Dine from his collaborations with Mac Ayres. His production allows Isley to delve even further into soulful slow jam territory. Check out ‘Wait’ and ‘There was Love’

Joe Armon-Jones – Turn to Clear View: I loved ‘Almost Went Too Far’ from 2018′s ‘Starting Today’. This caused me to investigate this 2019 project. ‘Turn to Clear View’ takes a departure from the Dub influences of his previous offering to venture into electronic jazz and west African music to an extent. My favourites are ‘Yellow Dandelion’, ‘(To) Know Where You’re Coming From’ and ‘Self: Love’...

[alexanderking]

Oizzallets: Aries

Aries stared half heartedly at the towering canvas a couple of feet to his right. The brush strokes of various thicknesses, splashes of acrylic, and stray specks of paint, formed a story that he could neither fathom, nor cared to make sense of at that moment. His eyes only had seconds to take all this in as he continued to move down the polished corridor, littered with acrylic canvases of various sizes, each attempting to tell their own tale. He had less-than seconds to dodge the various people moving, standing and gazing in the busy corridor; discussing the goings on in these images, or tidbits of goings on in life, current events, social media feeds and so on. All these things passed by Aries as he moved. Through all’ this, his red eyes locked on the ocean-deep blue of the woman to the left of him, of whose hand he was holding...

Aries had held Pisces’ hand many times over the past few years. But this time he was taking in everything. Her slender fingers. The groves in her hand print. The slightly rough textures on the higher points of her palms. He took in the memories of staring at sunsets, murals, cities from a distance, cinema screens, ceilings as they lay in post coital bliss. Family, friends, awkward encounters; particularly that one a few weeks ago at a gathering when his point in a heated debate was thoroughly disproven...It’s amazing what you can get from something as small as holding a hand...

Pisces caught his gaze for a moment. A familiar fondness shone from her eyes as she beamed slightly... ‘Then she turned away abruptly. Aries could understand. This meeting was difficult for the both of them, particularly as they knew this would be the last...

Still holding hands, Aries and Pisces manoeuvred around a number of talkative doorway blockers, to enter a large room containing more looming canvases. This room had far less people in it. ‘Much quieter as a consequence. Their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked through the room; ‘Not enough to distract anybody, but noticeable for those taking in their surroundings...

They stopped in front of one directly opposite the entrance, staring up at it silently for a few moments. Impatient to see what the point of this image was, Aries let go of Pisces’ hand to read the description card beside the painting. That is he would have had he not felt her grip tighten as he moved. Aries was still for a moment. This was the most affection he had felt from Pisces in the past couple of months. It was almost as if she was also absorbing every grove, memory, the scar on the back of his hand. Aries recalled the first time he’d told her the story of the scar. How intently she’d listened. How he’d almost lost the flow of his tale by nearly being sucked into the intense blue of her eyes...

Aries brushed the top of his mohawk, to disguise his escaping the moment. He returned to where he was before. They were silent for a bit longer. ‘Then Pisces made a comment about the painting in a hushed voice, so as not distract anybody else. Aries laughed out loud at her comment, then covered his mouth abruptly. He made a follow-on comment, taking explicit note of his volume while doing so. Pisces responded with a far quieter chuckle. She motioned her head over to next painting to the left of them...

On they moved, staring in silence at some images while making random comments at others, although the latter was far less frequent. A sinking feeling loomed over Aries every time there was a stare, a comment, a moment of laughter between them. The lengthier opinions had the worst aftertaste, for these were the more familiar exchanges that had occurred over the years. There were split seconds of relief as Aries had the fleeting thought that Pisces was stretching this meeting out as much as he was. At times, the thought would get as far as “Maybe this doesn’t have to end...”...but he knew it must. Was the constant animosity, raised voices, feelings of frustration, broken promises and reminders of past mistakes worth the growing rarity of exchanges like this? Not any more...

Aries and Pisces stepped out into the open air. Down the marble steps of the gallery, hand in hand, as the sun beamed down on them, reminding them of its’ presence. They stopped at the bottom of the steps. Aries brushed his mohawk again, looking down at the ground. He could feel tears brimming to the surface. The imminent end was here. He looked at Pisces once more. Her tears had already begun to fall. She squeezed his hand once more as she smiled at him. The smile soon faded before she turned away. Their hands parted.

– Alex King

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 albums of 2018

‘My 11th list, making this nearly 10 years of top 20 lists! There’s a lot more hip-hop on this one than recent years...

“Have I left anything out?”- Albums et al of 2017:

Iman Omari – IHY: I was asked to see him live in 2017. He was on one of my favourite tracks off of Jonah Levine Collective’s ‘Attention Deficit’ project. I even checked out some of his tracks. Yet I STILL missed out on this album until May of this year!!! ...Better late than never I guess...this would’ve got a 6...

Keyon Harrold – The Mugician: I heard this one last year, I just neglected to mention it on last year’s list...

Quelle Chris – Being you is great! I wish I could be you more often: While I still haven’t necessarily gained an understanding of this project lyrically, I really enjoyed the production. ‘Worth a mention...

Blue Lab Beats – Freedom: I only got hip to Blue Lab Beats this year and ended up going down a tiny rabbit hole. This EP in particular stood out to me. I love ‘Keep Moving’ and the title track...

Ivan Ave – Every Eye: Shouts to my friend Sherman for this one! MNDSGN isn’t really one of the producers I keep an eye out for (pun intended), but I was really feeling the work on here. This might have got a 19...

Smino – blkswn: I finally got on that Chicago wave of hip-hop. I never fully got into Chance, but I really like the work of a lot of his cohorts. I feel that Smino’s flows and general sound is really accessible to fans of Travis Scott, Drake and to a much lesser extent the Migos. I thought the middle of the album slowed down a bit (even though it’s growing on me) but I really enjoy the second half...

...2018:

20) Mick Jenkins – Pieces of a Man:

I had only been listening to Mick Jenkins for about a month before this one came out. The subject matter seems to cover various elements of how a man is perceived nowadays, as well as allowing for moments of vulnerability on tracks like ‘Soft Porn’ and ‘Heron Flow’. My favourites are ‘Stress Fracture’, ‘Plain Clothes’ and ‘Consensual Seduction’...

19) Prhyme – PRhyme 2:

‘Black History’ pulled me in. I was generally engaged from ‘1 of the Hardest’ to ‘Rock It’, then I was fully engaged from ‘Loved Ones’ onwards. While a lot of the subject matter remains being who rhymes the best and attracts the most women (-_-), the wordplay and Preemo’s experimentation kept this enjoyable...

18) Kaidi Tatham – It’s a World Before You:

I keep remarking on how ridiculous this musician’s output is...and no doubt I’ll keep doing so. This project has a more straight forward structure to his broken beat/jazz stylings, most prominent in the title track, ‘Your dreams don’t mean a thing’ and ‘2Tone’. While I still find myself comparing most of his music to ‘In Search of Hope’ (my favourite of Kaidi’s work), I was glad to hear a full version of ‘Cold’ and gems in ‘Joyous’ and ‘Cupid’...

17) Layfullstop – Colour Reaction:

Some reviews have said this is an EP, while others have said mixtape or album...I’ll go with the latter for now. This is one my friend Dan put me on. This nine track project consists of impressive flows, engaging singing and strong instrumentation; enough to have me coming back to this one throughout the year. My favourites are ‘Kriss’ and ‘Suits’...

16) Anderson .Paak – Oxnard:

It may be no secret that I wasn’t really blown away by ‘Malibu’ or ‘NxWorries’. This album however struck a chord with me. It may be (what a lot of reviewers are saying) the confidence of which .Paak tells us who he is, how he can be and also leaves us with poignant messages; some’ we’ve heard a lot in the past year or so but still remains very much HIS voice. My standouts are ‘Tints’, ‘Who r u?’, ‘Mansa Musa’, ‘Smile’ (not ‘Petty’ so much), ‘Cheers’ and ‘Headlow’ (I have to accept my ignorance to a further extent on this one as the song is merely about getting head in the car)...

15) Lupe Fiasco – DROGAS WAVE:

Lupe Fiasco returns with his most ambitious body of work to date. The first nine songs have a continuous narrative of a number of African slaves who are thrown overboard during the transatlantic trade to become the Longchains; spirits that reside beneath the waves, sinking other slave ships and often saving the lives of those drowning or thrown overboard (‘Alan Forever’ is an example of this). The remaining tracks come across to me as an anthology of this world. There’s a callback to the character ‘Stack’ from ‘The Cool’, as he daydreams about finally becoming an accomplished hip-hop superstar in ‘Stack That Cheese’ and we get the fictional story of Jonylah’s life in ‘Jonylah Forever’; she’s later courted by Alan on ‘Alan Forever’...I’m rambling!

This project is riddled with educational moments and distinctive flows. Strangely enough I found that musically, the more electronic leaning instrumentals worked better for me than the traditional hip-hop sounds. My standouts are ‘Manilla’, ‘Alan Forever’, ‘Sun God Sam...’, ‘Stack That Cheese’ and ‘Happy Timbuck2 Day’...

14) Phonte – No News Is Good News:

The long promised and awaited project from Phonte Coleman comes to fruition! Much like ‘Charity Starts At Home’, this album sees Phonte predominately rapping. While there’s a tiny bit of bragging, this album takes a chunk of it to talk on the physical health of the black community, particularly in relation to food. There’s also moments that Phonte reflects on his growth as a person, an artist and as a partner, giving us another “Grown ass rap album”. A lot of the production worked really well on here too...

 13) Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge – The Midnight Hour:

‘Another project Dan put me on. This project was being conceived when Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge were approached to compose the score for ‘Luke Cage’, hence why the spacious soundscapes, occasional burst of drums and laid back midnight session playing sound quite familiar. This is a great project to listen to in the night hours (as possibly its intention?). I loved ‘It’s You’, ‘Dans Un Moment D’errance’ and ‘Together Again’...

12) Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth:

After taking us on quite the journey with ‘The Epic’, Kamasi Washington returns with this double (triple) album. For me, the music writing has shown steady progression although I felt there were less stand out solos to go back to. I’d recommend listening to this the first time in the order the title suggests (‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’), then’ as it is (‘Earth’ and ‘Heaven’)...

11) Killiam Shakespeare – A Town Called Elsewhere:

While I love Steve McKie’s work with Bilal Oliver, I had little to no knowledge of the Philadelphia collective he creates music with. The first couple of pieces on ‘A Town Called Elsewhere’ didn't quite catch my attention. But then the dramatic burst of drums and strings that open ‘1976 Heron’ did just that! From this piece onwards I found myself head nodding along with the slight rock stylings of ‘WDYKAL’, the ranting pulse of ‘Kelo B. Trippin’, the grand opening of ‘Sumido Querido’ and the rolling swagger of ‘Philip Eno Greene’...

10) Patrick Paige II – Letters of Irrelevance:

After a free EP of excellence and a breakdown of current events for his late mother, the bassist from The Internet delivers a personal and at times painful body of work. ‘Letters of Irrelevance’ covers his current status, the passing of his mother and rift it left for him and his loved ones. Paige raps some moments of reflection on ‘The Best Policy’ and ‘The Last Letter’, moments of lament on ‘On My Mind’ and ‘Ode to Inebriation’ and pulls off some impressive vocals on ‘Voodoo’ and ‘Red Knife’...

9) Jean Grae & Quelle Chris – Everything’s Fine:

‘Another recommendation from Dan! Engaged emcee couple (now betrothed) Jean Grae and Quelle Chris decided that they spent so much time together that they might as well make a collaborative album. So why not create a project that delves into the lie we often tell ourselves and others when responding to the question “How are you?”! My standouts are ‘House Call’, ‘Gold Purple Orange’, ‘Breakfast of Champions’, ‘Scoop of Dirt’ and the closing track ‘River’...

8) Noname – Room 25:

I really paid no attention to this Chicago-based emcee/singer/musician until the buzz around the release of this project; I even missed out on seeing her live at North Sea Jazz Festival in 2017...I’m so glad I finally caught up! ‘Room 25′ explores a number of moments that occurred in Noname’s 26th year of life (yes, it’s her 26th year), including an intense relationship, her nomadic lifestyle due to touring and the loss of a friend. Musically, I felt this album peaked with ‘Windows’ but lyrically I’d say on ‘Ace’ (named after the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch) and ‘Part of Me’...

Side note: Listening to this album took me down the Chicago-based wave rabbit hole...

7) Saba – CARE FOR ME:

Out of the Chicago wave, Saba took the top spot for me this year, with this cathartic project, mainly exploring his relationship with his late cousin. This doesn’t become fully evident until the closing 11 minutes of ‘CARE FOR ME’, with ‘PROM/KING’. This piece begins with Saba and his cousin becoming close and ends with his untimely death. This is followed by the beautifully harrowing ‘HEAVEN’, in which he sings from the perspective of his cousin’s spirit; this is one I often feel uncomfortable singing along to because of how personal it is...

6) Royce Da 5′9″ – The Book of Ryan:

Royce Da 5′9″ continues the trend of “Grown ass rap albums” (several of which are his previous works) with this insight into Royce’s story. The first act of the album (tracks 1-7) addresses where he’s at with current events. The second act (tracks 8-16) speaks of his younger years, covering addiction and family relationships, especially his brother and father. The third act (tracks 17-20) returns to the present, dealing with issues of mental health before closing with the joys of having just got paid on ‘First of the Month’. My personal standouts are ‘Godspeed’, ‘Life is Fair’, ‘Legendary’, ‘Outside’ and ‘Strong Friend’...

Side note: This album works a lot better without the ‘Caterpillar (Remix)’ bonus track, which for me, has the whiniest verse I’ve heard from Logic to date (even with ‘Everybody’)... 

5) The Internet – Hive Mind:

After a string of solo albums, EPs and the odd track over about two years, The Internet band reunite to give us what is possibly their most cohesive album to date. After the first four tracks (many of which were singles), this project initially took me aback by how straight forward the song formats generally become. After a few listens, it really worked for me. My favourites are ‘La Di Da’, ‘Next Time/Humble Pie’, ‘Wanna Be’ and ‘Beat Goes On’.

4) DJ Jazzy Jeff – M3:

Continuing from the inspiration that gave us last year’s ‘Chasing Goosebumps’, DJ Jazzy Jeff collaborates with Daniel Crawford, Kaidi Tatham, Stro Elliot, Killiam Shakespeare and rap group ‘The Trinity’ (I seriously didn’t intend for the roll call to be this long...) to give us the third instalment in his ‘Magnificent’ series. Lyrically, the group bounce off of each other really well, even pulling off some super rapping at times. While this is a showcase for the writing ability of Rhymefest, I felt that Dayne Jordan in particular, held his own. My favourites are ‘M3′ (the intro and outro), ‘Skaters Paradise’, ‘2 Step’ and ‘The Government’s Dead’...  

3) Vertical Current – The Future is Bright:

‘Another Philadelphia based group I wasn’t privy to until Eric Roberson shared the video for ‘Open’ on which he features. To me, this group is what would have happened to Snarky Puppy if they kept experimenting with the sound they utilised on ‘Bring Us The Bright’. Not to take away from this group at all! There’s a strong mix of Jazz, Rock, Soul/R’n’B and to an extent scoring. I can play this album in it’s entirety really easily but my absolute favourite on here is ‘Trocodile’...

2) Daniel Crawford – Revolution:

I wasn’t hip to Daniel Crawford until seeing how significant his contributions to ‘Chasing Goosebumps’ and ‘M3’ were. This had me check out what I call the “Woke” trilogy, starting with ‘Red Pill’ and continuing with ‘The Awakening’. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the conclusion had been released!

This project deals mainly with the theme of inequality in the States. An initial indication is the first official piece titled ‘Kaepin’’. The issue is more explicitly addressed from ‘Sirens’ onwards. The more Jazz oriented pieces, starting with ‘Before The Storm’ seem to convey a build up to a revolution, the drums and guitars on ‘Checklist’ sounding like a group being gathered, the urgent synths on ‘March of the Gullah’ conveying an unrelenting determination and the title track giving us the possible climax! ‘Strong features and playing all around on this one. It was almost my number one but in the end I went with...

1)

Sy Smith – Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete:

This album was entirely written, produced, arranged and performed by Smith. This has been a joy to get lost on walks to! It remains a damn shame that she is still to an extent, an unsung talent (pun intended!) despite a number of strong releases and prolific features among the underground but recognised. ‘Sometimes a Rose...’ has the general subject matter of love and being in it, but also addresses self belief on the title track and disillusionment on ‘We Were Never Free’. My favourites are ‘Camelot’, ‘We Were Never Free’, and the ‘Closer Than You Know’ segment...

Honourable Mentions: There are quite a few more albums I could mention, but I’m limiting this section to 10:

Chima Anya & Slone – People Forget: ‘Another “Grown ass rap album” from an artist who continuously shows growth in his lyrics. From reminding us to ‘Do Less’, to reflecting on where he is now on ‘It Wasn’t Always Like This’. From acknowledging the ethereal factor to (mis)fortune on ‘Luck’, to taking in those moments to appreciate a win on ‘Make Do’.

C R O W N (Formerly Lauren Crown) – Epicene: C R O W N’s third EP, addressing romance, heartbreak and the hypocrisy of our expectations of women when pursuing love. ‘Womxn’s Way’ continues to be my favourite piece by C R O W N to date, although I must say ‘How Many Times’ hit WAAAAAAAAAY too close to home!

Phony Ppl – mō'zā-ik: This was a recommendation from a tweet by ‘The Internet’; A group of vocalists, musicians and occasional emcees who somewhat help fill a void of black modern male crooners in Soul/R’n’B. There wasn’t anything I disliked on here, but there wasn’t anything I LOVED either; ‘REALLY liked, but not loved...

Lyric L – UnequiVocaL: ‘Lyric L’s sophomore project. ‘A blend of hip-hop, soul, deep house and broken beat. There were significant moments on the first half of this album (‘Dreamstate’ and ‘Try’), but the second half takes the gold for me, with tracks like ‘Expected To’, ‘Why (Find the time)’ and the humorous ‘Oh No (Here we go)’...

Black Milk – Fever: This is one I’ve only revisited a couple of times over the year. 'Fever’ delves more into Black Milk’s musical craft, the raps feeling more sparse than ‘If there’s a Hell below’. ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ and ‘True Lies’ deserve a shout.

JID – DiCaprio 2: This is one I ignored until I watched Dead End Hip-Hop’s review of this project. ‘Playful flows, ‘a head-nod factor and crossover appeal without losing its character at all. I just hadn’t revisited this as much as other albums...

Blue Lab Beats – Xover: I was late on this artist. This brought in the spring perfectly, with borderline Neo-soul vibes and spacious jazz pieces. There was a slump in the middle of the project for me however...

Pusha T – Daytona: While I haven’t revisited this much either, I can’t deny the attitude or the confidence of Pusha’s flows and the instrumentals. ‘Santeria’ is a standout...

Children of Zeus – Travel Light: 'Another Dan recommendation. This is a long-awaited, well deserved win for the ‘Broke ‘n’ £nglish’ cohorts. This is another one I just didn’t revisit much. ‘Kintsugi’ is a stand out for me...

Tom Misch – Geography: I got hip to this musician the day AFTER he performed at North Sea Jazz Festival. I enjoyed this album way more than I thought I would. ‘South of the River’ to ‘It Runs Through Me’ is my favourite section of the project...

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 Albums of 2017

...’Trying to release the list a little earlier this time around. I feel like this year was slim pickings regarding projects I loved; maybe it’s my skepticism...

Anyway!:

“Have I left anything out?”- Albums et al of 2016:

Dominic J Marshall & Friends- The Triolithic: 

I’m disappointed in myself that I missed out on this one. This project continues in the key of “Jazz musician that loves hip-hop” but with a heavier use of synths to enhance the atmosphere. ‘Leaves Dance’ and ‘Blue Lotus’ are my favourites. I think this would’ve got a 7...

Frank McComb- Soulmate: Another Love Story: 

My relationship with Frank McComb’s music is much like my relationship with Belgian Buns: I love them but I can’t eat them all year; I find them sickly sweet after a bit...This is a lovely listen in doses. My favourites are the title tracks (although I feel’ the former tows the line in terms of taking “no” as an answer...) and the ode to soul music, ‘We’re gonna be on our own’...

Princess Freesia- STELLARSONIC!:

This was a recommendation I got from Miss Laidlaw on twitter. ‘A welcome blend of Disco, Funk and spaced out Soul...and a couple of really cheesy moments (Specifically the purring on ‘The Calico Cat’). My favourites were ‘What’s That All About?’ and ‘Takin’ The Time’...

Corey King- Lashes:

Singer-Songwriter/Musician Corey King’s first project as a band leader (as far as I can tell). This album comes across as a bit of a sequel to Erimaj’s ‘Conflict of a Man’. It continues mixing Jazz, RnB and rock elements to give us the distant longing of ‘Lucky Grey’ and ‘Botched Farewell’, the quickly paced burst of energy that is ‘Climb’ and laid back poignancy of ‘Uncle Richie’...

...2017:

20) Josh Milan- 6.9.69:

Soulful House musician Josh Milan gives us one album of Gospel infused Soul and another of slightly lengthier Soulful House grooves. It’s on the second disc where Milan takes a socially conscious turn, touching particularly on the plight of African-Americans. While there are some true gems of moments to be found when listening to this in it’s entirety, I constantly go to ‘Questions/Questions (reprise)’, ‘Here’s to Love’, ‘I Will Wait’ and the uplifting ‘Our Crown’...

19) Alfa Mist- Antiphon:

‘An artist I’d rushed the DJ for and written down but hadn’t checked out...until seeing him play at this year’s Jazz Re:Fest. ‘Antiphon’ begins as a bit of a minimal journey, making use of talking points about interpersonal relationships to keep the attention. For me it really takes off from ‘Errors’ onwards. My favourites are from ‘Errors’ to ‘Kyoki’...

18) Jamiroquai- Automaton:

Six and a half years later sees the return of Jamiroquai (and a February ticket rush as evidence!). Overall I thought this was stronger than ‘Rock Dust Light Star’ but this album has really made the list on the strength of the Mr. Hands-esque ‘Summer Girl��� and ‘Vitamin’. I personally really liked the title track too... 

17) Chantae Cann- Sol Empowered:

A facebook post from Stephanie Renee brought this to my attention. There’s a much broader range of songs on here than on ‘Journey to Golden’. A lot of the pay off initially comes from grooves that kick in later on the longer cuts. I found the a side stronger overall...

16) OverDoz.- 2008:

On first listen, I thought: “Ech. ‘Pretty good. Loses steam after ‘Secret Sunday’. MORE than gains it back with ‘Karma’”. ‘Then after a few listens, the project as a whole just grew on me (I think the last project to do this to me was ‘Because the Internet’)...    

15) Matt Martians- The Drum Chord Theory:

With this, Matt’s first solo project, he delivers a collection of varying drum patterns, chords and distinctive (I’ll go with distinctive) vocals. The production feels reminiscent of ‘Purple Naked Ladies’, there being far less live instrumentation than recent offerings. ‘Standouts are ‘What Love Is’, ‘Southern Isolation’ and ‘Alotta Women/Useless’...  

14) Joyner Lucas- (508)-507-2209:

Chima had shared the video to ‘I’m Sorry’ a while back, but I had no knowledge of a(another) full length mixtape until seeing a ‘Dead End Hip-Hop’ review praising the ideas and storytelling it had to offer. I was impressed by Joyner’s flows, his utilisation of point-of-view verses (a HEAVY theme on here) and his use of repetition to progress a story. I did find the female commentary on the skits typical of gender roles portrayed in hip-hop, save Stefflon Don’s feature. My favourites are ‘Keep it 100′, ‘Winter Blues’ and ‘Just Like You’... 

13) N*E*R*D- No_One Ever Really Dies:

I put this on after having listened to Eminem’s ‘Revival’ (’wasn’t feeling that album I’m afraid). On the whole, I was impressed. I enjoyed ‘Lemon’. ‘1000′ has a “tough opponent on a side-scroller” feel to it. I loved the transitions on ‘ESP’ and ‘Kites’. I will say that writing-wise, this feels more like a Pharrell album, occasionally featuring Chad and Shay...

12) Rapsody- Laila’s Wisdom:

I finally listened to this after Dan had recommended it on Twitter. The beat change is a theme I’d heard a lot of on Rapsody’s ‘Crown’ EP. This really worked on ‘Chrome (Like Ooh)’, ‘Ridin’’ and ‘Nobody’. Much like her feature on ‘Complexion’, it took me a few listens to truly value the messages within her lengthy verses. My fave was ‘Pay Up’... 

11) Ryan Porter- Spangle-Lang Lane:

...I didn’t think I’d enjoy a collection nursery rhymes so much...

This album is one of several (maybe many) west coast Jazz projects that was recorded in 2011 and then shelved until around 2015-2016. The resurgence is thanks to World Galaxy Records (possibly off’ the success of ‘The Epic’ and ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’). This is a jazz recreation of a number of loved nursery rhymes, intended to inspire up and coming generations. I thought ‘ABC Song’ wreaked of missed opportunities but loved ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’, ‘Rain Rain Go Away’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’...

10) The Jet Age of Tomorrow- God’s Poop or Clouds?:

This is a duo I fully ignored until ‘Matt Martians’ shared the liner notes from another project he’d released online, this time with longtime collaborator ‘Pyramid Vritra’. This collection of future soul/jazz instrumentals starts off really strong, loses steam with the pulsing ‘Wool Glasses’ and ultimately gains it back with ‘Dis Far Witcha’’...

...This album has caused me to discover the mixtapes ‘Journey to the 5th Echelon’ and ‘Jellyfish Mentality’...

9) Musiq Soulchild- Feel The Real:

I was surprised that Musiq had returned so quickly with more music (sorry...) after ‘Life on Earth’. And a double album what’s more. While the themes and a fair amount of the production is in the same vein, I think that this direction of more straight forward RnB really works for Musiq. I appreciated the blunt conversation of ‘Hard Liquor’, the lamenting wanes of ‘Shudawudacuda’ and the “we know what this is” groove of ‘One More Time’ (Yes, with ‘The Husel’ and ‘Willie Hyn’ to boot!)...

8) Dego & Kaidi- A So We Gwarn:

The 2000black Family is forever putting out music! I think my giving them a hard time is due to wondering how much of this is back catalogue as opposed to brand new. ‘More broken rhythms equipped with distinctive chord changes,  shifting time signatures and down to earth lyrics (on the two vocal pieces on here)...

7) Tyler, The Creator- Scum F**k Flower Boy:

Like the album mentioned above, Tyler makes frequent use of chord changes in his production. In my opinion, he has developed this style to a fine art. The synths are used less randomly and the verses feel significantly shorter (even than on ‘Cherry Bomb’). But this gives way for more thoughtful lyrics and some great wordplay, particularly on ‘Foreword’ and ‘I Ain’t Got Time!’. This album is generally really strong, only losing steam on the closing tracks...

6) Nate Smith- Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere:

I was looking for more music from Kris Bowers after having watched ‘Little Boxes’ and came across this gem. The focus is far more on the composition than the drumming in my opinion, the only prominent drum solo being on ‘Spinning Down’. The high points for me are from ‘Bounce: pts I + II’ (especially pt II!) until ‘Small Moves: Interlude’...

5) The PLAYlist- Chasing Goosebumps:

‘Another shout from Miss Laidlaw. I immediately went to bandcamp to play this in it’s entirety. Sometimes a collaboration with so many prolific musicians falls short. This didn’t! It was great to hear Glenn Lewis over some high quality pieces (the best since ‘World Outside My Window’ for me). The messages on ‘Superman’ and ‘Die Empty’ stood out for me and the closing three tracks were a treat... 

4) Thundercat- Drunk:

23 tracks but still under 52 minutes long?!!!??! Fortunately there were a lot of strong moments on here for me. Pieces this short also helped me appreciate what can be achieved in such a time. The point of view shakiness of ‘Captain Stupido’, the optimism of ‘Show You The Way’ and ‘Blackkk’ and the broken beat moment that closes ‘Inferno’ (despite the ridiculously long fade out) are standouts.

Sidenote: I found it fun to blend the 2015 EP into the album track list... 

3) Daniel Caesar- Freudian:

My sister recommended this one to me after telling to check out SZA’s ‘Ctrl’ along with a bunch of other artists/projects. It started out as me loving the 1st and 3rd acts of the album, Wirth steam lost in the second act (much like ‘The Last Jedi’...), but damn. This really grew on me...I’m surprised this came out so high on my list... 

2) Ronald Bruner Jr.- Triumph:

This was part of the shelved and revived collection I’d mentioned with ‘Spangle-Lang Lane’. The older brother of Stephen ‘Thundercat’ Bruner delivers his debut album at long last. The instrumental pieces are the strongest for me but there are some great moments with the vocal ones, although the subject matter covers familiar ground without enhancing it and some of the lyrics on ‘Doesn’t Matter’ tow the line once more. My favourite drum solo this year was on ‘Open the Gate’...

1) 

Moonchild- Voyager:

While ‘KING’ focused on getting their project right, I felt that ‘Moonchild’ focused on output (not to take away from the quality at all). With their third offering, we get what I feel is Moonchild’s strongest and most complete album to date. I’m really glad that this trio has gained more traction with them featuring once more on Rapsody’s works and touring Europe. My faves are ‘Cure’, ‘Hideaway’, ‘Run Away’ and ‘Change Your Mind’ (you might notice the sequence of 2,5,8,11)...

Honourable Mentions:

Trope- Trope’s 5ive:

I wanted to put this on the list SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO badly!!!!  This is my unofficial project of the year! This and the preceding EP ‘Butterflies & Dragons’ were the theme to my long distance walks. Unfortunately this is an EP and I don’t listen to enough of them in a year to make a list...

Amber Navran- Speak Up:

‘A surprise EP from Moonchild’s Amber Navran. I thought Andris had the most input into the trio’s work. Now I’m not so sure...

Jay-Z- 4:44:

This is probably Jay’s strongest project since ‘Blueprint 3′. Good but not great in my opinion. I liked ‘Kill Jay-Z’, ‘Moonlight’, ‘Family Feud’ and the third verse of ‘Smile’...

Kendrick Lamar- DAMN.:

‘Probably Kendrick’s most accessible project sound wise, but also my least favourite (including ‘...EP’ and ‘...OD’). This isn’t to say it’s not a good album however. ‘Lust’, ‘Feel’ and ‘XXX’ are my favourites...

Syd- Fin:

Syd’s solo project sees her delving into the styles of modern day RnB. This suits her pretty well and hopefully brought her to a larger audience. My favourites were ‘Shake ‘Em Off’ and ‘Insecurities’...

CyHi The Prynce- No Dope On Sundays:

I’d only really known CyHi for his notable verse on ‘So Appalled’ back in 2010. This album contained longer verses that I could absorb quite easily. There’s also some pretty strong production on here. The constant church theme felt a bit much for me...

Holophonor- Light Magnet:

‘Some great jazz compositions on here. I hadn't listened to this album enough however...

Terrace Martin Presents: The Pollyseeds- Sounds of Crenshaw Vol.1:

This album continues in the vein of ‘Velvet Portraits’. While there’s some nice moments on here, I didn’t find anything that I enjoyed as much as ‘Think of You’...

Amp Fiddler- Amp Dog Knights:

Amp Fiddler returns with a blend of Funk, House and Soul reminiscent of ‘Waltz of a Ghetto Fly’. There’s some strong moments but I felt that there was a bit too much filler, particularly all of the versions of ‘It’s Alright’...

Jaden Smith- SYRE:

...I’m afraid so...it’s pretty fun...

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 Albums of 2016

So I didn’t post any of my old lists up here but...

...’Another late list of last years albums for yer! I’m going strictly with albums this year... 

“Have I left anything out?”- Albums et al of 2015: 

Nicholas Payton- Letters: Nicholas Payton follows up ‘Numbers’ with ‘Letters’; music written and played for each letter in the alphabet. While this didn’t blow me away, there were some nice pieces on here. I really like ‘B’, ‘I’ and ‘X for Patrice Rushen’

Native Dancer- EP Vol. 1: This is a name I see on the live circuit a fair bit. I initially neglected going to their shows (surprise, surprise), but they appeared at the Jazz Re:Fest last July and delivered some truly impressive music; I was kicking myself for about a minute for not listening to their stuff earlier... 

...Errr...I can’t think of any more...please feel free to make suggestions here...

...2016:

20) Ab-Soul- Do What Thou Wilt.:

I did like this slightly more than ‘These Days...’. I find this album as Ab-Soul sharing various thoughts and ideas without fully committing to them, although there is a fair bit of questioning gender roles on here. My favourites include ‘Huey Knew THEN’, ‘INvocation’, ‘Beat the Case’ and the vulnerable ‘Evil Genius’.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Soul would be Mikey... 

19) Josef Leimberg- Astral Progressions:

I got on to this one pretty late; I came across this on Bandcamp’s top 100 list. Some nice melodies and some strong playing on here. Unfortunately the song that caused me to buy this album (‘Interstellar Universe’) is by far the best musically for me. ‘As I Think of You’ and ‘Between Us 2′ are pretty good runners up...  

18) Derrick Hodge- The Second:

Derrick Hodge gives us another solo album with ‘The Second’. This album has elements of Hip-Hop, Blues, a bit of Folk, Jazz (obviously), Soul and a strong element of the modal sound present in a lot of electronic influenced music (I’m referring to artists like ‘Floating Points’, ‘Kelsey Lu’, ‘Little Dragon’, and so on...). The last quarter of this project is the strongest part for me. Shouts to Freda for bringing this to my attention...

17) Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition:

‘Some interesting experimental Hip-Hop to be found on this project. The subject matter comes across samey at first, but a few listens and some research into Danny Brown has me concluding that this album is be a reflection of his drug fuelled days...I could be wrong...

16) Terrace Martin- Velvet Portraits:

I felt that the really stand out tracks are blocked out by a fair bit of filler. However, the strong pieces are those that I’ve gone back to quite often over the year. ‘Favourites are ‘A Tribe Called West’ and ‘Think of You’...

15) ScHoolboy Q- Blank Face LP:

I initially ignored this album (shock horror -_-), but my friend Dan had tweeted about how good this album was. It encouraged me to check it out: I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Definitely the strongest offering from TDE last year. ‘Kno’ ya Wrong’ and ‘Ride Out’ (one of Sounwaves hardest beats in a while) are standouts.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Quincy would be Raph.

Another Random Note: This thought trail is based on my tendency to associate Hip-Hop artists (usually groups) with colours, and loosely based on the model sheet ‘The Line Animation’ did for their vine of the TMNT. If on the off chance’ you’re curious...: 

http://thelineanimation.tumblr.com/post/153342691923/turtle-assemble-progression-reel-and-model-sheets

...But I digress...

14) Incognito- In Search of Better Days:

Although by now I feel pretty clued up on what to expect from this band sonically, I ended up really enjoying this project more than recent offerings; their best since ‘Tales From The Beach’, although feature spots from bassist Stuart Zender, drummer Richard Spaven, and vocalist Vula Malinga, help in revitalising their sound...

13) Collective Peace- Introducing Collective Peace:

While I didn’t find much new in the Neo soul sound Collective Peace bring, I did find myself coming back to this album quite a lot. This album makes it this far up the list on the strength of ‘Sun Chaser’. ‘Let the Music Play’ and ‘Track IV’ do really well on a clear day also... 

12) Aisling Iris- Night Time Moves:

‘Another recommendation from Miss Laidlaw; She shared this album on twitter. I clicked the link and: I always forget how much I like Drew Horley’s production until I hear it again. Some strong melodies and Aisling Iris touches on love, loneliness, lust, being true to your dreams and the current political climate over these 13 tracks...

11) David Bowie- ★:

Over the past year and a half, I’ve done slightly better at taking recommendations from friends (even though I discover most things through someone else o_O). During the wake of Bowie’s passing, this album had received a lot of kudos and so on it went. I found myself sucked into the melodies and some of the soundscapes, particularly ‘Girl Loves Me’ and the title track. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as Bowie was always quite forward thinking in his approach to musical trends...   

10) Nicholas Payton- Textures:

It’s no secret that I find Nicholas Payton- The Blogger quite cantankerous and unnecessarily miserable when speaking on music (there were quite a few points I agreed with in that ‘Black Messiah’ blog, but the delivery... *sigh*). The Musician however, has some pretty good ideas. This album was composed based on the textures an artist painted. Musically I can hear Odd Future (‘Hard’) or Terence Brown (‘Fuzzy’/‘Sticky’) creating something like this...

9) Solange- A Seat at the Table:

‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ was doing the rounds and so, having enjoyed ‘Solo Star’ (yep. That long ago...), I gave this a listen. I adore the subject matter along with the honesty to keep in mind “Not everyday ‘woke’, somedays take it easy”. I found a lot to enjoy on this project...

8) Claffy- Claffy:

Alexander Claffy presents us the stages of going through a break up; from travelling alone once more, to removing his things from his exe’s flat, to acceptance...only to lament once more with my favourite break-up track this year, ‘Epilogue’...

7) Robert Glasper Experiment- ArtScience:

While this band has been quite consistent with their output this year, I enjoyed this album the most. ‘My favourite works from the Experiment since ‘Festival’, and so great to see the whole group (particularly Casey) even more involved in writing the music. ‘No One Like You’ is my go to track on here.

Random Note: ‘You’ is used a lot in the track listing...Is ‘You’ the new ‘Love’?...

6) A Tribe Called Quest- “We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service”:

I pretty much agree with ‘The Guardian’s’ review of this album: “...loses focus in the last third, but the first two takes no prisoners lyrically or musically!..”. Nairobi comes correct with his bars on ‘The Space Program’. ‘Solid Wall of Sound’ and ‘Dis Generation...’ has the tightest super rapping I’ve heard since ‘Move yer Self’ by the Procussions. ‘Kids...’ is my favourite on here with tight solo verse followed by tight cyphering.

Side Note: The liner notes are definitely worth a read...

5) Corinne Bailey Rae- The Heart Speaks In Whispers:

‘Another artist I ignored while she was doing the touring circuit last spring. Hearing that she worked quite a bit with the Strother sisters (KING) caused me to check this album out. ‘Green Aphrodisiac’ was on repeat (I was relieved to find that this song wasn’t about smoking weed). ‘Loved the vulnerability in ‘Hey, I won’t Break Your Heart’, the synths in ‘Taken By Dreams’ and the echoey acoustics of ‘Night’.

Side Note: I found that this album feels more complete without the bonus tracks...

4) Kev Choice- 88 Steps to Eternity:

This musician/emcee has been pretty relentless with his output since ‘Oakland Riviera’ in 2014. I was stoked to hear that Kev was releasing an instrumental album and was impressed with what I heard. This album takes from Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop and Trap. I found the A-Side was superior to the B-Side... 

3) KING- We Are KING:

‘We Are KING’ has been five years in the making. Despite hearing bits and bobs over the wait, I thoroughly enjoyed the complete product. My favourites include the glistening ‘The Right One’ and ‘Red Eye’, although ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Story’ feel very much enhanced with their introductory movements. This was another project where I found the A-Side more compelling than the B-Side...

2) Soweto Kinch- Nonagram:

Soweto returns with a 96 minute journey of instrumentals and some rap tracks that attempts to convey ideas around the nine sided Nonagram. While I couldn’t quite figure that out, I have found myself replaying this album often too. Many of the instrumental pieces bring images of being at the start of some kind of challenge, whether it be building something, solving an equation, or just living...Had I not got this in November, I’m sure that ‘Soul Bearings’ would’ve been my most played track this year... 

1) 

Esperanza Spalding- Emily’s D+Evolution:

After this album’s release in March, I heard very little discussion about this project from other outlets. I myself however revisited this project throughout the year. ‘Emily’s D+Evolution’ shows a somewhat departure to the soft, sunniness we got from ‘Radio Music Society’, to deliver a Jazz/Rock fusion LP with the straight ahead attitude of a pop record. My favourite is ‘Noble Nobles’; this reminds me of something Thundercat might write. A very close second goes to ‘Ebony and Ivy’; ‘bonus points for the fact that my nieces enjoy this song too.

Random Note: This was another project in which I found it felt more complete without the bonus tracks...

Honorable Mentions: I’m only going for 10 this year; my previous lists have seen the honourable mentions list be longer than the top 20 list itself...

Yussef Kamaal- Black Focus:

‘An electronic/broken affair. The standouts are pretty great but I enjoyed the above more...

Anderson. Paak- Malibu:

...I’m sorry to say I have yet to fully get Anderson. Paak. There were definitely some strong pieces on this album, but I wasn’t that enticed by the rest...His live performance was brilliant though...

Chance The Rapper- Colouring Book:

This deserves a mention fully on innovation and general positivity musically.  This wasn’t something I revisited that much however...

Kanye West- The Life of Pablo:

This album is effectively a culmination of all of Kanye’s stages so far. There’s an element from each earlier album on here. While I’m not feeling all of this album I cannot deny Kanye’s ideas...

Isaiah Rashad- The Sun’s Tirade:

This album goes from hip-hop to trap influenced hip-hop...or is it hip-hop influenced trap?...I found the latter more intriguing, although ‘Bday’ gets a shout... 

Hiromi- Spark:

The Hiromi Trio project grace us with another project with sounds ranging from ferocious to gentle and everything in between. I just enjoyed the above more...

Chantae Cann- Journey to Golden:

There some lovely melodies and vocals on here. I felt like the 11 tracks are actually more like 6 or 7 pieces of music and so I felt a little cheated...

Music Soulchild- Life on Earth:

As far as standard RnB goes, there’s a fair bit to like on this album. I’m really feeling the head nod factor of ‘Heart Away’. I was a bit confused with the message in ‘The Girl’. I still enjoy that track as a slow jam though...

Kendrick Lamar- Untitled. Unmastered.:

Kendrick gives us what is effectively an anthology project containing demos from the ‘Butterfly’ sessions. Untitled’s 1-3, 5, 6 and the first half of 7 are strong. I found ‘Untitled 08′ paled in comparison to the live performance. I haven’t found myself returning to this that much...  

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Kendrick would be Donnie (Be honest. Who thought I was going to say Leo?)

Childish Gambino- “Awaken, My Love!”:

My relationship with funk is flaky at best. To illustrate the point, the standouts for me are ‘Riot’ and the reflective ‘Stand Tall’...

[alexanderking]

My two pence...

[alexanderking]

When the penny drops...

[alexanderking]

London Bus Routes: 115, 101, 104, 108

Hi peeps!!

I did promise I’d share a few more of these…tales with you so here we go! As I may have mentioned in my last blog, the initial intention is to use ascending order as a focal point of the routes I’d take that day. Now I actually did this journey back in early January, 7th in fact. This evening I was set to see a slightly earlier than release viewing of the movie ‘Creed’. Having been catching the proverbial beat down with the start of year blues, I thought it best to make a full day of this. So scrolling through the wikipedia list of bus routes 101-200, I found that the 101 is located rather awkwardly (for me) in the well connected by DLR, not so much on bus or on foot area of Gallions Reach. Okay! I haven’t been there before so I can tick that off’ the list…despite having to venture through *shudder* East Ham…

…My journey actually started with me taking the 155 into Elephant and Castle; I could have walked to the first stop and made it a route but I was far too lazy to do that. I guess I’m still haunted by my attempt to do that during last July’s tube strike which caused usually empty buses to dart past bus stops with imagery akin to the flaming train at the level crossing in Spielberg’s take on ‘War of the Worlds’…but i’m digressing…Herbie Hancock’s ‘Spiraling Prism’ accompanied me as I passed familiar streets and roadworks until reaching the ambiguous junction that is now Elephant and Castle. From there I took the 40 (a route I despise for forever finishing early despite its’ short coverage) to…Fenchurch Street, NOT Aldgate. Okay…in all fairness, Aldgate’s a bit of a mess at the moment with road and building works and the much anticipated ‘Elizabeth Line’. From there began my search for the first 115 bus stop; if I was on my way to (*shudder*) East Ham, then I might as well tick one off’ the list in earnest, particularly as I have no excuse to be lazy this time. It turned out that because of the various works going on within the Aldgate/Whitechapel area, the 115 now started someways past Shadwell. On I walked. Although it was pretty cold out, it was a clear day; one of those clear winter days that I just love and have a hard time conveying why…

…The 115 starting route turned out to not be too far from the junction that links Mile End to Poplar/Canary Wharf area. On I got watching the those familiar streets pass me by. This route took me back to last year when I used it to find the 58 and even further back still to those short days, long nights in late 2008 when I would take the cheapskates approach to getting from my Postgrad course in Holborn to a ‘Quarrel Shop’ course I was an apprentice trainer on in the Upton Park/East Ham area. I recalled how much of a contrast this point of that year had been to the beginning and middle, a time where I felt I was up to very little…

…Where the 115 terminates is in a midway point of the route the 101 takes. I could either head to Wanstead or to Gallions Reach and then go back on myself. I chose the latter as I’d need to get to Manor Park at some point to get the 104 also. But first: A snack!!! I marched down a road that connects you to the A13. Something that has always struck me about facing south of this road is the towering Shooters Hill a few miles away and on the other side of the river (yet there’s no bridge to connect it -_-). Being the slight snack snob I am I eventually settled on something only to miss a 101 upon exit. Running after it didn’t help either this time. So on I walked…until reaching the A13 flyover that connects to Royal Albert. Now I’ve got a thing about hills and admiring the view from them. This junction was a random place to have a hill but I was very tempted to walk up it…not this time as it was a pretty muddy day despite the sun being out. I did find out however that this hill is on the ‘Capital Ring’ route (that walk again); with all going to plan (living a little while longer), I’d have time…

…Another 101 revealed itself at last so I could follow along uncharted parts of the DLR (unchartered for ME), until I found myself in the middle of nowhere that is Gallions Reach; seriously! A shopping centre and then NOTHING!!! Unfortunately for me, the leaving 101 didn’t wish to wait for anyone else and departed before I could even get off the bus…another wait then…If memory serves it was ThEESatisfaction’s ‘EarthEE’ that helped me get through the wait. Much of the official journey had me listening to Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Want You’ long player. A stand out for this route was me actually paying attention to where Epping Forest begins before joining the stretch of A road that ventures into Havering…but only for a tiny bit, for here was Wanstead. So off I got to wait for the 101 (AGAIN!!!!) to Manor Park, where one of the more awkward first bus stops resided. Onto the 104 I go. Nothing particularly stands out about this route except the few back roads it goes down to get to the not too far Stratford bus station. It still took ages as I was going into rush hour…I needed to start heading south…’almost time for ‘Creed’…

…It had always fascinated me (I have weird fascinations I know) how the 108 is the only London bus that connects north and south of the river this far east (it takes the infamous Blackwall Tunnel). As I’ve done this route a few times before I found myself falling asleep. Not enough to miss the last stop in Lewisham though; I was able to evade the nudge and “Last stop” notification in the key of “Look at me!! I helped! I’m useful!! I’m a good human being!!”. Initially I had hoped to get the 136 in to my set of routes today but I had taken too long to get this far. With only half an hour left to get from Lewisham to Wandsworth, I made my way…

…And if you’re wondering if I made it for the film in time, I most certainly did NOT!!!!

More later…

Alex King

[alexanderking]

Previously on ‘London Bus Journeys’ (Routes 1-100)

If you’re reading this you could be thinking: “Bus Routes? Who cares?!!!??!”. This is something I’m mainly writing for my sake and also because a couple of friends I’d told about this had asked if I was blogging about this. At the time I thought about it but didn’t make an action with said thought. But here I am now!

…You may also be thinking: “’Previously’ indicates that there was an earlier…episode”. Well…let me start from the beginning:

Sometime in February 2015 I was recalling a conversation I was having with a friend where she had pointed out that she wouldn’t feel like a proper londoner without having been on the number 1 London bus route. My response was to list off where the buses from 1 to 4 go (by this point I was worried I’d bored my friend). I stopped mid-memory and thought: “…Hmmm, that’d be quite interesting…a nice cheap way to explore more of London…”. From that point I decided to make it a personal challenge to take the first hundred London bus routes from start to finish (one way unless necessary) before 2015 was through…

…Which I achieved! I started my routes with the…28; I had taken this all the way from Kensal Rise to Wandsworth one night in January, it was in 2015 so I counted it…

…My idea of how to do these routes was to make the focus on taking them in ascending order unless they conveniently connected to other routes (of which many of them do). I started with the 4, which goes from Waterloo to Archway (or vice versa).  From there I walked up to one of the northern entrances to Hampstead Heath for a bit of a stroll and one of my favourite views of Central London. I’ve still never walked through that park when dry; always mud or rain. One day…

…I exited the park by Hampstead Heath Overground Station and hopped on the 24 to Tottenham Court Road (I wouldn’t fully complete this route until late August). From here I found the start of the 1 bus route, which goes from Tottenham Court Road to Canada Water. By the time I got here it was about 6 in the evening so I called it a day and went to Greenwich O2 to watch ‘Big Hero 6′…

…I was pretty consistent with making days out of taking various bus routes (many of which connect to the start of other routes) around this city, that is until my 2 month break after having taken the 7 & 8 (by way of the 72 & 15). It wouldn’t be until late May that, in an attempt to make a detour of going to a friend’s event after work, I’d go to Bromley to get the 61 to Chislehurst; a part of London I hadn’t been to before, with an amazing view of the capital too. The 161 to North Greenwich took me through Eltham Palace, somewhere else I intend to revisit at some point…

Between finishing my job in Croydon and starting my internship in Bethnal, I was able to tick another eight routes off’ the list…As the internship was full time hours, I ended up using various evenings and weekends to travel the rest of the routes. In the end I was able to take the 100 (I made that the final route) on the 7th of December; symbolic to me as the last day of said internship was the following day (a LOT of lying in bed, binge-watching series followed!)…

…My stand out routes include:

3- Crystal Palace to Oxford Circus: The payoff is in descending Westow Hill at the start of the route.

18- Sudbury to Euston: The distance and that random tunnel looking junction on the A40 makes me smile.

20- Walthamstow Central to Debden: Look behind you when you’ve cleared Leytonstone.

33- Hammersmith to Fulwell: For crossing the Thames twice in a journey.

34- Walthamstow Central to Barnet Church: For epic distance and views once you’re off the North Circular.

43- London Bridge to Friern Barnet: It goes through Muswell Hill!

51- Orpington to Woolwich: For the brilliant view atop the hill in Orpington and the novelty of seeing a part of London I’ve rarely seen.

54- Elmers End to Woolwich: For the view from Beckenham

60- Streatham to Old Coulsdon: A chance to see more of the borough of Croydon past Purley.

61- North Bromley to Chislehurst: Again, the novelty. Nice and hilly there too.

65- Kingston to Ealing Broadway: For the first third of the journey which follows the Thames until Richmond.

66- Leytonstone to Romford Station: I enjoyed the stretch through Redbridge to Havering (also I hadn’t shouted out anywhere in the East yet)

71- Chessington to Kingston: I think this is for the novelty of this route…

75- Croydon Town Centre to Lewisham: For the newly discovered view from Penge (Seriously, all I needed to do was turn right all those times…)

82- Victoria to North Finchley: Finchley is somewhere else I’ve spent little time in.

83- Golders Green to Ealing Hospital: I did a part of this route back when I was 18. This one crosses the North Circular a few times while going through Brent and Ealing.

89- Lewisham to Slade Green: It goes through Shooters Hill and you can see the Dartford Crossing from the end of the route.

96- Woolwich to Bluewater: For once you pass Bexleyheath*. 

99- Bexleyheath to Woolwich: For introducing me to Belvedere.

…The more people I told about this challenges, the more people asked me if I was going to continue doing them next year. I think it was during the day I took the 50, 75 and 89 that I decided I would. Hence why this year I am continuing these bus journeys from 101-200; my intention is for these documentations to be in slightly more detail…

Speak soon

Alex King

*The 96 was the only route I took to my destination and back. On my return to Woolwich, I took the opportunity to walk the tunnel crossing to North Woolwich. It was here that I paid close attention to the pedestrian signposted directions. It turns out this crossing is a part of the ‘Capital Ring’, a 78 mile walk around various landmarks and greenery of London. I intend to do this walk sometime this year over three days, stopping off at pubs or restaurants for lunch and doing (hopefully) one night in a B&B or lodge; part of the journey is near home…

[alexanderking]

Another Top 20 “Albums” of 2015

‘Trying something different this year by posting on here; I may post some of my older lists up on here too…

“And have I left anything out?”, albums et al of 2014:

J*Davey- Rookie EP:

This is some of their music that I enjoyed ‘most since ‘New Designer Drug’. While the actual EP never came into fruition, three tracks did emerge on SoundCloud, the standout for me being ‘The Ruins’…

 J. Cole- Forest Hills Drive:

…I’ll be honest: I still don’t get the allure of J. Cole; he’s constantly referred to in a roll call of hip-hop saviours and I’m just…underwhelmed. Saying that, I quite enjoyed this album. The vulnerable story telling in ‘03 Adolescence’ stands out to me in particular. This would’ve replaced ‘The Diam’ Piece’ at 17…

ScHoolboy Q- Oxymoron:

I don’t know why, but I just wasn’t blown away by this TDE effort. This is definitely ScHoolboy’s best out of his albums though…

Max Graef- Rivers of the Red Planet:

I just checked this out off of the back of Max Graef Band’s ‘DOG’ LP. The first half delivered some dope electronic music ripe with jazz influence while I felt the second half left somewhat more to be desired. ‘Jane’ (fur Hannah)’ is absolute fire though…

Mastodon- Once More ‘Round the Sun:

This is one band (of many) that my bestie, Chris has gotten me into and I hadn’t fully appreciated (and what I’d been played thus far was dope) until a listening session that segued from Iron Maiden’s ‘The Book of Souls’. After listening to one too many ‘Mars Volta albums, I checked this album out in its’ entirety…loving the progressive mood on here (I think when it comes to rock, prog’ appeals to me most), even though apparently this was them falling off. More to explore methinks!

Dominic J Marshall- Spirit Speech:

I missed his performance with Samadhi Quintet at Jazz Re:Freshed, and then again at the North Sea Jazz Festival despite loving what I’d heard thus far. Only discovering his playing last year, I got hold of ‘Spirit Speech’ and thoroughly enjoyed; there’s this trend of albums playing like one track recently (maybe it’s always been around and I’ve paid no attention until now) and this falls into that category…

Childish Gambino- Kauai EP:

I generally ignored this release at the time of…release (O_o). However, while interning last year I’d go on these musical odysseys generally spurning off of recommendations and (FINALLY) checked out the impressive (albeit petulant) ‘Camp’ LP, followed by this EP. There’s something about the straight forward RnB vibes on here that really appeals to me. My favourite was ‘The Palisades’… 

The Roots- …& Then You Shoot Your Cousin: 

…I wasn’t really feeling this project. I have yet to fully appreciate the ambiguous, melancholy, annoyingly short conceptual path the band’s albums have recently taken…Definitely still some gems in ‘Black Rock’, ‘The Dark (Trinity)’ and the closing moments on ‘Tomorrow’ however… 

Critical Mass- Generation Vex:

I wasn’t hip to this group until I saw them at the National Theatre a few weeks back and found myself head rolling and seat shuffling to their rhythms. Their encore was the title track to this EP, which had me head-nodding even more!! 

…2015:

20) Slum Village- Yes!:

T3′s skills have improved greatly (this has been apparent for a while but…). The group delivers strong flows over some pretty dope production, ripe of course with the head nod factor…

19) Terri Lyne Carrington- The Mosaic Project: LOVE and SOUL:

To be frank, my cynic has been running the show for the past 8 months or so, maybe longer…As a consequence, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with love songs. This album beckons both the love and hate side of said relationship. While pieces like ‘Come Sunday’, ‘Somebody Told A Lie’ and ‘When I Found You’ make me smile, others like ‘For You to Love’ and ‘So Good (Amazing)’ brings up thoughts so argumentative, I come across like Ed Norton’s character in ‘Primal Fear’ (No Spoilers!!!!)…

 18) Dego & Kaidi- Adam Rock Dissed!! EP:

I feel quite special as to understand the joke when it comes to this EP. I’ve had many conversations with Adam Rock, Bunny Bread and Top Rock about the demand for the ‘2000black’ label to release music more frequently (despite the overwhelming evidence that they DO). The titles ‘Adam Rock Dissed!!’ and ‘Backchat for Top Rock’ are responses to this constant demand…right?…  

17) Thundercat- The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam EP:

Fans of Thundercat will already be familiar with how short his solo projects are. Well, here’s an even SHORTER one!! The single ‘Them Changes’ got a lot of love on release, but I gravitate more towards the aimless “search to discovery and chase” that is ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’…

16) J*Davey- POMP EP:

More music by the Future Soul duo (before ‘The Internet’) that I neglected to explore; I thought Miss Jack Davey was still on her rock vibe. But sure enough, here comes a project that marries ‘The Beauty…’ with ‘New Designer Drug’ to give us more swagged-up, bass-thumping grooves. My favourite is the unashamedly cheesy ‘LIBIDO’…

  15) Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest- Sylva:

Snarky Puppy takes their signature big band sound and expands on it by utilising ‘The Metropole Orkest’. The exploration in the music on the longer pieces is a lot slower than on their last record, making the pay off somewhat more difficult to appreciate. I got there however…  

14) The Foreign Exchange- Tales From the Land of Milk and Honey:

‘Slightly better than its’ predecessor. Carmen Rodgers, Loren(Zo!) Ferguson and Tamisha Waden become fixtures of the +FE family (for now…). While most of subject matter is still very much fixed on relationships, it takes a more realistic approach by touching on the pettiness of an argument, and the moments we take to look at where and how we are. Standouts for me are ‘Milk and Honey’, ‘Truce’ and ‘Disappear’…

13) ThEESatisfaction- EarthEE:

I was unfamiliar to this duo until I watched a rather harsh review of ‘Choose Your Weapon’ by ‘The Needle Drop’. He had bigged up this project for showing a much greater progression in the neo soul genre than other artists. The spacey synths work in harmony with the (appropriately titled) earthy backdrops on some of these pieces. ‘Fetch/Catch’ got this album this position on the list… 

12) Dornik- Dornik:

The Truth Movement’s Dornik Leigh gives us his debut solo project, full of bouncy 80s/90s melodies but still managing to sound contemporary (possibly because of our tendency to reminisce every 11 years). My cynic was in full swing with this project as a lot of the songs speak on courtships. As if to fully contradict my cynic, my favourites are ‘Strong’, ‘Blush’ and ‘Mountain’…

 11) Tyler, The Creator- Cherry Bomb:

‘On a much lighter note than previous offerings. This may also be the first Tyler album not to have the title be the second half of a phrase. There’s some great production on here. I generally like when rock elements are thrown in the mix but the sound levels on the title track make it difficult to hear the raps. Check out ‘Pilot’ and ‘Find Your Wings’…

10) Dego- The More Things Stay The Same:

It’s always great to hear new broken gems from the 2000black camp. For me this project really picks up from ‘It don’t get no Better’ up until ‘Star Track 7′, where Dego teases us by fading out JUST before the staple chord change him and Kaidi are known for (-_-). It immediately picks up again with ‘The Middle Ground’ onwards…

 9) The Rebirth- Being Thru the Eyes of a Child:

10 years later Loslito and co. return with this welcome mix of soul, jazz and funk. This continues very much in the same vein as ‘This Journey In’ but for lovers of that album (like myself) that’s yet to be a bad thing. ‘Wasteland’ is my favourite on here…

8) Kev Choice- Love & Revolution:

For about a week, I completely ignored this album because I was so enamoured with Kendrick Lamar’s new release. When my senses came back to me I had a listen and was pleased at the quality of work that came so quickly after ‘Oakland Riviera’ (Last year’s #1). Check out ‘Oscar’s Revenge’ and ‘Another World’. The prelude to the latter is great too…

7) Lupe Fiasco- Tetsuo & Youth:

‘Wasn’t sure what to expect after the jaded turn Lupe had recently taken. However, I concur with many that this is his strongest work since ‘The Cool’. ‘Tetsuo & Youth’ journeys from traditional hip-hop to trap influence throughout it’s 79 minutes of play…

…And yes: I love ‘Mural’…

6) Kendrick Scott Oracle- We Are The Drum:

For me, the latter months of last year leaving me unexcited with anything coming out. Fortunately, while playing through ‘Conviction’ and ‘The Source’ once more, a wild “New Album” appeared from this band. Lovely to see ‘Mantra’ appear again (I’ve decided my favourite version is the Terence Blanchard epic). My favourites include ‘This Song in Me’, ‘The Long Shadow’ and ‘Lotus’…

 5) The Internet- Ego Death:

I may be the only person that wasn’t blown away by ‘Girl’ or ‘Special Affair’ on preview listens (I like them but they’re not my go to songs on this LP). Of course after their first 2 albums, I was still going to check this out. The music on the whole is brilliant. I liked the blunt subject matter although on the longer tracks the point felt a bit laboured. My favourites are ‘Gabby’ and ‘For the World’…  

4) Hiatus Kaiyote- Choose Your Weapon:

Despite feeling a little cheated that all of the music from the EP (which I bought) is on here, I still thoroughly enjoyed this album (sorry Mr. Fantano…). Check out ‘Prince Minikid’, ‘Borderline With My Atoms’ and the string infused ‘The Lung’…

3) Samadhi Quintet- The Dance of Venus:

If you’ve been reading my little musings around each album you may have seen this mentioned before. I had missed this band perform at Jazz Re:Freshed on my birthday week and after getting two tracks deep, I regretted it…I get the same feels from this that I do with Robert Glasper Trio’s ‘In my Element’ and the first half of ‘Double Booked’…

2) Kamasi Washington- The Epic:

…I think the internet broke when this album dropped…my interpretation of this cinematic odyssey (seriously, it’s as long as a Peter Jackson movie!) is a journey from African Slavery to a current form of emancipation. This triple album delivers blasts of strings, horns and impassioned choir vocals, as well as some of the best solo’s I heard all of last year. ‘Askim’ and ‘The Next Step’ are my go to pieces…

1) Sorry guys…

Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly:

As many of you may know: I like Terrace Martin, I like Thundercat, I like Robert Glasper, I like Snarky Puppy (Their drummer featured on here…on keys…), I like Sa-Ra Creative Partners, I like Kamasi Washington (I only knew him for his work with Harvey Mason at this point), I like the TDE camp, so I was gonna love this album. For me this project really takes off from ‘Institutionalised’ through until ‘You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)’ and picking up again with ‘Mortal Man’…

…P.S: Those who didn’t get the message in ‘For Free’ missed the real issue; the absence of the letter ‘r’ in the word ‘Free’ (welcome to my brain…)

Honourable Mentions: 

Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls: 

Chris put me on this album after a listening session he’d had with Kieran. ‘The Book of Souls’ feels a lot more explorative than earlier records I’d heard by Iron Maiden, resulting in an enjoyable listen (this didn’t make the list because I listened to those on it a lot more)…

Joey Bada$$- B4.Da.$$:

I was kinda underwhelmed by this release after having heard and adored his mix tapes. It still has it’s moments…

Logic- The Incredible True Story:

The production and Logic’s multi syllable flow are pretty dope. Some of the interludes are thoughtful, while others reveal a slightly more self-indulgent and egotistical side to this emcee (I’m referring particularly to the closing skit of the title track)…

Travi$ Scott- Rodeo:

This journey into trap is weak on subject matter but strong on flows and swagger. For this reason, I found myself shuffling in my seat WAY more than intended. Stand outs were ‘Piss on your Grave’ and ‘Flying High’ for me…

Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks- Off the Christmas Card List EP:

Another release from 2000black just around the christmas period. Each of the three tracks on here has something to love about it but my go to has been ‘Fila Heights’…

Max Graef Band- DOG:

Another recommendation from ‘Moovmnt.com’. Not a lot on here to blow me away but more than enough to enjoy…

Mahavishnu Orchestra- Apocalypse: 

It was released in 1974, but can we talk about ‘Hymn to Him’?!!!??!

Floating Points- Elaenia:

So a Jazzanova record started playing at Las Iguanas and my friend Alba asked me if I’d heard Floating Points, to which I replied “…I’ve heard of them”, to which she replied “So that’s a ‘no’?” (My pride exposed!!!!). Annoyingly, I had heard Floating Points but discarded him as I’d heard the title track via ‘Moovmnt’ and wasn’t really feeling it. The last reply was enough for me to check the album in full though. The ‘Silhouettes’ suite and ‘Peroration Six’ deserve a mention…

Tame Impala- Currents:

As a fan of ‘Innerspeaker’ I gave this a run through. Some of the longer tracks left more to be desired. A lot of the interludes and shorter tracks got my attention with their off the cuff movements and melodies…

Bilal & Adrian Younge- Another Life:

Bilal kills it as always, but I’m just not on this ‘modern soul’ thing that appeared a few years ago. A head-nod factor was definitely present but I prefer Bilal when he’s writing his own music (he writes a lot of it)…

Herbie Hancock- Mr. Hands: 

It was released in 1980. I wasn’t really feeling ‘Feets, don’t Fail me Now’ and so I ignored this project when Herbie was the subject of one of my many ‘Born Again Moments’. Shout out to my cousin Jay for putting me on the closing piece ‘Textures’. I’m all about the opening track ‘Spiralling Prism’…

John McLaughlin- Black Light:

This album contained some of the unpredictability that The Stanley Clarke Band’s self-titled project had. I think maybe due to me always listening to this during rush traffic that it didn’t quite stick with me as I’d hoped. There’s still a gem in ‘El Hombre Que Sabia’…  

Jaleel Shaw- Optimism: 

It was released in 2008. I’m glad Robert Glasper brought this to the attention of the public however, enough to have Dres of ‘Black Sheep’ record a verse over the calming melody and contrasting snare thump of ‘Flight’.

Jay Rock- 90059:

The Black Hippy fixture returns with this mellow groove of an LP, which generally stays in the same vein throughout it’s 48 minutes. A strong listen, ‘just so bloody expensive!

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment- Surf: 

‘Another recommendation by my cousin Jay. I still don’t quite get Chance the Rapper. While there were a couple of nice moments on here, I didn’t feel the need to return to this project…

Teedra Moses- Cognac & Conversation:

I was worried that Teedra would go the same way as Sunshine Anderson; into the land of “kinda underwhelmed”. Although this album stays in a similar vein in both subject matter and music, the sounds on this album appealed to me…

Carmen Rodgers- Stargazer:

‘Some nice moments but generally underwhelmed. I liked ‘Stories of Love’ (my cynic was hibernating when I got this)…

Earl Sweatshirt- I don’t like Shit, I don’t go Outside:

I feel like I’ve neglected this album as it was overshadowed first by ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, then again by ‘Cherry Bomb’. The sinister and often melancholy soundscapes made for some slow head-rolling so I definitely liked it…

Dego & Kaidi- EP2: 

‘The second release on the Eglo imprint. I found this less interesting than 2014′s EP and I most certainly checked out ‘Adam Rock Dissed!!’ more frequently than this. ‘Manmade’ and the message on ‘Black Is Key’ make me smile…

…There’s a lot I’ve missed out so please feel free to share some more…