music blog
R&B & Hip-Hop Reign Supreme With 2023 Grammy Nominations
On Tuesday morning (Nov. 15), the nominations for the 2023 Grammy Awards were announced. Unsurprisingly, Beyoncé leads the charge with nine nominations for her dance-rooted album Renaissance, and awaits her blockbuster showdown against Adele’s 30 and eight other nominees for the coveted album of the year award. Other notable names in the R&B and hip-hop space that enjoyed a career day on the nominations front alongside the venerable megastar include Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and DJ Khaled. After releasing his first album in five years with Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar hopes to increase his win tally next January via his eight nominations. Mary J Blige, who delivered her riveting album Good Morning Gorgeous last ...
Dawn Richard / Spencer Zahn: Pigments
Dawn Richard’s music feels as if it’s emanating from a higher plane than ours. Even back in her more radio-friendly days with Danity Kane and Diddy, the New Orleans singer imbued her songs with a rare vulnerability, emerging from the hedonistic landscape of late-2000s hip-hop and R&B with earnest, heartbroken compositions about losing love and finding it beneath the strobe lights of the dancefloor. She’s a singer of big emotions, and even as she’s pushed her solo work further into experimental realms, she has continued to foreground feeling above all else. Pigments takes this evolution a step further, transforming Richard’s voice into a luminescent mist. Conceived with bassist and neoclassical composer Spencer Zahn after the two collaborated on his 2018 debut, the album captures the se...
Jeff Parker: Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy
He begins the understated opener “2019-07-08 I” with feather-soft brush swirls, but on the second cut, he sets Mondays’ stride, as a simple bell pattern builds into a leisurely rhythmic stroll. Thirteen minutes in, the mood breaks. Bellerose hits some heavy quarter notes on his hi-hat; Butterss leans into a fat bassline; saxophone arpeggios, probably looped, float in front of us like smoke rings lingering in the air. It’s a glorious moment, punctuated by clinking glasses and a distant “whoo!” so perfectly placed we become aware of not only the setting, but also the supple knob-turns of engineer Bryce Gonzales in post-production. Anyone who’s heard great improvisation at a bar in the company of both jazzheads and puzzled onlookers knows this dynamic—for some, the music was incidental. Other...
CEO Trayle: HH5
On the ninth track of CEO Trayle’s HH5, the rapper is at war with himself. The song, “Alter Ego 2,” pits the sensitive and reasonable Trayle against his twisted counterpart C4, a voice in his head that moves like he has a death wish. A 2013 home invasion that left Trayle with seven gunshot wounds is the center of this track, and it continues to haunt him, even though he wants to move on. Telling C4 that he has a son and a future in rap now, those days of fear and bitterness are gone. But C4 is set on dragging him back into the mud. “Nigga must think you Superman, them seven shots ain’t teach you nothin’,” he raps with a slithery inflection, a ghoulish echo lingering in the background. The pressure doesn’t go anywhere; the song ends anti-climatically with the promise of money snapping Trayl...
Dream Unending: Song of Salvation
The guitar riff that introduces “Ecstatic Reign,” the 16-minute closing track on Song of Salvation, is a sad, wispy melody that sounds a little like distant birdsong filtered through a chorus pedal and amplified inside an empty church. When a slow-motion drumbeat enters, drowned in echo that suggests a noirish fog lifting from the cymbals, it also sounds a little like “Lazy,” a 1994 slowcore lament by Low. The landscape slowly fills with distorted guitars, gothic synths, and death-metal growls that sound like a volcano erupting. Within moments, you are fully immersed in the world of Dream Unending, the dream-doom duo whose monuments to melancholy have never felt so crushing or beautiful. Before Derrick Vella was the guitarist of Dream Unending—or, as the liner notes credit him, the “Archit...
Gucci Mane Shares Emotional New Single “Letter to Takeoff”
Gucci Mane is paying homage to late rapper Takeoff in a new single, “Letter to Takeoff.” The Alabama rapper had collaborated with Migos a number of times over the years on singles such as “I Get the Bag,” “Slippery” and “Solitaire.” Migos was previously signed to the label Gucci founded, 1017 Records. Takeoff, whose real name is Kirsnick Ball, was shot and killed earlier this month after an altercation broke out during a private party at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas. The new single, produced by Zaytoven, eulogizes the late Migos member and touches on the tragic circumstances surrounding his untimely death. It arrives with a music video Joe Yung Spike that sees Gucci walk through a desolate cemetary. “How the fuck we lose Takeoff? / Damn, he didn’t deserve it,” Gucci raps on the song. ...
Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Lead the 2023 Grammy Nominations
The Recording Academy on Tuesday revealed the nominees for the 2023 Grammy Awards. Leading the way, Beyoncé earned nine nominations, three of which are in the Big Four categories. Renaissance is nominated for album of the year, and “Break My Soul” is up for both record and song of the year. She also picked up nods for best dance/electronic recording (“Break My Soul”), best dance/electronic music album (Renaissance), best R&B performance (“Virgo’s Groove”), best traditional R&B performance (“Plastic Off the Sofa”), best R&B song (“Cuff It”) and best song written for visual media (“Be Alive”). Trailing closely behind, Kendrick Lamar received eight total nominations. He’s also up for record and son...
Kelela Reveals Sophomore Album ‘RAVEN’
Washington D.C.-born singer/songwriter Kelela is officially back with the announcement of her sophomore album, RAVEN. The artist first reemerged last month with fashion show appearances and the release of singles “Washed Away” and “Happy Ending” – leading many to think that her forthcoming project was on the horizon. Now, fans no longer need to guess as Kelela’s sophomore project is set to be released on Friday, February 10. The long-awaited album follows Kelela’s acclaimed debut Take Me Apart which merged elements on hip-hop, electronic, alternative and R&B. Alongside the announcement of RAVEN, she has also released a new track “On The Run.” The sonically rich track harbors a smooth cadence with uptempo electronic cuts featuring producti...
Wizkid To Embark on U.S. Tour in Support of New LP ‘More Love, Less Ego’
Wizkid has announced plans for a nationwide U.S. tour in support of his new album More Love, Less Ego. The Afrobeats mainstay will be teasing what’s to come with a one-off, sold-out show at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. On March 3, the Lagos-born singer will return to commence the official tour, kicking off at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. He’ll make stops in major cities across the country, including Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit and more. Just a little over a month later, the U.S. run will wrap up with a final show at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on April 7. Wizkid has yet to announce a tour that for additional countries. The highly-anticipated More Love, Less Ego premiered late last week via RCA Records, landing as the celebrated singer’s fifth studio LP. In 202...
Nicki Minaj To Team Up With Maluma and Myriam for FIFA World Cup Track “Tukoh Taka”
Nicki Minaj is joining forces with Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares for a new track called “Tukoh Taka.” Converging the English, Spanish and Arabic languages, the song will celebrate the unity of countries and fans around the world during this year’s FIFA World Cup. Due for release on Friday via Universal Arabic Music, Universal Music and Republic Records, “Tukoh Taka” will not only appear on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 soundtrack but will also serve as the official song of the FIFA Fan Festival. “Tukoh Taka” is described as a “cross-continental banger” with an energy-packed collaboration from Minaj, Maluma and Fares. The song will debut alongside a cinematic music video. While many Barbz are pumped for the upcoming release, some fans have criticized Minaj for her involvement with...
Snoop Dogg Nominated for Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its roster of 2023 nominees, with artists including Snoop Dogg, Patti Smith, R.E.M., Sade, Gloria Estefan, ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, Bryan Adams, Steve Winwood, the Broadway team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and more up for the honorary title. The slate will be voted on for induction at the 54th Annual Induction & Awards Gala on June 15, 2023, in New York City. The Songwriters Hall of Fame recognizes the lives and catalogs of notable composers and lyricists across the globe. In order to qualify, a songwriter’s first significant commercial track must have been released 20 years prior to induction. Eligible voters will need to cast their ballots by 12 p.m. ET on December 28, 2022, with three choices in both the songwriter and performing so...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ Holds at No. 1 In U.K.
It’s still Midnights time in the U.K., where Taylor Swift locks down another chart double. The pop superstar’s tenth and latest album Midnights reigns supreme for a second consecutive week on the Official Albums Chart, having smashed records in its opening stanza. Over on the national singles chart, published Nov. 4, album opener “Anti-Hero” comes out on top for a second week. With Midnights holding firm, TayTay beats none other than the Beatles, whose classic album from 1966, Revolver, reenters at No. 2. Revolver led the U.K. chart for seven consecutive weeks following its original release, and vaults into the top 5 for the first time since December 1966, the OCC reports. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news That’s all thanks to a “super del...
