Full of even more soaring songs and captivating compositions, let’s review the Forces Of Obvious Luck Top Ten releases of 2019!
(In no particular order - unless you count the alphabet as a particular order.)
Anderson .Paak - Ventura (12 Tone Music / Aftermath Entertainment)
After a misstep in 2018, ‘Ventura’ doesn’t return to any form; it instead felt like a not-so-accidental Motown revival. Still a lover of SoCal beaches, the man with unlimited talent as a rapper, singer, drummer and producer, Anderson .Paak channeled Smokey Robinson (who even appears on the album), Diana Ross, The Temptations and even a bit of Stevie Wonder across this playful and pertinent odyssey.
Standout Track: Reachin' 2 Much (feat. Lalah Hathaway)
After a misstep in 2018, ‘Ventura’ doesn’t return to any form; it instead felt like a not-so-accidental Motown revival. Still a lover of SoCal beaches, the man with unlimited talent as a rapper, singer, drummer and producer, Anderson .Paak channeled Smokey Robinson (who even appears on the album), Diana Ross, The Temptations and even a bit of Stevie Wonder across this playful and pertinent odyssey.
Standout Track: Reachin' 2 Much (feat. Lalah Hathaway)
blackwave. - Are We Still Dreaming? (De Zwarte Golf VZW)
The neon, astral Jazz and loose poetry of producer/singer Willem Ardui and rapper Jay Walker set one melodic and electrically relaxed mood. Hailing from a potential new hotbed for Soul – Belgium - this duo has only been making music together since 2016. But blackwave. quickly found its sound lane, and it feels just like cruising on a summery Sunday late afternoon in a convertible.
Standout track: Listen to the Kids
The neon, astral Jazz and loose poetry of producer/singer Willem Ardui and rapper Jay Walker set one melodic and electrically relaxed mood. Hailing from a potential new hotbed for Soul – Belgium - this duo has only been making music together since 2016. But blackwave. quickly found its sound lane, and it feels just like cruising on a summery Sunday late afternoon in a convertible.
Standout track: Listen to the Kids
Blu & Damu the Fudgemunk - Ground & Water (ReDefinition Records)
Encapsulating all that is pure about underground / basement Hip-Hop passion with an underdog craftsmanship and cleverness, Damu cracked my top ten again thanks for another cross-country collaboration. This time the sometimes meandering MPC master paired with one of Los Angeles’ busiest emcees: Blu. Painting with his hues, Blu’s casual rasp and blunt rhymes can’t not fit atop Damu’s bouncy beats.
Standout track: Feet on the Ground
Encapsulating all that is pure about underground / basement Hip-Hop passion with an underdog craftsmanship and cleverness, Damu cracked my top ten again thanks for another cross-country collaboration. This time the sometimes meandering MPC master paired with one of Los Angeles’ busiest emcees: Blu. Painting with his hues, Blu’s casual rasp and blunt rhymes can’t not fit atop Damu’s bouncy beats.
Standout track: Feet on the Ground
Femi - From Indiana With Love (33 1/3 World)
A dynamically near-religious Blues experience from this one-man soul station who plays guitar, bass, keys, saxophone and Afro-Brazilian percussion, ‘From Indiana With Love’ (probably in reference to his band, Indiana Jonesin) visited the stages of a relationship up and down an elevator of emotion. Femi truly pushed all the right buttons on this trip.
Standout track: Slowly (feat. Shatericka)
A dynamically near-religious Blues experience from this one-man soul station who plays guitar, bass, keys, saxophone and Afro-Brazilian percussion, ‘From Indiana With Love’ (probably in reference to his band, Indiana Jonesin) visited the stages of a relationship up and down an elevator of emotion. Femi truly pushed all the right buttons on this trip.
Standout track: Slowly (feat. Shatericka)
Heath McNease - Be Clean Again (Heath McNease self-released)
Georgia native Heath McNease's two musical worlds entirely intersected on ‘Be Clean Again’. The savage and swift-tongued rapper met the guitar playing Indie singer-songwriter in the mirror. The lump in your throat honesty of Heath’s stories richly illustrated both the agonizing beauty and pure anguish of adulthood. His eerie reflections were nearly too genuine, but ‘Be Clean Again’ will leave you in a better place.
Standout track: No Victims (feat. Jetty Rae)
Georgia native Heath McNease's two musical worlds entirely intersected on ‘Be Clean Again’. The savage and swift-tongued rapper met the guitar playing Indie singer-songwriter in the mirror. The lump in your throat honesty of Heath’s stories richly illustrated both the agonizing beauty and pure anguish of adulthood. His eerie reflections were nearly too genuine, but ‘Be Clean Again’ will leave you in a better place.
Standout track: No Victims (feat. Jetty Rae)
Jamila Woods - LEGACY! LEGACY! (Jagjaguwar)
With songs named for historical Black icons of literature, art and music, this Chicago heroine built lyrical monuments to these cultural heroes with Afro Futurism that was urgently right on time. Woods transcended her soft voice and reverberated with matter-of-fact fervor for a masterpiece of layered electro Funk and vocal excellence.
Standout track: BASQUIAT (feat. Saba)
With songs named for historical Black icons of literature, art and music, this Chicago heroine built lyrical monuments to these cultural heroes with Afro Futurism that was urgently right on time. Woods transcended her soft voice and reverberated with matter-of-fact fervor for a masterpiece of layered electro Funk and vocal excellence.
Standout track: BASQUIAT (feat. Saba)
KRUM & Theory Hazit - Here's Mud in Your Eye (FiveSe7en Collective)
A superb blend of gruff grit, vulnerable verses and rough edge smoothness, ‘Here’s Mud in Your Eye’ brought a crate of Classic Rock boom-bap to the fight and cleared out all challengers. These blue collar vets have only gotten sharper with experience: KRUM (f.k.a. Playdough, of Deepspace5) on the lyrics and Theory Hazit (also a filmmaker and emcee) on the tunes.
Standout track: Live from the Alley Way
A superb blend of gruff grit, vulnerable verses and rough edge smoothness, ‘Here’s Mud in Your Eye’ brought a crate of Classic Rock boom-bap to the fight and cleared out all challengers. These blue collar vets have only gotten sharper with experience: KRUM (f.k.a. Playdough, of Deepspace5) on the lyrics and Theory Hazit (also a filmmaker and emcee) on the tunes.
Standout track: Live from the Alley Way
Little Brother - May the Lord Watch (Imagine Nation Music / For Members Only / EMPIRE)
A surprise drop! From wide-eyed college kids to tenured professors, the now elder statesmen of wordplay came together once more to flex their grown-man business. Even without 9th Wonder present, Phonte and Big Pooh cemented their legacy as North Carolina’s favorite sons. Supplanted by countless “rewind lines” and plenty of humor, ‘May the Lord Watch’ was the wittiest album of 2019.
Standout track: All in a Day
A surprise drop! From wide-eyed college kids to tenured professors, the now elder statesmen of wordplay came together once more to flex their grown-man business. Even without 9th Wonder present, Phonte and Big Pooh cemented their legacy as North Carolina’s favorite sons. Supplanted by countless “rewind lines” and plenty of humor, ‘May the Lord Watch’ was the wittiest album of 2019.
Standout track: All in a Day
Noyz & Dusty Loops - LO FI GLORY (Noyz self-released)
Another emcee (Noyz) + producer (Dusty Loops… bet you could have guessed that) combo, this Toronto scene duo wrote a love letter to DIY Hip-Hop through a bright, yet poignant celebration of resilience through hardship. Signed, sealed and delivered as a flat out dope, ‘LO FI GLORY’ melded serious subjects and an uptempo, hopeful feel into a pure gem.
Standout track: The First (feat. Strictly Steele, Vaishnavi)
Another emcee (Noyz) + producer (Dusty Loops… bet you could have guessed that) combo, this Toronto scene duo wrote a love letter to DIY Hip-Hop through a bright, yet poignant celebration of resilience through hardship. Signed, sealed and delivered as a flat out dope, ‘LO FI GLORY’ melded serious subjects and an uptempo, hopeful feel into a pure gem.
Standout track: The First (feat. Strictly Steele, Vaishnavi)
People Under the Stairs - Sincerely, the P (Piecelock 70)
A sentimental curtain call to draw Double K and Thes One’s 20 year partnership together to a close may have been the Los Angeles group’s most well-rounded and cohesive collage of Funk of any of their twelve previous projects. ‘Sincerely, the P’ shone as an evergreen family scrapbook that anyone will love to revisit.
Standout track: The Sound of a Memory
A sentimental curtain call to draw Double K and Thes One’s 20 year partnership together to a close may have been the Los Angeles group’s most well-rounded and cohesive collage of Funk of any of their twelve previous projects. ‘Sincerely, the P’ shone as an evergreen family scrapbook that anyone will love to revisit.
Standout track: The Sound of a Memory
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Dessa & The Minnesota Orchestra - Sound The Bells: Recorded Live At Orchestra Hall (Doomtree Records)
Epic Beard Men - This Was Supposed to Be Fun (Strange Famous)
J-Live - At The Date Of This Writing (Vol. 2) (Mortier Music)
Phalo Pantoja and Moemaw Naedon- Hard Head Mush Brain (Carcosa Musik / Soul Slime Records)
Sampa the Great - The Return (Ninja Tune)
Seba Kaapstad - Thina (Mello Music Group)
Sintax the Terrific - Night Court (Illect Recordings)
SOL Development - The SOL of Black Folk (SOL DVLPMNT)
###
If you enjoy any of these artists, tune into my radio program - Forces Of Obvious Luck Radio - live from KRBX Radio Boise every Thursday from 9:00 - 11:00 PM MT for more powerfully positive Jazzy Hip-Hop Soul just like this.
And in case you missed it, check out my 2018 Top Ten feature.
Final note: All of my personal friends' albums were disqualified from consideration. Personal bias and whatnot.
No comments:
Post a Comment