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Primal Scream: Come Ahead
New album: Looking cool in shades, a 1960 photograph the father of frontman Bobby Gillespie decorates the band’s 12th LP, and their first for 8 years, serving very much as a inspiration with a Glaswegian phrase, but musically filled with 70s Philly soul and funk, and with the input of Belfast producer David Holmes, it’s one of PS’s most stylish for years
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Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Wild God
New album: The 18th studio LP by the messianic Australian and band, first since 2019’s Ghosteen, is perhaps the best for some time – grandiose, passionate, powerful, using deity, religion, myth and narrative, and despite all the tragedy and loss in Cave’s family, somehow flows with rapturous hope
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Orville Peck: Stampede
New album: A hugely enjoyable, mischievous, tuneful and genre-spanning LP by the South African-born openly gay but often masked country singer-songwriter, joined by an impressive array of co-performers doing original numbers and covers, including Beck, Elton John, and Willie Nelson
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Killer Mike: Michael & the Mighty Midnight Revival - Songs for Sinners and Saints
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water - The Gospel of James Baldwin
New album: A remarkable, substantial, powerful and emotional release by the US singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist, channelling the words of the influential African-American writer, and tackling race and gender issues, with guests including Jamaica-born poet Staceyann Chin and soul singer Justin Hicks
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Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter
New album: A big, bold rhinestone-studded musical statement from the US megastar, delving deep into country & western territory and cross-pollinating with pop, soul, rock and R&B, with added Beatles, and guests including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Miley Cyrus on this whopping 27-track LP
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Africatown, AL: Ancestor Sounds
New album: A beautifully evocative, documentary compilation of anonymous spontaneous performances and field recordings from descendants of slaves in a northern section of the city of Mobile, Alabama, one of the last places in the US to receive slave ships
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Moor Mother: The Great Bailout
New album: The American poet and musician Camae Ayewa returns with with a pointed, powerful release aimed at Britain’s murky, slavery-profiting colonial past, with a vivid, profound, visceral, declamatory narrative and soundscape that charts many injustices about wealth and compensation
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Favourite LPs of 2023, Part 2.
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
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Part 1 selection of 2023 favourite albums
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
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Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond
New album: A sparkling, superb retro soul-gospel follow-up to their 2019 debut by Texan guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada and singer-songwriter Eric Burton whose soaring, high voice sizzles with these excellent numbers
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Jungle’s fourth LP, Volcano
New album: Entertaining, sample-heavy fun by the London-based duo of Tom McFarland and Joshua Lloyd-Watson in their fourth album, with a polished product mixing soul, gospel, 70s funk breakbeats, electronica, dance, and disco with a shiny, radio-friendly formula
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Noname’s second album, Sundial
New album: Super-slick, intelligent, angry but beautiful rap and and soul by the Chicago poet Fatimah Nyeema Warner in this second album after 2018’s debut, Room 25, building on her uncompromising perspectives on Black culture, racism, relationships and celebrity double-standards
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Killer Mike reveals the young Michael
New album: One half of Run The Jewels, the Atlanta rapper and social activist Michael Santiago Render releases a powerful, articulate, and frank autobiographical solo LP, candidly exploring his childhood and more of the other side to his Killer Mike persona
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Madison McFerrin: I Hope You Can Forgive Me
New album: Smooth, dreamy, ethereally beautiful soul, trip-hop, R&B low-key gospel and electro-pop in this entrancing debut LP by Brooklyn singer and the daughter of Bobby (Don’t Worry, Be Happy) McFerrin, whose style is very different to her jazz vocalist father
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Durand Jones: Wait Til I Get Over
New album: After three acclaimed albums with band The Indications, the Louisiana singer returns with a fantastic solo LP, themed around his hometown of Hillaryville, and packed with beautiful, powerful soul numbers of grit, melancholy, joy and defiance
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Susanne Sundfør: Blómi
New album: Strange and strikingly beautiful, the sixth album by the Norwegian singer-songwriter is a mix of classic 70s piano-pop and alternative folk, with echoes everything from Karen Carpenter to Rufus Wainwright
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Skinny Pelembe: Hardly The Same Snake
New album: The eclectic experimentalist from Doncaster, aka Doya Beardmore, with roots also in Birmingham and Mozambique, comes up with a powerful, visceral new LP, spanning indie, avant-pop, hip-hop, rock, electronica, gospel and soaring soul
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Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations: I Came From Love
New album: A rich, complex and brilliant release about black history, identity, and channelling the idea of ancestry by British singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist joined by a stellar cast of fellow artists, including Wesley Joseph, Tom Skinner, ESKA and Grace Jones
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HMLTD …
New album: Apocalypse: The Musical? This highly entertaining second LP by the British art-rockers could be thus described, but the concept is “an anachronistic version of medieval England” and features a 16-piece string orchestra and gospel choir
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