Adding girl group oohs and playground interjections to punk rock songs modeling the strength in sistahood is a nice trick, even if guys/dolls have been playing it since 1973 (“Tell a Lie”, ‘Token”, “How Could You Love Me”)
Rodrigo Campos: Pagode Novo
Once again Campos puts together a set of impeccably constructed songs, I admire his willingness to try new things like programmed percussion while appreciating the contributions of some of his collaborators rather more (Marçal and Fróes as usual, but also Verônica Ferriani, who nestles very snugly amidst the Brazilianized breakbeats), and I write up an Odds & Ends entry that isn’t funny (“Deixa a Noite”, “Japonego”, “Atraco”)
Joakim Rainer Trio: Light.Sentence
Norway’s 2022 Young Jazz Musicians of the Year are pianist/composer Rainer, who has a solid bunch of tunes and can embellish them with both hands, and his rhythm buddies, who generate momentum as well as cool sound effects for the atmospheric passages (“Transcending Cycle”, “Sandors Monolitt”, “Light Sentence”)
Rae Sremmurd: Sremm 4 Life
The power and maybe talent imbalance between the brother who had one of the biggest hits of all all time and the brother who had battery charges dropped hangs over the album: there are excellent hooks, decent Swae verses, and indecent Jxxmi verses, excepting the one that isn’t a Right Said Fred remake but might as well be (“Sexy”, “Royal Flush”, “ADHD Anthem (2 Many Emotions)”)
Gloss Up: Before the Gloss Up
Early work from the Chuck Taylor to GloRilla’s Trent? has a confident flow, some good lines, and an awful lot of “ho”, plus barely any beats (“Best Frenn”, “Gymnastics”, “From Cross the Way”)
Mellow & Sleazy: Midnight in Sunnyside 2
Amapiano’s crown princes cook up a useful state-of-the-genre, making commercially palatable music out of some wtf ingredients, notably and appropriately on the one named after the Fast and the Furious star (“Vin Diesel”, “Thesha”)
Floy Krouchi, James Brandon Lewis, Benjamin Sanz: Cliffs
Pre-COVID live recording teaming Lewis, playing tenor tricks his fans will be familiar with, with one of France’s top avant rhythm sections: Krouchi’s bass tricks, such as rising vrooms and electro-heaviness, are new to me (“The Door to the Cliffs”, “Heavy Interlude”)
George Coleman: Live at Smalls Jazz Club
One of the last of the ’60s sax giants still blowing gives us another “My Funny Valentine”, yeah sure why not, and another “New York, New York”, a giant-killer (“My Funny Valentine”, “At Last”)
Guinea-Bissau-born, Portugal-based guitarist-balafonist who’s built a successful career trying out West African music styles and singing backing vocals for Madonna provides nothing startling but is pleasant enough when he works up a quasi-Tuareg racket or at least keeps things moving (“Alidonke”, “Dindin”)
Eurojazz trio album on which Eurobassist Traxel has plenty of tunes, Eurotenor Otis Sandsjö has plenty of tones, and Eurodrummer Moritz Baumgärtner has plenty (“Nasty People”, “The Call”)
Kelsea Ballerini: Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP
Even her divorce seems like something she thinks country stars are obligated to do at least once (“Blindsided”, “Leave Me Again”)
SREMM4LIFE certainly vanished from public sight quickly.