HERMANOS GUTIERREZ – SONIDO COSMICO 2024

(12 songs – 40 mins)

This album feels like a driving a through a Latin Western on a silver screen. You turn this album on when you want to stop and live in the moment, when you want to utilize a 1,000 yard stare to look at nothing but mountain ranges in the distance. It is a slow burn of an album but it is a quality piece of music. Those who take the time to sit with this entirely instrumental focused project are greeted with some of the easiest listening experience they could have. In the case of me listening to it, I play this album when I want to think, when I want to visualize a story. It does something to inspire the creativity in my brain and for that I appreciate it.

SLOW BURN – BABY ROSE, BADBADNOTGOOD 2024

(6 songs, 23 mins)

This album is exactly as it is titled, slowly burning through your psych throughout the entire listen. Baby Rose’s distinct voice over the signature instrument laden expertise of BADBADNOTGOOD jazz production is essentially a match made in heaven. While a quick listen, each song sits with you and evokes the emotion of a life once had. It is quite simply, such a high quality project to listen to, I’d recommend this to anyone.

PRIVATE SPACE – DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS 2021

(10 songs – 38 min) 

You cannot fake the funk with this album. This is almost 40 minutes of seemingly uninterrupted joy played over music. It is actually fantastic, I don’t know what other way to put it. The singing is good and the production is the most fun. You play this album in the background of a social function and you’ll see people having a good time to it or pulling out the Shazam app to discover this band for themselves.

PIECES OF A MAN GIL SCOTT-HERON 1971

(14 songs – 1 hr)

This is a classic album. One that was surely studied for its introspection and instrumentation. This album is a long drag of a cigarette at the end of a long day fighting oppression. It is a moment of clarity of the mind. Gil is singing loudly and proudly and the more you listen to this excursion of an album, the heavier the jazz tones hit you and the more you feel moved by the poetic nature of Scott-Heron’s perspective.