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Milestones: Mother by Cleo Sol
Cleo Sol sang about becoming a mother, but the album’s sharpest song is aimed at her own. The simplicity that risked making the whole thing disappear is…
 • Shatter the Standards and Jamila W.
Milestones: Blonde by Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean finessed Def Jam on a Friday. The record he dropped Saturday turned out to be one of the decade’s best.
 • Shatter the Standards and magwilli hughes
Album Review: Gentlewoman by Cleo Sol
On her fifth album, the SAULT vocalist crosses a rotating cast of players to stripped-down acoustic soul with a full band and writes songs about the…
 • Shatter the Standards and Alexandria Elise
Milestones: Endless by Frank Ocean
A contract-fulfillment album that turned out to be the most unguarded music its creator ever released.
 • Shatter the Standards and Zaria Farah
Wednesday Roundups #162: 25 New Projects You Should Listen to Now
Listen to new releases from The Womack Sisters, Paul Wall & Termanology, Channel Tres, Arin Ray, Genia, Kelly Finnigan, NicoleYvette, Breanna Whitaker…
 • Shatter the Standards
Album Review: The Price of Clarity by Ransom
The New Jersey veteran shades his usual technical menace with grief, marriage, and an admission he had been sitting on for years.
 • Shatter the Standards and Sameira
EP Review: Don’t Come to My House Sharing Your Location by Michael Christmas, Chris Crack & Girl Talk
Michael Christmas and Chris Crack recorded these six songs with Girl Talk in one Pittsburgh room. Every verse is crowded with punchlines and with the…
 • Shatter the Standards and Murffey Zavier
Before Songs In the Key of Life (And the Songs Fall from the Sky)
Between 1971 and 1974, Stevie Wonder released albums in rapid succession, not all of them recognized at their true worth, but nevertheless essential…
 • Blackpolitan and Brandon O'Sullivan
Album Review: The Don & Eye 3: The Trilogy by The Musalini & 9th Wonder
With 9th Wonder on board for the trilogy, The Musalini answers with grilled calamari, teal dresses, and Bronx Zoo alligators, writing that stays funny…
 • Shatter the Standards and Maurice Wren
Album Review: Repeat Repeat Repeat by Paul Wall & Termanology
Paul Wall and Termanology’s third album together is a hustle record about debt, and both men rap better here when they’re saying who they owe than when…
 • Shatter the Standards and Rafael Greene
Album Review: Bring Back Weed Spots by Cavalier
The phrase came off a hoodie release where Cavalier asked who legalization leaves behind, and over ahwlee’s production, he argues the case in bars…
 • Shatter the Standards and Harry Brown
The Happiest Couple in Music Just Made a Breakup Song
Plus: Erykah Badu’s first new album in 11 years is finally happening, a Brooklyn producer taking the board for somebody else, a guest verse that…
 • Soulpolitan
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