Wednesday Roundups #25: 16 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time
Stream releases from Cleo Sol, Corinne Bailey Rae, Erica Campbell, Kwaku Asante, IX WULF, Heather Victoria, and more.
Welcome back to Shatter the Standards!
The twenty-fifth outing of Wednesday Roundups!
It might be challenging to prioritize your music listening when so much new music isĀ available. Shatter the Standards provide a weekly summary of newsworthy releases on streaming platforms. Cleo Sol, Corinne Bailey Rae, Erica Campbell, Kwaku Asante, IX WULF, Heather Victoria, Ransom, JAHMED, Cassper Nyovest, Citizen Queen, Steven Bamiedele, Maverick City Music, Rasheed Chappell & The Arcitype, Phro., ZelooperZ & Quadie Diesel, and Shaykh Hanif & MichaelAngelo were the artists with new albums or projects last week. Watch for weekly music drops every Wednesday for suggestions of lesser-known albums.
Here are your roundups for today!
Cleo Sol ā Heaven (R&B) [Listen]
UK soul singer āCleo Sol āhas released her āthird album, āHeaven, which follows āthe success āof her previous āreleases. The āalbum was produced āby Inflo, āwith whom Cleo āhas had āa longstanding partnership. āCleo thanked her āfans for ātheir support and āfor embracing āher honest songwriting. āHeaven consists āof nine tracks āthat delve āinto themes of āself-love and āthe lessons learned āfrom parenthood. āCleoās ability āto connect deeply āwith listeners āthrough her intimate ācompositions and āpoignant lyrics continues āto highlight āher work.
Corinne Bailey Rae ā Black Rainbows (R&B/Alternative/Punk/Electronica) [Listen]
Corinne Bailey Raeās āBlack Rainbows ātakes a surprising āturn toward āmultiple genres. The āalbum reflects āRaeās teenage rock āinfluences without ābeing a cheap āimitation. Inspired āby a visit āto the āStony Island Arts āBank, Rae āfound inspiration in āa 1954 āphoto of Audrey āSmaltz, which āled to the āenergetic track āāNew York Transit āQueen.ā Rae āalso explored the ācollection of āāNegrobiliaā at the āarts bank, āwhich influenced the āintense and āraw track āErasure.ā āBlack Rainbows āshowcases Raeās transformation āand her āability to tackle āhistorical injustices āthrough her music.
Erica Campbell ā I Love You (Gospel) [Listen]
āMulti-award-winning āsinger-songwriter Erica Campbell āis set āto release her āhighly anticipated āthird studio album, āI LOVE āYOU. The album āfeatures the āback-to-back singles āāPOSITIVEā and āāFEEL ALRIGHT (Blessed),ā āwhich have āalready garnered acclaim āand awards. āCampbell describes the āalbum as āa reflection of āher journey āin understanding and āreceiving Godās ālove.
Kwaku Asante ā Blue Solstice: Volume 2 (R&B) [Listen]
London singer-songwriter āKwaku Asante āhas released his āhighly anticipated ānine-track project, Blue āSolstice: Volume ā2. The album āshowcases a āshift in Kwakuās āsound, incorporating āR&B, Pop, and āFunk elements. āIt explores the ācomplexities of āmodern dating and āthe emotions āthat come into āplay. Kwakuās āmusical journey is āinfluenced by āhis grandfather, an āexecutive producer in āGhana who āworked with Quincy āJones and āFela Kuti. Last āyear, Kwaku ātoured with Samm āHenshaw and āPip Millet, performing āat iconic āvenues nationwide.
IX WULF ā heal yourself first (R&B) [Listen]
IX āWULF is āmeticulously crafting his ālegacy in āR&B with his ālatest project, āheal yourself first. āThrough a āshort film and āa collection āof soulful tracks, āWULFās attention āto detail shines, āearning him āwell-deserved praise. Exploring āthe complexities āof relationships, he ādismantles the āflawed foundations of ālove and āpainstakingly rebuilds them āwith raw āhonesty. WULF emphasizes āthat healing āthe wounds inflicted āby love ārequires more than āa superficial āfix; it demands ādeep care āand vigilant monitoring āto prevent āfurther harm.
Heather Victoria ā I Canāt Make This Up - EP (R&B) [Listen]
Heather Victoria returns with her latest EP, I Canāt Make This Up. Her previously released single, āToxic,ā already lets you know what youāre in for sonically. It serves as her appetizer for her next project, awaiting a follow-up in 2019.
Ransom ā SPARE THE ROD, SPOIL THE CHILD - EP (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
Kicking āoff the āyear with his āLP, Directors āCut 4, Ransom āreturned with āhis second EP āof the āyear. A āfew weeks āago, he graced āus with āDeleted Scenes 2, āan EP āshowcasing his ācollaborative genius āalongside the incomparable āNicholas Craven. āEach track on āthis EP ācleverly borrowed its ātitle from āvarious movie genres, āfurther highlighting āRansomās ability to blend āhis lyrical acumen āwith his ālove for cinema seamlessly.
JAHMED ā THE PROPHECY (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
āJAHMED, the āemerging talent originating āfrom Pomona, āCalifornia, and presently ācalling Victorville āhome, is igniting āa hunger āwithin the music āindustry with āhis unparalleled fusion āof rap āand introspective wordplay āon THE āPROPHECY. Despite his ātender age āof 14, he āis propelled by āan innate, almost āethereal bond āwith music that āhas resonated āwith him since his āfirst breath.
Cassper Nyovest ā Solomon (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
South āAfrican rapper āCassper Nyovestās new āalbum Solomon āhas been highly āanticipated and ālives up āto the āhype. The album āshowcases Nyovestās āconfidence and vulnerability, āwith boom-bap beats and āsoul/R&B-inspired instrumentals āreminiscent of the 90s āand 2000s āhip-hop. The ārecord is āfilled with themes āof success, ārising above doubters, āand religious āundertones. Nyovestās effortless āflow and āslick bars shine āthroughout the āalbum. The emotional āhighlight of āthe record is āāCandlelight,ā a āheartfelt tribute to āthe late ārapper AKA and āCosta Titch. āWhile the album āhas a āfew generic moments, āNyovestās collaborations āand the overall āproduction elevate āit to greatness.
Citizen Queen ā CLIQUE (Pop/R&B) [Listen]
Citizen Queen, a āTikTok pop āgroup, released their ādebut EP, āCLIQUE. The EP āfeatures the āvocalists Kaedi Dalley, āCora Isabel, āand Nina Ann Nelson.
Steven Bamidele ā Summing Up (R&B) [Listen]
Summing Up is āthe debut āalbum by Steven āBamidele, a āsinger, songwriter, and āproducer. The āalbum delves into āpersonal themes ālike racial identity, āfamily, and āself-reflection. It features āpreviously released āsingles with āKaleidoscopeā āand āDark āSense of Humour ā(Farfisa)ā. The āintrospective lyrics allow ālisteners to āconnect with Stevenās āstories while āreflecting on their āexperiences. āThe album explores āthe balance ābetween individualism and āsocietal expectations and āthe years āof dedication it ātook for āSteven to find āhis creative āvoice. Influenced by āartists like āMarvin Gaye and āRadiohead, Steven ācombines synth textures, ābeats, and āfalsetto to create āsoulful, psychedelic āmusic.
Maverick City Music ā The Maverick Way - EP (Gospel) [Listen]
Maverick City āMusic released āThe Maverick Way āEP via āTRIBL Records. The ā6-track project āfeatures collaborations with āNoah Schnacky, āTasha Cobbs Leonard, āBobbi Storm, āand Wande. The ācollective has āalready shared previews āof the āEP, including the āsongs āNo āLonger Bound,ā āGod āProblems,ā and āāCrazy Love.ā
Rasheed Chappell & The Arcitype ā Sugar Bills (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
Rasheed āChappell releases āhis latest album, āSugar Bills, āproduced by The āArcitype. The āproject blends old āand new, āshowcasing Chappellās versatility. āThe standout ātrack, āChappell Show,ā ādisplays his ālyricism and enduring āartistry. The āalbum is sample-free ābut still āradiates classic energy. āWith guest āappearances from Rome āStreetz, 38 āSpesh, and Jasmine āLopez, Sugar āBills solidifies Chappellās āposition in āthe underground hip-hop āscene.
Phro. ā Ambition 2 (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
Phro. returns with Ambitions 2. In the follow-up to 2020ās Ambitions, he grabbed some heavy hitters from Skyzoo, Blu, Chuck Strangers, Jayy Grams, and more.
ZelooperZ & Quadie Diesel ā Quazel (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
Zelooperzās ālatest offering, Quazel, ādoes not ādisappoint. With its āoddball beats āand idiosyncratic delivery, āthe album āstays true to āthe artistās āsignature style. However, āit must ābe noted that āthere is āa slight lack āof cohesion ābetween the two āartists featured āon this record. āWhile Quadie āDiesel showcases some āimpressive flows, āthere are moments āwhere he āseems to lose āhis footing āand struggles to ākeep up. āNevertheless, both rappers āinject the āalbum withĀ āplayful and enjoyable ābars, maintaining āa lighthearted tone.
Shaykh Hanif & MichaelAngelo ā Wilderness of North America (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
Wilderness of North America is the latest release from Shaykh Hanif and MichaelAngelo. The fans of classic hip-hop look no further to check this album out.