Wednesday Roundups #31: 9 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time
Stream releases from Black Pumas, Leela James, Mayer Hawthorne, DESTIN CONRAD, Domo Genesis & Graymatter, Brandon Williams, SIPHO, Erykah Officer, and Radamiz.
Welcome back to Shatter the Standards!
The thirty-first outing of Wednesday Roundups!
It might be challenging to prioritize your music listening when so much new music isĀ available. Shatter the Standards provides a weekly summary of newsworthy releases on streaming platforms. Black Pumas, Leela James, Mayer Hawthorne, DESTIN CONRAD, Domo Genesis & Graymatter, Brandon Williams, SIPHO, Erykah Officer, and Radamiz 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!
Black Pumas ā Chronicles of a Diamond (Soul) [Listen]
Black Pumasā new āalbum, Chronicles āof a Diamond, āis a āgrounded and expansive ārecord showcasing the best 21st-century soul music. āThe duo, āconsisting of Eric āBurton and āAdrian Quseada, has ācreated a āfusion of rockānāroll, ājazz, hip-hop, āand soulful vibes āthat surpasses ātheir debut album. āBurtonās increased āinvolvement inĀ āsongwriting and ārecording has āallowed him āto showcase his āartistic growth and confidence. The āalbum features anthemic ātracks like āāMore Than a āLove Songā āand heartfelt songs ālike āMrs āPostman,ā demonstrating Black āPumasā ability āto deliver authentic āand honest ācompositions. With this āalbum, Black āPumas solidified their āposition as āleaders in the āsoul revival āmovement.
Leela James ā Thought U Knew (R&B) [Listen]
Leela Jamesā ānew album āThought U Knew āfeatures nine ātracks and was āreleased through āShe Sangz Music/BMG. āThe album āincludes a notable āsingle, āRight āBack In It,ā āwhich was āwell-received, landing in āthe top ā10 of Billboardās āAdult R&B āAirplay chart. The albumās ātitle track was āreleased as āa second single āwith an āaccompanying video inspired āby a ā1996 cult classic. āThe album āexplores āself-reflection, love, āand infidelity through ātracks like āāGood On Meā āand āIf āI Was Your āWoman.ā Thought āU Knew follows āJamesā successful ā2021 album See āMe. Leela āJames is promoting āthe album āon a global ātour, extending āher performances in āNorth America āpost-October, with additional āshows planned āfor winter 2024.
Mayer Hawthorne ā For All Time (Soul) [Listen]
āIn his āfifth studio effort, āFor All āTime, Mayer Hawthorne āextensively explores āthe human āheartās diverse intricacies, āmainly focusing āon the multi-faceted ānature of ālove and the āraw, unfiltered āemotions it evokes. āThe album āisnāt merely a ācollection of ātracks; itās an āexpedition into āthe core of āheartfelt sentiments. āEach melody resembles āa hallway leading āto the āextensive chambers of āloveās sensations, āwith Hawthorne as āthe discerning āguide. His ambiance āis atmospherically potent, ādrawing listeners āinto a smoky, āart deco ājazz club ambiance āthat is āas evocative as āsultry.
DESTIN CONRAD ā SUBMISSIVE (R&B) [Listen]
DESTIN CONRADās ānew album āSUBMISSIVE comprises nine ātracks with ānotable songs like āāSwitch,ā āOutta āControl,ā and āLuv ān Devotion,ā āand features artists āMasego and āJordan Conrad. The āalbum begins āwith āMariposa,ā illustrating āa complex ārelationship. In āLow āTide,ā CONRAD āexplores deep thoughts ātriggered by āhallucinogens. The album, ātranscending mere āsensual interpretations of āsubmissiveness, reflects āon embracing change āand personal āgrowth. This album āfollows his ā2022 project, Satin, and his ā2021 debut, Colorway.
Domo Genesis & Graymatter ā What You Donāt Get?! (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
What You Donāt āGet?! is āthe third album āfrom Inglewood ārapper Domo Genesis. āThe album āfeatures production from āGraymatter and āshowcases Domoās pen āskills. The ātracks vary in āsound, from ādrumless flute-tinged openers āto jazzy ābeats. Domo touches āon topics ālike not believing ābullshit, staying ātrue to himself, āand keeping āenemies close. The āalbum closes āon a heartfelt ānote, expressing āgratitude for his ājourney.
Brandon Williams ā The Loverās Suite (Jazz) [Listen]
Brandon Williams returns with The Lovers Suite. He follows up with the prequel to 2019ās The Love Factor, which is severely underrated. The album features guests, including Robert Gasper, Taylor Eigisti, Matt Cusson, Joe PorĆ©, Perry Hughes, and Brian McKnight, Jr.
SIPHO ā PRAYERS & PARANOIA (R&B) [Listen]
SIPHOās ādebut album, PRAYERS ā& PARANOIA, āis a hauntingly ābeautiful and āfierce work of āart. It ācombines foreboding strings, āiridescent vocals, āand powerful drums āto create āa unique sound. āThe album āexploresĀ āego, vulnerability, āand self-worth themes, making āit universally ārelatable. The emotional āand technical ārange displayed in āthe album āis awe-inspiring. Sharp ārock riffs āand piercing vocals āconvey raw āemotion, while uplifting āmoments add āa sense of āfun. PRAYERS ā& PARANOIA solidifies āSIPHO as āa dynamic and āexciting voice āin music today.
Erykah Officer ā Eryās Diary (R&B) [Listen]
āIn the āfirst revelation through āEryās Diary, āErykah Officer, the ādistinguished singer āfrom Queens, āunveils a ācollection of nine āreflective tracks, ālike itās taken āfrom pages āstraight out of āa journal. āThe cozy ambiance āof the āproduction and āthe raw āhonesty in her ālyrics allow āfor a genuine āpeek into āher inner musings, ādisplaying a ālevel of vulnerability āthat resonates ādeeply. Despite its ābrevity, this āpiece solidifies Erykahās āplace as āa refreshing new āvoice, breaking āthe silence that āonce enveloped āsuch critical discussions āand allowing āunguarded discourse āto flourish.
Radamiz ā El Duende! (Hip-Hop) [Listen]
āWith a nod āof approval āfrom Eminem and āa remarkable āappearance at Gypsy āSportās Los āAngeles Fashion Week āshow, Brooklynās āown Radamiz reveals āhis newest āmusical creation, El āDuende! This ācollection of nine ātunes ventures āinto the realm āof āDuende,ā āa notion brought āto light āby Federico Garcia āLorca about āa hundred years āago, holding āa significant position āin the āarts. The album includes the earlier āshared tracks āāThe Monkās Ferrariā āand a ājoint venture with ICECOLDBISHOP, āFfiirree.ā