Grammy Award-winner Mojo Morgan cuts through the noise with substance and style this month – Jamaica Love is a bold and brilliant new album, loaded with quirky riffs, colourful grooves, and provocative, intentional sentiments.
Music
From the atmospheric to the outright gritty and groovy, this album encapsulates an artistic dedication to music’s history, celebrating the unforgettable blues influence of legends like Otis Redding and Robert Johnson, while delivering a timeless and characterful lead from Will Foulke himself.
The soulful depth of human poetry never loses its true appeal and identity – ideas that are unique because the individual speaking them has never done so before; a boldly personal story, with twists of accessible emotion and reflection that help bridge the gap. British-Nigerian spoken-word artist Temi T dives into the enchanting power of wordplay and artistic expression, with Painted Intentions.
Rising Memphis songwriter Mary Hatley gifts her uniquely expressive and sultry vocals to a full-length album of original songs this season, with the reflective stories and blues-country grooves of The Poison I Choose.
Completing the approach with an eighties-esque production tone and a fine fusion of metaphor and personal anecdote, Hate It Here counters the scorn of its implied topic, with an unignorably addictive drop into the resounding earworm of its title-line. The single makes for a quickly satisfying and unmistakable new addition to the autumn pop playlists.
South Korean vocal powerhouse Sonnet breaks things down to the bare essentials, for the timeless piano ballad and divine performative brightness of Wishing For Rain.
Unconfined by genre is the songwriter who writes because there is no real alternative. The songs are the answers to our inner conflicts and concerns – they provide solace, an outlet, and some kind of clarity, and you can feel that as an observer of Paper Crown. The authenticity is impossible to fake, and the emotion woven into each performance, each original song, reinforces that throughout.
It’s a huge moment of vulnerability, subtly meandering between the likes of Imogen Heap and Depeche Mode to an extent, with a hint of Rusted Root to the jitter of the performance. In short though, Frygian captures his own sound and style with this, a genuine moment of artistry, unpredictable and captivating. It’s an intriguing and immersive introduction to his music.
Ethereal folk of a divinely delicate and profound poetic depth – Ghost Singers keep things simple but striking, for the enchanting aura and contemplations of Lost In Time.
An enchanting organic arrangement akin to a live performance – modern jazz-fusion with a certain ethereal, ambient softness to the capture. The Skylark Quartet excel themselves this season, with the autumn vibes, alluring melodies, and imaginative grooves, of Luna Rossa Al Belvedere.
Rock and roll endures – US outfit Moonspit return with Sleaze, a self-reflective groove driven by slick guitar riffs, raw and raspy vocals, and the explosive crash of live drums.
Ambient and incredibly delicate solo piano music, recorded with authenticity and feeling, which seems able to bring the outside world to a momentary pause; an essential moment of stillness, calm, and reflection.