The Plug'n Play: April (‘20)
April 30, 2020
You can listen to the full playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal
We’re in day (???) of quarantine, and things have been gloomy, but our April showers have come in the form of music! The Battle That Was Promised, But Postponed, Then Finally Happened between Teddy Riley and Babyface lived up to the hype (eventually), John P. Kee and Hezekiah Walker added to the festivities offering a classic showdown between Northeastern and Southern Gospel, The Clark Sisters movie was well-done, and an exciting watch-at-home movie (all things considered), there was a Prince Tribute (people act like he didn’t make music after ‘89, but that’s a story for another day), and Questlove DJ’d for a rousing ??? hours over the course of the month on Instagram Live.
Without a doubt, April’s clocked in as the strongest month from the year. April’s featured some incredible jazz releases from Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes, Thundercat, Emmavie and Alfa Mist, and Nate Smith; Gospel albums from L. Spenser Smith and Petter CottonTale, whose album help push the genre forward, while building on the tradition of Black church music; single releases from Khruangbin, Victoria Monét, and India Shawn, all of which are in anticipation for their respective forthcoming albums; Hip-Hop releases from Isaiah Rashad (surprise, surprise!), Ivan Ave, Westside Gunn, Qulle Chris and Chris Keys, and Meg Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé(!!!). And this is just the overview! There’s been a ridiculous amount of music released in April.
Songs 1-17, were selected by me, Stanley, and songs 18-34 were selected by Kevin. As always, we hope you find a song you like and check out the entire album! Below are some of our favorite songs from the month and a little about why we love them.
Stanley: Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes — Last 100
Picking one song from Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes’ What Kinda Music was hard, almost impossible. What Kinda Music melds the worlds of Misch and Dayes, pulling out the best in each other, covering areas where the other lack. Misch, a talented songwriter and guitarist, can easily become too enthralled in some of his pop-sensibilities; Dayes, whose music I find incredible, can be too heady for some. What Kinda Music pulls in some of the best from London’s ever-growing jazz-fusion scene — Rocco Palladino on bass (yes, the son of legendary, Pino Palladino), saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi, and a guest feature from Freddie Gibbs.
Stanley: James Bambu — G.B.N.F.I.L.
James Bambu’s latest offering Dialogue shows an artist in a clear upward creative trajectory, taking more risks, and getting better with each project. James Bambu draws on an endless well of soul music, citing artists like D’Angelo, Maxwell, and Lenny Kravitz as some of his key inspirations. Pulling on this tradition, Bambu represents some of the best of what soul music is, and can be, in 2020. This song, G.B.N.F.I.L., in particular is my favorite song from his project: the deep snare drum on the hook, the 808s on the breakdown in the verses, the synth bass on the hooks, and Bambu’s vocals soaring over top make for an incredible combination.
Stanley: Victoria Monét — Dive
Over the past decade, Victoria Monét’s made a name for herself as a songwriter - penning songs for everyone from Nas and T.I. to Chrisette Michelle and Fifth Harmony. Most notably, Monét served as one of the primary contributing writers to Arianna Grande’s thank u, next, earning her Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. After a series of EPs, Monét is slated to release her debut album Jaguar later this year. Dive, the second single from Monét’s album, features production from D’Mile, sees the artist fit right in her vocal pocket, and shows her range as a songwriter as well as a budding songwriter + producer relationship.
