The Plug’n Play: November (‘21)
November 30, 2021
You can listen to the full playlist Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
Below are some of our favorite songs from the month, and a bit about why we love them. The first 11 songs were selected by Kevin, and the last 10 songs were selected by me, Stanley. We hope you find a song you like, and check out the entire album!
Stanley: Terrace Martin — Work It Out (Featuring Cordae)
Terrace Martin keeps busy. Whether it’s touring with Herbie Hancock, playing with one of the many bands he’s a part of (let’s see, there’s Gray Area, Dinner Party, R+R=Now, The Pollyseeds — I think that’s it), or running his independent label, Sounds of Crenshaw, Martin finds a way to reinvent himself constantly. While collaboration is instrumental to Martin as an artist, Drones, Martin’s most recent release, is his first solo offering since his 2016 album, Velvet Portraits. Drones has a familiar set of characters we’ve come to know within Martin’s extended universe — Kendrick Lamar, YG, Thundercat, James Fauntleroy, Ty Dolla $ign, as well as other artists Martin’s worked with in more recent years: Cordae, Leon Bridges, and Channel Tres. Drones is an album drenched in G-Funk and the soulful sounds of Los Angeles’ indie soul scene; it’s one of Martin’s best offerings to date.
Stanley: Masego and Devin Morrison — Yamz
Devin Morrison and Masego represent something that is both familiar and recognizable to me. Sure, their sonic approach is certainly rooted in eras of music that I appreciate — mid-90s Gospel, early-2000s R&B and Hip-Hop. But more than those things, they are, effectively, two church kids making music (the good stuff, the “worldly” stuff, if you will), bringing with them a level of musicianship and musicality that often feels foreign in today’s musical landscape. Their new song Yamz is playful, and you can tell they aren’t taking themselves too seriously. And musically, it feels like two musicians hanging out after church, shedding a bit before the deacon turns off the lights, passive aggressively telling them to leave the building.
Stanley: Silk Sonic — Blast Off
Blast Off, the final track from Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s collaborative album, is dynamically impressive; it doesn’t just let time pass but actively moves from point to point. The song, like the album, is an homage to an era of Soul music extending from the 1970s. But what makes this song in particular special, to me, is the third and unsung member of Silk Sonic, producer D’Mile. D’Mile’s production shines on this album, but it’s especially prescient in the final 2 minuets, as the song earnestly has key change after key change. It’s an excellent coda to the album and further evidence of D’Mile’s several years long hot streak.
