Some bands play at urgency. The Stranglers made urgency feel elegant. Jean Jacques Burnel’s bass growled like a motorbike at idle, then launched like a racing cat. Dave Greenfield’s keyboards stitched baroque lines through alleyway riffs. Hugh Cornwell’s vocal turned cool observation into stagecraft, while Jet Black’s drums moved like a very precise storm. The […]
Rich Brian returns with his first album in six years, Where Is My Head? After prefacing the album with the single “Little Ray Of Light,” the Indonesian rapper followed up today with a new single, “She.” The video for the song is simple and straightforward, with Brian rapping in front of a monitor hooked up […]
Some singers visit a feeling. Patsy Cline built a house in it and left the porch light on. Her voice carried satin and gravel in the same breath, with phrasing that made everyday words sound like confidences. Arranger Owen Bradley set her inside warm rooms where steel guitar glowed, piano murmured, and the Jordanaires folded […]
Week in and week out, there are plenty of brand-new rap songs, no matter the time of year. It can be really difficult to stay aware of what’s out and also what’s hot, so XXL decided to make things much easier for you. Instead of sorting out nearly everything that was released this week, we’ve […]
Pop can be bubblegum and brass knuckles at the same time. Few artists have danced on that line with the confidence of Britney Spears. A whispered ad lib becomes a national catchphrase. A snare that hits like a camera flash turns a hook into a memory you can dance to forever. She bends vowels so […]
SZA is expanding her creative portfolio with an unexpected new role. After conquering music with her record-shattering albums CTRL and SOS and breaking into film with One Of Them Days, the multihyphenate adds another hyphen, announcing her appointment as the first-ever Artistic Director for skate shoe brand Vans. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the brand […]
Some bands chase the spotlight. Bad Company sounded like they walked in with the lights already warm. Paul Rodgers sang with church pew soul and barroom grit. Mick Ralphs carved riffs that could be scrawled on a jacket and still make sense at sunrise. Boz Burrell’s bass drew smooth lines under storms, and Simon Kirke’s […]
The ending of another work week brings a fresh batch of new projects for your listening pleasure. This week, a colorful Chicago rapper puts out his first album in six years, a Louisiana rhymer with a cult following delivers his second album in less than a month, another rapper from The Boot drops another installment to […]
Some singers glide. Gene Chandler floats and strides at the same time. The suit is sharp, the smile is welcoming, and the voice can lean silk smooth or ring like a bright bell across a dance floor. Chicago soul gives him grit and gospel glow. Doo wop schooling gives him poise. Great writers and arrangers […]
Genre-spanning experimenter Ashnikko thrilled with her 2023 debut album Weedkiller, and now she’s charging back with more: Today (August 14), Ashnikko announced Smoochies, a new album. She also just unveiled the punchy electro-pop single “Trinkets.” Ashnikko says of the song, “My little princess boys love being trinkets, hanging off my bag, looking up at me […]