I’m doing double duty this week. And by that I mean, I was too preoccupied with life to write this column last week so I’m doing it today — March 27th — before I dive into this week’s drops.
This week and last have been great ones for music. March 20th gave us a great new EP by L.A.-based rapper Samara Cyn, Smile 2 star Naomi Scott’s new album F.I.G., and more. Meanwhile March 27th brought me two of my most anticipated albums of the year: Slayyyter’s WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA and Raye’s sophomore album This Music May Contain Hope.
While I’m excited about today’s drops, let’s look to last week and see what you should go back in time and listen to.
When The City Sleeps – Alex Isley
One of my biggest pet peeves in music today is that songs are too damn short. I feel like every time I put on a new song, by the time I get into it, it’s already over. Lucky for me, Alex Isley is here to save the day. The R&B singer’s new album When The City Sleeps is a whopping 53 minutes 40 seconds long—a rarity in today’s day and age of 2 minute long bops. Of the 15 tracks on this LP, 10 of them are at least three minutes long, with several of them being over four. Isley has the type of voice you want to spend that amount of time with. Her vocals are smooth and sultry. The instrumentation on this album is pretty subdued and allows Isley’s voice to shine without being boring or repetitive. In short, this is just a damn good R&B album, perfect for fans of Ari Lennox, SZA or H.E.R.
Standout track: “PCH”
Detour – Samara Cyn
If you have twenty minutes to kill, be it during your commute to work or while walking your dog, do yourself a favor and put on Samara Cyn’s new EP. Detour is short and sweet and leaves you wanting more without making you feel like it’s an incomplete project. Cyn is one of those rare breeds who is as good a rapper as she is a singer and she utilizes those skills to the max on this project. Opening track “Free” begins with Cyn’s airy vocals pulling you in like a siren before breaking into a drum and bass track that gets you moving and perfectly closing with the message “You are now on a detour from expectation.” The following six tracks are a journey through Cyn’s musical style ranging from R&B and soul to 90s rap. It’s a perfect pint-sized musical work to throw on when you want something fun but not overly time consuming to sink your teeth into.
Standout track: “BUSHWICK (with Ovrkast.)”
F.I.G. – Naomi Scott
When I saw Smile 2 in theaters, one of the things that stood out to me most was how good Naomi Scott’s character’s, the fictional pop star Skye Riley, music was. I lowkey became Skye Nation, which is unfortunate if you know how the movie ends, but I shan’t spoil it here for you.
Luckily for me and the other moviegoers who enjoyed the music of the movie, Scott, the real life singer, has just dropped a really great new pop R&B album. This album is minimalist — the production isn’t busy in the slightest — but it’s not boring. Scott’s voice is the perfect north star for the instrumentation to follow and is commanding enough to keep your attention at all times. The more upbeat songs like “Cherry,” “Cut Me Loose,” and “Gracie” are fun danceable bops, perfect for a little bedroom dance party.
Standout track: “Gracie”
6WA – BigXthaPlug and 600 Ent.
6WA brings together BigXthaPlug and a series of artists on his 600 Entertainment label for a collaborative mixtape that blends Southern and West Coast rap styles. This mixtape is a fun showcasing of styles and artistry from a large group of rappers that at no point feel like they’re trying to outdo or one up one another. BigXthaPlug serves as a consistent throughline, effortlessly guiding the musicality and storytelling of this project as he is on nearly every track. BigX making room for a series of up-and-coming rappers to hop on a track with him, someone who’s been in the industry for years, as well as guest star Snoop Dogg—who appears on “6IXER Party”— is commendable. The 600 Entertainment are paving the way for a new generation of rappers to make their name in the industry and they’re doing it with this project.
Standout track: “From The Bottom”