Discover great new music this weekend with our weekly roundup of new songs and albums! This week’s New Release Cheat Sheet features new music by Branford Marsalis, Ric Wilson, Lee Fields, MF Doom and BADBADNOTGOOD, among others.
New Songs and Videos
Emicida, “É Tudo Pra Ontem,” feat. Gilberto Gil
Brazilian rapper/activist Emicida has shared a new, slow-grooving and life-affirming track, “É Tudo Pra Ontem,” featuring the voice of legendary Brazilian songwriter Gilberto Gil reciting a poem by Ailton Krenak. It is also included in the new Netflix documentary AmarElo – It’s All for Yesterday. The film weaves together live concert footage, interviews and recording sessions for his 2019 album AmarElo, as well as engaging animated sequences illuminating the legacy of Black culture in Brazil.
Ric Wilson, “Trunk Music”
Chicago-based musicians/activist Ric Wilson has shared a new brassy, low-key single titled “Trunk Music,” which he explains was written two years ago. “When I heard this beat my cousin made, it reminded me of seeing Grand Prix on southside blocks as a shorty and hearing the loud music coming from the sound systems,” Wilson recalls. The track features Sam Veren, Niko the Great and Reggie Got Beats, and is accompanied by a video shot by Wilson himself one year ago.
BADBADNOTGOOD and MF Doom, “The Chocolate Conquistadors”
Iconic British producer Daniel Dumile, best known as masked rapper MF Doom, passed away last night, aged 49. The news was announced by his wife Jasmine via a post online and the cause of death has not yet been revealed. He had recently released a new song with BADBADNOTGOOD titled “The Chocolate Conquistadors” on the updated Grand Theft Auto Online radio station. The two acts previously collaborated on “Ray Gun” from the jazz group’s Sour Soul, released in 2015.
https://youtu.be/xQsSAaRUJyU
New Albums
Branford Marsalis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Music from the Netflix Film) (Milan)
Branford Marsalis showcases his profound understanding of the blues on his original score for the upcoming biographical Netflix film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. “Branford’s arrangements capture not only the cultural and regional DNA in Ma Rainey’s songs, but the wit and rage embedded in every note, shout and moan,” says the film’s director George C. Wolfe.
Becca Stevens and Elan Mehler, Pallet on Your Floor (Newvelle)
Vocalist/guitarist Becca Stevens and pianist/composer Elan Mehler find quiet comfort in the midst of uncertain times, reworking weathered songs on Pallet on Your Floor. All tracks were recorded on first or second takes, a choice that along with their shared chemistry brings new life to this program of standards and well-known folk tunes.
Lee Fields & The Expressions, Big Crown Vaults Vol. 1 (Colemine)
The first of Colemine Records’ new series, Big Crown Vaults, compiling unreleased songs and gems from the label’s archive. The first issue showcases the musical prowess and unparalleled groove of iconic soul vocalist Lee Fields and The Expressions. These are both vocals and instrumental tracks cut during the Special Night (2016) and It Rains Love (2019) sessions.
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