Culture Calling's Top 5 albums of the week, an eclectic mix of records from across genres and decades. Come discover weekly albums to bulk out your collection.
Natia - 10K Hours
"I was going insane, I was sleeping in the rain but I was okay", raps Natia on his chorus for 'Optimism'. Spending ages to 18 to 24 living on the streets, in his head he was preparing for a career in music, knowing that if he carried on with his talent and mindset, he could find a way out.
Similar to other rappers who've spent time on the streets, such as MF DOOM, Natia garners a unique perspective unconcerned with popularity and clout, and less afraid to show vulnerability. The beat selection ranging from gloomy Dilla-style, to a sunny 90s West Coast sound, to modern trap, Natia doesn't stay penned into one acceptable musical style, nor to one style of rapping.
Highly melodic, the hook from 'Optimism' especially, Natia doesn't sing-rap so much as chant, as if on a club track. And while he does rap about popping bottles, it is rarely without a tinge of melancholy, as his personal struggles and resulting mental health leads him to further numb himself. A captivating rap record.
Top track: Optimism
Sons of Kemet – Your Queen Is A Reptile
At first, I thought the album title was funny, and the long song titles were equally worth a chuckle, until I peeled it back and realised the obvious themes of Black consciousness they evoke on a largely, if not entirely, wordless album.
Referring to the reptilian conspiracy, which I’m sure is made tongue in cheek, it is a rejection of Western or White leaders in favour of leaders of Black communities across the Black Atlantic. Angela Davis, Harriet Tubman, Ada Eastman, Yaa Asantewaa; Sons of Kemet are paying tribute to the great Black women who have inspired many in the face of oppression.
It may not have been obvious or clear at all simply through their instrumental afrobeat and afrojazz hybrids, even when the formation of these genres came through Black consciousness and collaboration of disparate Black cultures.
So, Sons Of Kemet make it clear, that their musical styles are a direct result of the same spirit of defiance that made these idols their Queens.
Top track: My Queen is the Nanny of Marroons
Cymande – Second Time Around
One of Britain’s greatest funk and soul acts, Cymande have been sampled every which way in the last 30 years and left a tangible legacy in British music despite them only releasing three albums, all from the early 70s.
Their second record, largely retracing the same steps as their first, takes a slightly more mellow approach compared to the funk blowout on their debut, as even their biggest, most radio friendly track here, ‘Crawshay’, has through its core a mellow piano lick and generally minimal arrangement.
Moving from funk and afrobeat to souljazz and afrojazz, their iconic tune ‘Willy’s Headache’ is a fantastic exercise in restraint, relying on a solid melody and intricate drums to fill up the void,, while still containing the essence of funk.
But they still got bangers, including the raucous, lively ‘Fug’, and the calypso-sounding ‘Trevorgus’, and even after decades of wider musical hybridity, their specific blend is still a challenge to title. They called it ‘nyah-rock’, but regardless, if you hear a group doing this type of style, it will be obvious to you that Cymande invented it.
Top track: Willie's Headache
Ella Fitzgerald – Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
One of the greatest vocalists of all time, covering songs written by one of the greatest and most prolific songwriters of the last century, cooks up an excellent recipe for lofty, grand, empowering music.
You may not know it, but Cole Porter has written some of the big classics and standards of the early-middle-20th century. ‘Don’t Fence Me In’, a song which he grew ashamed of, ‘In The Still of the Night’, ‘Ace in the Hole’, and ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’, which later became something of a jazz standard, famously covered by John Coltrane in an mellow yet electrifying modal jazz form.
We already knew it, but Ella could turn her voice to any key, any tempo, any energy, all with the same evident depth of feeling that turns each rendition into what sounds like a Fitzgerald original. A strong contender for Planet Earth’s greatest ever singer.
Top track: Don't Fence Me In
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
We don’t have a bias here. We obviously love Kendrick, having wrote about him last week, and while it seemed we were anti-Drake in the midst of the ongoing rap beef, we acknowledge it’s foolish to discount his influence, and, indeed, musical talent.
Back when he had something to prove, Drake rapped and sang with a meaningful urgency, sounding like a man with a lot to say, a lot to think about, but with much to learn about life.
Despite the disappointments later in his career, his insistence on staying commercial and down with the kids, Nothing Was The Same was his crucial bridge between bragadocia and vulnerability that still holds mass appeal for alternative rap fans after over a decade.
Lyrics like ‘furthest thing from perfect like everyone I know’, ‘this the [****] I wanna go out to’, and ‘learning the true consequences of my selfish decisions’ paints a picture of a man in a deeply sombre and contemplative mood, still trying to mature to adulthood and face lifes challenges square on. It’s fitting then, that the alternative album cover was a picture of Drake as a boy.
Despite his growth and challenges, he’s still got that kid in him.
Top track: Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2 (skip Jay Z's verse)