![]() ![]() But what we can know is that Welcome 2 America is a legitimate late-career standout from a musical giant, with Prince using the States’ Obama-era failings as fuel for just under an hour of caustic, collaborative funk, rock and soul. Perhaps Welcome 2 America-recorded, then shelved by the Purple One in 2010-would have seen the light of day eventually, and perhaps it would have remained under indefinite lock and key at Paisley Park. The ethics of Prince’s vault and the continuous release of its contents by the late legend’s estate are thorny, indeed. Jones, Aaron Frazer and their bandmates acknowledge both the pandemic and ongoing struggles against police violence in album opener “Love Will Work It Out,” presenting their record’s thesis statement in response: “Joy will set us free / If you do believe / So don’t you ever doubt / That love will work it out.” That clear-eyed conviction makes the band’s slickly soulful jams shine all the brighter, positioning Private Space as an oasis in troubled times. The May release of lead single “ Witchoo” made it immediately clear that, with their third album Private Space, Durand Jones & The Indications were making music with one foot planted in the past (via their throwback soul sound) and the other in the present: We praised that track as “an irresistible ode to getting together and having a good time,” adding that “with a cathartic summer right around the corner in the States, the band’s timing couldn’t be better.” This summer hasn’t proven quite so simple, unfortunately-but fortunately, neither has Private Space. ![]() Jason Friedmanĭurand Jones & The Indications: Private Space Happier Than Ever ranges between club ragers, personally empowering pop and all-out confessionals, marking a distinct shift from the singer’s knowingly playful debut that pays off wonderfully. Bold risks, like the multiple sections of “GOLDWING” or the 2000s neo-soul revival of “Billie Bossa Nova,” pay off in part because of the artist’s incredible capacity for building emotional tension within her lyrics. In some of the most dynamic, emotionally complex and brilliantly produced music of her career thus far, the singer copes openly with the strain her recent superstardom has had on her relationships, her sexuality and her path in life. Don’t just take our word for it-hear all of today’s top-priority releases for yourself below.įollowing the chart-topping, reputation-establishing charm of 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? sounds like a monumental task, but on Billie Eillish’s new album Happier Than Ever, she makes it seem effortless. At the tippy-top of Paste Music’s minds are the latest albums from TORRES, Yola, Son Volt and Durand Jones & The Indications, but new records from Billie Eilish and Isaiah Rashad aren’t to be missed, either, and nor is Prince’s posthumous Welcome 2 America, a previously unreleased record that resonates all the more over a decade after it was shelved. When he sings, “it don’t matter to me at all,” you can’t help but hear the weight of his time with Tupelo.July’s final New Music Friday just might be its biggest and brightest, with an array of appointment-listening-level releases vying for our collective eardrums. Out of the ashes, came a band in Son Volt that has been as consistently reliable as any for 25 years. Over violin, Farrar all but announced it: “take my picture off the wall,” he sings, begging for his TV back. Their cover of “Give Back The Key To My Heart” is essential Tupelo from 1993’s Anodyne. Three years later, Uncle Tupelo was all but done – a crusher, as they seemed to have found an even more perfect blend of old school factory blues and twangy Americana. It sounded as if Woody Guthrie had finished an assembly line job and had The Replacements on his Walkman. It’s the Rust Belt in a few lines: “Hometown, same town blues. Same old walls closing in.” Listen to “Graveyard Shift” from 1990’s No Depression, led by Farrar. In the late 80s and early 90s, Uncle Tupelo started releasing records that no one else was making. Jay Farrar and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy basically invented a whole new genre of music – No Depression – combining the rawness of grunge and hometown appeal of Americana-infused punk. In many ways, Son Volt is the blueprint of Americana, setting trends for over two decades. Son Volt gets played to the cafe crowd and the blue collar crowd. Son Volt is the type of band that can appeal to the country music fan, the punk and the indie music fan. There seems to be something even greater. Sticking around for over two decades, recording timeless No Depression-style Americana? Yes, there’s that. There aren’t many bands that can do what Son Volt has done. Son Volt’s 2019 album Union is the band’s ninth release ![]()
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