What better way to start the year in music than with an unexpected coming together of two icons. Master of Soul Al Green covers alternative giants R.E.M. in this epic rendition of the latter’s 1992 classic “Everybody Hurts.” Slow burning and infused with the gospel sensibilities that have long-defined Green’s career, this soaring single benefits from warm strings, organs, and a chorus of backup singers you can see swaying in your mind’s eye. If you’ve been feeling a little stressed since shedding the cocoon of winter break, this track’s gonna help you out. — Adria Kloke
Take a deep breath and submerge under waves of reverb with this ‘80s-informed single from Aussie-Canadian artist Jack J. Featuring a strong ‘n’ steady beat, rippling guitar work, and a smudged-lens & slow-mo video to match the track’s dreamy nature — this is your official permission slip to sit back and just vibe. Jack J has releases under his belt that place his work in multiple spaces: house, indie, electronic, and ambient. If you’re digging the feels from this one, check out J’s latest LP Blue Desert, released via his label Mood Hut in November, 2024. — AK
Leave it to UK breakbeat/rave legend and current XL Recordings boss Richard Russell (aka Everything Is Recorded) to assemble such a thrillingly harmonious crew. On “Losing You,” you’ll find original Public Image Ltd bassist Jah Wobble, jazz trumpet-expansionist Yazz Ahmed, electro-folk minimalist Laura Groves, and Russell’s fellow breakbeat experimenter (and longtime collaborator) Sampha. It’s the voice and influence of the latter that give the track its yearning R&B structure, but the more you listen, the more you’ll pick up the distinct flavors that each artist is adding to the brew.
A full LP, Temporary, is due on Feb. 28 and this track is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wild combinations. Elsewhere on the record you’ll find the stylings of Kamasi Washington, Roses Gabor, Alabaster DePlume, Florence Welch, Bill Callahan, Noah Cyrus, and many more — all mixed and matched in ways we cannot wait to hear. — Marion Hodges
London-based, French-Senegalese artist anaiis is someone who makes music with finely honed intention. Since breaking through in 2018 with the angular soul of “Nina,” she has carefully and steadily evolved and adapted. See: her recently released album, anaiis & Grupo Cosmo, on which she fleshes out soul-stirring sonic concepts gleaned from a month-long artist residency in Salvador, Brazil. Building from the life-altering experience which took place in February, 2020, she’s enlisted Brazilian music luminaries including Sessa and Biel Basile to craft songs like “B.P.E” which come across as breezy, but in a bone-deep, well-earned kind of way. — MH
Languid synth and woodwind-forward pop replete with universally relevant lyrics about blank pages and fresh starts? Don’t mind if we do. This deceptively complex number from English songwriter Martin Luke Brown is a must if you’re gathering material for a “New Year, New You” playlist. And there’ll be plenty more where that came from when Brown’s sophomore album man oh man ! hits shelves and DSPs on Feb. 21. — MH
