Meshell Ndegeocello - No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin - Blue Note Records

Meshell Ndegeocello -"No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin" [Tangerine 2 LP] Capitol Music Group; Blue Note; Jazz / Meshell Ndegeocello follows her GRAMMY-winning Blue Note debut The Omnichord Real Book with No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, another visionary album that pays homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin and will be released on his centennial: August 2, 2024. Meshell's transformative music and collaborative spirit ignites this genre-bending work that is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a testimonial, and a call to action, creating a shared space for reflection, conversation, and social change. Co-produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce, No More Water also features frequent collaborators Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as powerful spoken word performances by Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.

 49 Winchester - Leavin' This Holler - New West Records 

Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester is following up their 2022 breakthrough hit, Fortune Favors The Bold with their latest album, Leavin’ This Holler. Since their last release in 2022 the band has mined success across the globe by playing multiple sold out tours in the US as well as a sold out run of arena concerts opening for Luke Combs across Europe. Crowds have celebrated and supported this band across the globe and the band’s hard workin ways continue to help build their devoted following.

Leavin’ This Holler is a soulful anthem of liberation and renewal. The album narrates a journey of breaking free from the chains of the past to pursue happiness and freedom. With a resolute spirit and a clean washed heart, 49 Winchester embraces change and sets out on a quest for new heights. Fortune has favored these bold boys and fueled by determination and the promise of a bright future, ‘Leavin’ this holler’ is a powerful ode to resilience and the pursuit of personal fulfillment.

Orville Peck - Stampede - Warner Records 

Critically acclaimed, Orville Peck has long dreamed of making Stampede, a duets album with singers, songwriters, and fellow musicians he’s long admired. And now, music icons, rebels and newcomers join hand-in-hand with Orville on his third full-length body of work to help create a two-part record that tips its hat to music’s past, present, and future. Orville just released the first part to this project Stampede: Vol.1 on 5/10 with duets such as Willie Nelson, Midland, Elton John, Allison Russell, Noah Cyrus, Bu Cuaron and Nathaniel Rateliff. Slant Magazine describes Volume 1 as "a reflection of both the singer’s dedication to the genre and his desire not to be confined by it."

In The Lonely Hour - (10th Anniversary Edition) - Capitol Records 

GRAMMY, BRIT, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning artist Sam Smith marks a decade of their multi-platinum debut, In the Lonely Hour. Released in 2014, In the Lonely Hour was the first of many incredible milestones and successes that Sam would achieve over the course of their standout career. The GRAMMY Award-winning, now 6x RIAA platinum-certified album became the biggest selling debut album of the decade, leading to Sam being awarded a Guinness World Record for holding the most number of consecutive weeks in the UK Top 10 Album Chart in the 2010s. The 10-track project includes UK Number 1’s “Money On My Mind” and “Stay With Me,” which saw Sam’s debut in the Billboard Hot 100. Other hits on the album are “I’m Not The Only One,” “Like I Can” and “Lay Me Down.”

Bobby Hutcherson - Medina (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) - Blue Note Records 

The late-1960s and early-1970s were a wildly creative period for Bobby Hutcherson  with the vibraphonist freely exploring a wide range of stylistic possibilities from post-bop and the avant-garde to fusion and Latin Jazz. The cutting-edge 1969 session Medina—which wouldn’t be first released until 1980 as part of the LT Series—documented one of Hutcherson’s most remarkable band line-ups featuring two of his frequent collaborators—Harold Land on tenor saxophone and flute and Joe Chambers on drums—along with Stanley Cowell on piano and Reggie Johnson on bass. The set presented a pair of original compositions each by Hutcherson, Cowell, and Chambers that explored a variety of moods from the churning rhythms of “Avis” and “Medina” to the more atmospheric realms of “Comes Spring” and “Orientale.”

Lee Morgan - Taru (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) - Blue Note Records

Lee Morgan’s 1968 album Taru—which wouldn’t be first released until 1980 as part of the LT Series—found the trumpeter at a crossroads exploring a variety of styles. The band on this outstanding date is notable for several reasons including the elevating presence of guitarist George Benson who delivers inspired solos throughout. The session also marked Morgan’s first recorded collaboration with tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin who would play an integral role on future Morgan albums including Caramba! and Live at the Lighthouse. Rounding out the sextet were pianist John Hicks, bassist Reggie Workman, and the ever-inspiriting drummer Billy Higgins. The six-song set covered a range of stylistic ground including modal jazz (“Avotcja One”), hard-charging post-bop (“Get Yourself Together”), beautiful balladry (“Haeschen” and “Taru, What’s Wrong With You?”), gospel-tinged numbers (“Dee Lawd”), and funky boogaloos (“Durem”).