For Fresh Picks albums this week: Brit Taylor takes on life's challenges with humor, Domenique Fils-Aimé takes you on a vocal jazz odyssey, Rich Mattson and the Northstars put on for the Iron Range, and Swedish artist waterbaby lands with a splash.
Plus new singles from another Swede, José Gonzáles, from rising Sudanese-Minnesotan Dua Saleh and Bon Iver, from Portland's Ages and Ages, and Colorado's Hypothetical Bluegrass Situation.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Asst. Music Director Malachy Koons and Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon.
Albums
Brit Taylor - Land of the Forgotten
For the Americana-country singer’s third album, Brit Taylor drew inspiration from the sound and storytelling of '80s and '90s country while paying tribute to her East Kentucky Appalachian roots. Produced by Taylor’s husband and co-writer Adam Chaffins, the album finds Taylor tackling the thornier sides of life with a carefree, sometimes humorous touch.
As Taylor puts it in her news release, the goal is to put “a light-hearted spin on some of the tougher things about life. Not to make light of difficult times, but to remind us two things can exist at one time and not to forget to look at the bright side.”
In an often confusing era of country music, Land of the Forgotten reminds us that the roots of storytelling in country music are still alive and well. -KH
Dominique Fils-Aimé - My World Is The Sun
From the steadily marching rebirth of “Phoenix Rising” to the continually growing spiritualism of “The River,” Montréal vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé’s fifth album is a breathtaking vocal jazz odyssey. Music that taps into seemingly contradicting concepts is always ear-catching, and My World Is The Sun is simultaneously out of this world yet deeply rooted in the earth. Along with a distinct Afro-Caribbean sound from her Haitian heritage, Fils-Aimé’s blending of soul and the blues will appeal to many outside the jazz world as well. -MK
Rich Mattson and the Northstars - Wake up Songs
From their Iron Range studio in Sparta, Rich Mattson and the Northstars return with another high-quality “American Cosmic Rock” album. From the bombast of “Rendezvous With a Star” to the late-night nostalgia of “Nighthawks,” the band is in typically fine form on its seventh full-length. We’re lucky to have a band this consistently good, tearing up dive bars and music halls alike around the state of Minnesota. -MK
waterbaby - Memory Be a Blade
A delightful pairing of alt-R&B with chamber-folk string arrangements, waterbaby’s (Sweden’s Kendra Egerbladh) debut album has an effortless, quiet and understated beauty to it. I’d throw the term bedroom-pop into the mix, but there’s no way you could fit all these strings and piano parts into any bedroom I’ve seen. Seriously, the arrangements are fire. The winding cello and violin lines of the title track, the Steve Reich minimalism of “Beck n Call,” the sweeping “Minnie,” and the blossoming folk-rock of “Amiss,” all show a talented artist whose classical background is the perfect complement to her heartfelt pop songwriting. -MK
Singles
José González - "A Perfect Storm"
A storm might not be the weather you’d associate with Swedish songwriter José González, but the hypnotic frenzy of his nylon string guitar, thump of his kick drum, and the heights his often-subdued voice hits easily rises to the occasion on his new single “A Perfect Storm.” West African blues, and particularly the Malian instrument the kora, come to mind in González’s playing. The “Perfect Storm” in this case is a manmade one: out of control AI growth, depleting resources, and the success of few at the expense of many. “Hey now! It’s not random.” -MK
Dua Saleh - "Glow ft. Bon Iver"
This Twin Cities artist has been making a name for themselves behind the scenes as a songwriter, rapper and actor. On this song, they enlist Bon Iver to bring the sweet, sensuous vocals as they go back and forth about love, trust and uncertainty. “Glow” opens with a gentle acoustic guitar and both singers letting us know that modern R&B is still about desire. -DG
Ages and Ages - "Feel Amazing"
The indie pop rock band from Portland is back with their first release since 2019. Known for their hooks and catchy songwriting, “Feel Amazing” fits right in that wheelhouse using a driving beat and repeating chorus of, “Don’t know what I want/ all I know is that I want it to be real and I want to feel amazing.” So simple, and yet, isn’t that what we all want? -KH
Hypothetical Bluegrass Situation - "Cry You Criers"
It is not a hypothetical to state that bluegrass purists will love, love, love this tune from this trio of Colorado boys. Fierce banjo pickin’, upbeat guitar and bass pluckin’, and those ever-present bluegrass harmonies make this tune a winner! - DG
