The Arcs started as a side project for the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. They put out an album back in 2015 and were working on this album back in 2018 when their drummer, Richard Swift, died. They regrouped last year to finish up the album and it came out this January. It's a fun album and an easy listen. Would be a good album for a road trip.
Emanuel by Da' T.R.U.T.H.
Da' T.R.U.T.H. is Emanuel Lee Lambert Jr. and with this album, I believe his tenth since 2004 he is announcing a move to his name and a drop of Da' T.R.U.T.H. He is a Christian rap artist and on this album he's blending his rap with other artists to make a thoughtful and a musically blended album. We have a real vibe of R&B, gospel, and rap on this album that works quite well. Of all the Christian music out there, for me the Christian rap works the best. I could definitely see pulling some songs off of here for a mix someone would make for a church cookout this summer.
Health by Medium Build
This is a six song EP from Medium Build. He's put together a band and is touring this EP, it would be interesting to see how his sound translates to a larger group and it will be interesting to see what if anything he does as a follow up. It's an easy listen, maybe something to throw on if you want to check out a new artist when you're taking a walk or a drive around town.
Gloria by Sam Smith
This is Sam Smith's 5th album in 9 years. I've heard his name forever, but never listened to his music until this album. I knew since he is often covered on The Voice, that he was known for his voice and I get that on this album, but I think the thing that surprised me was I really liked the way this album was produced to create a nice pop album but still embrace his vocal stylings. It's a good mix they came up with on this album. For me it's the kind of album where you pick off the songs you like and throw them on a workout mix, or maybe put on in the background when you are doing some crafts while the kids are in bed.
Totally agree about Christian rap relative to rest of Christian music.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "doing some crafts while the kids are in bed" is a great category for music.