1. Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE. Almost every track on this album is worth listening to at least once. Easily deserves the praise it’s received.
2. Timber Timbre, Creep On Creepin’ On. Very creepy indeed. Much better than Cedar Shakes (IMO). I just started listening to Hot Dreams, and so far it’s even better. Excellent.
3. Tycho, Awake. This collection of pretty beats is just that — a collection of pretty beats. Nothing more, nothing less. Great for reading or studying, not for much else. The tracks are all good but have very little range. The instruments don’t “sing” in the way that Ronald Jenkees’ do (for example); they’re all begging for a lead vocalist. (Bono comes to mind.) Nonetheless I’ve been listening to it on repeat for a while now.
4. Chance the Rapper, Acid Rap. Many more rappers fail at finding a unique voice than succeed — and Chance has succeeded. They call Acid Rap a mixtape, but it easily could have been be his debut album. Chance isn’t the best rapper, but he’s better than he was the last time, and he’s good. (And have I mentioned that he’s only 20?)
5. Amerigo Gazaway, Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One). Amerigo Gazaway is a producer in Nashville who (among other things0 likes to combine two artists, usually from different but related eras, into one album. Yasiin Gaye is a cross between Yasiin Bey (the rapper formerly known as Mos Def) and Marvin Gaye. I thought the idea was great, but I’m even more impressed at how well it works out. Gazaway has also done Fela Soul (Fela Kuti + De La Soul) and my personal favorite, Bizarre Tribe (Pharcyde + A Tribe Called Quest). Also see Gazaway’s Freak the Funk, if you want something more diverse than two artists or if you just like his work. And here is a short video about his process.