Sounds
From timeless classics to the music of the moment, experience the artists and albums that are shaping the way we hear the world.
Ace Clark: It Ain’t All Love
Once upon a time, Hip-Hop was a many layered thing. It had its gangstas and its Ruff Ryders, conscious Afrikans and poets, choppers and crooners, its Bad Boys and its empowered women. From sampled R&B beats to jazz quartets, the wide world and deep history of Black music could be heard behind nearly every verse. There seemed to be room for every style and every story, and love stories were no exception. But eras pass, and for a time it seemed like R&B powered reflections on the soft sides and hard truths of relationships were part of the genre’s past. Then came Ace Clark.
Soul Man: New Orleans-born artist Greg Banks Is the Saint of Soul Music
Have you ever had one of those days? A terrible day, right in the middle of everything being bad, when you can’t remember how good it used to be and can’t imagine it ever being that good again? And then something happens, someone happens, they do or say something that cuts through all the bad, and they didn’t even know what they’d done? With music and song, Greg Banks has been that person to break through on more than one occasion. We know, because he did it for us.
Nathalie Joachim Gives Voice
Her voice is full of life — vibrant and soulful with an unflinching clarity. Its sound is a declaration of identity, a definitive statement of existence, and an unapologetic claiming of place in both history and the present day. In her Grammy-nominated solo debut, Fanm d’Ayiti, Nathalie Joachim’s crisp vocals pair beautifully with her stunning arrangements of flutes, strings, and electronics to seamlessly blend the weight of history with a rising sense of wonder and joy. In every song we hear not only Joachim herself, but the voices of the brave women of Haiti — the ancestors for whom she sings. Recasting songs with centuries of history in modern arrangements, the album recalls the struggles and resilience of the past as a means of gathering the strength to meet the challenges of the present. We spoke with Joachim about what drove her to create this seminal work.
Rapsody’s Eve: Respect Given, Respect Earned
Maya Angelou once said, “I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.” On her third album, Eve, Rapsody pays respect to Black women while demanding her own.