“What will your legacy be?” poses Chicago artist, author, and co-founder of the DuSable Museum Margaret Burroughs. “How can I map a portrait of myself  (and my own legacy) through vignettes of the legacies of artists before me?” responds Jamila Woods in her 2019 work “LEGACY! LEGACY!” Across 12 creatives of color, trailblazers and innovators of their time inclusive of Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin, Betty Davis, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Woods explores themes of resilience and rebellion, joy, white violence, Black rage, and self-reflection. She pivots through sounds as the songs swing from ..read more

Celestial and warm jazz fusion just in time for the summer, this week’s album of focus is “Visions of a New World” by Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, released in 1975 under Flying Dutchman Records. Having worked under prolific jazz artists like Miles Davis, Gato Barbieri, and Art Blakey, Lonnie Liston Smith began focusing on his own work in the early 1970s (more key influences and partners mentioned in the show!). After forming the Cosmic Echoes with bass, sax, percussion, and more, Lonnie Liston Smith put out a few releases before adding on his brother Donald Smith to vocals a coup ..read more

EP 13 | Raven by Kelela (2023) **late night / early morning release for the club queen herself** Raven is for the rave bitches, club kids, and dance queens! Resonance and resilience fill Kelela's sound and perspective as she crafts an album shaped around the transformative symbolism of the Raven. Reflections of isolation and longing as a queer Black femme in the electronic music scene set the mood of this album as Kelela features this album as a response - to white business execs she’s cut ties with due to political misalignment, straight exes who have left her with the brunt of emotional labo ..read more

EP 12 | Saturno by Rauw Alejandro (2022) Love, pride, and sex galore color the third album of Puerto-Rican prince Rauw Alejandro. Serving as an introduction and soundtrack of his world, Saturno is a depiction of the hard-working heartthrob’s inner self. He is as braggadocious and macho as he is vulnerable and loving. He is always protected  - quite literally, cough cough Punto 40 y Cazadores. And, he is a man of his people. Throughout the album, Rauw pays homage to his Puerto-Rican roots as he features reggaetonero heavy hitters like DJ Playero and Daddy Yankee and hinges his sound on cla ..read more

EP 11 | Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae (2018)  “I’ll love you in this space and time,” the singer repeats in the intro and title track of her third studio album “Dirty Computer.” Released April 27, 2018, “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monae invites listeners into the digital vortex and inner programming of Janelle Monae as she strips away her previous albums’ alter ego Cindi Mayweather. Often referring to it as introspective and anthemic, “Dirty Computer” stands as a fight song (well… album) for marginalized folks living in the United States, particularly during the mayhem of the 2016 presi ..read more

Welcome to a very special episode of An Album 2Day! Tune in this week as I discuss the reason behind creating the show, what I hope for the show’s future, and where I see it fitting in the music podcast/review/journalism world. I am excited to share with folks my vision for the show and the community I hope that it creates.  ?? Important mentions include:  The 4 whys behind doing this: a love for music, elevating black artists across genre, supplying accessible information, and carving a future for myself in the music world  While writing and reading certainly have their place ..read more

EP 9 | Brown Sugar by D’Angelo (1995) Venus as a boy, Aquarius as a man, musical artist D’Angelo swoons listeners and lovers alike in his 1995 debut studio album “Brown Sugar.” A pianist, drummer, guitarist, bassist, organist, and vocalist, D’Angelo crafts the record around his smooth falsetto, lush instrumentation, and thoughtful lyrics. Love guides the track in its entirety and D’Angelo approaches the subject with nuances of admiration, survival, togetherness, and betrayal. Throughout its ten tracks, D’Angelo floats through time and genre as he is wafted away by the women of his affection. B ..read more

Heaven to a Tortured Mind is Yves Tumor 4th studio album. In this record, Yves jumbles funk, psychedelic rock, noise, glam rock, and more. Some songs are more hazy, while some are more electric. All are distinctive, futuristic, and emotionally raw, a unique blend of noise, angst, bass, brass, and guitar rips. Alongside the sonic cacophony, themes like devotion, passion, loss, and languish are most salient through the words that Yves has strung together. From the anti-capitalist/ anti-institution guillotine and political devil reference in Medicine Burn, the elemental theatricality of Identity ..read more

“I just wanna have my t*tties out, t*tties out!” shouts musician Sudan Archives in her second and title track “NBPQ (Topless)” of the 2022 release Natural Brown Prom Queen. A rebel in her own right, the violinist and producer uses this album to vent about missing home (Cincinnati, OH is her hometown btw), isolation amidst COVID-19, perception and desirability, and complicated relationships. Camouflaging the violin throughout tracks – sometimes as a solemn saxophone, sometimes as a riffing guitar – allows Sudan to experiment with her sound and express her vulnerability in multitudes. This album ..read more

EP 6 | Walking Wounded by Everything But The Girl (1996)  As nostalgic as it is future-forward (not to mention influential!), “Walking Wounded”  by musical duo Everything But The Girl was released May 1996. Over heavy-hitting electronic beats, synthesized strings, and a pulsating bass, Tracey Thorn’s somber vocals paint stories of lost love and self reflection. Emotionally raw, sonically fluttering, and socially mysterious, EBTG leaves everything in the music, while encouraging listeners to leave it all on the dance floor.  Reflecting a pivot in the group's musical career, via T ..read more