–Jazz Monroe
Lucky Day: Algorithm
June 28
Lucky Daye won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards for Table for two ER. New Orleans artist's new album, Algorithm, is his first full-length since that win and includes the singles “That's You,” “Hericane,” and “Soft.” The pre-release tracks showcase Daye's soulful vocals, combining them with electric guitar and light funk, placing him between artists such as Miguel and Channel Orange–Frank Ocean era.
– Matthew Strauss
Mabe Fratti: Sentir Que No Sabes
June 28
Less than two years have passed since Mabe Fratti released her third solo album. Se Ve Desde Aquí, but her sprawling universe has grown at such a clip that it now feels like an institution. In between electrifying live shows with her hybrid noise/jazz/alt-rock trio, the Guatemalan cellist released, among many loose ends and collaborations, an album with Héctor Tosta as Titanic and another with Amor Muere, an experimental group from her adopted birthplace. Mexico City. Sentir Que No Sabes distills her experimental and melodic impulses into a compelling avant-rock opus, gesturing towards a unique new sound as eerie and disarming as it is downright wonderful.
–Jazz Monroe
Megan Thee Stallion: Megan
June 28
Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion introduced her third album with a trio of reptile-themed tracks: “Hiss,” “Boa” and “Cobra” are all packed with Megan's signature fast-paced, no-nonsense bars. In preparation for the Traumatazine Megan then embarked on a Hot Girl Summer tour, inviting Houston legends like Paul Wall and Bun B to join the live show antics – it's anyone's guess who will appear on the new LP's final tracklist .
– Eric Torres
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
August 2
Meshell Ndegecello's new album is a tribute to writer and activist James Baldwin, whose inimitable style, grit and grace on the page and in life now informs the bassist, singer and songwriter's music. Co-produced by Ndegeocello and Chris Bruce, No more water led by the singles “Love,” “Travel” and “Raise the Roof,” one of several spoken word interludes on the album featuring poet and activist Staceyann Chin and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hilton Als, who edited the recent essay . collection God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin.
– Eric Torres
Milton Nascimento / Esperanza Spalding: Milton + Esperanza
August 9
Milton Nascimento continues to tour to sold-out audiences who sing along to every word, but not in nearly a decade has the revered Brazilian singer-songwriter been dragged into the studio. For his first record since then Tamarear, that 2015 album with the Dudu Lima Trio, Nascimento joins forces with Esperanza Spalding, the jazz virtuoso and outré rock visionary who has spent her career bridging genres, moods and different musical circles. (Once in a blue moon a multi-Grammy winner releases an album as enchanting as 2016 Emily's D+Evolution.) Her unlikely collaboration with Nascimento is the product of a friendship that took root in the early 2010s. The track list, including Beatles and Michael Jackson covers, and the guest list – Paul Simon, Lianne La Havas, Shabaka Hutchings and more – suggests the album will continue in a spirit of lit play.
