CD TURNER FRA
FTHC / Frank Turner

Frank Turner’s ninth album is, as the title suggests, a return to the “hard core” facet of his music, after a phase of releasing so-called indie rock-leaning efforts of recent years. Through the lens of hardcore as more philosophy than literal genre, Turner examines themes such as the euphoric feeling of returning to live events once it was safe to do so during the pandemic to having an emotionally distant father (who Turner reconnected with after he came out as a transgender woman in 2015), to a eulogy for his late friend Scott Hutchinson of the Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. Highlights include “The Gathering,” “The Resurrectionists” and “A Wave Across the Bay.”
Also available on Hoopla in original and deluxe editions.

CD MORTON P J
Watch the Sun / PJ Morton

PJ Morton is a prolific keyboardist and vocalist who made his professional recording debut in 2005. Morton has also been a member of the band Maroon 5 since 2012. The bulk of Morton’s solo work encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, such as R&B, pop and gospel (Morton’s father is well-known Bishop Paul S. Morton, and mother, Dr. Debra Brown Morton, also leads a congregation). After various projects over the years, Morton has made his best project to date, a deeply thoughtful and soulful and largely collaborative project that features the best of what PJ Morton does. Key moments include: “Be Like Water” featuring Stevie Wonder and Nas, “My Peace,” a duet with JoJo, and “Still Believe,” which showcases Jill Scott and Alex Isley (daughter of Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers).

CD SHERYL
Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary / Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow has been a mainstay in the music industry since the late 1980’s. Many first caught a glimpse of her artistry as a touring member on Michael Jackson’s Bad tour. After a false start recording her debut, Crow found significant success with the release of her album Tuesday Night Music Club, a named spawned from a loose collective of musicians she was involved with. Since that time, Crow has released ten albums and acted in television and film. The documentary that bears her name depicts her professional career and life, with details of her relationships, her beliefs, and her existence away from the spotlight. This soundtrack album includes highlights from her vast career (“All I Wanna Do,” “My Favorite Mistake,” “If It Makes You Happy” among a host of other hits, but also three new songs: “Forever,” “Still the Same” and “Live With Me.”
Also available on Hoopla.

CD DAWES
Misadventures of Doomscroller / Dawes

Dawes return with their eighth album, which is a departure from their sunnier, more melodic sound and opts for a more jam-based aesthetic. The album is more expansive than most entries in their discography, with the songs themselves sometimes stretching out more than eight or nine minutes. Produced by Jonathan Wilson, Misadventures of Doomscroller is built around a sort-of anti-technology concept—at least the idea that technology often renders us unable to be present with the people we care about. Doomscrolling is defined as the practice of obsessively checking online news for updates, particularly on social media, with the expectation that the news will not be good. Like news itself, Individuals can quickly find themselves in an unending cycle. Leader Taylor Goldsmith and company describe what this looks like in practice via songs such as “Everything Is Permanent,” “There’s A Joke in There Somewhere” and “Ghost in the Machine.”
Also available on Hoopla.

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