Our Favorite New Albums of 2024 So Far! (Part Three of Three)
20 More of R&R's Top Music Picks for 2024!
Last week and the week prior we showcased a total of 40 of our favorite new albums from 2024. But there’s been so much great new music released this year that we still have 20 more albums to go! So below is Part Three with the final 20 of our top 60 new album picks from the year thus far. Enjoy!
Click here if you missed Part One. And click here if you missed Part Two.
[Editor’s Note & Public Service Announcement: For the sake of convenience and accessibility, we’ve linked to each album on Spotify. But please PLEASE support your favorite musicians if you can afford it. Purchase their albums/merch directly via Bandcamp or their official sites, and pay to see them live in concert so they can afford to keep making the music we all love.]
Our Favorite New Albums of 2024 So Far! (Part Three of Three)
Lenny Kravitz: Blue Electric Light
Lenny Kravitz is still cool. (He's also still really hot. Has he not aged at all?) Producing and playing nearly all the instruments himself, the funky retro vibe on these upbeat tracks definitely feels like a beautiful homage to his dear friend Prince. Favorite Track: “TK421”
Les Amazones d’Afrique: Musow Danse
Music with a message. Powerful and empowering Pan-African pop from Les Amazones d’Afrique, the all-female supergroup/collective of fiercely talented activist-artists. Favorite Track: “Amahoro (Don’t Get Angry)”
Leyla McCalla: Sun Without the Heat
On her dynamic fifth album, Haitian-American cellist and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla weaves together sounds from across the African diaspora in an eclectic mix of folk, country, rock, roots, classical, tropicália and Afrobeat. Favorite Track: “Take Me Away”
Lila Downs, Niña Pastori & Soledad: Raíz Nunca Me Fui
A decade after their first collaboration, the intercontinental trio of Lila Downs (Mexico), Niña Pastori (Spain) and Soledad Pastorutti (Argentina) concoct a harmonious blend of Latin American folk, flamenco and cumbia on this stunning EP. Favorite Track: “Mezcalito”
Linda Sikhakhane: iLadi
The classic Blue Note sound, reimagined for the 21st century. Taking its title from a Zulu wisdom ritual, South African saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane’s newest album of transcendentally elegant original jazz compositions is a perfect addition to the acclaimed Blue Note catalogue (close your eyes and you might think it was mastered by the late Rudy Van Gelder himself). Favorite Track: “Ukukhushulwa”
Lizz Wright: Shadow
We love this album. Another strong contender for our favorite album of the year, Lizz Wright’s exquisite voice shines on a mix of gorgeous original songs and surprising covers from the likes of Cole Porter, Sandy Denny, Toshi Reagon and Candi Staton. Favorite Track: “Sparrow (feat. Angelique Kidjo)”
Loreena McKennitt: The Road Back Home
The title says it all. Celtic songstress Loreena McKennitt returns to her musical roots as she literally returns to Ontario (her longtime home base) for this refreshingly uplifting live album recorded last summer with local musicians across four folk festivals. Favorite Track: “As I Roved Out”
Nadine Shah: Filthy Underneath
Intense post-punk art rock with a Goth edge. Often described as “Shirley Bassey meets Siouxsie Sioux,” the brilliantly addictive songs of Nadine Shah’s fifth album have lately been in constant rotation on our R&R playlists. Favorite Track: “Greatest Dancer”
Nailah Hunter: Lovegaze
Relax . . . close your eyes . . . take a deep breath . . . and soar . . . into the otherworldly, celestial sphere of ethereal harmonies conjured by Nailah Hunter’s numinous voice and radiant harpstrings. Listening to this album might be one of the most beautiful experiences you will hear this year. Favorite Track: “Strange Delights”
Nduduzo Makhathini: uNomkhubulwane
In addition to producing and performing on Linda Sikhakhane’s newest album (see above), this year South African pianist/composer Nduduzo Makhathini has also released his own splendid album of mystical jazz on the Blue Note label. And what an achievement! On his eleventh studio album, Makhathini’s ornate compositions and command of his instrument are reminiscent of none other than McCoy Tyner at his best (not easy to do). Favorite Track: “Libations: Uxolo”
Orquesta Akokán: Caracoles
An energetic, irresistible celebration of Cuban Big Band Mambo! “Cucha mambo que yo emboa montero . . . este mambo es pa’ ti.” / “Listen to this story, I bring it to you as a traveling song . . . This mambo is for you.” Favorite Track: “Cha Cha Cha Pa’Ca”
Paula Cole: Lo
Poetic yet brutally honest songs of healing, rejuvenation and self-acceptance. The intimacy and vulnerability here is palpable. Paula Cole’s superb eleventh album is one of her most personal and one of her best. Favorite Track: Tie between “Calling All Saviors” and “Wildflower”
Sara Davis Buechner, Symphony Nova Scotia & Holly Mathieson: Defiant Dances (Live)
A proud transgender woman, Sara Davis Buechner is also one of the most gifted concert pianists of our time. And her most recent live recording with Symphony Nova Scotia is an ideal showcase for her outstanding interpretation of composer Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Favorite Track: “Piano Concerto in One Movement: Andantino” (composed by Florence Price)
Shabaka: Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace
Over the past decade, British jazz genius Shabaka Hutchings has released a nonstop run of paradigm-shifting albums with a variety of bands and projects, including Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, and Shabaka & the Ancestors. Now Shabaka pivots from the saxophone to the flute and clarinet as he (alongside an exciting team of guest artists) embarks on a contemplative inner journey worthy of deep listening. Favorite Track: “Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become (feat. Saul Williams)”
Snow Raven: Home
Snow Raven is an indigenous singer and performer from the Sakha community of Arctic Siberia. Speaking the languages of birds and animals since the age of three, she later chose to combine traditional shamanic practices with new forms of artistic expression. Her third album is the embodiment of her self-styled NEOshamanism: a soothing yet potent blend of soaring vocals, traditional sounds and contemporary electronic music. Favorite Track: “Ancestry”
Tidiane Thiam: Africa Yontii
Senegalese guitarist, folklorist and visual artist Tidiane Thiam has an important message for Africa, one that can be summed up in the album’s title, which translates to “Africa, it’s time.” He then expertly manages to convey this hopeful message via twelve absolutely brilliant instrumental guitar compositions that somehow sing without using a single word. Favorite Track: “Dannibe Pinne”
Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers: Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens
Trumpeter/composer Wadada Leo Smith and pianist/organist Amina Claudine Myers, both longtime members of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), have been working together since the 1960s. Now in their 80s, these two jazz legends (and self-proclaimed kindred spirits) have come together for their first recorded collaboration. And it’s a masterpiece. This one might win the Pulitzer. Favorite Track: “Central Park at Sunset”
Yuja Wang: The Vienna Recital
Last Friday (July 19th) was the opening night of the 2024 BBC Proms, the annual 8-week season of classical music that the R&R household gleefully anticipates every summer. And one of last summer’s highlights was the dazzling recital of piano virtuoso (and fashion icon) Yuja Wang, who is undeniably one of the most vibrant live performers in the classical world today. And her latest album, on Deutsche Grammophon, is an electrifying recording of Yuja Wang live in concert from 2022. Favorite Track: “Études: No. 6” (composed by Philip Glass)
Yunchan Lim: Chopin Études
In 2022, at the age of 18, South Korean piano prodigy Yunchan Lim became the youngest person ever to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Now his first album for Decca, featuring his riveting interpretations of Chopin’s Études, is already being hailed as the best classical album of the year. Favorite Track: “Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10: No. 3 in E Major (Tristesse)”
Zara McFarlane: Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
2024 is the centenary of Sarah Vaughan (aka “The Divine One”), and British jazz vocalist Zara McFarlane has made a wonderful album to mark this occasion. “I really wanted to pay homage to her as I feel she has been somewhat overlooked amongst the jazz singers. Although I do love Ella and Billie, it's all about Sarah for me.” Wisely choosing to neither imitate nor compete with one of the greatest singers who ever lived, Zara McFarlane honors The Divine One with lively and innovative arrangements of her favorite Vaughan standards. A beautiful tribute to a legend. Favorite Track: “September Song”
Click here if you missed Part One. And click here if you missed Part Two. And if you’re interested in more music recommendations, check out our articles and lists from previous years:
Tell us in the comments what new music you’ve been enjoying this year. We’re always searching for new music from all genres to add to our listening queue!