Teacher, folklorist, three-time Latin Grammy winner, and a former Minister of Culture in her native Peru, Susana Baca heralds the revival of Afro-Peruvian music. Baca’s forthcoming album “Palabras Urgentes,” or Spanish for “Urgent Words,” (out Oct. 8) is a captivating collection produced by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League. Take a listen to standout track “Sorongo.”

Susana Baca: ‘Sorongo’

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Not gonna lie, we are HUGE fans of the LA-based band of brothers The South Hill Experiment, born at the end of 2022 and named after their studio on South Hill St. in DTLA. 
 For their new EPSouth Hill & Friends, the band opens up their borders to get in the sandbox with some of their friends to play with new sounds. “Little Monk” features Karriem Riggins on drums.

The South Hill Experiment: ‘Little Monk (Feat. Karriem Riggins)

Dulcet-toned vocalist Lizz Wright celebrates 20 years as a recording artist with a new career-defining album, Shadow. Wright drafts five new songs to showcase alongside some of the great classic songwriters, including Cole Porter, Sandy Denny, and Candi Staton, and enlists friends like Angelique Kidjo and, on Today’s Top Tune, Meshell Ndegeocello on bass and Brandee Younger on harp for “Your Love.”

Lizz Wright: ‘Your Love” (Feat. Meshell Ndegeocello and Brandee Younger)

LA tongue-in-cheek rockers EELS gear up for their forthcoming fifteenth(!) studio album, EELS TIME!, early this summer. One thing you can count on is whimsical lyrics and an unmistakable sound. “Goldy” starts with a nod to The 5th Dimension’s Marilyn McCoo.

Eels: ‘Goldy’

A signature of Beth Gibbons' voice is that you recognize the artist immediately, ingrained in our hearts and minds as the sound of Portishead. Deep, lush, and profoundly engaging, Gibbons releases her debut album Lives Outgrown mid-May. Recorded over a period of ten years, this album may be her most personal output to date, digging into sustained reflection and change, as echoed on “Floating On A Moment.”

Beth Gibbons: ‘Floating On A Moment’

For the last 20 years, The Avett Brothers anchored their status in the Americana/folk-rock arena with sophisticated sibling harmonies, ardent lyrics, and their own blend of country influences, to the delight of fans. After five years, they’re ready to release a new album, which is self-titled and produced by the esteemed Rick Rubin.

Susana Baca: ‘Sorongo’

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