2016 Musical Review

Illustration by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

Can you remember the last time you replayed a song.. 10 times over?! Tunes that made you sing out loud and forget that you are in public, songs that fill you with inspiration to achieve your next best project.  I've had that feeling plenty of times this year. 2016 has been filled with many new songs worth repeating over and over again. As a freelancer, I feel it's important to have songs surround you while you're working, creating, thinking, and drafting. Music is a big source of inspiration for me, sometimes the right beat or lyric sends my mind into a creative spiral after a long drought. This year new music was in abundance and here's my list! 

Earlier this year, my ears were inflated with chillwave tunes flooding my senses. Granted, a lot of them were remixes of old tunes but they were always eargasmic! Me, I'm not personally one for remixed songs because I can appreciate what it takes to make original work but sometimes an artist can create something quite beautiful with someone else's inspiration, much like Montreal's own Kaytranada. Kay recently released his debut album 99.9%, and I haven't been able to turn it off! This album is the definition of chillwave, with countless cross sections of hip- hop, disco, pop, jazz, r&b filtered through his neo-soul influences. Kaytranada's attention to detail is shining with the roster of collaborators such as AlunaGeorge, Vic Mensa, Craig David, BadBadNotGood, Little Dragon, just to name a few! Sandwiched between bass-y bangers and 80's tinged vibes, Kaytranada's nuanced approach to create beats is super clean. One of my favorites on the album is Bus Ride featuring River Tiber and Karriem Riggins. It's a jazzy, percussion infused beat that blows my mind every time I listen to it. Another favorite is Vivid Dreams, the part of the song with the clap sounds always causes me to turn it up in my car or headphones. 99.9% is an amazing album and i'm sure the following album will be called 100% by Kaytranada!

To be completely honest, I was never really a Solange fan. I listened to a few tracks of hers from years ago but it was never in rotation for me. It all changed once I heard A Seat At The Table, this album is like an identity that I can relate to. Solange created an album so stripped back with seemingly personal moments. Miss Knowles even described it as a project on empowerment, healing, grief, independence and identity. With a lot that has been going on in our country lately, it's nice to hear someone sing about social justice in the here and now in such a languid and melodic way. I love all songs in A Seat At The Table, but hands down F.U.B.U is the one major rotation. Solange's voice and musical direction has matured in the best possible way, and this album reflects that. Believe the hype!

Ignore the fact that this next artist is absolutely beautiful and handsome, and you're left with his expressive falsetto voice. Ofcourse I'm talking about none other than Zayn Malik! I for one, was never a 1D fan and I'm still not, it's not really my cup of tea yet Zayn just had an aura about him that drew me to his music. As soon as I heard his first single Pillowtalk, I knew I had to listen to the rest of his album! Soulful r&b with a contemporary sound, it's a nice alternative to his 1D days. While I find The Weeknd's hedonism a bit much, I feel that Zayn's portrayal of it in Mind Of Mine is much more inclusive. Favorite song on the album? Definitely BoRdErZ, with it's raw, emotionally gritty lyrics. I can appreciate a good trodden love song and maybe you will too! 

It's been a long time coming, but the highly anticipated album by Frank Ocean dropped earlier this year and I could not put it down. The hype was real with Ocean's Blond album, years of silence, signs and no shows we just couldn't wait! His soulful production throughout the album shines on all the highlights and heartbreaks in his life. To define this album, I'd say it's a piece of art about self reflection, extroversion, sex and swimming pools. Ocean's skill and voice are an impeccable follow up to Channel Orange with a holy list of collaborators like Beyonce, Andre 3000, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, and so many more. All of the songs are fantastic on this album, but the one song that has me singing to the top of my lungs (karaoke anyone?) is Nights. Ocean wheels through police brutality, the trappings of fame and commercial dealings. Dignified, down tempo, delicate and tender, Blonde reads like an elusive artist catching us up to speed. Thank you Frank Ocean for this gem! 

Musically, 2016 has been great, while not too many new artists in the scene, the much more seasoned singers and songwriters have come out of hibernation to show us exactly what they're made of. Dear readers, what have you been listening to this year?