Brother Ali
“Mourning in America”
Mourning in America, and Dreaming in Color (Rhymesayers, out 09/18) 

For many years, I considered Minneapolis-MC not only one of my favorite rappers on the planet, but also one of my favorite overall musicians. While I still hold his trifecta — 2003’s Shadows on the Sun, 2004’s Champion EP, and 2007’s The Undisputed Truth — in ridiculously high esteem, nothing he’s released since has hit me that hard. At his best, Ali (né Jason Newman) is an incisive writer, blessed with incredible insight and a razor-sharp sense of humor. He can write about brutal, honest truths without having it feel like a history lesson, an ability lost on most of his backpack-toting brethren. That grace was conspicuously absent on 2009’s preachy, politically-obsessed Us, which ended up feeling like a hard slog. This — the leadoff single of his ominously titled fifth LP — finds Ali still in “fight the power”-mode. While I appreciate the importance of politically conscious music (especially in an election year), I hope it won’t be the only topic Ali touches on. He’s way too interesting to pigeonhole himself.

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Husky
“Did You Forget?”
Transition One EP (Zip Sound Recordings, out now)

Every once in a while, I’ll come across something I love that I know nothing about. Usually a few Google searches or a press release will answer my questions, but I couldn’t find any info on this rising producer. Basically, I know he’s American, signed to an Atlanta-based label called Zip Sound Recordings, shares my love of Pretty Ricky, and made one of my favorite EPs of the summer. On Transition One, Husky serves up a tasty amalgam of neo-dubstep, R&B, and hip-hop, very much in the vein of TP-favorites like Disclosure and Kastle. Though I was immediately sucked in by its opening track — a fire remix of Pretty Ricky’s unfuckwitable “Grind on Me” — I quickly fell for the rest of album’s three tracks, particularly the moody, evocative “Did You Forget.” The soulful vocal sample combines with the jazzy, airy back track to form a devastating cut that begs repeat listens. I have no idea who this dude is, but I predict big things.

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How to Dress Well
“Again”
Ocean Floor for Everything 7″

We’ve heard How To Dress Well’s Tom Krell kill covers before — his stunning version of R. Kelly’s seminal “I Wish” and his re-imagination of Ready for the World’s “Love You Down” spring to mind. His sparse, lo-fi version of Janet Jackson’s 1993 smash-hit, “Again,” is similarly potent. Though it is stripped of the original’s lush string arraignment, Krell stays mostly true to the original in his trademark, heart-on-his-sleeve style. When it comes to his music, “irony” is simply not in the Chicago-based vocalist’s vocabulary, and Krell’s passionate falsetto is stirring and affecting. His sophomore LP drops in a little less than a month (9/21), and it looks set to live up to its incredible successor, which I rated as the best album of 2010. Can’t wait.

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Jessie Ware
“Sweet Talk”
Devotion (PMR, out 8/21)

One more week. That’s all that’s left until we finally get to hear the debut album from London-based siren, Jessie Ware. I’ve spent so much of this year writing about her that I’m running out of superlatives, so let’s keep this one short. “Sweet Talk” is the fourth single from Devotion, and it sees the sultry, versatile vocalist slide into some seriously Sade-esque territory. Earlier this year, she stated that she was interested in making music that worked at home or on a night out, a la Chaka Khan and the aforementioned Ms. Adu. It’s safe to say she’s achieved that and a hell of a lot more. The best new artist of 2012 by a country mile.

Kisses
“Funny Heartbeat”
Upcoming 2012 LP (IAMSOUND)

I fell hard for the debut from Princeton frontman Jesse Kivel’s side-project, and this is the first taste from the LA duo’s still-untitled sophomore LP. “Funny Heartbeat” continues with the group’s beachy, breezy yacht rock sound and has a little more of a disco/Balearic feel than some of their earlier material. It showcases Kivel’s mellifluous, Jens Lekman-reminiscent vocals, and the group’s ability to craft smooth, danceable tracks that seem to coax the sun out from behind the clouds. In a San Francisco summer, that quality is especially needed.

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A$AP Rocky
“Pussy, Money, Weed”
LONGLIVEA$AP (Sony)

I have to admit that I keep kinda expecting 23 year-old Rakim “A$AP Rocky” Mayers to fall off, but he continues to prove me wrong. Over a characteristically syrupy, hypnotic beat, the Harlem native drops three excellent verses with his UGK-meets-BoneThugz flow. Usually when independent rappers with a distinctive sound make the leap to a major label, much of what makes them special is drained out of them (remember that Wiz Khalifa guy?), but Rocky seems destined to avoid this cruel fate. If this and the super dope “Goldie” are any indication of how LONGLIVEA$AP is going to sound, sign me up.

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