The English singer and songwriter Jorja Smith has the kind of voice that can send hearts soaring and a gift for writing songs of empathy and compassion. On this week's show we give a listen to her latest release, Be Right Back, and talk about the ways Smith reveals her deep understanding of what it means to be human.
Also on the program: St. Vincent pays homage to early '70s guitar rock, saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings has a staggering new project with Sons of Kemet, the rap duo known as Paris Texas drops its debut mixtape and more. Nate Chinen of WBGO and Jazz Night in America joins contributors Christina Lee and Gavin Godfrey, along with NPR's Lars Gotrich, Cyrena Touros and host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best releases out on May 14.
Featured Albums:
- Jorja Smith — Be Right Back
Featured Song: "Digging" - St. Vincent — Daddy's Home
Featured Song: "Melting of the Sun" - Paris Texas — Boy Anonymous
Featured Song: "Force of Habit" - Maxine Funke — Séance
Featured Song: "Quiet Shore" - Giant Claw — Mirror Guide
Featured Song: "Until Mirror" - Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet — Black to the Future
Featured Song: "Let The Circle Be Unbroken" - Billy Bang — Lucky Man
Featured Song: "Jungle Lullaby"
Other notable releases for May 14: The Black Keys — Delta Kream; Damien Jurado — The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania; Fatima Al Qadiri — Medieval Femme; Holly Macve — Not the Girl; Juliana Hatfield — Blood; Rodrigo y Gabriela — The Jazz EP; Sarah Neufeld — Detritus.