Benny Sing – “Beat Tape II” (Stones Throw)
If you value music with which you can let yourself be rocked through the day in a funky way, then there can only be one album of the week: “Beat Tape II” (Stones Throw) by the Dutch lo-fi R’n’B- King Tim van Berkestijn alias Benny Sings. For the previous album “Music” by the singer, rapper, producer and songwriter, which was only released in April, you could very well lie in your thoughts by the pool and watch the air flicker with narrowed eyes. The way from the fridge to the couch feels like this to new somnambulously lively songs like “Look What We Do” or the grandiose “Beat 100”, which in the best sense sound like they just tumbled out of the beat kit As if the crowd parted in the club when you hit the dance floor with a new drink. Well, with narrowed eyes at least. Jens-Christian Rabe
Neil Young – “Barn” (Reprise / Warner)
The tireless one Neil Young has his old band again for his 41st studio album “Barn” (Reprise / Warner) Crazy Horse activated. It is said to have been recorded under a full moon this summer in a restored 19th-century barn in the Rocky Mountains. The cover shows a strangely oversized log cabin in front of a sunset that Bob Ross would not have painted more cheesy. Obviously, the old folk rockists should be warm to the heart before they have even heard a note. Full moon! Rocky Mountains! 19th century! 19th century? What does folk rock of the 1970s actually have to do with the 19th century? It doesn’t matter, the great art of folk rock has always been to invent music from a past that didn’t even exist. Fortunately, Neil Young’s eternally thin voice and the sheer dragging, scratchy force of his arrangements have saved each of his songs from kitsch. In other words: On “Barn”, Neil Young is once again not particularly inspired on an exceptionally high level. Jens-Christian Rabe
Alicia Keys – “Keys” (Sony Music)
Loyalty doesn’t mean boredom. Alicia Keys is credible in itself, similar to their double album “KEYS” (logical line of succession after the last album “ALICIA”). The meanwhile 40-year-old brings from found Zen center diamond-clear gospel wisdom, tricky jazz harmonies and the usual casual breath of pop. The album doesn’t want to choose between street style and an intimate piano session. Vinyl crackle, someone puts the needle on the record, lights candles, in baggy pants and crop top, to put their arms around each other and dance steady blues. The Alicia Keys concept at the piano works even in the cerebral year 2021. The self-proclaimed Queen doesn’t need a lot of meta, just cocky vows of love. And of course: babe, only you. Marlene Knobloch
Jeff Parker – “Forfolks” (International Anthem)
The bad word is elevator music. But pop music as a soundtrack for everyday errands and soul massages of all kinds – that’s actually a noble purpose. Sometimes it is imperative to numb your brain a little with a subtle synth chirping. The main thing is not to listen too closely. But of course there is also exactly the opposite in pop: music that only ceases to bother you when you listen to it like a radio play made up of sounds. The American avant-garde pop and post-rock guitarist Jeff Parker, former guitarist of the acclaimed post-rock band Tortoise, makes music like this on his new album “Forfolks” (International Anthem) – all alone with an undistorted semi-acoustic electric guitar. It’s a completely different calm that can be found when you don’t just want to be a stowaway on your eardrum for a change. Jens-Christian Rabe