RICHARD ASHCROFT – LOVIN’ YOU
Richard Ashcroft is having a comeback moment that kicked off with opening for Oasis‘ big reunion tour. It reinvigorated his push to release, Lovin’ You, his seventh solo album. Ashcroft has always taken himself entirely seriously, which allowed him to sell the bombastic lyrics he leaned into during his time fronting The Verve. It serves him well here too with big sounds, clever samples, and a confident swagger that he was born into. Ashcroft’s voice has that familiar ache, and when he leans into sincerity that spirit of the ’90s is alive and well.
Stream • Virgin • Connect: @richardashcroft
KIRSTY MACCOLL – FREE WORLD – BEST OF KIRSTY MACCOLL 1979-2000
Kirsty MacColl was one of those artists who could write a heartbreak anthem and make you laugh in the same verse. This new collection, Free World, is packed with her hits and some deeper cuts, everything from the cheeky “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” to the devastating “They Don’t Know.” It’s a reminder that she was just as sharp as Elvis Costello and could sing with the soul of Dusty Springfield. There’s a Pogues collab, a Billy Bragg duet, and a whole lot of clever, catchy songwriting. If you missed her the first time around, this is your chance to fall in love.
Stream • Edsel
VERNON REID – HOODOO TELEMETRY
Living Colour’s Vernon Reid has always been a guitar wizard, but Hoodoo Telemetry is something else entirely. It’s jazz, funk, punk, and hip-hop all mashed together in a way that somehow makes sense. There’s a track that sounds like Prince jamming with Sun Ra, and another that feels like a Bronx street parade gone cyberpunk. Reid’s playing is still wild and unpredictable, but there’s heart behind the chaos. It’s not an easy listen, but it’s a rewarding one that Reid calls it “a piece of my all-over-the-place mind”. If you like your rock experimental and your solos scorching, this is worth diving into.
Stream • Mascot Label Group • Connect: @vernonreid
VARIOUS ARISTS – SHAKE THE FOUNDATIONS: MILITANT FUNK AND THE POST-PUNK DANCEFLOOR 1978-1984
This box set is a sweaty, bass-heavy trip through the underground clubs of late ’70s Britain. Shake the Foundations is all about movement—funk grooves, punk attitude, and post-industrial weirdness. There’s cuts from Simple Minds, Tones On Tail, Ian Dury, and a bunch of bands that sound like they were invented just to make you dance and think at the same time. It’s political, it’s raw, and it’s got more cowbell than you’d expect. It’s a welcome journey into a time and place that didn’t translate cross the pond.
Stream • Cherry Red
