New Music Friday: The Top 5 Albums Out on Jan. 28

It’s a big week for soul and R&B releases, starting with the official soundtrack to Questlove‘s documentary, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). While the film came out last June, the music is only now available and it’s incredible, with historic performances by The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Nina Simone and more. We open this week’s show with The 5th Dimension’s live version of “Don’tcha Hear Me Callin’ to Ya?” and talk about why the music and landmark film are so important.

We’ve also got a breathtaking debut album from R&B singer Amber Mark, a mind-bending record from jazz saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and more. WBEZ and Vocalo Radio’s Ayana Contreras joins Tiny Desk producer Bobby Carter, contributor Christina Lee and WBGO and Jazz Night in America‘s Nate Chinen, along with host Robin Hilton, as they share their picks for the best albums out on Jan. 28.

Featured Albums:

1. Various — The Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Featured Song: “Don’tcha Hear Me Callin’ to Ya?”
2. Lady Wray — Piece of Me
   Featured Song: “Where Were You”
3. Samm Henshaw — Untidy Soul
   Featured Songs: “Thoughts and Prayers,” “Chicken Wings,” “Keyon (Interlude)”
4. Amber Mark — Three Dimensions Deep
   Featured Song: “One”
5. Immanuel Wilkins — The 7th Hand
   Featured Song: “Don’t Break”

Other notable releases for Jan. 28:

• Anaïs Mitchell — Anaïs Mitchell
• Babyface Ray — Face
• Beirut — Artifacts
• Greg Spero — The Chicago Experiment
• St. Paul & The Broken Bones — Alien Coast

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Copyright 2022 NPR. Original Article by Ayana Contreras, Bobby Carter, Christina Lee, Nate Chinen and Robin Hilton, Jan. 28 2022. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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