Following are additional albums released September 2020 across multiple genres—some will be reviewed in future issues of Black Grooves.
Blues, Folk, Country
Anjimile Chithambo: Giver Taker (Father/Daughter)
Bette Smith: The Good the Bad the Bette (Ruf)
Charles Ponder & the Lizzard Kings: Jim Crow’s Shadow (Inside Sounds)
Dave Specter & Billy Branch: The Ballad of George Floyd (limited ed. single) (Delmark)
Gangstagrass: No Time for Enemies (Rench Audio)
Kirk Fletcher: My Blues Pathway (Cleopatra Blues)
Tarheel Slim: Story: Wildcat Tamer (Jasmine)
Various: New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume 1 (Stony Plain)
Various: Barrelhousin’ Around Chicago: The Legendary George Paulus 1970s Blues Recordings (JSP)
Funk, Rock, Pop, House, Electronic
A Certain Ratio: ACR Loco (Mute)
Chubby Checker: Twist With Chubby Checker (reissue) (ABKCO)
Chubby Checker: Dancin’ Party: The Chubby Checker Collection (1960 – 1966) (ABKCO)
Chuck Berry: Brown Eyed Handsome Man (DVD) (Liberation Hall)
Freeman Young: The Blue Pill EP (dig) (Republic)
Prince: Sign O The Times (super deluxe ed.) (Warner Bros.)
Steve Arrington: Down to the Lowest Terms: The Soul Sessions (Stone’s Throw)
Tasmin Archer: Sweet Little Truths: EMI Years 1992-1996 (Cherry Pop)
Gospel, Spirituals, CCM
Koryn Hawthorne: I Am (RCA Inspiration)
Melvin Crispell, III: I’ve Got a Testimony (RCA Inspiration)
Rev. John Wilkins: Trouble (Goner)
San Franklin: The Free Project (Enon Music Group)
Vernon Little: Words To Live By EP (Bentley)
Holiday
Warren Wolf: Christmas Vibes (Mack Ave.)
Jazz
Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Marcos Valle: Marcos Valle JID003 (Jazz Is Dead)
Ariwo: Door To The Cosmos (On The Corner)
Bright Dog Red: Somethin’ Comes Along (Ropeadope)
Bryony Jarman-Pinto: Fish Factory Sessions EP (Tru Thoughts)
Butcher Brown: #KingButch (Concord)
Christian McBride: For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Axiom (Ropeadope)
Eric Revis: Slipknots Through A Looking Glass (Pyroclastic)
Geof Bradfield/Ben Goldberg/Dana Hall: General Semantics (Delmark)
Gregory Tardy: If Time Could Stand Still (WJ3)
Isaiah J Thompson: Plays Music of Buddy Montgomery (WJ3)
Kellee Patterson: Maiden Voyage (vinyl reissue) (Black Jazz/Real Gone)
Makaya Mccraven: Universal Beings E&F Sides (International Anthem)
Orlando le Fleming: Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar (Whirlwind)
Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy: Onward & Upward (Onyx Productions)
Sly5thAve: What it Is (Tru Thoughts)
Tomeka Reid & Joe Morris: Combinations (Rogue Art)
Various: Blue Note Re:Imagined (Blue Note)
R&B, Soul
Adam Wade: The Coed Albums (Omnivore)
Adrian Younge, Loren Oden: Presents My Heart My Love (Linear Lab)
Barbara Lewis: Don’t Forget About Me (Soul Music)
Blxck Cxsper: EUROSTAR vol. 1 (Trans Trenderz)
Davis Chris & Mr Foster: Wings & Blue Cheese (Empire)
Diana Ross & The Supremes: Sing and Perform “Funny Girl”—The Ultimate Edition (Real Gone)
Joe Barksdale: Sincerely EP (dig) (Moonbeam Music)
Johnny Nash: Very Best of 1956-1962 (Jasmine)
Native Dancer: Tides (Psychological Banana)
Tyree Glenn Jr.: Superbad! The Best Of (Tramp)
Rap, Hip Hop
6ix9ine: Tattle Tales (dig)
A$AP Ferg: Floor Seats II (dig) (RCA)
Armani Caesar: The Liz Tape (dig) (Griselda)
Arrested Development: Don’t Fight Your Demons (Vagabond Productions)
B.o.B: Somnia (dig) (Bobby Ray Music)
Big Sean: Detroit 2 (GOOD Music/Def Jam)
Bobby Sessions: RVLTN 3: The Price of Freedom (Def Jam)
Conway The Machine: From a King to a God (Griselda/Empire)
Curren$y and Harry Fraud: The Director’s Cut (dig) (Jet Life)
Dbangz: Been A Long Time (Pivtl Project)
Dizzy Wright: My Hustle Unmatched (dig)
Elzhi: Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up (dig) (Glow365)
Farr Well: Chameleon Lifestyles Simulation (dig) (dist. Bandcamp)
GQ: A Midsummer’s Nightmare EP (dig) (Jamla)
Grafh: Good Energy (dig) (Team Bang Dope Gang)
Jacquees: Exit 68 (dig)
Kamaiyah & Capolow: Oakland Nights (dig)
Krizz Kaliko: Legend (dig) (Strange Music)
Lil Reese: Lamron Vol. 1 (dig) (RBC)
Lil TeccA: Virgo World (Galactic/Republic)
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V Deluxe Ed. (Young Money/Republic)
Maez301: Hasaan (Strange Music)
MBNel: Child of the Trenches 2 (Muddy Boyz/EMPIRE)
MC Eiht: Lessons (dig) (Bluestamp Music)
Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta: Code Red (dig) (Epic)
Mozzy: Occupational Hazard (dig) (Empire)
Murk: 31 Gang (dig)
Murs and Dee-1: He’s the Christian, I’m the Rapper (dig) (Mission Vision Music)
Nappy Roots: 40rty (dig) (Not Regular, LLC)
Pastor AYU: #SayTheirNames2020 (dig)
Phil Augusta Jackson: The Redondo Tape EP (dig)
Problem: Coffee & Kush Vol 2 (dig) (Diamond Lane/Rostrum)
Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (25th Anniv. Instrumental ed.) (Get on Down)
Roachford: Twice in a Lifetime (BMG)
Sango: Da Rocinha 4 (Soulection)
Shy Glizzy: Young Jefe 3 (dig) (Glizzy Gang)
Skippa Da Flippa: Under.Stand.Able (dig) (Havin’ Ent.)
Spillage Village: Spilligion (dig) (Interscope)
Stalley: Speak No Blue (dig)
Sutter Kain & Donnie Darko: After The World Got To Us (Never So Deep)
T. Martin, 9th Wonder, K. Washington, R. Glasper: Dinner Party (vinyl) (Sounds of Crenshaw)
Tokyo’s Revenge: 7ven (dig) (Blac Noize!)
Toosii: Poetic Pain (dig) (South Coast Music Group)
Tory Lanez: Daystar (dig) (One Umbrella)
Vritra: Sonar (Rare Noise)
whiterosemoxie: grae ceilings (dig, mixtape) (300 Ent.)
Wiz Khalifa: Big Pimpin (dig) (Taylor Gang Ent.)
YoungBoy Never Broke Again: Top (dig) (Atlantic)
Reggae, International, Latin
Afel Bocoum: Lindé (World Circuit)
Ambiance: Into a New Journey (reissue) (BBE)
Bamba Wassoulou Groove: Dankele (Lusafrica)
Caiphus Semenya: Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow (reissue) (Be with Records)
Caiphus Semenya: Listen To The Wind (Be with Records)
Nation Beat: The Royal Chase
Roots & Tings: All Of This (Truth’s Sound/Quannum Sound)
Tems: For Broken Ears EP (dig)
Various: Sir J.J. Special: J.J. Johnson’s Ska & Rock Steady Productions 1966-68 (Doctor Bird)
Wailing Souls: Back a Yard (Greensleeves)
Ziggy Marley: More Family Time (Tuff Gong)
Soundtrack
Nate Rocket Wonder & Roman GianArthur: Antebellum (Milan)
Terence Blanchard: Da 5 Bloods (Music On Vinyl)