Snoh Aalegra - Don't Explain

Snoh Aalegra
Don't Explain
2016
Spotify

Holy shit. That is the only thing that comes to your mind when the first note of the first song on this album drops. Is this Amy Winehouse? Some kind of jazz singer stolen from the past? Well the truth is she is neither, but Snoh Aalegra embodies that same sultry songstress vibe. While her previous work has mostly been as the singer of the hook on hip hop tracks (Common, Vince Staples) her voice always managed to cut through even if it was not the kind of music she personally would make. Then we arrive at this, Don't Explain, and while Anderson .paak may have blazed the trail in bringing hip hop and R&B into a new more modern era Snoh Aalegra is perfecting it. There is so much soul, and so much anguish in each and every note that she sings you can't help but be moved. The second she opens her mouth you are totally locked in almost unable to recognize anything else happening around you.  While music of the day can be fun and be the soundtrack to your life for a few weeks, the songs on Don't Explain are the kind that stick with you forever, those songs you simply never forget. "Under The Influence" is probably the song most directly influenced by Amy Winehouse and at times even sounds like her. It is punctuated with a super bluesy closing riff provided from John Mayer which just blows the song into an entirely new atmosphere.

Often when you listen to a new record you'll pick out a couple fo your favorites, put them on a playlist and sort of let the rest collect dust. You won't find that with this record. Start to finish (expect maybe the somewhat confusing intro and outro) you will find yourself listening to every second of this record. It is so good from beginning to end, and the flow is simply remarkable. Lucas Garrison of djbooth.net said "In Your River" "Sounds like a Bond Movie set in Cuba" and the descreption is damn near perfect, but it can extend to almost all the tracks, most notably "Chaos". I can see in my head Bond turning and shooting his silhouetted gun as "Chaos" reaches it's apex and it really is quite incredible. Though Aalegra's vocals are the main crux the preposterously good production from Dukes, No I.D., Boi-1da and Dahi cannot be understated. The producers are able to take big band sounds mix them with electronic then put them in a shrinking ray to create some of the most rich tracks I have heard all year. This record is simply to good to miss. Listen to it, and tell every single friend you have because Snoh Aalegra is ready for her close up.

9.4 out of 10