1) Cat Power, “Redux” / This three-song joint from the artist otherwise known as Chan Marshall features James Brown and Prince/Sinead O’Connor covers as well as a fresh take on one of her own. While too brief, the set offers one of countless reminders that Marshall remains not only one of our great songwriters, but one of our truest interpreters of song.
2) Soul Asylum, “Grave Dancers Union” / While working on a playlist of Minnesota artists in light of current events (listen here), I reminded myself why this 1992 set was a watershed album for me. So many great cuts, from “Runaway Train” to “Black Gold,” “Get On Out” to “Growing Into You.” Mainstay singer Dave Pirner and that iteration of the band managed to turn out an album that stretched across the entire American landscape of music in the early ‘90s while sounding distinct and deep.
3) Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith (curators), “The People’s Project” / Need a quietly revolutionary text for this time? Jones and Smith compile an all-killer, no-filler collection of writing that is powerful and personal and political and will make you feel more human. The likes of Joy Harjo, Aubrey Hirsch, Tiana Clark, Danez Smith and Mira Jacob show up here (Jones’ own “My Project 2025” is a clear gem) to both give a finger to the authoritarians and trace a heart around the rest of the country.
4) Donika Kelly, “The Natural Order of Things” / In this collection from last year, the gifted poet combines seemingly disparate strains of life into one, through-composed song. Kelly’s focused and humane writing is always a delight to encounter.
5) The books of Brandon Shimoda / This past week, I tore through Shimoda’s 2023 hybrid collection “Hydra Medusa” (easily one of the most beautiful and atmospheric books I’ve read in some time) and the set of essays “The Afterlife is Letting Go,” out in 2024. Shimoda’s sense of place is only rivaled by his deep interest in the people who formed us and remain near us still.