Listen Up

From funk by the late Fela Kuti to a jubilant pop track and a haunting hip-hop song, a few of our favorite tracks from the week

Fela Kuti + Roy Ayers: 2000 Blacks Got To Be Free (Edit) Originally released in 1980 but taken out of print in 1989, “2000 Blacks Got To Be Free” first appeared on Music of Many Colors, a collaborative record between Fela Kuti and Roy Ayers. The two toured together, and sought to put a capstone on the experience with this release. Mixing Ayers’ vocals and …

Rufus Wainwright: Trouble in Paradise

“Drum beats herald a romp through the inner mind of a bob-haired fashion doyenne on her drive from the town to the country,” Rufus Wainwright says of his single “Trouble in Paradise.” The clever track is a taste of the artist’s forthcoming album, expected out in 2020—his first in the pop genre since 2012’s Mark Ronson-produced Out of the Game. With production by Mitchell Froom, …

Rex Orange County: Face To Face

From Rex Orange County’s forthcoming album Pony (out 25 October) comes “Face to Face,” a winding combination of verses, bridges, and hooks that swell into a cheerful pop tune. The crescendo occurs slowly, but picks up as the track’s pace does. The British artist (aka Alexander O’Connor) speeds up his vocals as drums and synths kick in, along with a resonator and O’Connor’s ad-libs.