Olivier Laurent’s new concept album, “Solin Anj”, doesn't so much play for you as it does around you. Listening feels like an act of accidental espionage on a life in progress. We are placed in the sonic womb, hearing the muffled arguments, ambitions, and affections of a world getting ready for our arrival. It’s an album that unfolds with the unhurried, jazzy cadence of...

The Nigerian Afrobeat artist Froshdada turns vintage rhythm, street confidence, and club heat into a single that hits fast and stays loud. "GAGA" comes in with the kind of confidence that makes you check your speakers first, then your shoulders second. Froshdada is not easing anyone into the groove. He arrives with Lagos energy already switched on, the bass moving like a crowded Friday night, the...