Ledisi, ‘Blkwmn’
Ledisi praises the quiet strength and unheralded sacrifices of Black women in “Blkwmn,” singing “Being silent, barely a thank you for all she gave / She smiles, powering through her pain.” Sparse piano chords, a slow-blues structure, hovering orchestral arrangements and the cry within Ledisi’s voice all hark back to Nina Simone. But it’s a new song, a reminder of labor that continues through generations.
JON PARELES, New York Times
Tate McRae, ‘Revolving Door’
A lack of instantly recognizable, stylistically defining hits — aside from the slinky, irresistible 2023 smash “Greedy” — has somehow not stopped the 21-year-old singer and dancer McRae’s star from rising over the past few years. She dips into a more promising and vulnerable sound on the moody, pulsating “Revolving Door,” the latest single from her just-released third album, “So Close to What.” “I keep coming back like a revolving door,” she sings on a chorus that thumps like an anxious heartbeat, “saying I couldn’t want you less, but I just want you more.” A McRae single is still only as good as the choreography in its accompanying music video, and by that measure, it’s one of her strongest yet.
LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times
Perfume Genius featuring Aldous Harding, ‘No Front Teeth’
Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) and Harding share “No Front Teeth,” a surreal excursion that seesaws between pretty folk-Baroque pop and noisy, neo-psychedelic rock. Perfume Genius sings about being shattered; Harding answers him with a high, angelic call for “better days.” The video just adds more layers to the conundrum.
