Today's Top Tune

Canadian soul star Tanika Charles has done a lot of mending in her life. And one big marker of her personal evolution is the new album Reasons To Stay, a collection of songs inspired by unfulfilled promises and growing up in a broken home. Each track plays like a letter that belongs in a series of letters: to family members, to herself, and to us — her listeners. “How Long Will It Take” is an upbeat reflection on what it takes to heal.

Enjoy the ebullient title track from NYC-based producer Yuno’s debut album, Blest. Honing his skills in his Floridian childhood bedroom eventually led to broader platforms. This includes his experience soundtracking series for Netflix and HBO, as well as supporting artists like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Superorganism. You’ll feel that collaborative spirit along with some serious warmth on “Blest.”

Prepare to feel all the feels when you tune into this silky-smooth new jam from SOFI TUKKER. “Bread (butter version)” melds Brazilian music and culture with jazz to create this delicious track from butter — the freshly released companion album to SOFI TUKKER’S acclaimed 2024 LP BREAD. The album is a labor of love featuring stellar collaborators including MC Bola, Channel Tres, and — providing today’s slice of perfection — Seu Jorge.

Alison Krauss might be best known for rocking out with Robert Plant, but she’s plenty accomplished in her own right. Fun fact: with 27 statues to her name, Krauss is among the most awarded artists in the history of the Grammy awards. Arcadia, Alison Krauss & Union Station’s first album in fourteen years, finds the beloved roots singer in a stunning cycle of bluegrass, country, and folk music. Let’s check out “Richmond On The James” — the story of a soldier, told from a young woman’s point of view.

Soul-siren Natalie Bergman returns with her sophomore LP My Home Is Not In This World (due July 18 via Third Man Records). The LA-based singer-songwriter-producer sets a stellar tone for the full record with the early single “Gunslinger.”

Brooklyn-based trio Nation of Language has an ardent-and-ever-expanding international audience for their danceable take on new wave, post-punk, and shoegaze. Expect new music from Nation of Language — now signed to Sub Pop(!) — throughout 2025. It begins with the exuberant “Inept Apollo.”

Three-time Grammy-winner Ben Harper has amassed an international audience with his genre-defying work. He’s also revered for his many musical collaborations and the wide array of artists he’s worked with as a producer. “Before The Rain Dried” is the first single from a forthcoming album — an emotional reflection on loss dedicated to his longtime guitarist, Michael Ward. Catch Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals when they cap off their fifteen-city tour on Sunday, Aug. 24 at The Orpheum in LA.

KCRW Young Creators Project alum, Tatyana Richaud, just hit us with a new experimental pop production — “Dandelions.” In addition to sonic inventiveness, the song offers introspective storytelling through its lyrics that explore the theme of youth.

Ex-rocker/new-folker Steve Stout recently updated his sound to lean a little less lo-fi, and a little more in line with artists like Fruit Bats and Kurt Vile. “Some Folks” began life as a demo while Stout was under the weather and needed a tune to test an amp. But when he added vocals to the equation, he became intrigued by the cool poolside vibes he was channeling with his off-kilter recording method (and his illness). The song languished on the backburner for months as Stout worried he wouldn't be able to match the original tone. Luckily, his then 2 year-old gave him the flu and the song was saved.

Alabama-based Lamont Landers funnels himself into his songs, infusing each note with raw power and grit. Lamont picked up the guitar as a teenager and quickly gained notice with a viral cover of Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack.” This eventually led to a stint on America’s Got Talent and an invitation to record with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. “Lotta Love” is Lamont’s official introduction to the music world.

You probably recognize MRCY’s “Wandering Attention” from our recent world premiere on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Its swagger, soul, and vibrance play as a phenomenal preview of what’s ahead on their forthcoming album Volume 2 — due to drop on May 30.

Chi-town indie artist Kai Slater records their quirky, nostalgic, lo-fi ditties under the moniker Sharp Pins. They also produce a rad ‘zine called HALLOGALLO. If you’re a Connie Converse or Big Star fan, download “Sycophant” immediately.

Grammy-winners, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and big time hit-makers The Doobie Brothers have still got it. On June 6, they will release their 16th studio album Walk This Road. It’s the foursome’s first new record in over forty years, and it was produced right here in Los Angeles. Written by frontman Michael McDonald (as all of the songs on the new LP are), “Learn To Let Go” radiates the band’s core essence through that signature sound that we all know and love.

Eighty four year-old Irma Thomas is the “Soul Queen of New Orleans.” Galactic is a band that’s spent the last three decades generating uncompromising funk music. Now, these cornerstones of the Crescent City are sharing a new collaboration — Audience With The Queen. Stewards of sonic heart that they are, Galactic fits perfectly alongside Thomas’ incomparable voice. And we expect “Where I Belong” will become a setlist staple for both artists.

After their surprise Coachella sets last month, Grammy-winning production/songwriting duo Bob Moses decided to let the hits keep coming. “Time of Your Life,” their first new music since their 2022 album The Silence In Between, is a sweet first taste of what they’ll be serving up later this year…

Bewitching vocals, luscious lyrics, classic jazz with a folk twist — all this and more is what you’ll hear in Annahstasia’s “Be Kind.” We’re so eager to experience her forthcoming debut album Tether when it drops on June 13. But in the meantime we can all enjoy this nuanced, schooled, and gentle sound from this powerful performer.

When the artist Gatlin was ready to write new material for her debut album, she knew that she needed to recruit some talented queer women to help. The day before the session, Gatlin flipped through the pages of an old journal to find an entry about the first time she had a crush on a girl. One of the lines was: “If she was a boy I’d be in love.” Together, Gatlin, Chloe Kraemer and Amanda Cy worked their magic and “If She Were A Boy” was written in a flash.

Singer, actor, and activist Allison Russell invited the legendary Annie Lennox to collaborate on a beautiful ballad that begs the question: How are you a “Superlover?” Russell says she doesn’t know how to pray, so she offered up this song as a protection spell and as a plea to choose communication, coalition, hope, and harm reduction. Allison Russell Live From Apogee 2023

Disco innovator and disability rights activist Cola Boyy’s posthumous sophomore album, Quit To Play Chess, serves as a soundtrack against ableism and inequality. It also continues his plight to bring the community together, focusing on the things that we have in common instead of what divides us. “Walk Again” is a delirious, funk-infused standout track with shiny trumpets and a reggae-style guitar loop.

Ambient music pioneer, visual artist, and thinker Brian Eno teams up with conceptual artist and composer Beatie Wolfe for two new albums coming to us on June 6. One is titled Luminal, and promises a delving into dreamscapes, The other, Lateral, will dive into space music. And the duo just dropped another Luminal track today(!). Add “What We Are” to your collection by downloading it now.