Oftentimes, I work throughout the year without a significant pause. There always seems to be a DJ gig, an essay to write, or an interview to conduct. Fortunately, this year was different as my partner and I spent the first week of April on a proper vacation. After spending a week chilling in Mexico, I’m back, fully recharged and ready to work. My book, Boyz II Men: 40th Anniversary Celebration, is coming out next month and I have a few cool events lined up for it. In the meantime, I’ve been digging in the crates and discovering some cool, Philly-related music. Here are five recent favorites.
GPS – Galactic Prism Sounds
GPS (aka Galactic Prism Sounds) is a Philly-based jazz fusion ensemble, and their new self-titled album is a challenging yet joyous listen. With tunes composed by flautist/saxophonist Gabe Preston and keyboardist Anthony Passante-Contaldi, Galactic Prism Sounds ushers listeners through nimble grooves, breakneck time changes, and epic improvisations. While shades of Weather Report, Eric Lorber, and Mahavishnu Orchestra arise throughout, GPS carves out an original, contemporary take on jazz fusion.
Jj Brown – Unfriendly Black Hottie
Unfriendly Black Hottie is a lovely, 3-track EP by singer-songwriter/guitarist JJ Brown. By combining programmed drums and synths with dreamy guitars and vocals, Brown updates the jangly rock sound pioneered by 80s legends like The Cure, The Smiths, and The Stone Roses. “Spring Fling” is a minute and forty seconds of pure heartbroken goodness. Much like the EP’s title, “You Don’t Even Go Here” is a hat tip to Tina Fey’s 2004 classic high school comedy, Mean Girls, and encapsulates Brown’s dramatic and bittersweet sound.
Burnt Pink – Tall World
Burnt Pink is a dub-meets-post-rock and jazz fusion quartet featuring Chris Acree on Drums, Martin Khoa on synthesizers, Mark Pham and Corey Carris Duncan on bass and guitars. Tall World is the follow-up to their 2024 album, Perfectionist. Full of lush instrumental passages that unfold beautifully like a slowly blooming flower, Tall World is trip music for the mind, body, and spirit.
Vodka – The Best Of Vodka
As the unofficial poet laureate of Germantown’s streets, Vodka has been dropping mind-boggling verses for decades. A veteran of Big Star’s storied 2 Raw For the Streets freestyle DVD series, Vodka’s recorded material is lesser known. Best of Vodka is a raw, unfiltered sampling of Vodka’s talent, as the Young Bob-curated tracklist contains everything from unreleased gems to clips from Cosmic Kev’s The Come Up Show.
Soul Devalents – “Grasshopper”
The Soul Devalents were a soul/funk band from the Strawberry Mansion section of North Philly. Founded in the 1960s, they’d later change their name to Force of Nature and record the fantastic Unemployment Blues album for Philadelphia International in 1976. During their heyday, they shared bills with Black music luminaries like The Delfonics, Cymande, Ohio Players, and more. Lately, I’ve been spinning their 1972 single “Grasshopper.” Produced and arranged by Bunny Sigler, “Grasshopper” is a hard-grooving, brass-heavy jam that will still light up dancefloors over five decades after its release.
