Add to playlist: Laura Ann Singh’s spiky, playful free jazz and this week’s best new tracks | music

from Richmond, Virginia
Recommended if you like Cecil McLaurin Salvant, Tomika Reed, Ornette Coleman
the next The debut album, Mean Reds, was released on October 24

As co-founder of American bolero group Miramar, vocalist Laura Ann Singh has spent the past five years playing a warm, nostalgic analog sound rich with Spanish-language harmonies. Her upcoming solo debut, Mean Reds, completely disrupts that. These eight tracks replace the swaying Latin rhythms of Bolero in a free jazz quartet, and are filled with harmonious scratches, cymbal splashes, sharp horns, and Singh’s soulful vocals. Pointing to the free improvisations of avant-garde pioneer Ornette Coleman as much as Joni Mitchell’s soulful lyricism, the result is a raucous debut that launches Singh as one of jazz’s most distinctive new voices.

Singh previously delved into the genre by hosting composer Tomika Reed on her 2024 Duke Ellington-inspired live set. Her first full-fledged foray into improvisation touches on the music of other contemporaries: she channels soft Diane Reeves melodies on the opening track “River” and “Don’t Stay,” while “As Strange As It Is” plays closer to singers like Cecil McLaurin Salvant in its doubling of horns and a wonky, modernist vocal melody. When Singh separates herself, she becomes completely independent. A raucous, dizzying energy drives her melodies like Highway Monster, while Counting plays like a jazz-punk version of a Sesame Street song while Singh shouts “Digital lyrics are hard, they’re real.” She creates fun, wild music that feels so alive with its chaos, and promises future stylistic twists to come. Amar Kalia

The best new songs of the week

Tila – Chanel
The best songs the South African singer has released since her classic self-titled debut album, Chanel shows just how adept she is at turning Afro-house beats into dramatic pop: a rare feat. BPT

Leon Thomas – Gambling
After achieving great success from older talent and hard touring, the American soul man today releases a new EP and Baccarat is his highlight: outrageous funk rock with hand mixing to make Tony Allen smile from above. BPT

Jpegmafia and Danny Brown – Cockroaches
This bonus track from the Scaring the Hoes extended edition is much less intense than this crazy record; I feel positively happy, even as Brown reminisces about his childhood memories of the spirited production. L.S

Barry Walker Jr. – Quiessence (with Rob Smith and Jason Wilmon)
The Rose City Band’s pedal steel extends outward and weakens into the pearly sighs of the finest instrument in history, creating space for the bassist and drummer. L.S

US Girls – Running Errands (Yesterday)
Meg Raimi has released two versions of her new song Running Errands: Today’s version is full band but Yesterday is better, like a booming hip-hop production. BPT

Donna Thompson – Meteorites
The London jazz musician’s tenacious musings on love are reminiscent of KeiyaA and Aja Monet at their finest: birdsong, silvery cymbals, a light double-bass soundtrack, as she tries to put her shattered heart back together. L.S

Oneohtrix Point Never – The World of Life
In addition to his score for Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar-winning drama Marty Supreme, Daniel Lopatin has a solo album coming out as well: his track Lifeworld is a mix of new-age wonder wrapped into a delicate groove. BPT

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