The Predatory Wasp
Coming in like some modern-day hybrid of Lana Del Rey, Diana Ross and Karen Carpenter, Natalie Bergman’s new LP My Home Is Not in This World is somewhat of a mixed bag, but when it works it really works, as in this downtempo, heart-wrenching ballad complete with a highly charismatic, generously expressive bassline and late addition of some actually quite tasteful jazz-flute. Lovely stuff.
https://nataliebergman.bandcamp.com/album/my-home-is-not-in-this-world
A member of Cleveland’s multi-generational Mourning [A] BLKstar collective, Kyle Kidd’s debut solo album Soothsayer is a deeply moving, highly personal exploration of many of the themes that have defined their life so far, including blackness, gender nonconformity, American history, community and more. Their vocal performance throughout is extraordinary: you can hear that this is not just sung, but deeply felt by the artist. Scars Alight – which explores the damage done by Kidd not feeling as if they were not truly accepted for who they are – is a highlight, but this need to be listened to in its entirety to be properly appreciated.
The Predatory Wasp 