In My Ears: June 2017

In an effort to get more regular content up and moving on LivingNimbly, you may notice that there are going to be a whole bunch of new recurring segments that will be coming out in the next couple of weeks. The first of which is “In My Ears.” This is a place where I will be writing all about a sampling of the tunes that have been … “In My Ears” for the past month. Sounds fun right? That’s what how it works in my head. Here we go!

Grateful – DJ Khaled

Like most of his snapchat following, I have been looking forward to this album for almost six months. The hype was seriously built up, but, for me, Grateful lived up to my high expectations. It also affirmed for me that DJ Khaled is a mad genius.

The album will likely be remembered by the incredible A-List group of featured artists including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Migos, Chance The Rapper, Calvin Harris, Travis Scott, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and so many more. However, his production and use of samples is on another level. The Santana sample in “Wild Thoughts” is a game changer – I heard it in the car while driving, and had to physically pull over to collect myself. For the first half of the album, every song has been carefully crafted to be a chart topping radio success. So many of the songs fill me with warmth and love, and that is why you should give it a listen.

RIYL: @djkhaled305 on snapchat, Drake, Rick Ross?

Bop City 2: TerroRising – Terror Jr

Usually, I am weary to get to committed to an electro-pop album because there are just so many that are flooding the market, but this one keeps drawing me back. Terror Jr’s second album is VERY listenable and crowd-pleasing. They have a way with the manipulation of vocals and percussive elements that draws the listener in. This is an album that I would recommend throwing on at your weeknight kickback on the porch. Side note: Ever since I’ve started wearing my new Lululemon pants, I can’t stop listening to “Sweatpants.”

RIYL: CHVRCHES, Marian Hill, Misterwives

Ctrl – SZA

This is such an enjoyable album to listen to in whole, especially as a follow up to SZA’s 2014 Z, which I knew would be tough to top. This album is grounded in beautiful, vivid storytelling that crosses between so many different emotions. The album does have it’s fair share of features including Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott; though, unlike Grateful, the focus stays on SZA’s personal stories. This is required listening for twenty-somethings!

RIYL: Solange, Syd, Lauryn Hill

Hotel California – The Eagles

I have a box of CD’s that I got from my grandpa as he was parting with his massive collection late last year. I finally got a boom box just in time for summer nights sitting out on the porch. I’ve heard singles from Hotel California before, but this is the first time I listened to it in its entirety. There is a reason that this is one of the best selling albums of all time. The music just seems to flow through me.

RIYL: Listening to good music on the porch

So folks, those are the albums that have been playing… In My Ears… during the month of June. I hope that you take a bit of time with each of them.

So… those of you who are reading this. Thank you for joining me on this new endeavor. Do you like it? Would you rather I made a playlist rather than just sharing the albums? Please share your comments or other thoughts below!