Welcome to the first installment of Heat Check, a biweekly music column where AJC culture reporter DeAsia Paige explores the temperature of Georgia’s buzzing, expansive music scene. The column will include music news, trends and any Georgia-related music that DeAsia is listening to. If you’re a Georgia artist and have music you want to be considered for this column — or if you just want to talk music — feel free to send an email to deasia.paige@ajc.com.
Baby Rose drops new EP this Friday
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Listening to Baby Rose sounds like you’ve entered a time machine to a 1960s jazz bar in New York City. Her voice is as bluesy as it is timeless — making her raspy contralto one of the most distinctive tones in contemporary music. Last year, I interviewed Baby Rose about her latest album “Through and Through.” She talked about Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, her musical influences.
“The way they spoke about love, the way they sang about love, their woes with mental illness, the demons that they fought so vulnerably that bled into their music,” she said at the time. “Things like that made me feel very empowered to tell my story in my own way. They’re my ancestors.”
Rose fully embodies that spirit, as if her life depended on it, throughout her new project “Slow Burn.” The EP, out this Friday, is produced by Canadian band BadBadNotGood, who are known for their work with Tyler, the Creator; Kendrick Lamar and more. For six tracks, Rose etches the intricacies of love and longing like a tattoo. On “Caroline,” she trades verses with soul singer Mereba to reflect on a long-lost lover: “Didn’t want you there/But I miss your voice/Silence even sweeter/When you’re drenched in noise,” they croon.
“One Last Dance,” the project’s lead single, dropped in March. Over a hazy flute beat and subtle organ chords, Rose delivers a folk ballad about regretful goodbyes.
“BadBadNotGood and I recorded this song on the day we met, just as evening approached,” the singer said in a statement about the song. “I asked for one more, a country song, and when the chords came, I sang from the heart without needing to write the words down. ‘One Last Dance’ is important to me because it reflects my feelings of longing and love for someone who sees me as a villain in their story. I used to blame them too, but with time, realized where I was wrong and ultimately hoped for a chance to make it right. There’s a strong part of me that wishes we could try again, pretend it never fell apart, even while knowing it will never be the same.”
Bktherula is in a lane of her own on ‘LVL5 P2′
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
In an extremely saturated musical climate, it’s often hard to stand out if you’re not a super mainstream artist. Today, that seems especially true, given that we’ve already received albums from Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Usher, Future and Metro Boomin and Kacey Musgraves so far this year. One album that’s been in my rotation is Bktherula’s latest offering, “LVL5 P2,” which dropped in March. The 13-track album, the second in a series that began last year, is a psychedelic fantasia of lust, sex and edgy Soundcloud rap. For the Atlanta artist, level five is a space where creative freedom abounds. In October, I met with Bktherula at a local Waffle House for a story about the rise of female rappers in Atlanta.
We talked about “LVL5 P2″ and her desire to escape self-doubt.
“I’ve been feeling really, really great lately,” the 21-year-old told me at that the time about the album. “I think (in) this period of my life, I’ve just been really growing and understanding who I am — this new person I’m becoming the older I get. I’m just really starting to understand peace.”
“LVL 5 P2,” boasts features from New York City drill phenom Cash Cobain and fellow Atlanta lyricist JID. The album is a fun and impressive showcase that provides a salient reminder to listeners: Bktherula is a pioneer for female rappers in the alternative hip-hop space simply because she mastered the sound before her sweet 16th and continues to innovate her artistry.
‘Cowboy Carter’ in Georgia
On Sunday, Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter,” debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart —making her the first Black woman to top the latter chart. The album, the second act of a musical trilogy, features songwriting and production credits from Georgia artists like The-Dream, Ink, Nova Wav and Dixson. ICYMI, I talked to Ink and others within Atlanta’s country music scene about what the album means to them (read it at ajc.com).
Tony Evans, Jr., a country artist from Decatur, is excited that the album is bringing more attention to his music. On Friday, he dropped “Yours,” a love song where Evans assures a partner that’s he’s all hers (more men begging for a woman’s attention, please).
He credited the power of country music’s storytelling for his appeal to the genre.
“In all music, you’re gonna hear love songs and you’re gonna hear heartbreak. You’re gonna hear all these things, but in country music, they paint a whole picture. They’re taking you on a whole journey — the ups, the downs. It’s just a beautiful thing.”
This week’s Heat Check will appear in print on April 10.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
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