This week, I have been listening to another of Becca’s recommendations – Lil Simz.

Lil Simz is a British rapper from north London who now has my heart forever. What an amazing artist who has collaborated with many exciting artists as well as turning her hand to acting. I love to see talented people doing amazing things and she’s my latest discovery.

I say this of course very much aware that she’s been on the scene for over a decade and has a slew of awards under her belt. It’s the album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert that really got her worldwide attention but there are three others before it that I listened to and enjoyed as well.

The next time she tours in the UK, I’ll be looking for someone to accompany me.

This week, I have been doing it for the kill by listening to nothing but La Roux. What I discovered was that since 2009, she has continued to make music.

La Roux is the combined name for singer Elly Jackson and producer, Ben Langmaid. For a long time, I thought Elly’s performing name was La Roux so this was a lesson. To confuse myself further, Langmaid left the duo after facing issues with writer and engineer Ian Sherwin during the recording of their 2014 album, Trouble In Paradise.

All that aside, there was a strange sense of nostalgia to return to songs like I’m Not Your Toy, In For The Kill and Bulletproof for the first time in over a decade. It gave me a squirmy flashback to a Halloween weekend where we listened to nothing but that album and Miike Snow and imbibed so much speed that I broke my brain. Times have changed but those songs stay as strong as they were in my foundling years.

Fun fact: Elly Jackson is the daughter of legend, Trudie Goodwin (known by me as Sergeant June Ackland on The Bill). This might be more exciting than Matt Healy being the child of Denise Welch.

What about the music though, Paul? Theres a lot to be said for the funky disco pop that La Roux generates and for someone as sanguine as myself, it’s a welcome break from my bleak taste in troubling troubadours. Give La Roux a listen and forget about your troubles.

This week, I have mostly been listening to Solange, and let me tell you – it’s been an absolute treat. From Solo Star through to When I Get Home, there is a lot to be said about this absolute star.

I knew of Solange, but couldn’t have placed any of her songs before this week. That’s probably what the Music Jar experiment is all about. I cannot begin to imagine how many different artists there are that I am mildly aware of who have more talent than it should be safe for a human being to hold.

While I did listen to each album in turn, there’s a lot to be said from looking at what the popular opinion is on an artist. With Solange, the top songs speak volumes about her and the music. Almeda opens with a vocal sample that reminds me of Bon Iver but then delves into a funky beat and trippy range of keys. It’s worth saying it’s more experimental than the efforts of her sibling, who some of you may be aware of. Cranes In The Sky feels experimental too but any instrumentation could work with the beautiful range of that voice. Solange is an absolute work of art and I am here for it.

A Spotify playlist of a song from each artist featured can be found here.

This week, I have mostly been listening to British singer-songwriter Joy Crookes. My thanks to Rebecca for the recommendation.

Crookes released her debut album, Skin, in October 2021. That’s what I’ve been digging. Songs like Trouble and 19th Floor are truly something. There’s a wonderful smoky tone to her voice and a heartfelt longing to lyrics about family and love.

Definitely one for me to watch out for. Footage of her live performances have got me wondering why I’ve not been.

This week, it has been my pleasure to listen to Jessie Reyez, the Canadian singer-songwriter you all know and love.

As with recent weeks, I wasn’t familiar with Jessie, in the same way I hadn’t heard Jamila or Soko. This is all an education for me. The first thing that drew me in was a song called FRAUD (she capitalises a lot of her titles a la Kendrick). I was hoping to pick up some work-based tips but it wasn’t that kind of song. FRAUD was only released last month so I’m feeling unusually current with this one.

Reyez has a flow to her lyrics, mixed with the fantastic melodies of her choruses, bringing to mind the league of other powerful female rappers and artists taking charge and doing their thing. Songs like FIGURES and IMPORTED demand to be paid attention to and it’s truly something to witness her stripped back version of the former (live at the JUNOs).

Jessie Reyez is a great talent and someone I would love to loop into rotation.

This week I have had the absolute pleasure of listening to Chicago-based singer, poet and songwriter, Jamila Woods. I was unfamiliar with her work until now and let me tell you, it’s fucking cool.

There’s a lot of identity politics and black history put not just into her music but also the skits, intros and interludes on both of her excellent albums, HEAVN and LEGACY! LEGACY! On her latest single, Tides, Woods takes more of a r ‘n’ b lo-fi approach that shows the breadth of her talent.

What I find most transformative about this project is finding musicians who are not in my immediate orbit, and digging into a world I don’t know of. With Jamila Woods, you have a talent accompanied by a level of success that I wasn’t aware of because I’m a 35-year-old who doesn’t go looking for the cool stuff anymore and accepts that his taste in music hasn’t changed in close to 20 years. It’s such a gift, therefore, to find an extraordinary talent like this and revel in what they do.

Thank you for opening my eyes to this.

This week, I have mostly been listening to French singer-songwriter, Soko. My thanks to my good friend Steph for the recommendation. This feels very you.

Stephanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski (great name) was born in Bordeaux, France – a place I only know of because of its association with the popular Booze Cruises of my childhood. She’s had international success, including collaborations and samples of her tracks so more should be known of her work.

Interestingly, she’s also appeared on bills with Peter Doherty, Babyshambles, Kate Nash, Nouvelle Vague, Daniel Johnston, Foster The People and Johnny Borrell so I’m amazed I’ve not seen her before.

When it comes to her music, there’s a Mac DeMarco surf rock coolness to what she does as well as that sexy French confidence which we certainly lack in the same way on this side of Le Channel. On songs like Being Sad Is Not A Crime and Sweet Sound of Ignorance, I can immediately hear not only why Steph recommended her but also why she thought I would too.

As ever, I should listen to her more.

This week, I have mostly a boil in the bag sack of rice (it’s too hot and my innards are soggy) but I have very much been enjoying listening to Cesária Evora.

Now, I don’t know much about Cape Verde so this has been a real education. In fact, what I know about Cape Verde couldn’t even fill the 4,033 square kilometres that make up the ten volcanic islands that make it up (thanks Google).

Evora (commonly know as Cize) was also known as the barefoot diva, for obvious reasons. Listening to her music made me want to kick off anything on my feet and dance around the kitchen. There’s such soul and groove to it. Everything feels better and connected when she’s playing songs like Sodade or Besame Mucho.

While it’s not immediately my taste in music (I’m an indie punk at heart), I always appreciate hearing anything with some heart to it, anything with something to say.

I was always going to love Françoise Hardy. She’s beautiful and French and her music has appeared amongst Wes Anderson’s best work. I want her to draw me like one of her French boys.

There’s a lot to be said for music from 60 years ago to which you don’t have a pre-existing relationship and love with a sense of family or nostalgia. As soon as I put her 1962 debut on, it was always going to be right. There’s a euro melancholy and a beauty to the richness of her voice that’s absolutely a bit of me.

Even with my high school understanding of French, there is so much to enjoy in the playful lyrics and flower power era instrumentation.

I’ve also found out that Hardy is still with us and somehow survived lymphatic cancer and being in a coma to then make a full recovery. I hope she is well and happy.

This week, I have been delving in the era of the Top 8 on MySpace with Emmy The Great. While I remember her work on Lightspeed Champion’s Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, this was the first time I’d listened to the English singer/songwriter.

There’s a certain (and I’m sorry for using this word) tweeness present in Emmy’s work albeit brilliant and poetic at the same time. It reminded me of all of the best stuff I was listening to over a decade ago when I was cool and current about these things. In hindsight, it’s odd that someone so prolific and talented slipped under my personal radar. There’s a lot of stuff to unpack across her albums, collabs and work on Austenland which is to be admired.

If Emmy The Great isn’t someone you’re aware of then it is certainly worth asking why.