The strength-to-strength peaks of Joni Mitchell's run of albums in the early 1970s is one of the most remarkable stretches of musical excellence in the pop era. The folk-rock perfection of 1970's Ladies of the Canyon led to the stark emotional intensity of 1971's Blue, which then opened up into the kaleidoscopic sonic experimentalism of 1972's For the Roses. While this era yielded only one U.S. Top 40 hit (1972's "You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio"), it nonetheless established Mitchell as a formidable artistic force who was not only far more musically interesting than many of her hippie-era peers, but also far more iconoclastic in her approach to her art and the music business.  So one would be forgiven for assuming that, after taking 1973 off, Mitchell would return with an album that either aimed straight for the charts or one that indulged her creative adventurousness. Court and Spark managed to do both. By far Mitchell's most commercially successful album—it's her only album to go double-platinum in the U.S. and also contained her only U.S. Top Ten hit, "Help Me"—the popularity of Court and Spark has managed to overshadow its weirdness. Following along from the jazzy inflections that made For the Roses so sonically interesting, Court fully blossomed into a funky, fusion-tinged affair, featuring members of the Crusaders and Tom Scott's L.A. Express providing highly complementary instrumentation to Mitchell's always-unusual guitar playing. In Mitchell's hands, "jazzy" becomes as much of a mindset as a sonic signature (a cover of Annie Ross's "Twisted" that closes the album is the closest that Court ever gets to anything resembling capital-J "jazz"), giving her freedom to dive deep into the unusual tunings and chord voicings she's always preferred, but also to open up the arrangements of the songs beyond simple verse-chorus-verse. Of course, her lyrics are as impressive as ever (the imagery in "Raised on Robbery" is as vivid as it is implicit), but even the largely wordless multi-tracked harmonies of "Trouble Child" and "People's Parties" can take the listener's breath away. Mitchell's use here of the "studio-as-an-instrument" is notable; while she is once again self-producing alongside the formidable engineering talents of Henry Lewy, her bold approach to Court's construction also helped make it the best-sounding album in her catalog to this point. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

This album is one of the cornerstones of French hip-hop music. Its release was a major act for IAM as they finally found a sound to match the quality of their lyrics, as well as for French hip-hop, confirming the fact that rap has a lot of followers in the Hexagon. Like their peers from the suburbs of Paris, NTM, IAM went to New York to instigate the production of this album, seeking for the essence of the sound one can only find in the Big Apple (their previous album was also cut in N.Y.). They teamed with Prince Charles Alexander, the mixer and engineer who worked a lot for Bad Boy Records. They even got close to the Wu-Tang realm through Sunz of Man members on "La Saga." The sound has definitely changed from the previous albums: at first putting themselves in the Egyptian tradition (look at their names), they now have found the musical depth they deserve as ones of the few best lyricists of France. Definitely influenced by the Wu-Tang soundscapes, the opening track is the story of the battle between their school, from the silver mic, against the wooden mic school, in a Bushido style. Too bad that non-French speaking listeners won't get the lyrics; they cannot appreciate the quintessence of IAM's style. However, most of the album sticks to the traditional approach of storytelling, as it covers the city life in its darkness: little brothers that want to grow too fast and be the new caïd ("Petit Frère"), money hungry women who have sex without giving their names, the difficulties to have a similar chance and destiny than a boy growing up in the well-off (about equality of chances) and much more. Not many subjects of relief here, we only breathe thanks to the banging instrumentals and phrasing of the MCs. IAM takes the time to raise questions we don't want to hear, and stories we don't want to remember. This album is just hip-hop as its best: quality of the production with skilled lyricists in top form. This would just be one of you first "must-have" purchase if you plan to approach French rap music.© Vincent Latz /TiVo

It's written on the cover: funk is my religion! The trombonist came in from the cold is wearing his heart on his sleeve with this 11th Funk Unit album. The leader of this gleaming groove machine which formed in 1994, Landgren has rekindled a full-strength funk which mixes the Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock sound with the influence of Fred Wesley's and Maceo Parker's J.B.s. As is often the case with him, the whole work is powered from start to finish by brass: trombone (his own) and sax (played by Jonas Wall). And as this is a work of funk, the bass/drums duo (Magnum Coltrane Price and Robert Ikiz) are also in pole position. But above all, Funk Unit has made the most progress in terms of vocals – and on this score, the group is able to hold their own against any Anglo-Saxon funksters. This album is the perfect antidote for lockdown, a balm for both body and mind. © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz

On the third of his three standards albums, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis meets up with his father, pianist Ellis Marsalis (along with bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Herlin Riley), for 17 standards and three of his originals (including "In the Court of King Oliver"). Wynton, perhaps because of his father's presence, is very respectful of the melodies, sometimes overly so. The result is that this set is not as adventurous as one would like although Marsalis's beautiful tone makes the music worth hearing.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

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This album is one of the cornerstones of French hip-hop music. Its release was a major act for IAM as they finally found a sound to match the quality of their lyrics, as well as for French hip-hop, confirming the fact that rap has a lot of followers in the Hexagon. Like their peers from the suburbs of Paris, NTM, IAM went to New York to instigate the production of this album, seeking for the essence of the sound one can only find in the Big Apple (their previous album was also cut in N.Y.). They teamed with Prince Charles Alexander, the mixer and engineer who worked a lot for Bad Boy Records. They even got close to the Wu-Tang realm through Sunz of Man members on "La Saga." The sound has definitely changed from the previous albums: at first putting themselves in the Egyptian tradition (look at their names), they now have found the musical depth they deserve as ones of the few best lyricists of France. Definitely influenced by the Wu-Tang soundscapes, the opening track is the story of the battle between their school, from the silver mic, against the wooden mic school, in a Bushido style. Too bad that non-French speaking listeners won't get the lyrics; they cannot appreciate the quintessence of IAM's style. However, most of the album sticks to the traditional approach of storytelling, as it covers the city life in its darkness: little brothers that want to grow too fast and be the new caïd ("Petit Frère"), money hungry women who have sex without giving their names, the difficulties to have a similar chance and destiny than a boy growing up in the well-off (about equality of chances) and much more. Not many subjects of relief here, we only breathe thanks to the banging instrumentals and phrasing of the MCs. IAM takes the time to raise questions we don't want to hear, and stories we don't want to remember. This album is just hip-hop as its best: quality of the production with skilled lyricists in top form. This would just be one of you first "must-have" purchase if you plan to approach French rap music.© Vincent Latz /TiVo

The strength-to-strength peaks of Joni Mitchell's run of albums in the early 1970s is one of the most remarkable stretches of musical excellence in the pop era. The folk-rock perfection of 1970's Ladies of the Canyon led to the stark emotional intensity of 1971's Blue, which then opened up into the kaleidoscopic sonic experimentalism of 1972's For the Roses. While this era yielded only one U.S. Top 40 hit (1972's "You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio"), it nonetheless established Mitchell as a formidable artistic force who was not only far more musically interesting than many of her hippie-era peers, but also far more iconoclastic in her approach to her art and the music business.  So one would be forgiven for assuming that, after taking 1973 off, Mitchell would return with an album that either aimed straight for the charts or one that indulged her creative adventurousness. Court and Spark managed to do both. By far Mitchell's most commercially successful album—it's her only album to go double-platinum in the U.S. and also contained her only U.S. Top Ten hit, "Help Me"—the popularity of Court and Spark has managed to overshadow its weirdness. Following along from the jazzy inflections that made For the Roses so sonically interesting, Court fully blossomed into a funky, fusion-tinged affair, featuring members of the Crusaders and Tom Scott's L.A. Express providing highly complementary instrumentation to Mitchell's always-unusual guitar playing. In Mitchell's hands, "jazzy" becomes as much of a mindset as a sonic signature (a cover of Annie Ross's "Twisted" that closes the album is the closest that Court ever gets to anything resembling capital-J "jazz"), giving her freedom to dive deep into the unusual tunings and chord voicings she's always preferred, but also to open up the arrangements of the songs beyond simple verse-chorus-verse. Of course, her lyrics are as impressive as ever (the imagery in "Raised on Robbery" is as vivid as it is implicit), but even the largely wordless multi-tracked harmonies of "Trouble Child" and "People's Parties" can take the listener's breath away. Mitchell's use here of the "studio-as-an-instrument" is notable; while she is once again self-producing alongside the formidable engineering talents of Henry Lewy, her bold approach to Court's construction also helped make it the best-sounding album in her catalog to this point. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

What a line-up! Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA and eclectic producer Girl Talk have blessed us all with an album that just oozes 2000s boom bap nostalgia. This joint venture puts Mississippi, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and New York onto the same musical map. Full Court Press is an incredibly well produced album, and it knows exactly how to make the fantastic flow of the rappers shine, especially on the track How the Story Goes. Girl Talk is a great fan of expertly pitched soul vocal samples, drawing inspiration from past productions from Jay Electronica, 9th Wonder and Kanye West. The album even features a sample from Chic’s hit Soup for One in the track Ready for Love, where Wiz Khalifa transforms into an RnB singer. There are also modern southern sounds on the banger Ain’t No Fun, highlighting the incredibly broad and all-encompassing sonic palate of these musical heavyweights. © Brice Miclet/Qobuz

Snoop Dogg leaves much of his gang-banging past behind him in favor of preened pimp posturing on his final album for No Limit Records, The Last Meal. Snoop's increasingly old-school pose suits his gracefully aging self well. Despite his former affiliation with Death Row Records and his much-publicized murder trial, Snoop never seemed like much of a thug, which is partly why hostile albums like Tha Doggfather (1996) and Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told (1998) seemed a bit forced. Contrarily, it seems more natural for him to rap about the pampered pimp life, as he does here on The Last Meal -- tall glasses of Hennesey, glistening pairs of Stacey Adams, overcast clouds of chronic smoke, hungry hordes of so-called bitches -- over truck-rattling G-funk basslines that lope along at a languid tempo. These impressive beats come courtesy of a similarly impressive roster of producers: second-wave G-funksters Meech Wells, Battlecat, Jelly Roll, and Soopafly, and brand-name hitmakers Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, and Timbaland. Among this roster, Timbaland certainly stands out, as do his contributions, "Snoop Dogg (What's My Name, Pt. 2)" and "Set It Off," which place Snoop in an uncharacteristically energetic context. He handles himself well on these bouncy songs regardless, yet seems more at home on Dre's smoother contributions, "Hennesey n Buddah" and "Lay Low." Beyond these four tracks, the remaining 15 are a mixed bag, most of them Crip-walking along at a stoned tempo, featuring soulful P-Funk hooks by Kokane and offering laid-back respite while this lengthy album moves leisurely toward its throwback album-capper, "Y'all Gone Miss Me." Following this misty-eyed finale, you're left with the thankful sense that Snoop has finally taken control of his career after succumbing to the oppressive fancy of Suge Knight and Master P ever since parting ways with Dr. Dre following Doggystyle (1993).© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

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