This year has flown by and looking back; there has been a lot of great music released this year. I found myself listening to music to keep myself distracted from the ongoing stories about the global pandemic, politics and racial tensions on TV, social media, etc. There were a lot of fun things to watch online like DJ D-Nice’s “Club Quarantine,” Verzuz battles, H.E.R. “Girls With Guitars,” and a ton of other livestreams including our own PlayLive Zoom Sessions. Fortunately, we were able to continue doing our jobs here at PlayNetwork/Octave Group, and as a Music Supervisor, the opportunity to also discover some good tunes!
OPEN THIS MONTH’S PLAYLIST IN YOUR BROWSER >
Artist: Jhene Aiko
Album: Chilombo
Track: Happiness Over Everything (ft. Future, Miguel)
Twitter: @JheneAiko
After looking back at all of the albums I’ve listened to throughout the year, I found myself playing this album a lot because it was full of cool tracks and collaborations with various singers and rappers (i.e., H.E.R., Future, Miguel, Nas and more). This album was released in March and she recorded it in Hawaii, and some songs feature singing bowls (used for healing and meditation) to create a calming vibe. The album’s release was right when we all started working from home, social distancing and quarantining so I think that’s why I connected with it, because it was an album that could be played from beginning to end and vibe-out to. She delivers some chill vocals, clever and sometimes witty lyrics on top of some smooth R&B beats. A standout for me in 2020!
Top 10 Albums of 2020
1. Jhene Aiko – Chilombo
2. DUCKWRTH – Super Good
3. Yaeji – What We Drew
4. SAULT – Untiled (Black Is)
5. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II
6. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
7. Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure
8. Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
9. Caribou – Suddenly
10. Teyana Taylor – The Album
