The Next Great Folk Singer-Songwriter

Hello and welcome to the latest installment of Five Albums, the weekly feature for paid Hearing Things subscribers in which we recommend you the new records that you need to hear. As music journalists, the question we get most often from friends is how to stay on top of what’s new and cool. This is our attempt to provide a practical answer.

Each of this week’s picks feels quintessential to its selector’s taste. Ryan highlights a stirring singer-songwriter who recalls Tracy Chapman but mostly just sounds like herself. Dylan chronicles the collaboration between two stars of underground rap in the tri-state. Jill shines a light on punchy international indie rock, and Andy holds it down for what he calls the “flyers-with-parentheses psychedelic underground.” And Julianne takes a closer look at a hip-hop heroine who’s gone mask off. Let’s goooo.