Last-minute outcomes force last-minute changes. The new album by Junclassic, produced by Uncommon Nasa, comes with news of his recent passing within the past week.  The Queens, NY native, with such a lengthy catalog, has released Music For My Eyes (Uncommon Records), an album that doesn’t compromise itself for anything or anyone. Nasa’s beat constructions fit well alongside Junclassic’s deep vocal delivery. It’s easily discoverable on “F.E.B”, and Nasa’s stop-start antics are juxtaposed well alongside Jun’s lyrics, while Furious P, trigger fingers scratch across this musical landscape, which is purposefully filled with additional sounds and rhythms glitching in and out. The technique seems to be strewn across the album but “Snake Charming” catches my attention as Junclassic crosses paths between humor and politics when he says, “Anyway we in the every day where too many play/they will let the semis spray and say it on they resume/and everything is going up except my paycheck/they took abortion what they gonna take next, safe sex?” Junclassic was a unique lyricist who was engaging and kept you enthralled and on Music For My Eyes, that’s what we get one hundredfold! Here he burns bright, and his star will always shine.  

JOHNNY BURGOS – A LONG SHORT STORY

The ongoing joke has always been, “The internet is undefeated,” but it’s normally relatable to something that’s ironically challenging, completely comedic, or even equitable to both at the same time. Social media has, in turn, become a beast of information that governments have a difficult time controlling, to our benefit, and at the same time, people have utilized it to their advantage as well. Case in point, musicians. The new breed of musician or artist has been able to find ways to exploit platforms, monetize them, etc. This leads us to Brooklyn’s own Johnny Burgos, who first popped up randomly on my timeline. Click. Share. That’s normally how it goes.

Burgos has just released his second full-length release, A Long Short Story (LRK Records), produced by Jeremy Page (Czarface, Kendra Morris), and the final result probably isn’t what you’d expect. Johnny Burgos is cut from a different cloth, and sure, the album nods towards Motown and Chicano/Brown-eyes soul, but make no mistake, Burgos is firmly footed in the present, and that shouldn’t be lost on anyone. He does open the album with “Growing On Me,” with its sultry background harmonies and tinkling piano keys, which set the mood for Burgos to hold onto the microphone tightly as if born with it in his hand. His falsetto is alluring and hypnotic, and he casually slips through these runs so eloquently you might miss it. They’re sometimes quick and brief, but you hear them through the harmonies. It’s “Tomorrow,” though that has a much older feel to it. Musically, it reeks of 1971 soulfulness and Burgos’ silky vocal delivery; yeah, it can stand with the best of them. His cadence, harmonies, and inflections are all captured perfectly, and the coastal ride of his musical backdrop, filled with strings, smooth rhythm, and underlying keyboards, makes this a stunning offering. Choosing a specific year is no accident either, but I’m not offering any obvious comparisons.

Then there’s “Ready,” a much more contemporary joint with a club feel. You can almost imagine Burgos performing in a Tuxedo alongside like-minded artists to adoring fans. Guitars and percussion permeate throughout the chorus, while that tender keyboard and rhythm drive the song with energetic fervor. But it’s “Under Your Window” that captures the feeling of love, youth, innocence & breakups. Under urban landscapes, it’s easy to picture him down below as he sings to himself about his unrequited love. The tempo seems to change with guitars leading the charge, but it isn’t misplaced as horns blare in. What’s really interesting is Burgos’ range, hitting notes effortlessly but with sniper-like precision. If you’ve made it halfway through, nothing will prepare you for “Caught Up,” the obvious single on the album, containing all the swaggering that’s difficult to contain. While it does have semblances of an era piece, Burgos brings things to the present. His voice is buttery smooth, and the music, well,  there are semblances…Honestly, it could be the theme song to a modern-day Blaxploitation film. It isn’t a disparaging remark, but the energy, the power within, and thematically speaking, makes it strong and vibrant. The more you listen to his voice, his music, the not-so-obvious influences begin to hit surface levels. I’m not sure if it’s the colorful title track, filled with strings, or the bounce of the brightly flamboyant “Sidelines” that has me seeing striking swashes of purple around them. Yeah, the impact of others has guided him without making things so obvious.   

One thing I can say is you might not be prepared for what A Long Short Story has to offer. There’s a stunning beauty on just about every track on this release. Johnny Burgos is more than just a Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn, with the talent and artistry to back it up. He’s continually making his mark, but one thing is for certain: his ascension will be continuous if not quick! Is it too soon to say this might be the best album of the year?

TOMORROW KINGS – SALT

If you’re 20 years in the game and notoriety has escaped your grasp, it’s not always any fault of your own. It can take time for an artist to scrape a living out of what they’re trying to accomplish, regardless of industry. This music thing? Yeah, it’s difficult for many, but there are moments when I don’t understand what’s holding people back when the artistry is there and the music pieced together is filled with banger after banger. Life sometimes gets in the way, but time is of no consequence here, especially since it’s been 12 years since releasing an album.  

The Chicago-based collective Tomorrow Kings is a six-man strong team of SKECH185, Collasoul  Structure, I.B. Fokuz, Malakh El, Gilead7, and IL. Subliminal. The group just released SALT (Buenaventura Records), produced in its entirety by Melbourne beat manipulator Aoi. This isn’t your standard Hip-Hop; there’s an exorbitant amount of ideas flowing freely throughout from track to track. A group with so many members could be to the detriment of Tomorrow Kings, but no, here it isn’t. Each member brings something unique to the group and complements one another with distinctive flows & deliveries. You can flip through this album at random and find expressive, thoughtful lyricism and beats you can sink your teeth into, but I’m not sure it gets more intense than “Red Summer.” It’s that boom bap that does get politicized through urban landscapes depicting graffiti-strewn walls with messages, the deep racism of a not-so-distant past, along with the racial inequities many can understand because many have dealt with the same issue(s). It’s deep, it’s heady, and all too realistic.  

There’s “Airblades” which features Defcee. Here, the track borders on nostalgia with its vocal deliveries, which is coupled with the musical backdrop that moves with aged grace. There’s an aura surrounding it, a free-flowing, gritty beat that’s unrelenting as heavy winds surround it. Not wind instruments, but what sounds like samples of wind blowing through. You can move on and then hit “HerBodyStill,” which hits like artsy prog rap. The beat the emcees grab onto is sparse but fruitful, quietly crashing alongside borders like an alcohol-infused dream. Lyrically, it’s a thick wall of words, and they utilize the space, and all this does is make me want to see what she looks like. It’s a lot to take in, much like the album’s title track. Here, it’s the storytelling, underscored by delicate piano work, which makes it fascinating. The seasoning itself could be detrimental, a vice, and at the same time something we can’t get away from. The comparison moves from salt itself to the first time learning to cook crack. Again, fascinating; words and thoughts are clear, and we understand, just like sugar, it has the ability to maim and kill.

I’ll say it from jump, SALT is intriguing, and Tomorrow Kings make the most of every nuance and beat at its disposal. If this album doesn’t end on end-of-year lists, my displeasure with writers will be warranted because Tomorrow Kings created something bordering on brilliance and insanity.