There’s a reason people love mixtapes. They’re fast and lose, and often bursting with the creative energy of an aspiring and hungry guest list. Noname’s record harkens back to the brilliance of the early Chance the Rapper mixtapes, and to a certain extent, Kanye West’s early records.

Despite that, there’s a clear difference here: Noname’s gender is an obvious differentiator. There’s a dearth of women in hip hop. It’s a stain on a genre that needs to be spending more time celebrating its diversity.

As a result, Telefone is a massive breath of fresh air. Noname is an excellent rapper, and her voice is easy to listen to.

There are so many standout tracks on the record. It would be shockingly easy to write something positive about every track. “Yesterday”’s breezy piano is charming. “Sunny Duet” is melodically stunning; “sunny” is a perfect descriptor.

For my money, though, “Diddy Bop” is the earliest standout track that might buy Noname more of an audience. The guest spot from Raury (who’s one of my favourite up-and-coming rappers) is great. The two of them have a similar style; their beats often feel like they straddle the sometimes-thin line between hip hop and R&B.

They both also share another important vocal quality. Noname, not unlike Raury (or Chance the Rapper), floats over her beats. Even when she’s being more rhythmic with her intonations, like on “Reality Check” (which features the sensational Eryn Allen Kane), it sounds easy and natural.

Like many Chicagoans before her, Noname is naturally proud of her city. But it feels like she’s more aware of its darker side, perhaps because she’s a woman. “Casket Pretty” is a heavy song about how many of her friends end up in caskets, and how “nobody’s safe in her happy city.”

That ironic twist is both a clever and sad line. The song is a telling moment for Noname: she’s not just incredibly skilled, but also self-aware in ways that some of her peers aren’t.

I would be remiss not to mention the mixtape’s closer, “Shadow Man”. I don’t have words to describe my affection for this piece. It’s the longest, most fulfilling track on the record. There’s a beautiful moment on the record that’s heavenly, and Noname never feels more on beat.

There’s a remarkable amount of restraint on Telefone. Noname saves the best track for last. But she also raps at the right times, and somehow “floats” when it’s appropriate. She opens the doors to collaborate with peers, and isn’t afraid to give them the space to do their own thing.

Noname is the most exciting rapper since Raury and Chance the Rapper. Telefone is sensational. It’s unfair to say this so early in her career, so I want to make it clear that I mean this to be encouraging and hopeful — but I desperately want to see Fatimah become the female role model in hip hop.

She could actually do it.

The post Noname: Telefone appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Not unlike her first EP, this is a brief set of tracks, but the two are clearly linked. The album art is incredibly similar, and the two work well side by side.

With Act II, Kane gets to express her influences in even more obvious way. The gospel influences are turned way up. Kane’s pop influences are more obvious too — her recording time with Prince undoubtedly had an impact — but she blends it with R&B and soul in a fantastic way that sounds nearly British thanks to its infusion of pop sensibilities.

That being said, Kane doesn’t sound like a British pop singer. She sounds purely Chicago: well aware of her roots, and not afraid to sound like her inspiration. (From that perspective, Nina Simone would be proud of this record.)

On Dead Or Alive, Eryn leads a listen-and-repeat bridge with her audience, and her ability to command a tremendous stage presence is obvious. She gets the small crowd positively riled, which is fantastic. It’s tremendously revealing of her potential.

But it’s also, in some ways, the weakest moment out of both her EPs because it reveals her recording limitations right now. I love what she’s doing with her music, but she’s writing songs that are almost too mature for the size of her existing audience. She’s writing stadium-sized tracks, but she doesn’t have the career momentum to properly capture them in the studio as of yet. While I have no doubt that Dead Or Alive would be an incredible song to witness live, on record, it loses its impact.

I don’t know if it matters, though, because this big moment happens on the album’s final track and it leaves you wanting more. The sheer presence of her voice is compelling, and gets you excited for her starry future. That future can’t come fast enough.

The post Eryn Allen Kane: Aviary: Act II — EP appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

With a full voice and an incredible supporting band, Kane is bringing some fire to this genre. There’s a jazzy ensemble going on that sounds just right around the Christmas tree, but Kane is singing about things a little more important than the holidays. This is great stuff.

I had a couple dozen people to the apartment my wife and I share earlier this week, and had this album going on in the background. There were two comments: the first was that this wasn’t the most interesting party music to put on for a bunch of undergrad students, and the second was “Holy smokes, how old did you say this girl was?”

And I think that’s exactly what I’d say about this record: it’s not going to convert people who aren’t fans of R&B or soul music, but everybody who hears this thing is going to be impressed by the raw talent on display. Highly recommended.

The post Eryn Allen Kane: Aviary: Act 1 — EP appeared first on Unsung Sundays.