I’m still on my quest to expose ya’ll to new music, so I’m going to share some of my latest finds which I think are amazing and you might find that you like too! The first up is Angelique Kidjo’s Oyo album, which just came out this week. Now, I love African rhythms (hence the amazing mix that I had put together just for you guys!), especially those mixed with American forms of rhythms and beats and songs…and artists. Angelique Kidjo is a legend and her last album Djin Djin stayed in my rotation as well. Oyo features a great mix of songs, rhythms, covers, originals and just great music. This may not be your cup of tea, however, I dare you to give it a spin. Both albums are free to listen to in their entirety once below from Lala.com, so just try it!

The album features duets as well with Bono, John Legend, Roy Hargrove (!) and even jazz great Dianne Reeves. Trust me, a spin is worth it.

Next up is Bobby McFerrin’s new album VOCAbuLarieS. I just posted a clip of Bobby showing some music theory in a fun way with an interactive audience, but this man is truly a master of his voice, and others apparently. On this new album of his, he takes and multi-tracks from all over the world, and orchestrates them into a giant chorus which features upwards of 1,000+ music tracks sequenced together for form one of the most harmonious and interesting vocal palettes you will ever hear in your life. The music hits you like a wall of sound. He’s re-engineered Phil Spector’s famous technique in my opinion and transformed it into his own. If you love vocals of any kind (and no, Rihanna doesn’t count), you should take a listen to this awesome body of work. Some of the songs are long, but take a listen with your ears and mind and get enveloped in what Mr. “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is truly about!

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Blackroc Feat. Nicole Wray – “Why Can’t I Forget Him”

You know, when the Blackroc album came out, I bought it on the strength of liking The Black Keys — one of my friends turned me onto their music. Then I heard Damon Dash was putting together a blending of their music with some hip-hop artists and I was semi-intrigued.

The album tends to drag a bit to me but the more and more I listen to it, the more I enjoy it. However, this song featuring Nicole Wray is a favorite of mine. Nicole Wray has been off and on the scene over the past few years or so, but I loved her “If I Was Your Girlfriend”, a lot actually. Her voice fits this music dynamic perfectly, because it possesses a little bit of grit to give it that rock/soul edge.

Check out this joint and let me know what you think. The project is available at Amazon and other fine retailers if you’re interested in more.