Overall, in fact, it might feel like a little too much of The Weeknd all at once. But then again the music is so good it might just be what the doctor ordered.

It's good time music written to the sound of heartbreak and everyday affairs, which makes it even more relatable, accessible even.

Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors has a much more electronic feel to it, with a plethora of synthesizers. The brassy street thump of past Big Boi releases is still present, it's just more centralized.

Weather is a beautiful album and the most intimate project we've heard from Ndegeocello in the last few years.

Despite talk of the non-living, one can say more resolutely that The Upsetter is back at it, town crying and rousing the most lively music lovers among us while keeping great reggae alive.

Kiwanuka crafts an opus so insular that it feels like a one-on-one conversation between he and you.

It had that intangible love and passion behind it that so, so many albums these days are essentially lacking. The tone will brighten your day, while the passion will inspire you.

Glasper managed to create a beautiful album from start to finish that will easily be added into conversations with greats like John Coltrane's Blue Train.

Bailey Rae's The Love EP is a short, but great listen with some of the finest love songs ever written.

House of Balloons is a surprisingly strong and confident debut for a new artist.

At just 11 tracks, this record flexes serious range, but what's even more impressive is that it rarely sounds overextended.

This record a solid improvement over the excellent Causers Of This, and I am excited for his continued growth as an artist.

Not only does the duo own the niche that they have established on their EPs, they also break new ground, infusing other elements and genres within the album. Overall, a great listen.

Coming off the digital releases of Funk Man, and Automatik Statik comes Golden Era, the last third of the trilogy, which is, frankly, more of the same. But with Del, that's a good thing.

You won't find much in the way of a message on Mic Tyson (closest thing might be on the driving "Pyrex": "wake up, all that crack and the street talk/is made up like Jack & The Beanstalk"), but you will find a raw rap sound seldom heard in these calloused days

Simply put, tMTMTMK is what music sounds like when it works.

He's found ways to make complexity entertaining and to harness pain in the names of maturity and laughter.

GMB is Pac Div's best and most consistent work to date.

NLP is yet another crowning achievement in his long career.

Overall, Occasion boasts a myriad of sounds and heads may gravitate more toward certain lanes than others but, with nary a weak track, Kidz In The Hall keep it game tight and deliver a dope-ass record.

Vodka & Ayahuasca is a salute to no-bullshit hip-hop done right.

This is sophisticated music for the adult soul.

This album is a violent frenzy maxed out to the “nth” power, so it may not be for everyone; however, most who embrace hardcore hip-hop will undoubtedly love this album.

On Back to Love, Hamilton splits the difference and delivers a carefully calculated amalgam of soulful rawness, after hours sophistication and pop sheen that feels far more organic than it has any right to.

El Rego is solid gold all the way through.

There is an earnestness to Blak & Blu, even in its bumpier moments, that holds your attention, even if it's the testosterone fueled bombast that initially grabs it by the throat.

As the album unfolds you're drawn inexorably into a world of high quality music that deserves to be savoured, devoured, replayed and pored over, and above all, enjoyed.

It does feel like the melding Icebird does of electronic elements with blues, soul, and rock is a progressive move.