#7 Radio Music Society by Esperanza Spalding
With some assists from Q-Tip, Lalah Hathaway and saxophonist Joe Lovano, the smooth jazz/soul singer’s fourth album continues on the ambitious route she’s been charting since her debut. Completely devoid of the clichés that similar artists seem to be interminably bound to, Spalding’s gorgeous vocals and always-stellar songwriting is augmented with a bevy of rambunctious horns and rubbery basslines, courtesy of some of the most renowned players in jazz and soul. And there’s a brilliant re-imagining of Michael Jackson’s 1979 Stevie Wonder-penned classic, “I Can’t Help It.”
