Polo G

October 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of Opera North’s reworking of Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Natalia Lafourcade- De Todas las Flores

Rapturous beauty.

2. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City

My review.

3. Brian Harnetty- Words and Silences

My review.

4. Dave Douglas- Songs of Ascent: Book 1- Degrees

Advanced harmolodics.

5. Boston Modern Orchestra Project- Anthony Davis: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

A new rendering of the neglected opera.

6. Anat Cohen- Quartetinho

Exquisite chamber jazz.

7. Evgueni Galperine- Theory of Becoming

A Ukrainian Morricone.

8. Armani Caesar- The Liz 2

The month’s best Griselda album.

9. Babyface- Girl’s Night Out

Sultry collaborations.

10. Caroline Shaw and I Giardini- The Wheel

I prefer this hushed recording to the widely praised The Blue Hour.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Plains- "Hurricane"

Leveled.

2. Grupo Marca Registrada and Luis R. Conriquez- "Puro Campeón"

A true champion.

3. iLe- "Lo Que Yo Quería"

Celestial pop.

4. Ozuna featuring El Cherry Scom- "Perreo y Dembow"

Dizzying.

5. Quavo and Takeoff- "Two Infinity Links"

I’m 250 pages into Joe Coscarelli’s Rap Capital.

6. Jamila Woods- "Boundaries"

Blurred lines.

7. LF System- "Hungry (For Love)"

Famished on the dance floor.

8. SleazyWorld Go featuring G Herbo- “Glitches”

Shots fired.

9. Nardo Wick featuring Polo G- "G Nikes"

If the shoe fits…

10. Hardy- "Truck Bed"

Hick-hop goes pop-punk.


Top Ten Performances of October

1. Marin Alsop and Orchestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo at Helzberg Hall

My review.

2. Ohma and FKJ at the Midland Theater

My review.

3. Raven Chacon’s “American Ledger no. 1” at Agnes Arts

My review.

4. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at the Uptown Theater

My review.

5. Terence Blanchard with Turtle Island Quartet at Atkins Auditorium

My review.

6. Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation

My review.

7. Karen Hsiao Savage, Hyeyung Sol Yoon and Gregory Beaver at White Recital Hall

My review.

8. Stan Kessler, Rod Fleeman and Bob Bowman at a driveway concert

Three of Kansas City’s best on a glorious fall afternoon.

9. Esthesis Quartet at the Blue Room

My Instagram clip.

10. Alex Mallett and Jeff Harshbarger at Market at Meadowbrook

Folklore.


Last month’s survey is here.

February 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Cicely Tyson and Sammy Davis Jr. in the trailer for A Man Called Adam by There Stands the Glass.

Screenshot of Cicely Tyson and Sammy Davis Jr. in the trailer for A Man Called Adam by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in February)

1. Benoît Delbecq- The Weight of Light

My review.

2. Pooh Shiesty- Shiesty Season

Brrrrd.

3. Benjamin Grosvenor- Liszt

My review.

4. Quatuor Bozzini- Alvin Lucier: Navigations

Creepy drones and controlled cacophonies.

5. Archie Shepp and Jason Moran- Let My People Go

A feast in the wilderness.

6. Femi and Made Kuti- Legacy+: Stop the Hate and For(e)ward

Family tradition.

7. Cassandra Jenkins- An Overview on Phenomenal Nature

Astral minutes.

8. Tindersticks- Distractions

Focused.

9. Pink Sweat$- Pink Planet

Softer than John Legend.

10. R+R=Now- Live

Genius plus hubris equals fascinating complications.

Top Ten Songs (released in February)

1. Syd- "Missing Out"

Fomo.

2. Nana Yamato- “Burning Desire’

Temperature rising.

3. H.E.R.- "Fight For You"

Throwback anthem.

4. Kevin Gates- "Plug Daughter 2"

Roadside assistance.

5. Polo G- "GNF (OKOKOK)"

I care a lot.

6. Cardi B- "Up"

Once upon a time...

7. Ariana Grande- “Test Drive”

Ride or die.

8. Cherry Glazerr- "Big Bang"

Universal.

9. Sada K- "You"

Nothing compares.

10 Nick Cave and Warren Ellis- “Albuquerque”

Stasis.

Top Ten Movies (viewed for the first time in February, in lieu of live music)

1. A Man Called Adam (1966)

Miles ahead.

2. The Silver Chalice (1954)

Astoundingly bad or exceptionally good?

3. The Golden Coach (1952)

Jean Renoir’s luminescent critique of colonialism.

4. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

An odd but stellar interpretation of Carson McCullers’ novel.

5. It Should Happen to You (1954)

Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon are adorable.

6. Juarez (1939)

¡Viva México!

7. Native Son (1951)

Richard Wright stars in an uneven rendering of his classic work.

8. Murder, She Said (1961)

Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple is just too much.

9. Treasure Island (1934)

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.

10. His House (2020)

Political asylum as horror.


January’s recap and a link to last year’s monthly surveys is here.