Five Favorite Albums I Discovered During The Pandemic
Disclaimer: For the sake of this article, I’m using the time period of 2020–2022 as the official pandemic years. And for clarification each artist on this list I heard for the first time during the pandemic. Though this is a list I’m not ranking the albums in any way.
Like many during the beginning months of 2020 I spent my days under the foot of the man working my life away in an office. At the time there were rumors and rumblings of a virus outbreak but we didn’t quite understand its severity. A few nights later I distinctly remember checking my phone before calling it a night. ESPN sent me a notification stating the NBA would be suspending the remainder of its season due to the Covid-19 outbreak — this is when I knew for sure that Covid was the real deal. Thanks Rudy Gobert.
The world would follow suit not too long after with many businesses and office spaces like mine closing their doors. I’ve always been a homebody. But in the new world of remote working, I had even more time on my hands than usual. I spent much of that time diving into music, submerging myself in unfamiliar sounds and discovering new artists who would grace my ears for the first time.
When I came back to the surface I had returned with a treasure chest of albums and I’m here to share them with you. Here are my five favorite albums that I discovered during the pandemic.
India Shawn — Before We Go (Deeper)
The amount of quality r&b I stumbled on during the pandemic was out of this world. If anybody said that r&b died or uttered anything of that nature then they simply haven’t been listening. India Shawn’s Before We Go Deeper was one of my favorite releases of 2022 and for good reason. Before releasing this debut album India Shawn had been in the music industry for nearly a decade and you can hear it with each song on this album. From the production to her soothing vocals and song writing — this album oozes with exceptional quality that feels like it was crafted by a true veteran.
The vocals from India Shawn are heavenly to simply put it. Over the course of the album she beautifully sings through the emotions of love, more importantly self-love and knowing one’s worth. The melodies hit all the right spots, the songs are well structured, the musicianship in the production make each track feel full and complete. I dare say there isn’t a single bad song throughout the fifty one minute run time of the album.
Cali Love is the perfect song to listen to during a warm or sunny day, Caught In The Middle and Movin’ On with Anderson Paak showcase the highs of the album’s production. I could go on and on but I’ll leave it to you to go listen for yourselves. Quality is the word I think of when this album comes to mind. India Shawn and everybody who helped bring this project together knocked it out of the park. This is the kind of project I put on when I need to start my day off on the right foot. R&B doesn’t get much better than this.
Favorite tracks: Cali Love, Caught In The Middle, Don’t Play With My Heart, Exchange
K.A.A.N. — Blissful Awareness
I came across K.A.A.N. just by chance from Youtube recommending me his song The Good Book. Shout outs to the algorithm for getting something right for once. I enjoyed the track enough to want to hear more. So naturally I hopped on Spotify to see his other works and discovered that he had a massive catalog dating all the way back to 2015.
Something about the album title spoke to me. Reading that kind of title gave me the impression that K.A.A.N. had to be making some kind of astute observation, maybe about himself or others. At least one would hope. So I pressed play to see where this audible journey would take me — and it didn’t take long for this album to grab my attention. K.A.A.N. ‘s delivery and vocal shift pitches gave me subtle hints of Kendrick Lamar — but the way he executed his versatility was something he could call his own.
By the time I got to the second track Big Dawg I knew at the very least I found something I could throw on my playlist and vibe out to on repeat. But the song that really perked my ears up was the following cut entitled Reaper.
Where’s your foresight, where’s your vision, where’s your fuckin’ intuition?/ Why your key in the ignition but you still here sittin’?/Niggas will be in park and then complain about the traffic/Unable to make a start, you asking me that shit is tragic
These bars weren’t just stand outs of the song itself, but of the entire project. It’s almost a summation of the albums content. Blissful Awareness sees K.A.A.N. being observant to the cynical nature of others, while also acknowledging his own shortcomings and hurdles. But he never gives the feeling that life has beat him into submission. He knows the challenges ahead but won’t shy away from contact, as resilience is the only option.
The themes of the album play out over an ever switching flow that can go from frantically fast, calmly paced to melodic at the drop of a dime. The production allows K.A.A.N. to float in whatever pocket he needs to, helping lend itself to the more melodic moments that make for some of the catchier and more accessible parts of the album.
Blissful Awareness musically gave me all I needed to vibe out while also still packing substance that was pleasing to the ears. This is an album that I still return to regularly and it’s one of my favorites in K.A.A.N.’s catalog so far. Give this a listen and just let it ride out, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Favorite tracks: Big Dawg, Reaper, Show’d Up, Lotto
Chiiild — Hope For Sale
My memory on how I came across Chiiild’s music is a little hazy. But what I do know is that Hope For Sale was a surprise hit for me. Of all the albums on this list this is the one that steps just an inch past left field, but still sounded familiar enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it. This album is an eccentric fusion of various genres — pulling bits and pieces from r&b, pop, soul, jazz and even rock. The production covers each of these genres while not feeling too all over the place or disjointed. Chiiild’s vocals are light, calming and airy — and he has a knack for crafting hypnotic melodies that give you the floating on a cloud feeling in the best way.
Hold on Til We Get There has a smooth blissful feel that’s carried by a production blend of pop, indie rock and a small dash of funk. Chiiild’s lyrics and vocals on the track remind the listener to just breathe and stay calm through life’s uncertainties. The Best Ain’t Happened Yet is instrumentally serene and hopeful. With the lyrics reminding you exactly what the song title implies. But if there’s one track that you absolutely should listen to from this album, it’s Awake — which features British r&b singer Mahalia. My God, this track is sublime, heavenly, magical. The bass, the instrumentation, the beat switch (I’m a sucker for a good beat switch), and the vocals from Mahalia. Her and Chiiild absolutely floated over this track. This is an amazing record, a perfect 10/10 that you need in your life.
Hope For Sale is a well crafted album that is easy on the ears while still being catchy, infectious and calming. From vocals to production and song concepts this project hit on every note that it needed to. It’s the perfect album to listen to in headphones or if you’re on a car ride and it’s a sunny day. During the uncertainty of the pandemic this was the exact kind of album that I needed.
Favorite tracks: Awake, Hold On Til We Get There, Sleepwalking, The Best Ain’t Happened Yet
Stove God Cooks — Reasonable Drought
Witty, charismatic, braggadocious, melodic, bar heavy — just a few ways I would describe Syracuse rapper Stove God Cooks. Laced with filthy production from underground legend Roc Marciano, Stove God effortlessly delivers his brand of brick talk, drug rap, street tales, whatever you want to label it as. Sure you could find an infinite number of rappers who rap about the same topics that you would find on Reasonable Drought — but they don’t do it like Stove God does. The second the opening track Rolls Royce Break Lights cut on I knew I made a right choice cutting this album on. I probably shouldn’t enjoy drug rap as much I do but this opener was an instant head nodder for me and with each song the energy rarely dipped back down from that initial high.
For what he might lack in versatile subject matter he more than makes up for with personality, delivery and overall skill. Stove God has a commanding charisma that brings a certain energy throughout the album. Of course his mic presence or other qualities wouldn’t matter if he had no lyrical talent. But he also happens to be a damn good rapper which further accentuates his other talents. Honestly, I don’t have much else to say about this album other than its top tier drug rap. If you enjoy that style of rap, then this will certainly hit for you. If not, then you’ll probably move on to something else.
I just so happen to enjoy this kind of rap though I’m not a dealer, nor user, or about that life in any capacity. That aside, this was a standout release among the hip hop albums that I listened to while we were all stuck in the midst of the early pandemic.
Favorite tracks: Rolls Royce Break Lights, John $tarks, Break The Pyrex, Jim Boeheim
Orion Sun — Hold Space For Me
If you follow me on Twitter then you’ve probably seen me reference this album numerous times and guess what, I’m doing it again. I had never heard of Orion Sun before and honestly, I don’t remember how or why I even ended up clicking on this project. But it was musically one of the best decisions I made while being in quarantine.
I would classify Hold Space For Me As an r&b project but it also has sprinkles of hip hop and indie pop mixed into its formula. Orion Sun has a certain calm softness to her voice that puts you at ease as you listen to each word. Her lyrics are vulnerable, raw, introspective and grounded in life’s realities.
Much of this album is delivered in a poetic manner as Orion weaves through the heavy emotions of self reflection, love and loss. The way Orion Sun can poetically describe these intimate moments of deep thought gives this project a relatable factor that I think many listeners would appreciate. Production wise Hold Space For Me doesn’t try to do too much. The instrumentals help steer the album but they don’t get in the way and the simplicity works here. The stripped down production allowed Orion Sun and the weight of her words to be the focal point of the album.
Album cuts such as Trying and Grim Reaper do a great job capturing the feeling of loss and the difficulties that come with navigating such emotions. El Camino sees Orion doing a slight switch up with her delivery as she raps over a chill drum beat and a bass guitar groove. But by far my favorite track on this album is Smooth. As the title of the songs states, this track is audible silk. Maybe it’s because those early pandemic days felt so hectic but I found myself returning to this song daily. It was what I listened to anytime I felt anxious and needed something to keep me grounded. This album was kind of a natural calming remedy seeping through my headphones when I need it.
Orion Sun has since released another EP called Getaway and a previous project entitled A Collection Of Fleeting Moments And Daydreams — both of which are definitely worth a listen. But Hold Space For Me will always be my go to project from Orion Sun’s catalog. If you need a calming vulnerable r&b project in your life then this is one you should definitely give a listen.
Favorite tracks: Smooth, Trying, Coffee For Dinner, Grim Reaper
Well, these were some of my favorite projects that I found during the pandemic. Hopefully you found something new you can add to your playlist. I’d also like to know what you were listening to while we were all in quarantine on lock down so feel free to tell me. As always, y’all stay safe, stay hydrated, and I’ll catch you next time.
