Run That Back — August 2021
Welcome to the latest installment of the Run That Back series, taking a look back at the music that came out in August. Starting with this August segment, I’ve decided to have a cut-off date for the music that makes the monthly review, that way I can get each segment out earlier and have time to get a good listen to music that dropped. It also prevents something that dropped on the last day of the month from being dubbed the piece I “Ran back all month” because that just wouldn’t be true. Each segment will include only the music spanning from the first of the month up to a week before the end of the month. Anything that drops past the last seven days will be included in the following month’s segment.
If you were out of the loop last month or just want to make sure you didn’t miss any good drops, be sure to check out the RTB segment for July below.
Playlists of all the Albums, EPs, and Singles that dropped in August can be accessed at the bottom of this article, as only the top seven for each category make the article cut.
Albums
Ran it back all August: Cleo Sol — Mother
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 9/10
The sweet, soulful, soothing voice of Cleo Sol never disappoints. Following the critically acclaimed masterpiece that she delivered in 2020, Rose in the Dark, Cleo Sol returned to give us another soulful album in Mother. Sol revealed in an Instagram post that she had originally planned on taking a break after the release of Rose in the Dark, “but Gods got jokes and was like, now you guys create and have fun, so we did.” The turning point being Cleo Sol welcoming a baby into the world and becoming a mother, which was clearly the inspiration for the title.
The album cover showcases Cleo Sol holding a newborn baby with a framed picture of a young lady hanging above them. I assume the framed picture is of Cleo’s mother, who has been a huge influence in Cleo’s music and who was the inspiration behind the “Sol” in Cleo’s stage name, as a homage to her mother’s Spanish heritage. With this imagery in mind, it is clear that the album is not just about Cleo becoming a mother, but her experience being mothered as well. The album is riddled with the tones and guidance of a mother’s love. This is one of my favorite things about Cleo’s music; it always has an uplifting and loving tone and can serve as rejuvenation for the soul. Throughout the album, Cleo speaks on unconditional love, positive affirmations, encouragement through tough times, and more.
Compared to Rose in the Dark, this album is somehow even calmer and more tender. Perfect for a rainy night, candles lit, just relaxing and pondering. When trying to narrow down some stand-out tracks, I found myself not really finding any particular standouts, though every track is great. All of the songs kind of flow smoothly into each other and can really feel like one big song if not intently listening. However, I don’t necessarily view that as a negative thing. That’s just how smooth the transitions are and the tone throughout felt fitting and wasn’t in desperate need of a change of pace. I will say, though, that, in that regard, Mother falls short of its predecessor, Rose in the Dark, as the latter’s songs, to me, have kind of different feels to them but still retain cohesiveness. All in all, Mother is still a great album from a phenomenal talent in Cleo Sol. I feel like she may be taking that break now, but I certainly look forward to more music from Cleo in the future.
2. Navy Blue — Navy’s Reprise
Dropped: August 13, 2021
Rating: 8.5/10
3. Dirty Bird — Self-titled
Dropped: August 14, 2021
Rating: 8.5/10
4. Nas — King’s Disease II
Dropped: August 6, 2021
Rating: 8.5/10
5. Tinashe — 333
Dropped: August 6, 2021
Rating: 8/10
6. Lion Babe — Rainbow Child
Dropped: August 6, 2021
Rating: 8/10
7. Marina Sena— De Primeria
Dropped: August 19, 2021
Rating: 7.5/10
EPs
Ran it back all August: Pip Millett — Motion Sick
Dropped: August 13, 2021
Rating: 8.5/10
It was hard for me to decide which project to highlight: DVSN and Ty Dolla’s collab mixtape, Cheers to the Best Memories, or Pip Millett’s EP, Motion Sick. Ultimately, I felt it unfair to pit a five-song EP against an 11-song mixtape. Also, I just felt Pip deserved the spotlight a little more. The UK R&B scene is honestly amazing right now and making major waves, and Pip Millett is one of the artists at the forefront of that wave. I love her sound and the vulnerability that is present in her music.
Similar to Pip Millett’s 2020 EP, Lost In June, Motion Sick once again sees the UK songstress taking on a reflective look on life. This time around we get a little more worldview from Millett as she touches on the challenges of being black in the UK. We also get reflections from Millett’s personal life as she speaks on love and the hardships that she’s faced. She talks about such over some excellently selected samples, my favorite being the sample from Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)” on “Braid It Back.” It really adds to the soulful element and raises the bar on the song, which is my favorite song from the EP.
Pip Millett has videos for two tracks off the EP, “Hard Life” and “Running” (below). The “Hard Life” video flashes back and forth from Millett as a kid growing up in the UK and her currently, while she sings of her complications growing up. The video, I think, showcases the support that Pip had from family and friends during this time, since she is seen with them for the majority of the video. The video for “Running” is probably more deserving of a deeper dive, but I don't get paid enough (or at all) to do that soooo I’m not going to try to crack all the motifs. But, it is clear that the video is a take on being black in a white space and the difficulty in running from that. But you can watch the video below and make of it what you will.
2. DVSN x Ty Dolla $ign — Cheers to the Best Memories [mixtape]
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 8.5/10
3. Amaria — Bittersweet
Dropped: August 18, 2021
Rating: 8.3/10
4. Dylan Sinclair — 3511
Dropped: August 6, 2021
Rating: 9/10
Disclaimer: This is only 2 songs, but mannnnnn… listen to these damn two songs. They’re so great. Even though it has the highest rating, I put it fourth because it’s just two songs.
5. Tiwa Savage — Water & Garri
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 8/10
6. Benny the Butcher — Pyrex Picasso
Dropped: August 13, 2021
Rating: 8/10
7. Shaybo — Queen of the South [mixtape]
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 8/10
Singles
Ran it back all August: Victoria Monet — Coastin
Dropped: August 5, 2021
Rating: 10/10
I am a firm believer in mother freaking Victoria Monet supremacy! She is a master of the silky smooth sound and cranks out bops at an extremely high level, and “Coastin” is yet another example of the Jaguar singer’s prowess. This is a certified summertime hit and could be a cookout classic. If you run across a bright sunny day, I would highly recommend hopping in your car, hitting the highway, let the windows down (or the top down if you balling like that), and blast this track at max volume. It’s a vibe.
The video for “Coastin” just takes it up to an even higher tier. Run Victoria Monet and Rickey Thompson their Oscars for their performances in this video. They were brilliant and played off each other well and delivered a good comedic performance. The video also had some good outfits and I loved the throwback rollerblading party and the Soul Train Line. Hoping we get some more new Victoria Monet music soon, cause I’ve been feeling starved and this was just a taste.
2. NAO — Wait
Dropped: August 12, 2021
Rating: 10/10
3. Cynthia Erivo — Glowing up
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 10/10
4. JOJO — Worst (I assume)
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 9.5/10
5. Nija — Ease my mind (come over)
Dropped: August 19, 2021
Rating: 9.3/10
6. SZA — I Hate you
Dropped: August 22, 2021
Rating: 9/10
7. Eric Bellinger — Go get it
Dropped: August 20, 2021
Rating: 9/10
Remixes
Ran it back all August: VanJess x Lucky Daye — Slow down [remix]
Dropped: August 13, 2021
Rating: 9/10
We gon be alright if we put Lucky on every remix! Lucky Daye comes through blessing yet another track with his presence as he hops on VanJess’ “Slow Down.” The original track is from VanJess’ latest album, Homegrown, which came out earlier this year. “Slow Down” was a fan favorite from the album and one of the most popular tracks on the album. Adding vocals from Lucky Daye, who has been having a great feature year, just makes the song even more lovable. Daye has a quick verse at the start of the song that leaves you wanting a little more from him. I love the quick back and forth he has with VanJess on the hook, and his background vocals are a great touch. It’s amazing seeing Lucky be able to blend so seamlessly with countless artists and he never disappoints.
2. Jennifer Hudson — Respect soundtrack [album]
Dropped: August 13, 2021
Rating: 9/10
3. Alex Isley — At Your Best (You Are Love) [cover]
Dropped: August 25, 2021
Rating: 9/10
