Overload

Like Nina Simone and Sun Ra, Georgia Anne Muldrow is one of those artists who manifests more as an attitude than a sound. She’s made hip-hop, she’s made soul, she’s made jazz (or something like it); she may have—through her guest spot on Erykah Badu’s 2008 track “Master Teacher”—helped warm the culture up to the word “woke.” Executive-produced in part by Flying Lotus (and released on his Brainfeeder label), Overload is easily one of the most concise albums of her career. It’s proof that while Muldrow’s presence (earthy but avant-garde) and range (generous, limitless?) remain her deepest philosophical offerings, she can squeeze herself into songs, too: the slanted hip-hop of the title track, the zero-gravity R&B of “Canadian Hillbilly,” the wonky ragtime of “These Are the Things I Really Like About You.” Lotus, yes, Solange, yes, Kendrick, yes—but Overload, too. In 2019, the album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, presumably because the culture has nowhere else to put it.