Mariah the Scientist — ‘From a Woman’
The latest from Mariah Amani Buckles, aka Mariah the Scientist, is a complementary track with boyfriend Young Thug, referred to in her video’s opening dialogue simply as Jeff, short for Jeffery Lamar Williams. Thug’s response video, “From a Man,” is one of several tracks the rapper/singer has released from jail. He has been held for the last 18 months while awaiting trial in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ high profile YSL racketeering case.
Buckles and Williams, who have been romantically linked for at least two years, have collaborated professionally on numerous occasions. He appeared on her 2021 album Ry Ry World, and she was featured in last year’s Thug single, “Walked In.” She recently told Pitchfork that “[Jeff] is someone who supports and respects my vision wholeheartedly. There is a true balance in my femininity and his masculinity. He’s the yang to my yin in every way.”
Having recently signed with Epic Records, Mariah’s new album, To Be Eaten Alive, will be out on October 27, her 26th birthday. (Photo by Perry Julien)
::
Algiers — ‘Spook’
Kudos to Algiers for embracing the haunted season with this spine-tingling track off its latest album, Shook. Released in February this year, the collection of songs has been met with near universal acclaim, as the band continues to deepen its sound.
Now embarked on an extensive European tour, the group has gone far since its formation in 2012. It started with three friends who met as teens growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta: Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist front man Franklin J. Fisher, bassist and synth player Ryan Mahan and guitarist Lee Tesche have known each other for decades.
In 2015, they recruited British drummer Matthew Tong, who had recently left his gig with indie band Bloc Party, and the core four solidified. Since then, they’ve continued building their genre-straddling sound.
Unsurprisingly, earlier this year, when Fisher was asked to list five influential albums for New York radio station WFUV, he cited all live recordings from a wide range of performers: Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley, Fela Kuti and Ahmad Jamal. Tesche has also cited Atlanta’s punk/hardcore scene of the late ’90s/early aughts as a major impetus for wanting to play in a band. However it came together, we’re glad it did.
::
Usher — ‘You Make Me Wanna’
Sure, singer-songwriter-dancer-choreographer-mogul-icon Usher Raymond IV may be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show next year, and sure, he may be one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, with over 100 million albums sold worldwide. But it’s Halloween. And so it’s only right that we spend a moment appreciating Usher’s appearance in The Faculty, the too-often-slept-on 1998 horror classic directed by From Dusk Till Dawn auteur Robert Rodriguez. It’s basically Invasion of the Body Snatchers crossed with Friday Night Lights.
Usher’s supporting role as a soon-to-be-pod-personed varsity football player in that film is kind of remarkable because it happened right when he was at the center of one of the decade’s most potent R&B blockbusters – we are, of course, talking about his sophomore collection of songs, My Way, released by Jermaine Dupri’s LaFace Records.
Building off the promise of Usher’s debut, self-titled album in 1994 that established his immense talent at the young age of 15, My Way scaled up in a big way. The album’s list of featured performers alone is a packed house: Monica, Lil’ Kim, Seal, The Isley Brothers and Joe Cocker all collaborated on various tracks. But the whole thing was anchored by two hit singles, one of which is our buttery smooth Vintage Track of the Week — the one that truly began to build the persona, style and grace that continues in his career today.
::
Want Atlanta Soundtrack in your ear all day, every day? Check out our compilation of previously featured songs and artists on the ArtsATL Atlanta Soundtrack Spotify playlist here:
