Moonchild’s new self-preservation anthem, “Not Sorry,” has guest appearances from Jill Scott and Rapsody. Lead singer Amber Navran tells the offender that she is not responsible for the mess but she is accountable for her own peace of mind. Navran makes the release of toxic people sound easy and almost fun. Her low, breathy tone defuses the hard edges of her message but Scott and Rapsody do their part to remind everyone that it’s not wrong to claim and protect your space. “Not Sorry” is a welcomed return for Moonchild, who released Starfruit three years ago and the Reflections EP in 2023. The collaboration is the first single from their 2026 album.

Alex Harris and Conya Doss have linked to duet on one of the best love songs this year with “Better.” Harris’s rich vocals are matched by Doss’s sweet tone in a deeply soulful dance that recalls the classic past connections of Marvin and Tammi and Method and Mary. The tenderness between the two of them in song is held together by a warm acoustic guitar in an arrangement courtesy of Harris’s brother Swagg and Brandon Williams. The two of them sing their praises for a true romantic love with the affection of a longtime couple still falling for each other. “Better” will be included on Harris’s sophomore album scheduled for an early 2026 release. The singer is excited about the next release because music is more than entertainment for him. He says, “My calling and mission are to utilize my God-given gift of music to inspire humanity. I believe the shared experience of the Gospel Church is part of the ‘secret ingredient’ to authentic soul music. The essence of this album is imbued with the intention to uplift, inspire, and heal. It’s a celebration of life and the myriad emotions we all experience.”

Harris is going on a tour of the United States in October that kicks off in Boston at the City Winery. 

Tour Dates 

10/4-Boston, MA-City Winery

10/5-New York, NY-Groove

10/10-Atlanta, GA-City Winery

10/11-Birmingham, AL-TBA

10/12-New Orleans, LA-Spotted Cat Music Club

10/13-New Orleans, LA-New Orleans Jazz Market

10/15-Portland, OR-The Jack London or Holocene

10/16-Napa, CA-Blue Note Napa

10/17-Los Angeles, CA-The Mint Zebulon/ The Echo

10/18-Hollywood, CA-Venice West

11/25-Chicago, IL-City Winery

11/26-St. Louis, MO-City Winery

MUSUMUSU’s “late nights” is a sulky confessional about the politics of yearning. The sound is new wave, R&B, and soft rock, with MUSUMUSU’s vocals projecting through reverb. She calls it alt R&B because of the quirky space it lives in among the genres. The DMV native has steadily developed her style since she started making music. MUSUMUSU is building her discography song by song and “late nights” reveals her to be one of the more interesting artists to emerge this past year.

MF DOOM’s Special Herbs collection has been re-released on colored vinyl and there is new merchandise, including a Super7 ReAction figure. DOOM’s Metalface Records and Rhymesayers Entertainment partnered to re-release the series of albums that are also available on CD and cassette. DOOM originally released the instrumentals under his Metal Fingers alias and the re-release has quirky packaging, with the vinyl having jackets that look like rolling papers and custom cases for the cassettes.The merchandise capsule has t-shirts, sweatshirts, a rolling tray, papers, and a grinder. Everything is available at gasdrawls.com. Last year the 20th anniversary edition of MM…Food was released and celebrated with an orchestral tribute to DOOM at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Festival and it featured Erykah Badu and Madlib and was conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.