Recs With Merritt previews March’s best vinyl releases—Ali Farka Touré, Boygenius, and a De La Soul reissue
Recs With Merritt. // Art by Cassondra Jones
Records with Merritt is Marion Merritt’s vinyl store in Westport [1614 Westport Rd] with partner Ann Stewart. As a staple in our community for nearly a decade, we’ve partnered with Merritt for a new monthly column, where the tastemaker shares her picks for the best wax releases to look forward to grabbing, divided by release date.
Here are Marion Merritt’s picks for the best of March 2023’s vinyl releases.
March 3, 2023
Hip Hop trio De La Soul’s re-release of their 1989 debut album 3 Feet High and Rising is one of this year’s highly anticipated releases. At the height of gansta rap, De La Soul presented a positive message that was both a critically and commercially success, sampling a wide variety of artists like, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and The Turtles and ushered in the beginning of alternative/jazz influenced hip hop. Multiple colored vinyl versions will be available on March 3, 2023 on Chrysalis Records.
Other albums of note for the week:
Kendra Morris – Babbel
Yung Bleu – Moon Boy
Tove Lo – Dirt Femme
Xiu Xiu – Ignore Grief
Moonchild Sanelly – Phases
Diplo – Diplo
Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus
Macklemore – Ben
Pheonix – Alpha Zulu
Bill Callahan – Tyilaer
March 10, 2023
Ali Farka Touré is one of most important African musicians and considered the father of the Malian desert blues sound, a merging traditional Malian musical styles with elements of the blues. Voyageur is the first release of previously unheard music since 2006’s Savane. The album features Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré on three tracks. Voyageur will be released on March 10, 2023 on World Circuit Records.
Other albums of note for the week:
Shana Cleveland – Manzanita
The Smile – Europe: Live Recordings 2022
Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass
Bad Brains – Rock for Life
Ane Brun – Protrayals
Bush – The Art of Survival
Cake – Prolonging The Magic
Silk Sonic – An Evening with Silk Sonic
March 17, 2023
V is the new album from the Hawaiian-New Zealand singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ruban Nielson’s Unknown Mortal Orchestra. The album was designed to play as one continuous movement. Nielson draws from the rich traditions of West Coast AOR, yacht rock, weirdo pop and Hawaiian Hapa-haole (Half White) music. Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s fifth album in 12 years, V, will be released on March 17, 2023 on Jagjaguwar.
Other albums of note for the week:
100 Gecs – 10,000 Gecs
Ghost – Ceremony and Devotion
Black Honey – A Fistful of Peaches
U2 – Songs of Surrender
M83 – Fantasy
Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse (10th Anniversary)
March 24, 2023
Lana Del Rey’s ninth album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, is comprised of 16 tracks and interludes featuring special guests Father John Misty, Jon Batiste, Bleachers and more. Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd will be released on March 24, 2023 on Interscope Records.
Other albums of note for the week:
Depeche Mode – Memento Mori
Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting
Ben Sloan – Muted Colors
Debby Friday – Good Luck
Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
Kinks – The Journey Part 1
Luke Combs – Gettin’ Old
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood – Nancy & Lee Again
Pink Floyd – The Darkside of The Moon 50th Anniversary Box Set
March 31, 2023
The Record is the debut album from the indie rock supertrio, Boygenius, consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. The success of their 2018 EP Boygenius proved that three distinctive voices can keep their authenticity, challenge and push their songwriting talents to new places. The Record will be released on March 31, 2023 on Interscope Records.
Other albums of note for the week:
New Pornographers – Continue As A Guest
K.M.D. – Black Bastards
Deerhoof – Miracle-level
Alberta Cross – Sinking Ships
Jake Blount – The New Faith
Ghetto Kumbe – Ghetto Kumbe Clubbing Remixes
Joyce Street – Tied Down
Circle Jerks – Live At The House of Blues
Sam Bush – Radio John: Songs of John Hartford
Steve Gunn & David Moore – Let The Moon Be A Planet
Scott McMicken & The Ever-Expanding – Shabang
David J – Not Long For This World
