New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums Out Aug. 23

Guitar rock is alive and well in the bruising, stadium-sized anthems of Sheer Mag. We kick off this week's New Music Friday with a spin of the Philadelphia-based band's sophomore full-length, A Distant Call. The classic R&B singer Raphael Saadiq is back with his wildest, most ambitious and unforgettable album so far, Jimmy Lee, named after his brother who died of an overdose in the 1990s. The hip-hop boy band BROCKHAMPTON has its fifth album of the past two years, a weird and wonderful genre-buster called Ginger. And veteran country singer Tanya Tucker returns with her first new original music in 17 years, recorded with the help of Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings. All those, plus new music from the rappers Jeezy and Rapsody, the country band Midland and a remarkable new album from Jay Som. NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael, Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson join host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best new albums out on Aug. 23.

Featured Albums:

1. Sheer Mag - A Distant Call
   Featured Song: "Steel Sharpens Steel"
2. Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee
   Featured Song: "My Walk"
3. Jeezy - TM104: The Legend of the Snowman
   Featured Song: "White Keys"
4. BROCKHAMPTON - Ginger
   Featured Song: "Sugar"
5. Midland - Let it Roll
   Featured Song: "Every Song's A Drinkin' Song"
6. Tanya Tucker - While I'm Livin'
   Featured Song: "Bring My Flowers Now"
7. Rapsody - Eve
   Featured Song: "Nina"
8. Jay Som - Anak Ko
   Featured Song: "Anak Ko"

Other Notable Releases For Aug. 23: Jayson Hawk Harris - Love & the Dark; Joyero - Release the Dogs; Noah Gundersen - Lover; Queen of Jeans - If You're Not Afraid, I'm Not Afraid; Redd Kross - Beyond the Door; The Rembrandts - Via Satellite; Rose Dorn - Days You Were Leaving; Seratones - Power; Shannon Lay - August; Taylor Swift - Lover; Ty Herndon - Got it Covered; Vince Gill - Okie.

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