Month: November 2022

Now that Halloween is slowly disappearing in the rearview mirror, it’s officially time to look toward the end of fall, the beginning of winter, and the holiday season. It’s a bad time to be a leaf but a great time of year to be a beer drinker. There are bold, high-ABV imperial IPAs to be enjoyed; sweet, robust porters; roasty, coffee-filled stouts; dark lagers, and various other styles of beer. Put simply, November isn’t just for turkey and “Friendsgiving,” it’s also a great month for beer.

And while you could spend all day trying to figure out which beers to stock up on for the upcoming month (and Thanksgiving), we decided to help you out and do some of the heavy, er, lifting. We found 10 of the best beers to track down this fall. Some are new releases, some are seasonal favorites, and others are annual special releases that can’t be missed. Keep scrolling to see them all.

SKA Mexican Style Dark Lager

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

If you’re a fan of crisp, refreshing lagers, you’re probably well aware of SKA Mexican Logger. And while you can drink this beer any time of year, we suggest moving over to its Vienna-style lager, SKA Mexican Style Dark Lager instead. This 5.2% ABV dark lager is known for its mix of caramel malts and bright hops.

Tasting Notes:

A nose of wet grass, caramel malts, light coffee, chocolate malts, and floral hops greet you before your first sip. The palate follows suit with sweet toffee, chocolate, vanilla, and herbal, slightly bitter hops at the finish. It’s a nice, balanced mix of malts and hops.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a big lager drinker, this is a great fall beer for you. It has the crisp, hoppy flavor of a summery lager, but the malt backbone of a dark lager.

Firestone Walker XXVI Anniversary Ale

ABV: 11%

Average Price: $12.99 for 12-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

The holidays are all about celebrations, so why not celebrate a beer brand like Firestone Walker too? Specifically, its 26th birthday. You can do this by purchasing a bottle of its Firestone Walker XXVI Anniversary Ale. The newest Anniversary Ale, a complex blend of six different ales that were aged in brandy and bourbon barrels.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a mix of oaky wood, cocoa powder, toasted marshmallows, vanilla beans, and rich toffee candy. Drinking it reveals a warming palate of candied almonds, vanilla beans, buttery caramel, dried fruits, and wood char. It’s a complex, warming, multi-dimensional beer for the impending cold.

Bottom Line:

If you’ve never tried any of the previous Anniversary Ales from Firestone Walker, make this the year you try one. This is a sublimely complex beer that will make you rethink everything you know about barrel-aged beers.

Hopworks Abominable Winter Ale

ABV: 7.3%

Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Yes, this is a winter ale. We get that it technically isn’t winter yet. That shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this 7.3% ABV winter seasonal brewed with five different malts as well as Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Cryo Chinook hops.

Tasting Notes:

A complex nose of citrus rinds, pineapple, caramel malts, wet grass, and dank, resinous pine meets you before your first sip. The palate is loaded with sweet malts, rich caramel, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, and a ton of dank, herbal piney, slightly bitter hops.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t your usual winter ale. Sure it’s 7.3% ABV and warming with caramel malts, but it’s brimming with dank, piney, slightly bitter hops aroma and flavor as well.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

ABV: 14.3%

Average Price: $13.99 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

While many people think of Thanksgiving when the calendar turns to November, beer fans think about the release of the OG bourbon barrel-aged stout. First made in 1992, it’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels from brands like Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Buffalo Trace.

Tasting Notes:

Robust aromas of dark chocolate, sweet bourbon, dried fruits, pipe tobacco, and rich oak draw you in before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find notes of roasted malts, chocolate, toffee, bourbon, oak, and dried fruits. It’s a very complex, warming fall and winter beer.

Bottom Line:

This barrel-aged stout is as close to perfection as beers come. While its flavor varies each year, the quality remains the same.

Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Another beer that proves that fall was made for stouts, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is a 5.8% award-winning beer brewed with pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, and Chocolate malts as well as roasted barley and oats. It gets a little hop presence from the addition of Northern Brewer and Chinook hops.

Tasting Notes:

First, there’s a nose of oatmeal, caramel, vanilla beans, and roasted malts. This is followed by a palate of roasted coffee beans, toffee, vanilla, dried fruits, oak, and slight licorice. Malty, sweet, robust, and highly memorable.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to fall stouts, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is a highly underrated pick. It has everything a stout fan could look for. It’s malty, sweet, and highly flavorful.

Boulevard More S’More

ABV: 11.8%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Summer might be long over, but that doesn’t mean s’more season is done. Luckily, even if you don’t want to sit around a campfire on a cold night, you can drink it in beer form thanks to the folks at Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing. More S’more is a limited-release, 11.8% ABV seasonal barrel-aged imperial stout that tastes like the beloved toasted marshmallow treat.

Tasting Notes:

Toasted marshmallows, almond cookies, dark chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla are prevalent on the nose. Drinking it brings forth more toasted marshmallow sweetness, melted milk chocolate, coffee beans, rich oak, and sweet bourbon. It’s as close to a boozy s’more as any beer could ever be.

Bottom Line:

This barrel-aged stout is nostalgia in a bottle. It’s rich, sweet, and boozy, but tastes enough like a s’more to make you feel warm inside and out.

Bell’s Hopslam

ABV: 10%

Average Price: $18.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Get excited, Bell’s usually doesn’t release its beloved Hopslam until January. But this year the Michigan-based brewery was feeling generous, so it released it in October instead. So now you can drink this 10% double IPA throughout the holidays.

Tasting Notes:

This beer starts off with classic IPA aromas of citrus zest, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel malts, and dank pine. The palate continues this trend with tangerine, grapefruit, more caramel malts, and resinous, dank, slightly bitter piney hops. The finish is a nice mix of sweetness and bitterness.

Bottom Line:

While this IPA is bursting with fresh hop flavor, it’s clear that this is a cold-weather IPA because of its sweet, caramel malt backbone. It’s an ideal beer for IPA drinkers during the colder months.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal

ABV: 10.2%

Average Price: $10.99 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the Narwhal was the unicorn of the sea. This magical creature was the inspiration for this bold, robust imperial stout from the folks at Sierra Nevada. Available from September through December, this popular beer is known for its rich, complex malts and light hops.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is loaded with aromas of dark chocolate, coffee beans, caramel, and roasted malts. The palate is centered on coffee, bitter chocolate, toffee, roasted malts, and light piney hops. The finish is a mix of sweetness and bitterness, with a dry ending.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for an imperial stout that isn’t barrel-aged to drink this fall, buy some Sierra Nevada Narwhal. You’ll be happy you did. It’s robust, rich, sweet, and slightly bitter.

Dogfish Head Wake Up Worldwide Stout

ABV: 16-18%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

With everything going on in November, who wouldn’t want a breakfast beer every now and then? Dogfish Head Wake Up World Wide Stout definitely fits that bill, with flavors like dark roast coffee, chocolate, maple candy, and sweet honey.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find a heavy dose of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, and oak. Drinking it reveals hints of roasted malts, freshly brewed coffee, cocoa powder, wintry spices, dried fruits, and butterscotch. It’s warming, boozy, and loaded with coffee.

Bottom Line:

If you’re anything like us, the daily grind of work and life keeps you eternally tired. That’s why an imperial stout loaded with coffee is so great. Especially when it’s as well-made as this one.

Harpoon Flannel Friday

ABV: 5.7%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Regardless of when and if you wear flannel this fall, you’ll want to drink Harpoon Flannel Friday any day of the week. This amber ale is known for its mix of roasted malts and bitter hops.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel, roasted malts, toffee, and slightly bitter, earthy, piney hops greet your nose prior to drinking this seasonal beer. On the palate, you’ll find flavors like dried fruits, caramel malts, and dank, earthy, herbal pine. It’s like a mix between a dark lager and an IPA. Perfect for fall.

Bottom Line:

With a mix of sweet malts and bitter, piney hops, Harpoon Flannel Friday is a great beer for a warmer-than-expected fall day.

DDG described his former self as “ladies’ man in the school” during a visit with The Breakfast Club this week. The laid-back conversation started around DDG’s formative years as a YouTube creator, and though he stopped short of saying he’s “retired” from YouTube, he’s taken steps toward being taken more seriously as an artist. So, when he brought up his days as a ladies’ man, Angela Yee quipped, “You’re retired from being a ladies’ man, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m married,” DDG responded with a smile, quickly clarifying, “Nah, I ain’t really married, but you know what I mean.” He added that he “eventually” wants to get married and further gushed over his girlfriend, Halle Bailey.

“I’ve never been with nobody that’s like really motivated me like she do,” he said. “I’m seeing different sh*t. I ain’t really been around this type of sh*t before, so it’s like, she’s bringing me around sh*t that I ain’t really — you know what I’m saying? ‘Oh, this is crazy. This is dope.’ You know what I mean? This is somebody that’s really like … I was my own person before her, but in a way, put me on to different sh*t. That’s dope because I’m usually the one putting m*therf*ckers on.”

DDG used last month’s WACO Theater’s Wearable Art Gala as something he wouldn’t have been exposed to if not for Halle. He has also previously discussed the impact her casting as Ariel in Disney’s forthcoming live-action The Little Mermaid remake had on him.

Halle, meanwhile, told Essence earlier this year that she’s “for sure” in love with DDG and had “been a fan of his for years” before he slid into her DMs. The talented couple turned up the PDA for DDG’s “If I Want You” video.

Watch DDG’s full Breakfast Club interview above.

Disney has been doing live-action redos of their animated films for a good while now, and they tend to come in one of two flavors: renegade (think Maleficent and Cruella turning villains into at least semi-heroes) and more or less slavishly faithful (The Lion King, Cinderella, The Jungle Book). It sounds like the forthcoming revamp of 1997’s Hercules will be in the former camp, though not because it reimagines the story and makes Hades some misunderstood sadsack or something. It’s because the minds behind it are thinking so outside the box it’s not even clear what they have in store.

Variety spoke with Joe and Anthony Russo, the filmmakers who struck gold with a string of ultra-successful Marvel movies, including the last two Avengers romps. They’re producing Hercules, which will be helmed by Guy Ritchie, who also lorded over the Aladdin remake. They said they’re keeping it a musical, which not all of the redos do (see: Mulan). But they’re turning to an unlikely source of inspiration.

“There are questions about how you translate it as a musical,” Joe Russo said. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical.”

Russo didn’t elaborate on what he means, leaving one to wonder at how on earth they could bring short-form videos made by anyone with a smartphone to a medium that’s getting, if anything, longer than ever. (The Russos themselves are responsible for one of the longest blockbusters since the age of Biblical epics.) But you know what? Filmmakers should try new things, be inspired by the outside-the-box. And the musical could use some new lifeblood. Go for it, dudes. Long as you bring back DeVito.

(Via Variety)

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 is highly anticipated. The inductees representing this year’s class in the performers category, as revealed this May, are Carly Simon, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Pat Benatar. The induction ceremony will take place this Saturday, November 5, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Additionally, the Musical Excellence Award will go to Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The Early Influence Award honorees are Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten, while Jimmy Iovine, Sylvia Robinson and Allen Grubman will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“This diverse group of inductees each had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock and roll,” Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Chairman John Sykes said, per the official website. “Their music moved generations and influenced so many artists that followed.”

Parton, who will soon release a Christmas song with Jimmy Fallon, told Billboard in May that she didn’t know whether she’d attend the November 5 ceremony, but, “If I do, I’m going to sing the hardest style rock ‘n’ roll song I could ever muster up just to show that I can do it.” Since then, the country legend has shared that she doesn’t intend to “ever tour again,” so it’s worth watching any broadcast that might have Dolly on it.

An edited version of the ceremony is scheduled to air on HBO and stream on HBO Max on November 19.

The Washington Commanders have been in the news for a variety of bad reasons this year, including numerous allegations of sexual harassment and financial improprieties that has resulted in multiple investigations from the NFL and Congress into the franchise’s operations.

At last month’s owners meeting, Colts owner Jim Irsay became the first to go on record as saying there’s “merit” to voting Dan Snyder out of the NFL and forcing him to sell the team, and on Wednesday, Snyder made the first move towards potentially selling the team before getting voted out in disgrace by hiring a bank to facilitate that process. On Wednesday evening, we learned one reason why Snyder was making that move now, as ESPN’s Don Van Natta reported that the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia has opened a criminal investigation into the organization’s finances, stemming from testimony made to Congress by a former employee.

The sources said prosecutors are focused on several areas, and that the inquiry was triggered by a letter the House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent to the Federal Trade Commission and several attorneys general in April that alleged deceptive business practices. Attorneys general in Virginia and Washington, D.C., also are investigating allegations of financial impropriety.

In that testimony, it was revealed that the Commanders had kept two sets of financial books, one they sent to the NFL that hid shareable revenue from other teams, and another with the real figures that helped them keep more money and stay out of the revenue-sharing pool. They did so by shifting revenue from NFL games into other areas by categorizing it under revenue brought in from non-NFL events. It was also disclosed in the testimony that the team withheld millions from season-ticket holders in the form of unreturned security deposits.

It certainly doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Snyder began the formal process for possibly selling the team the same day a criminal investigation was launched, and it seems as though Snyder’s days are numbered as an NFL owner — but that may not get him away from legal ramifications of his alleged questionable business practices and fostering a hostile workplace.

When you’re drinking and eating a pie, pizza and beer is the obvious choice. But sipping wine with your next slice promises a seriously delicious alternative—and might have you ditching the brews-with-pies for good. While adhering to stringent food and wine pairing rules isn’t entirely our jam, following a few basic tips will absolutely lead you to a much better pairing than grabbing a bottle blind.

First and foremost, understanding the basics of food and wine pairing is key. This comes down to acid and tannins in wine, coupled with salt and fat in food. Acid in wine complements saltiness in food, which helps to bring out a given dish’s flavors and is also key in cutting through fat to refresh the palate with every bite. Tannins, however, are a whole other beast. When sipped on their own, tannic wines can be rather unpleasant, as they can leave an overly dry sensation in your mouth; however, when sipped with fatty foods, a chemical reaction takes place in your mouth that both softens the wine’s tannins and amplifies flavor in food all at once. Think of it as a food-and-wine-pairing win-win.

Beyond dough and cheese, considering a pizza’s sauce and toppings (or lack thereof) is key. While pondering the amount (and type) of cheese to have on your slice also think about the toppings on your pie, that’s the key to finding the best bottle to pop alongside it. Not sure where to begin? We’ve got a few great places to start.

Check out our guide below and be on your way to being a certified wine-and-pizza sommelier in no time.

Cheese Pizza

Pairing: Sangiovese

Explanation:

Cheese and red sauce are the name of the game here – and there’s no better pairing with tomato sauce than Sangiovese. This classic Italian grape is the backbone to Tuscany’s signature wines, including Chianti Classico, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, and more. The wine’s bright acidity and robust tannins—and above all, tomato-driven undertones—perfectly complement the ingredients on a plain slice.

Dare we say it, but this might be the quintessential pizza pairing wine. Period.

Go-to Bottles:

Volpaia Chianti Classico, Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino, Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino

Pepperoni / Meat Lovers Pizza

Pairing: Bold Reds (Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot)

Explanation:

While Sangiovese-based wines would also be delightful here, grabbing something with a bit more oomph is key to ensuring that the wine in question stands up to the copious amount of meats found on pepperoni or meat lovers’ slices. Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot all have the body and structure to accompany these hearty slices, though the nuances are simply a matter of taste. For something juicy and fruit-forward, reach for Zinfandel; for something more peppery and savory, Syrah is your choice. For an earthy-yet-silky dance between the two, look no further than Merlot.

Go-to Bottles:

Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel, Pax North Coast Syrah, L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot

White Pizza

Pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay

Explanation:

Pairing wine with white pizza is a little more flexible, as the best wine marriage ultimately depends on the preparation of the pie. Should you be reaching for a simple plain white slice, then there’s no better pairing than Chardonnay (especially White Burgundy). The wine’s medium to full-bodied nature, coupled with its zesty acidity, brings the best out of the ricotta and mozzarella flavors found in the pie. Pinot Noir or Gamay could also work here, especially if the pizza is topped with mushrooms, as these light-on-their-feet reds are the best pairings in town for everyone’s favorite fungi.

Go-to Bottles:

Camille Giroud Bourgogne Blanc, Flâner Wines Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly

Margherita / Grandma Pizza

Pairing: Dry Rosé or Sicilian Reds (Etna Rosso, Frappato, etc.)

Explanation:

Margherita and Grandma pizza is quite similar to your plain slice, though these two picks generally boast less—both in quantity and pungent flavor—cheesiness than the shredded mozzarella used on a cheese pie, as fresh mozzarella is the name of the game here. While a number of types of wine could work, we’ve found that dry rosé is an excellent choice, as the wine’s fruitiness, acid, and lack of tannins make the sweetness of the sauce shine.

For a more savory pairing, reaching for a bottle of light to medium-bodied Sicilian red—think Frappato, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, or Etna Rosso.

Go-to Bottles: Baudry Chinon Rosé, Benanti Etna Rosso, COS Frappato

Veggie Pizza

Pairing: Jack of All Trades – Crisp, Zesty Whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner) or Chillable Reds (Gamay, Valdiguié, Schiava)

Explanation:

Veggie pizza is all about versatility, and when it comes to pairing wine with it, the same theme rings true. Due to the number of veggies, the potential use of sauce, and the variable amount of cheese found on these slices, a number of wines could work here. Zesty, acid-forward whites promise to complement the veg and also cut through the fattiness of the cheese, though chillable reds will pair a bit better with red sauce, should your veggie pie bear a thin layer of it.

Either way, you really can’t go wrong here.

Go-to Bottles:

Sohm & Kracher Grüner Veltliner, Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc, Elena Walch Schiava

BONUS TIP: When In Doubt…

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

As most industry professionals will tell you, dry sparkling wines—both white and rosé—are the most food-friendly wines on the planet. Their bright acidity, coupled with refreshing, fruit-driven notes (as well as their lack of tannins) makes them perfect for sipping with basically every food on the planet. Whether Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling rosé is more your jam, you really can’t go wrong here, no matter which type of pizza is on the table.

Taylor Swift fans know that the singer has morphed a lot during her entire career — she started off as a country music-making teenager in the early 2000s and now she’s a full-blown pop star. She signaled toward this idea with the title of her newly announced tour — The Eras Tour. More recently, she had fun with this in her new ad for Capital One.

In the commercial, all of her different selves come together. There’s her Speak Now self in a purple dress, her Red self in a sparkling red jacket and black top hat, her Reputation self in dark lipstick and rolling her eyes, and many more. It’s definitely entertaining for fans who’ve been here for the long-haul, getting to watch all these different Swifts interact with each other.

Swift has been reminiscing a lot considering she’s been re-recording her old albums, which forces her to be in confrontation with her past selves. She recently shared her gratitude for everyone who’s been supportive of this endeavor. “It’s so heartwarming to me because this is something that I care about, but I don’t expect other people to care about it,” she said on The Graham Norton Show last week. “It’s something that’s very personal to me. And it’s a lot of work, but it’s like, it’s really fun and rewarding for me. And I can’t believe people have actually gotten behind it the way they have.”

Watch her Capital One ad above.

Elon Musk hasn’t even been the king of Twitter for a week and already he’s accomplished so much. Not that most of those accomplishments have been positive. Soon as the eccentric Tesla honcho took over, racial slurs and anti-Semitism spiked. He’s shared misinformation about the attack on Paul Pelosi, while responding to Hillary Clinton. And then there’s the mishegoss over charging for blue checkmarks. Now, mere days into his tenure, he’s pissed off a key Internet troll.

Perhaps you remember the one known as “Catturd2.” They’re one of those conspiracy theorists Trump loved to retweet before he was permanently banned. They have such fans as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. And they were one of many on the far right who were stoked that Musk, purporting to be a free speech absolutist, was allegedly going to clean up Twitter (i.e., invite back all the banned Nazis). But so far, Catturd2 is unimpressed.

“I admit when I’m wrong and I was 100% wrong about @elonmusk changing Twitter,” Catturd2 wrote. They were particularly nonplussed that Musk didn’t automatically un-ban a bunch of controversial figures, starting a council to look into the matter instead. “The new Twitter moderation council is just a bunch of far left fanatic groups who were never targeted here. No average Joes, no real Conservatives, no one to represent the PEOPLE ACTUALLY TARGETED!”

Catturd2 also changed their Twitter bio to “Chief Turd,” a reference to Musk’s new bio, which used to read, simply, “Chief Twit” (but which is now “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator,” har har).

Perhaps Musk thought that transforming Twitter would be easy. He’s the wealthiest person on the planet, surely he can do anything. Alas, what he may have done is inherited a money pit. Summon back controversial banned figures, and he may drive away advertisers — the bulk of the service’s cashflow. Not summon back controversial banned figures, and he enrages the right, who will accuse him (as they already have) of kowtowing to lefty snowflakes. But at least The Juice hasn’t turned on him.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B and Afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists. Beyonce teased a tour for Renaissance in 2023 and SZA finally released her long-awaited “Shirt” single. Wizkid readied his album More Love, Less Ego with the fiery “Money & Love” while Chloe and Latto connected on “For The Night.” Elsewhere, DVSN unveiled their fourth album Working On My Karma, Kaash Paige went back to her roots with “Doubted Me,” and DRAM linked with BJ The Chicago Kid for “Ppl.”

Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:

Ashanti — “Falling For You”

In her first solo single since the beginning of 2021, Ashanti is a woman who has reached her breaking point. “Falling For You” strikes as a tender and pain-filled record that Ashanti uses to account for the hurt she’s endured throughout a relationship.

Mariah The Scientist — “Bout Me”

Let it be known that Mariah The Scientist is a fighter, and if you don’t believe it, just look at her latest single “Bout Me.” Over glitchy production, Mariah makes it clear that she will pursue her lover to the fullest extent, regardless of the time and energy it may require.

Leven Kali — Let It Rain

Water is a clear theme in Leven Kali’s music. He’s released projects titled Low Tide and High Tide, and now he’s back with a new EP titled Let It Rain. The project’s six songs will indeed have you moving and grooving, and if you love it enough, you can check him out on his Let It Rain Tour.

Eli Sostre — SOS

I’ve been a fan of Eli Sostre’s since 2016 and 2017 projects Still Up All Night and Sleep Is For The Weak. Three projects later and the Brooklyn native is back in action with SOS. Nineteen tracks are available, as well as features from Johan Lenox, 451, and Yung Kha.

RINI — “Haunt Me”

RINI’s Ultraviolet EP is on the way, and while we wait to hear new information about it, we can enjoy his latest single “Haunt.” It follows the BEAM-assisted “Selfish” from last month and opts for a more somber tone as RINI deals with the loss and emptiness caused by a departed lover.

Nelccia — “Triggers”

After sharing her take on Mila J’s “Smoke, Drink, Break Up,” with help from Wale, R&B singer Nelccia returns with “Triggers.” It’s a soulful and dismissive record that sees Nelccia turn down a chance at love with a man due to the tendencies, behaviors, and “triggers” he exhibits.

Blaqbonez — Young Preacher

Afrobeats hasn’t had a year like it’s had in 2022. Stars like Burna Boy and Wizkid have shown newer examples of their continued greatness while acts like Rema and Asake have made it clear that they will lead the charge for the genre’s next generation. While he’s not necessarily new, you can add Blaqbonez to that latter list thanks to his excellent Young Preacher album. It delivers a crisp 14 tracks with features from Lojay, Amaarae, JAE5, Blxckie, Cheque, Tay Iwar, Tekno, Takura, and Bien.

Winny — “Pretty”

Nigerian afro R&B singer Winny makes her debut with her breathtaking single, “Pretty.” The track is inspired by a failed relationship and promotes loving the things that love you. “I wrote ‘Pretty’ to communicate self-love,” Winny said about the song in a press release. “There’s nobody that can love me like me. I want people to embrace themselves regardless of who they are, what they are, where they come from or what they are going through.”

RealestK — Dreams 2 Reality

Toronto is packed with aspiring talent and RealestK steps into the spotlight as the latest example of that. He checks in with his debut project Dreams 2 Reality, a 14-track effort with no features, and the goal of giving listeners a glimpse inside the mind of a young man trying to find his way in the world while also navigating newfound fame.

Montell Fish — Her Love Still Haunts Me Like A Ghost

Just months after releasing his debut album Jamie, New York-based singer Montell Fish is back with his second project of 2022. He returns with his Her Love Still Haunts Me Like A Ghost EP which brings seven lo-fi, emotive songs to join his growing catalog of ethereal and impressive records.

Berwyn — “Path To Satisfaction”

Following 2021’s Tape 2/Fomalhaut, Trinidadian singer Berwyn arrives to showcase a looser side of himself on his new single, “Path To Satisfaction.” He equally impresses with vocals and bars that show promise of what’s to come for the Mercury Prize nominee and former Apple Music Up Next (UK) artist.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The trailer for Sean Anders’ (Daddy’s Home) new holiday musical comedy jumps right out in front of the fact that it’s yet another adaptation of A Christmas Carol. The set up is as old as time (read: 1843), and it’s been made and copied and twisted so many times that even the cranky main character of Spirited gets what’s going on.

Yet there’s a nice little twist here. Or two. First, the whole haunting thing is more of a tradition than a miserly one-off. Second, the ghosts don’t simply exit stage left through a poster bed curtain.

Here’s the official synopsis from Apple TV+:

“Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future. For the first time, A Christmas Carol is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale.”

It also looks like the Ghost of Christmas Present has a little earthly tingle for Octavia Spencer’s character.

Add in some modern sarcasm and musical numbers from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of La La Land fame, and there’s hope that this will be a worthy addition to the Dickens tradition.