The bonus track: Madonna's 'Living for Love', Loyle Carner's 'BFG' and Bassekou Kouyaté’s Ba Power

Four tracks we spotted this week

Madonna's new album Rebel Heart will be released next week

A LOYLE SON

We do not, generally, associate pure raw emotion with the musical genre of hip hop. So all credit then to the getting-better-by-the-day south London rapper Loyle Carner. Fresh from recording the excellent “Guts” with Kate Tempest, Carner has now released a video for the astonishing “BFG”, which features Carner holding his younger brother on his shoulders while offering a heartfelt tribute to his stepfather, who died last year. Parental advisory, it goes without saying, but you can watch the video here.

LEV AT FIRST SIGHT

Given that the original fans of Northern Soul will all be in their late-40s/early 50s by now, how do you go about marketing the movement to people from the internet generation? Easy. You go on YouTube where you will find the wonderful Lev MacLean, who posts videos of her dancing to Northern Soul classics on a channel called IfThisIsLev. And before you can say “Tainted Lev” the 18-year-old student had been snapped up by Universal to star on the cover and in the promo video for the excellent Move on Up: The Very Best of Northern Soul collection. Watch her doing her thing below.

MALI AND ME

What happens when an acclaimed “world” musician tours relentlessly for years and picks up musical influences along the way that are far removed from the music he grew up listening to in Mali? The answer is Bassekou Kouyaté’s new album, Ba Power, which sees Kouyaté move away from the music of his ancestors and into the territory of what he calls “afro-rock”. Damn, these labels don’t do it justice. Ba Power is not out until April but you can watch the album trailer here.

NEXT WEEK’S BIGGIE

Don’t mention the Brits. Kevin Harley reviews Rebel Heart, the new album from Madonna. Watch a tumble-free rendition of “Living For Love” below.

More of the same next week