Obsession • an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind: he was in the grip of an obsession he was powerless to resist.
My body shakes. I get goosebumps from my arms down through my legs. I don’t want to breathe lest my senses be directed somewhere other than my ears. Eventually, I’ll regain the ability to utter, “OMG!” My eyes will widen. My arms will reach wide, and my hands will clasp my head.
I am in the grip of a music obsession that I am powerless to resist.
Here are seven new obsessions.
Sault 10 They made two of my favorite albums of 2020 and made my album list again in 2024. Here they go again in 2025 with all that funk, Afrobeat, jazz, soul, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, and whatever. It always seems to work.
Iniko Dallas Observer says, “Iniko’s brand of cosmic soul may sound otherworldly at times, like an ethereal mix of pop, hip-hop and R&B. But it’s grounded in their Jamaican roots.” I’ll co-sign every word. Much like Sault, Iniko is one of the most intriguing artists I’ve heard. My standouts are Icarus, 333, and Jericho, but the entire shape-shifting album is a great listen.
Puzzle I have a bad habit of having current obsessions too late. Much like my crush on Machneheart after they had broken up, my discovery of Puzzle is eight years too late, as his last recording was in 2017. I love the circa 2015 Adam Lambert vibe of the song Trial by Fire1 and can’t get the chorus out of my head, and I love the tracks Kamikaze and Realign from that final 2017 EP Babylon.
Speaking of Machineheart, they dropped a funky, earwormy, dopamine-inducing track in July of this year.
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) A cover of the original Sylvester dance classic is featured in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte commercial. Here’s the commercial and the meandering, cool-vibes track by Lyra Pamuk and Moses Sumney, which you would NOT have expected based on the commercial.
Speaking of Sylvester, Step II (Deluxe Edition), a remastered deluxe version of the classic disco album, just dropped. Check out this remix.
The Fate of Ophelia I am neither a Swiftie nor a Taylorologist, but I know a good pop song when I hear one. And I was able to use it as a prime example of Swedish pop and of the genius/writer/producer Max Martin’s work for a friend of mine, who is a Swiftie, and had questions about both. My musings on my friend’s questions are coming to the blog soon. 🙂
- Not to be confused with the Journey album and song of the same name. Great album and song, btw.
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Ray's Musings 
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