Adrian Spinelli March 11, 2021Updated: March 14, 2021, 6:51 pm
Valerie June performs at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2019. June’s latest album, “The Moon & Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers,” draws dreamy scenarios. Photo: Bobby Bank, Getty Images
The Chronicle’s guide to notable new music.
NEW ALBUMS
Valerie June, “The Moon & Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers” (Fantasy)
The fifth album from the Memphis singer-songwriter is more than just a roots music release. Blending the gospel and Appalachian folk sounds June has come to be known for, her latest release brings in imaginative producer Jack Splash (who has worked with Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar and St. Paul & the Broken Bones) for a richer treatment of these often psychedelic soul songs. Standout track “Call Me a Fool” features Stax Records legend Carla Thomas on backing vocals and is a perfect example of the dreamy pictures June paints throughout the album’s 14 tracks. She summed up her creative ethos for the project in a statement: “When we allow ourselves to dream like we did when we were kids, it ignites the light that we all have within us and helps us to have a sort of magic about the way we live.”