All Songs Considered | The best releases out on Aug. 18

After beating out Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and others for the 2022 album of the year Grammy — and after stepping down as the bandleader for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Jon Batiste is back with a new album this week called World Music Radio. As the name suggests, it’s a sprawling exploration of what global music can sound like, guided by the fictional DJ, Billy Bob Bo Bob. We kick off this week’s show with a listen and talk about the ways Batiste finds his center through deep grooves and a powerful sense of community.

We’ve also got an epic, often euphoric and deeply conceptual album from Hozier, a breathless convergence of disco and punk in the work of Genesis Owusu, Rhiannon Giddens‘ feel-good You’re The One, a jazz debut from Cautious Clay and more. NPR Music’s Ann Powers joins Atlanta-based culture critic Gavin Godfrey, writer and critic LaTesha Harris and host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best albums out on Aug. 18.

Featured Albums:

Jon Batiste — World Music Radio
Featured Songs: “BOOM FOR REAL,” “Hello, Billy Bob,” “Be Who You Are (feat. JID, NewJeans & Camilo),” “Uneasy (feat. Lil Wayne)”
Hozier — Unreal Unearth
Featured Songs: “Anything But,” “De Selby (Part 1),” “Eat Your Young,” “Butchered Tongue,” “Who We Are”
Genesis Owusu — Struggler
Featured Songs: “Leaving The Light,” “Stay Blessed,” “Freak Boy,” “That’s Life (A Swamp)”
Rhiannon Giddens — You’re the One
Featured Songs: “Way Over Yonder,” “You Louisiana Man,” “If You Don’t Know How Sweet It Is”
Cautious Clay — KARPEH
Featured Songs: “Fishtown,” “102 Years Of Comedy (Intro),” “Karpehs Don’t Flinch”