A half-dozen recent cool things in music, from two points of view:

Bryan Bradford of Minneapolis:

1 "Insecure" on HBO. The soundtrack to this series has always been a beautiful curation of soul, hip-hop and rap, delivered by emerging artists and well established favorites. Music should always complement the story on the screen and help advance what we see. "Insecure" is one of the best shows ever to do it, with new music that sounds so familiar.

2 Zac Brown Band, "The Comeback." Their lyrics celebrate the simplest joys in life, their ballads celebrate love, and their up-tempo songs give you just enough to want to keep the party going. ZBB is also the best band I've ever seen live, and the title song will have me dancing in the aisles.

3 Stokley, "Sankofa." Minnesota's Mint Condition is my favorite band ever and Stokley, their lead singer, was the first concert I attended after moving to Minnesota. On his second solo release, he delivers a delightful assembly of lyrics, musicality and production to create the aural definition of "sankofa."

Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:

1 Brandi Carlile on "Saturday Night Live." In her overdue "SNL" debut, she seemed giddy and glammed up, visually and musically reflecting two of her key influences, Elton John and Queen. Her piano ballad "Right on Time" and bombastic rocker "Broken Horses" showed her range and rapture.

2 Black Pumas, U.S. Bank Stadium. Opening for the Rolling Stones in a mammoth stadium was a tad different than playing the Basilica Block Party last month, as this Austin, Texas, group did. The rock 'n' soul band had the groove, muscle and spirit to captivate promptly arriving Stones fans. Lead singer Eric Burton lit up the stage, especially with the trippy vibes of the radio favorite "Colors."

3 Pamela Espeland Celebration of Life, Orchestra Hall. The dedicated, omnivorous Minnesota arts journalist was saluted with eulogies from her husband, son and best friend as well as six separate musical performances (classical, new music, jazz, world, experimental), capped by the unrehearsed "Espeland Suite," with trumpeter Steve Kenny conducting a disparate ensemble of 18 musicians.

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