KCRW’s Top 30: Kelela, YACHT, Pearl + The Oysters

We begin this week with an acknowledgment for the late, great Eric J. Lawrence. You’ve undoubtedly heard and read countless KCRW tributes over the past week since we learned of his passing, but we’d be remiss not to acknowledge his contributions to the Top 30 Chart. As KCRW’s long-time music librarian, tallying the 30 to 50 (!) most played records each week was a task that Lawrence had down to a science — and for the most part during his run, the science required heavy input from volunteers transferring data from paper playlists into KCRW’s classic database, “Malcolm.” Our current charts would not be nearly the well oiled machine they are today without these endeavors.

As for what’s happening strictly by the numbers this week? We’re looking at a lot of repeat players with Young Fathers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Pearl & The Oysters all holding strong in the top ten. Of course, no one was going to impede our collective fervor to elevate Kelela’s sultry and assertive future-R&B sounds to number one. Kelela’s first LP in over five years, Raven, is finally out in its entirety, and we’re celebrating.

Keep that party going with Kelela and all the rest on this week’s Top 30 Spotify playlist.

Top 30 Albums (2.7.2023)