Glory Sound Prep

Following a series of mixtapes and his Top Five-charting debut The Human Condition (2016), Glory Sound Prep sees Jon Bellion again alternating effervescent dance-pop, melodic reflections, and more fractured, urgent hip-hop. This time, he draws on an even broader sound palette that incorporates synths, strings, horns, and more. Epic in scope but maintaining a catchy through line, it features no less than four guests on "Let's Begin" (RZA, Roc Marciano, B.Keyz, and Travis Mendes), while rapper Tuamie takes the lead on "Adult Swim." Glory Sound Prep closes with the intimate, then celebratory eight-minute track "Mah's Joint," featuring none other than Quincy Jones. ~ Marcy Donelson