Burundian-born soul singer JP Bimeni doesn’t see the world through rose colored glasses, but he exudes optimism in his second album, Give Me Hope. A royal refugee who escaped death more than once and found his sonic calling in the UK, Bimeni’s latest channels prime Otis Redding while meditating on ambition, community and love.

Give Me Hope grooves between classic ‘60s Motown and Stax-inspired soul, psychedelia and Afro-funk. Inspired by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and James Stern (the namesake of an empoweringly funky track) and propelled by the wisdom of prolific creators like Lee Scratch Perry, Bimeni’s deep consciousness and vulnerability is on full display without losing pop sensibility.