Music Monday: André 3000 plays the flute, Dolly Parton rocks out, and Lil Uzi Vert brings ‘The Pink Tape’ to South Philly

This week’s Music Monday features two big name artists with albums that leave behind the genres they’re normally associated with.

That would be Dolly Parton, whose album Rockstar was announced when she was bound for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Rockstar is a 30-song lark, packed with guests that — lovable as Dolly is — sometime feels like classic rock karaoke, with Sting on “Every Breath You Take” and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on “Let It Be.” There is a Philly angle: Pink, along with Brandi Carlile, guests on “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The other genre-defying album recommendation this week is André 3000 of OutKast, whose New Blue Sun is an all-instrumental album. He doesn’t rap at all, but plays the flute.

When André Benjamin announced New Blue Sun would be flute-forward, Philadelphians were not so surprised. In 2019, when the “Hey Ya!” hitmaker was filming Dispatches From Elsewhere with Jason Segel, he was spotted all over Philly playing his flute.

Benjamin has been frank and funny about why he’s not rapping. “I’m 48 years old,” he told GQ. “‘I got to go get a colonoscopy.’ What are you talking about?”

The only words on the immersive, ambient album — which is sleepy, in a good way — are in the song titles. The opener is called: “I swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.”

For those who like rappers to rap: Welcome 2 Collegrove is a Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz collaboration featuring Usher, Benny the Butcher, and 21 Savage.

Back on the Philly front, East Oak Lane-raised actor-singer Leslie Odom Jr. — currently starring in Purlie Victorious on Broadway — has a new album called When a Crooner Dies. It’s his first of all-original material since 2019 and finds him in contemporary R&B mode.

There’s new music from Philly’s Mannequin Pussy whose new single “Sometimes” is a burner. The Marisa Dabice-led quartet’s I Got Heaven is due March 1 and the band will tour with Philly’s Soul-Glo, playing Union Transfer on May 22.

Other new Philly-connected music: Lancaster County-raised singer Madi Diaz has a lovely single called “Don’t Do Me Good” that’s a duet with Kacey Musgraves. It’s on Diaz’s Weird Faith, due early next year.

Speedy Ortiz, the Philly band touring behind their new Rabbit Rabbit and playing New Year’s Eve at MilkBoy, have released a 10th anniversary edition of their debut album, Major Arcana.

For more André-style ambience, check out Rainbow Revisited, by South African musician Thandi Ntuli and Los Angeles percussionist Carlos Niño, who plays on New Blue Sun.

The live music weekend starts early with Wednesday’s pre-Thanksgiving shows.

Philly rapper Lil Uzi Vert, who played the Roots Picnic in June and Powerhouse last month, headlines the Wells Fargo Center, in support of their chart-topping new album The Pink Tape.

Also Wednesday, Liz Phair plays the Franklin Music Hall on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of her grunge-era feminist rock masterpiece Exile in Guyville. Blondshell, the grungy project of L.A. songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum, is the opener.

Anita Baker plays the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on Friday. The quiet storm queen is on her “Songstress Tour,” named after her 1983 debut album.

Back in Philly, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes do two nights at City Winery on Friday and Saturday. And the Philadelphia Tom Petty Appreciation Band have a high-concept show at Johnny Brenda’s.

It’s a re-creation of the 1987 Temple in Flames tour in which Petty and the Heartbreakers backed Bob Dylan, with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds opening. Pat Finnerty does Petty, Dave Cope guests as McGuinn, and Wesley Stace gets to be Dylan.

The Ms. Lauryn Hill tour marking the 25th anniversary of her debut album — and which also includes the Fugees — was originally scheduled for October but postponed to to vocal issues. It’s now scheduled for Saturday night.