What first strikes you is the absolute weightlessness of this music. “In These Times” is the perfect soundtrack to leave the confines of a space capsule and immerse yourself in the infinity of space for a few minutes – like Major Tom once did. Also noteworthy: The time factor hardly seems to play a role here. Everything is in flux, a constant becoming, being and passing away. Any attempt to squeeze this music into genres – be it esoteric seventies jazz, ambient, symphonic soul or avant-garde – is doomed to failure. If you still need references: most likely Kamasi Washington or Alice Coltrane, but without their penchant for the uplifting hymn. Rather, a wafer-thin New Age fog lies over these eleven complex, nested compositions.
An album for always and everyone
Paris-born drummer Makaya McCraven became known through the 2018 double album “Universal Beings”. Each of the four was created with a different ensemble in a different city: New York, Chicago, London and Los Angeles. Two years later, McCraven then did Gil Scott-Heron’s last album – not just remixed, but almost completely reinvented as “We’re New Again”. The Chicago-based musician needed a total of seven years for “In These Times”, from the initial idea to the final album.
Something always came up, such as “Universal Beings”, which was conceptually simpler and came about more quickly. In fact, “In These Times” is a truly orchestral work, a suite with extremely sophisticated arrangements, involving a total of sixteen musicians, including Jeff Parker, bassist Junius Paul and harpist Brandee Younger, who has most recently worked with Beyoncé and Kanye West. Younger can also be heard on “Lullaby,” an ethereal folkloric composition by McCraven based on a song by his mother, Hungarian singer Ágnes Zsigmondi. An album for everyone who is ready for it. Bela Bartok in Jazz.
SIMILAR REVIEWS
Beyonce :: Renaissance
R&B queen Beyoncé relishes exploring dance music. But: “Renaissance” isn’t just a blockbuster album, it’s always about the details…
SIMILAR ARTICLES
Beyoncé is always good for a surprise: new remix EP!
Beyoncé spontaneously released a new EP with four remixed versions of her current single “Break My Soul”. The tracks were created with four different musicians and couldn’t have been more different.
That’s why Beyoncé and Lizzo dropped “Spaz” from their songs
Both Lizzo’s “Grrrls” and Beyoncé’s “Heated” feature the very offensive word “spaz.” In German it is known as “Spast”. An attempt at an explanation in an intensive debate.
Did Beyoncé insult people with disabilities with “Heated”?
Beyoncé has had a lot to listen to over a line in her new song “Heated.” With the statement she humiliates people with disabilities, so the tenor of the shitstorm. Now the singer reacted.
<!–
–>
<!–
–>