Staff Picks: Adrian Younge - The American Negro

For fans of: 70s Style Socially Conscious Soul Jazz

What they're saying: The Guardian’s Ammar Kalia praises Younge’s sprawling 26 track work by comparing it to some of the all time greats: “Younge harks back to the social consciousness soul of forebears such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway on the communal funk of the title track and the twinkling soul of Watch the Children.” In a 9/10 review, AD Amorosi at Flood Magazine puts words to the immersive qualities of the playing and production on The American Negro: “Cluttered with clunky, funky rhythm sticks, cymbal crashes, blubbering bass lines, more Fender Rhodes keyboards than an episode of Baretta, and an intricate clash of orchestration rich with strings, reeds, bells, and choral voices, its messy luster, dub production touches, and zig-zagging voices and instrumentation take your breath away (even more so when you realize that its Younge playing all the instruments with the exception of the orchestra).”

What we say: This record sounds like an blistering, newly uncovered 70's black power soul groover, but was recorded last year. Adrian Younge has been on a tear lately, between this and his Jazz Is Dead series, he’s been behind some excellent future/retro sounds these past few years.