Magnificent from front to back, McKinley Dixon shows amounts of greatness in his third record.
When it comes to standout albums this year, there is one artist that is worth pointing out only thanks to a certain critic who reviewed this artist’s work. It didn’t get that much traction at first, but it did grow at a stable pace as internet music enthusiasts take note of the record as time went by.
His third album, ‘For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her’ presents McKinley Dixon as a fully realized artist, able to create layered thematics as a writer and able to flow with ease as a performer and musician. The jazz and soul instrumentation, all filled with lush, organic instruments from the brass, strings, woodwinds, and warm percussion that fills every nook and cranny in the record. That varied set of instrumentation leads to a brimming set of tracks, where the organic warmth lends itself in lighter and darker tones. It’s good to point out that this inclusion doesn’t make the album hard to approach, far from it. Even if the album starts with a chaotic bound of jazz rhythms, the melodies build themselves out and let the instrumentation swerve in at the midpoint of the tracks and the softer moments get introduced later on with guitars, woodwinds, and harps to smoothen the chaos. In terms of performance, McKinley Dixon blows through with his commanding flows and delivery when he raps but also shows softness when he sings. The features also handle their foothold and land their contributions wondrously, giving the album more detail and voices in the stories that McKinley Dixon is telling. All about the collective trauma and guilt in his community as he keeps witnessing his fellow brothers pass away, how the coping mechanisms from gold chains and religious prayers fail him, and the constant mention of female figures in his stories that are providing comfort and care in their homes when the violence gets rampant and the fear gets in their heads.
It’s a magnificent release that offers some of the best jazz-rap records this year. Filled with lush instrumentation, detailed writing, and effortless performances from McKinley Dixon and the features that contribute to this album. This is an artist that’s worth checking out in the future, and this album just proves that he has more bigger things that he will unleash someday.
Favorite Tracks: All of them.
Least Favorite Track: N/A