Shape The Future

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:53:01
Audio Mixers: George Evelyn; Daniel Platisa. Recording information: ATA Studios Leeds. Photographer: Sequoia Ziff. Daydreams on Wax has seemed like a more suitable name for George Evelyn's primary outlet for the majority of its existence. It's more apt than ever for Shape the Future, an album typified by serene, earth-loving optimism, even when romantic heartache is in play. Working without longtime creative partner Robin Taylor-Firth, Evelyn -- helped by a fairly large cast of co-writers, fellow producers, and instrumentalists, including some familiar associates and a string section -- still mixes up downtempo, reggae, and soul from a hip-hop perspective with an easygoing disposition. There's a deeper concentration on R&B inspirations, exemplified by a ringing and pulsing cover of Little Ann's "Deep Shadows" (recorded in 1967 but unheard until three decades later) fronted by Sadie Walker. House kingpin Kenny Dope contributes to two tracks, including "Gotta Smile," a finely woven track that grooves and synthesizes analog and electronic elements like nothing else in Evelyn's discography. The headiest trip of all is "Typical," a smart late-'60s throwback ballad fronted by Jordan Rakei -- a Marvin Gaye-modeled Australian who didn't exist when Evelyn left his first major imprint on underground dance music. ~ Andy Kellman