Melt My Eyez See Your Future

マイアミを拠点に活動するラッパーのデンゼル・カリー(Denzel Curry)、ニュー・アルバム!
5作目のスタジオ・アルバムとなる本作には同郷のラッパー、T-Painをフィーチャーした「Troubles」、映画 『キル・ビル Vol.2』やサムライ映画からインスピレーションを得た「Zatoichi」、スペース・ウェスタンのような壮大なビデオが制作されたシングル「Walkin」などに加え、サンダーキャッケニー・ビーツ、ロバート・グラスパー、ジェイペグマフィア、スロウタイ、J.I.D, 6LACK、リコ・ナスティー、454らをゲストに迎えた多様なコラボレーション曲を収録!

When Denzel Curry emerged into the mainstream with "Ultimate," he was judged by many in the songs earth-shattering light, boxed in as a born-and-bred mosh pit maker. So when the rappers second LP, Imperial, presented two distinct sides of the MC -- a blaring opener and a sun-tinged second half -- it was only natural that fans would respond better to the former. Through a half-decade of releases, Curry has been defined against a backdrop of bass-heavy hits like "SUMO," "RICKY," and "CLOUT COBAIN" -- leaving that second side to the MC as a thoroughly unfinished chapter. Zels fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, begins to shift that narrative. Tinged in the exact blend of sunshine and temporality that made the "summer of 16" such a moment for the genre (The Life of Pablo, Coloring Book, Telefone, The Suns Tirade), Melt My Eyez picks up where Imperial left off, blending a summery set of auras into the rappers work. With a shockingly diverse roster of producers (including Robert Glasper, Thundercat, and JPEGMAFIA), Melt My Eyez finds strength in its variety: "Melt Session #1" and "Mental" are a jazz-led dives into Currys mindset, "Zaitoichi" and "The Smell of Death" explore colorful new directions, and "Walkin" and "The Ills" add a warm-night introspection to Zels catalog. Older styles are given new paint, too: "The Last" improves on the slow-burn haziness of "TABOO," "Sanjuro" and "X-Wing" appease the trap fanatics, and "Worst Comes to Worst" adds an emotiveness to ZUUs thumping approach. Its a miracle that the project flows at all, let alone as sleekly as it does. With such a vibrant canvas to rap over, its good to hear Curry come at the project with a refreshed pen game. Reflections on past misdoings make for compelling markers of young adulthood --"I wholeheartedly understand why I need to grow even though Im grown" -- while his verses are packed with slick wordplay ("Run the jewels cause I kill a mic on any LP"). Though he addresses personal and societal stresses in more blatant terms than before, some of the projects lyrics remain underbaked; "I see the way the people get treated, its problematic" is hardly a rallying cry for justice. Fortunately his collaborators, Slowthais "Life is short, like a dwarf" aside, prove the icing on top: the "Art of War" crew reunite on "Aint No Way," T-Pain barges through "Troubles" with lighthearted confidence, and Saul Williams closes "Mental" with the most poignant verse on the set. While likely a result of Zels penchant for samurai-inspired imagery, its hard not to hear Eyez as the soundtrack to his "walk into the sunset": surrounded by images of his work thus far, Zel seems ready for the next chapter. ~ David Crone

3年ぶりのアルバム。ロバート・グラスパーを迎えた"Melt Session #1"をはじめ、カリーム・リギンスやサンダーキャットの制作曲に漂うジャズとネオ・ソウルのヴァイブがまずは濃密だ。かと思えば銃声が鳴り響くトラップ"Sanjuro"ではサムライ魂を語り、スロウタイとの"Zatoichi"ではドラムンベースに乗せアグレッシヴにスピットする。T・ペインがメロウに歌う"Troubles"では身近なカネのいざこざを嘆きつつ、ジェイペグマフィアがアブストラクトなトラックを提供した"John Wayne"では銃社会を糾弾するなど、トピックもさまざまだが一貫して社会へのクールな視点を持つ。ロックダウン中に自己と向き合って制作したという高いリリシズムと、サウンドの多彩さが際立つ逸品。
bounce (C)池谷瑛子