Dark Times

Dark Times is the sixth studio album from Long Beach, California rapper Vince Staples and finds him once again in complete control of his unbothered vocal style, complex, emotionally nuanced lyricism, and increasingly unusual production choices. Staples is in a bit of a loner mode here, handling all the rapping on every song with no features and moving between stark, introspective bars and distanced observations about both society and his own life path. Musically, Dark Times moves smoothly between mellow, old-school instrumentation on tracks like "Justin" or the Memphis-meets-easy listening "Black&Blue," and far more experimental beats on the dubby, fragmented "Childrens Song" or the synth-dappled "Little Homies." Seemingly effortless, Staples is in top form on Dark Times. Its another chapter of his uniquely smoke-colored narratives, form-fitting production, and perfectly balanced expressions of heaviness and acceptance. ~ Fred Thomas

LAのリリシストによる約2年ぶりの6作目はタイトル、ジャケからも感じるダークなトーンがアルバムを包み、自身にまつわることなど現実社会でのさまざまな出来事をシリアスに綴っている。キロ・キッシュらシンガーも招いてソウルフルなサウンドに仕上げられており、カードーらがプロデュースした"Radio"ではマーヴィン・ゲイの歌声をさらっと引用。
bounce (C)Masso 187um