do it afraid

Yaya Beys Ten Fold was among the most relevant albums of 2024. It recombined soul, jazz, hip-hop, dancehall, and other forms of dance music while addressing economic, ecological, and emotional anxieties with undaunted spirit. Moreover, it paid tribute to legendary Maze leader Frankie Beverly and made pointed reference to New York mayor Eric Adams months before the death of the former and the indictment of the latter. Bey kept pushing forward, self-funding the recording of this quick follow-up before she found a new label home at Drink Sum Wtr, and making a standout contribution to the Red Hot compilation Transa. While Do It Afraid reflects real life in a climate that has become increasingly tumultuous, theres greater emphasis on moments of joy, romance, and other displays of resilience and strength. It goes in many directions without ever seeming unfocused. Few would even think to move from blissed-out lovers rock ("I got a couple paid days saved/Take your stress away") to lustful boogie ("Do it til the neighbors wanna fight me") to duly jubilant soca (with an opening nod to Grace Jones). All that ground is covered in a nine-minute sequence, and elsewhere, theres everything from spare and strutting hip-hop to a frisky club track in a rhythmic lineage with Carl Craigs "Chicken Noodle Soup," P.M. Dawns "Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine," and the Internets "Roll (Burbank Funk)." In that latter song, "Aya Noche," Bey revels in being "the life of the party," and in the more frictional "In a Circle," she freely celebrates "throwin that ass around," yet theres always a sense that dancing is essential for survival, no mere pastime. Thats due in part to the surrounding ballads, and even those have significant stylistic range. Take the palpitating ache of "No for Real, WTF?," in which shes unmoored, or the sorrowful soul-jazz in "Ask the Questions," one of a handful of additional collaborations with Butcher Brown. Shes at her lowest on "Choice," the finale, grieving her mother and father and struggling with self-acceptance, but by the end of it, she has emphatic words of encouragement for both herself and her people. Do It Afraid is another impelling triumph from a thriving musical dynamo. ~ Andy Kellman

日常生活に基づくコンシャスなR&Bを歌うシンガーが地元ブルックリンの新進レーベルに移籍して1年ぶりに発表した新作。客演もしているブッチャー・ブラウンやナイジェル・ホール、エグザクトリー、カリーム・リギンズらとの共同作業は前作の流れを汲み、ジャズやソウルの成分を含むメロウな曲を飾らず穏やかに歌っていく。バッドバッドノットグッド制作の"Blicky"や80年代風シンセ・ブギー"Dream Girl"といったフューチャー・ノスタルジアな曲があれば、アフロ・ディアスポラへの意識からファーザー・フィリスを迎えたソカも登場。癒しや解放を求めつつ、多彩な音楽要素を破綻なくまとめた快作だ。
bounce (C)林剛