A Lot on My Crate

Forgive the title. Still work shopping it. But this is the category in which I want to talk into the ether and into some ears about albums. If anyone is interested in my positive take on these albums or wanting to discover newer or older records then this is the place to stop by. And…here…we…go…

This is a jazz rap album that starts off with Dixon setting the mellow stage of a hot summer and wishes to talk to us about death. He and his friends ask, “Does magic really exist?” And what magic is this? Why to do a heroic act on bringing their friend back to life. This is a story.

And then an explosion of sound erupts in the second song, Sugar Water. As this character and his crew talks amongst themselves that they want to do it, they wonder, should they even think about doing this? As resurrection is taboo as hell and they might pay a high cost. But the spiritual chorus from Anjimile on the chorus and the slick Quelle Chris bars do their best to convince us this is just. Love the Ms. Jackson shout out by the way. They successfully revived their friend, but their friend wants to immediately get down to business.

In Crooked Stick, the rhymes that Alfred goes into just clicks so well making the words just click together like an oddly satisfying fit in a puzzle piece. “Pish-posh, bitch, watch.” or “Blip-blop, bitch, stop.” Recitatif starts off with this slowed down voice and goes into a killer jazz flute and mellow piano to tell about the struggles that African-Americans must endure and to survive as he also goes out of control in a killer second half along with Teller Bank$.

We go into a march and into a cinematic movie scene with a sequel from an already great song, Run Run Run comes through. Dixon is just on fire and is so passionate as he shouts that living is dying and living is probably a kind of hell. And then it transitions to my favorite song, We’re Outside Rejoice. With these church organs and reed splitting saxes, we feel like we’re in a house of worship as the background gospel vocals raise their hands in the air. They’re grateful for life, even though the pain is so high as Dixon is just a master of dichotomy with the bars of gratitude and how there’s hardship waiting at the end. Later in the album, they go into a tribute about their mother and then talks about his friends being collateral in his awe-inspiring magic. The energy persists with a beautiful horn section as the character sees how powerful the magic can be with these killer analogies from wanting profit from coins pulled behind his ear from a magician in Listen Gentle. And then we get to the spotlight of the show, the title track, Magic, Alive! With the call back that it’s not the magic you make from your lit up hands, but how bright you light up people’s eyes. That’s the real magic.

McKinley Dixon was a name I’ve heard from last year and couldn’t get into his critically acclaimed Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?!, however in Magic, he pulls out all the stops and all the bells, whistles, and kitchen sinks to make the jazz rap in this project, even more jazz. The piano, the brass, the bass guitar, the saxes, my Lord, the saxes!! And all other instrumentals are such a vital component to this album and Dixon’s versatile flow makes him go through the lyrics like a breeze. And not only that, like many great rappers and poets, he tells such a compelling story. There are only a few tracks here that didn’t keep up with the energy of the others for me, but they’re all mostly necessary to keep up that spirituality. I recommend any Kendrick fan to give Dixon a chance as he was such a gem to discover.

The last song is a closing of the curtain that hey, love is the answer. It has always been the answer to shine a light in the hearts of others. It’s a selfless thing to do, but the recipients will be your sole reason for living. The whole album speaks like a sermon. But it’s not the church we stay for, but its churchgoers.

FAVORITE TRACKS: SUGAR WATER, CROOKED STICK, RECITATIF, RUN RUN RUN PT II, WE’RE OUTSIDE REJOICE!, F.F.O.L., LISTEN GENTLE

LEAST FAVORITE: ALL THE LOVED ONES

You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and their catalog is available for streaming.

https://mckinleydixon.bandcamp.com/album/magic-alive