MOOR MOTHER – JAZZ CODES
This is an intriguing, exciting album. Challenging in places, it is less confrontational, less jarring, less experimental noise than earlier material such as debut LP Fetish Bones.
Jazz Codes is the latest album from songwriter/composer/vocalist/poet/educator Camae Ayewa AKA MOOR MOTHER. It is an album of collaborations with every track having at least one featured artist. It is however clearly the work of Moor Mother.
The hard-hitting, thought-provoking words are spoken, rapped and sung over music that is rooted in free-jazz but takes in R‘n’B, classical, lounge, underground drones and even a touch of opera. Lyrically and musically, it can be sweetly soothing, languorous and joyous but is also, at times, a challenging, disturbing listen. Given Ayewa’s roots in the Philly underground and previous work, both solo and with the likes of Irreversible Entanglements, Mental Jewelry and YATTA, this is no surprise.
The twenty-one tracks (three of which are exclusive to the CD) are short. Nine are less than two minutes long and only four break the three-minute mark. The tracks segue almost seamlessly from one to the next. Whilst a few are little more than sound sketches, most are fully formed songs that can stand alone despite their brief running times. That said, this is a work that both demands and rewards one’s full attention, working best for me when listened to without interruption and with the lights down low.
This is an intriguing, exciting album. Challenging in places, it is less confrontational, less jarring, less experimental noise than earlier material such as debut LP Fetish Bones. It may be unlikely to trouble the upper reaches of the charts, I predict that this will become a cult classic.
9/10
