ANDERSON PAAK 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Given that Knxwledge is renowned for being a prolific remixer, it's little surprise that he's taken the opportunity to rework his 2016 collaboration with vocalist Anderson Paak as NxWorries, Yes Lawd! For the most part, these fresh interpretations are inspired, to say the least. With Knxwledge pushing Paak's voice to the fore and largely relegating his own beats to a supporting role, tracks such as "Best1", "Livin" and "Scared" are re-born as drowsy, soul-fired blends of jazz, dub and experimental hip-hop. It's a fusion that results in a series of inspired interpretations that not only defy easy categorization, but also blur the lines between original composition, sample manipulation and left-of-centre beat making.

Review: The criticism of Anderson .Paak's last album, the glossy, big-budget "Oxnard", was so voluminous that his mum took to social media to defend it. The fast-rising rapper laughed off the haters at the time, but it must have hurt. Either way, he's changed direction again on "Ventura", a follow-up that's noticeably more refrained than its predecessor. Musically, what we're offered is stripped-back '70s soul and Prince style purple funk instrumentation fused with head-nodding hip-hop and R&B beats. Paak is lyrically on point throughout, eschewing some of his more sexually explicit lyrics in the post #MeToo era. To complete the picture of an artist going back to his roots, the assembled guests (Outkast's Andre 3000 included) are generally pushed to the background in an unobtrusive manner.

Review: The criticism of Anderson .Paak's last album, the glossy, big-budget "Oxnard", was so voluminous that his mum took to social media to defend it. The fast-rising rapper laughed off the haters at the time, but it must have hurt. Either way, he's changed direction again on "Ventura", a follow-up that's noticeably more refrained than its predecessor. Musically, what we're offered is stripped-back '70s soul and Prince style purple funk instrumentation fused with head-nodding hip-hop and R&B beats. Paak is lyrically on point throughout, eschewing some of his more sexually explicit lyrics in the post #MeToo era. To complete the picture of an artist going back to his roots, the assembled guests (Outkast's Andre 3000 included) are generally pushed to the background in an unobtrusive manner.

Review: When two top-billing talents like Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak team up, you know it's going to be the real deal. Their Silk Sonic project debuted last year with the singles 'Leave The Door Open', 'Skate' and 'Smokin Out The Window'. They've struck open a sweet spot which bridges the gap from classic 70s soul to modern RnB with impossibly smooth results. There's a little tongue in cheek humour slipped into the lyrics (and the slick-as-you-like music videos), but there's no joke when it comes to the songwriting chops from this pair of supremely talented soul boys. If you need any more validation, 'Leave The Door Open' won the Record Of The Year Grammy. That sums up the level these two are rolling at on their debut album, as if you needed convincing.

Review: It's the collab we didn't know we wanted, but are thanking god it exists. Silk Sonic are a new star-studded duo consisting of modern R&B and funk megastars Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak. After a stunning, mournful lead single 'Smokin Out The Window', we're on the edge of our seats over this collaboration for the ages. Set to be a two-tone tour through Motown-reminiscent, slow soul jams, the production value on this is sure to be high - it has been ever since Mars' 'Uptown Funk' hit. It's no wonder these two are friends; meeting in 2017 while on Mars' 24K Magic world tour, their ultra-comparable palette saw to a brief glimpse of them hitting the studio with Nile Rodgers, Disclosure's Guy Lawrence, and even Bootsy Collins for narration of the album. Expect a retro round-trip through 60s, 70s and "old school" soul, refracted through sunglasses, flat caps and Cadillacs.