Shafiq Husayn – So Gold

Combining hip-hop beats with neo-soul, funk, and all sorts of soul, LA-based producer, songwriter, and Grammy Award winning performer Shafiq Husayn has come up with a brilliant melange on “So Gold”, four years after his equally fantastic “The Loop”. Collaborating with The Dove Society, a collective of artists, musicians, and creative-minded individuals located in the SoCal area (which spawned Anderson Paak, the Free Nationals, or Jimetta Rose), he opens his new double album with singer Sharis on the amazingly groovy “Magi’s Love”. There are wonderful layers of vocals on “Little Miss Petty”, even though I’m not really into the rap part on the track. There is some D’Angelo meets Maxwell deep neo-soul on “No Particulars”. With its steadily stomping midtempo funk beat, this is certainly one of the highlights of the set. The track features Syd, founding member of The Internet.

So much to explore here. There is the very dreamy, lightly shuffling “All Night” which has Colin Devane again who also appeared on “The Loop”. You can hear Shafiq’s production skills which he brought to projects by Erykah Badu, John Legend, or Bilal. An intoxicating piece. I also really dig the claps on the Prince-like “Sofas” and the equally sexy “Loving You” featuring Ivory T. The afore-mentioned Jimetta Rose graces the bass-heavy “Unconditional” which also boasts with more of those effervescent and crunchy claps. And Jimetta is up there again on the quirky and bubbling “Maybe Baby Winter”. Anderson .Paak can be heard on the fancy, dreamy “Crush You” and the demanding and rap-laden “Supastar Youngin”. The 80s-inspired “Smile For Me” has guest singer “Peyton”. Another mesmerizing groove.

Save the best for last? Shafiq and his Sa-Ra Creative Partners, the freakingly original collective which comes up with deeply soulful sounds and beats, close the set with the Bootsy-like “If You Miss You Kiss You”. Clocking in at almost eight minutes, it is one of those grooves which accompanies you for hours to come.