Crackazat – SUN
Electronic producer and jazz musician Crackazat, originally from Bristol and now based in Sweden, just released his latest album “SUN” on Freerange Records. It is the follow-up to his acclaimed LP “Evergreen” from 2021. It is a pretty diverse and varied affair with hints to house, jazz, soul, hip-hop and funk. The album opens with the bubbling and highly percussive “Promised Right”, written by Ben Jacobs aka Crackazat, Tamuz Dolev who also plays drums, and Karl Olandersson who also plays trumpet and flugelhorn. And even though the tune boasts with some intricate sounding drums and percussion, the track works from the very beginning and is actually a strong entry into this 59-minute tour de force with its highly enjoyable trumpet towards the end. The funky soul of “Grey”, with its neo-soul approach and Louis Johnson-style bass line, is next with Crackazat’s unique voice moving the tune forward.
“Whatchu Say”, one of the singles which were previously released prior to the album (this one in early March), still grabs our attention with the jazzy piano chords and repetitive vocal chant. “Sanity” is not for us because of the somewhat quirky spoken word part by Lyric Jones. She is also featured on the very Robert Glasper-esque “Crouching Tiger” where she adds some shady notes which work much better on this one. I also really dig the thumping light house of “Set My Sun” which features Eva Lazarus on vocals. “Pick Me Up”, which had been released as a single back in February, is also making its return here. The high-pitched vocals add another touch to the set. It’s another classy soul tune with bright horns and swell production. “The Way We Go” is not for me. The rap part of CapitalA somehow doesn’t match with this pretty jazzy tune. The wonderful jazzy house of “Shine” reminds me of the best work of Nick Holder (remember him?). The groove is indestructible. And “Who’s Boss” turns back to 70s Herbie Hancock-style jazz funk, complete with handclaps and some energetic sax solo by Andreas Gidlund. Turns into a veritable jazz jam.
Favorite track on the album is the more mellow and tender “Nothing But Love”. The horn-led shuffle is headlined by the exquisite vocal of Olivier St. Louis. A real gem. There are more Herbie-like keys on the very reflective, dub-induced and trippy “Waiting” and the album concludes with the stripped-down, alt/neo-soul “Night Child” with layered vocals and a slow and contemplative groove. Clearly his best album to date.
