Rated 8/10
I found the first couple tracks hard to get through, but then, I got to "Don't Shoot Guns Out." It was as relevant yesterday (August 6th, 2025) as it was during 2020, when we had the senseless murder of George Floyd and the subsequent summer of protests that came from it. We = The American public
Guns out - Don't Shoot. That was a slogan used by protestors at the time, to talk about police brutality.
If you don't see the parallels between an album like this and Fela Kuti's "Zombie," which I got the day before, you're not picking up on what's being put down. You're not seeing the shit that's happening in the US government, with their military, with their police forces.
The same shit that happened in Nigeria is happening here, too.
"Black is beautiful. Black is excellent - too." The album has a good mix of vocals, rhythms, call & response, synth, and African grooves - all things that I've come to appreciate since starting this project. I don't think this is a "daily driver" album for me, but, instead, something to come back to after I've had time to digest.
Standout tracks: "Wildfires," "Why We Cry We Die", "Black", "Us" into "Eternal Life". "Monsters" brought to mind some of the work Childish Gambino did in their albums "Awaken, My Love" and "Atavista."
...okay, music review is done. That's the first one I've done in a while.
I wish things changed for the better between 2020 and 2025. Things are looking pretty bleak outside my window.
But the 1001 Album project goes on. I leave this review behind as something for future listeners to find.
