This album starts out with “Heron Flow”, and it’s a pretty classy intro. I mean, this sort of “live” intro has been done plenty of times. But Mick is a conscious dude, and I love the sort of spoken word vibes here. I mean, there’s not too much to it, and it’s not exactly a song. But this gets me in the mood for sure. And when the sort of Jazzy, cloudy beat does drop in and those soulful vocals pop through, this one becomes really cool. It just really ushers in Mick’s sound so well, and that’s important. On the other hand, “Stress Fracture” is much more abstract. It’s the same sort of hazy, conscious track that Mick has really made a name for himself with. And honestly, he sounds really refreshed, so I can’t be mad at this one. He goes into thoughts on stress here and does it in a really classy way. Alongside Mikahl Anthony’s truly haunting hook, it’s actually really impressive. This obviously is thinking man’s Rap, and it’s not the catchiest thing in the world. But this is really fresh. With “Gwendolynn’s Apprehension” though, things really start to get going. I love this whimsical beat and just how cool it is. And while I personally am not really into Mick’s sung hook, his verses here make up for that in a big way with just how aggressive this comes off. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time he came off this youthful and full of energy. It’s a very straightforward track, with some very Jazzy influences, which if you’ve ever listened to Mick in the past, you know is something he’s done plenty of. Honestly, this is a really great tune, and I love Mick’s very words performance that still has enough aggression to stay legit. But “Soft Porn” is out there even for me. In a way, this actually reminds me of what I wasn’t into with Mick’s “The Healing Component” album. Mick’s vocals are conscious and have some very relevant themes that need to be discussed. But here, is it just me, or does he try to tackle a little too much? Not only that, but this beat is just so boring. Mick gets some credit for being able to tackle these topics, but this one is eating him alive. With “Grace & Mercy” we get another “Live” interlude. And I certainly do like how grimy this one comes off and just how this beat creeps along. But, this is a little unfocused. It’s a good start, but it seems rushed as an interlude.
Mick gets back on track though with “Barcelona” which has this really dreary, mysterious vibe. Now, this one is pretty abstract in a lot of ways. Like, this beat is REALLY hard to keep track of and is a lot more in an Art Rap direction. Even more so, it’s just so impressive to hear Mick just sounding so full of thoughts. This one hits hard and fast, and it’s a little overwhelming. But between his very wordy performance and Jazzy flutes, this is great. But with interludes like “Percy Interlude”, Mick takes things down so far as far as classiness goes. Mick, you’re just so much better than this. Mick does have a great tendency to bounce back quickly though, as he does once again with “Reginald”. Honestly? I would really love to hear a whole Jazz Rap album from Mick. Because we get a taste here, and he sounds so confident and unstoppable it’s not even funny. Like, I feel like I haven’t heard him this confident since “The Waters”. It’s a very classy track filled with a lot of really great one-liners and there’s an overall fantastically conscious feel to all of this. Overall “Reginald” is awesome. Then we have “Padded Locks”, featuring Wu-Royalty and all around legend Ghostface Killah. Now, if you’re a real nut like me, you’ll know this beat was taken from that BadBadNotGood album from a few years back. But with some added bass and Mick’s grimy performance, and of course the vicious Ghostface, this track comes out unbelievable. It’s so chill and almost low-fi in parts. But it’s just so grizzly and cutting, it’s so exciting. What a great sound. “Ghost” continues on with the very haunting, nocturnal vibes of this album (no pun intended). It’s just so woozy, but it remains classy. I continue to really be blown away by just how much Mick has to say. It’s explosive and certainly agitated. The beat here is a little less focused though, which is a little disappointing. But Mick’s charisma carries this one in a huge way.
Now, while I continue to see what Mick is aiming for with interlude’s like “Heron Flow 2”, this just sort of breaks things up a little too much for me. Sure, it’s an interesting spoken word piece. But there had to be a better way to put this across. And honestly “Plain Clothes” is even worse. Scratch that, “Plain Clothes” is THE worst track here. Earlier I thought Mick’s singing wasn’t coming off too bad. But here, this is absolutely awkward as shit. Even lyrics I just can’t get with this at all. This is just so weird. And not to mention, Mick doesn’t even sound like himself, not even close. So no, I’m not happy. With “Pull Up” this album continues to take a huge turn for the more dreary. But actually, this is one of the better chilled out tracks here. Mick’s performance here is depressive as hell, and he actually comes off genuinely exhausted. And honestly, that sounds GREAT in the midst of the rest of the material here. I mean, we live in tiring times, and Mick pulls this off great. This isn’t the most aggressive performance obviously, but it’s well done. Then we have “Consensual Seduction” featuring Corinne Bailey Rae. This one continues down the very Jazzy, conscious feel of the rest of the album. And honestly, Mick continues to really pull it off. And once again, Mick is really tickling some pretty hard to cover subjects. Here, he tackles consensual Sex, and honestly, it’s done very tastefully without coming off cheesy. And Corinne’s performance here actually is really soulful and fantastic. I love the way some of these Jazzy, Bluesy Rap tunes come off practically in slow motion at this point. But sadly, “U Turn” isn’t exactly working for me. Mick’s performance here is so gruff, and not nearly as conscious as a lot of the other tunes here. This just sounds like a Pop Rap tune set to an Artsy beat. And it’s a shame because I do really love the beat and the production. I just wish Mick’s performance mirrored that better.
But Mick really does know how to reel you back in quick. “Understood”, Mick, give me more of THIS. I absolutely love the hazy, hard to place instrumental here. The distant, pained guitars are such a great touch, and in his performance, Mick sounds genuinely distressed. Not to mention, his verses are just so intense. I mean, if he’s going to do more with this sound, this is fantastic. And one of his one-liners cut so deep, this is brilliant. Now, "Smoking Song” isn’t exactly what I was expecting as a finale. Here, he gets some help from long-time collaborators BadBadNotGood who as time goes on just sound cooler and cooler. This is actually one of their more classic approaches to Jazz. Overall, this one is pretty straightforward, a song about smoking. And while yes, all around this could be more intense, this isn’t bad. Mick sounds sleepy, and BadBadNotGood’s very slow-paced licks aren’t exciting. But hey, it’s a laid-back and interesting sound.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give A Listen To: “Reginald”, “Barcelona”, “Padded Locks”, “Understood”
Least Favorite Track: “Plain Clothes”
Genre: Rap / Alternative Rap / Conscious Rap / Jazz Rap
Overall Thoughts: Mick Jenkins bounces back after his disappointing “The Healing Component” album with an album filled with Conscious bars and deep topics. And honestly, for the most part Mick handles himself really well. The beats are often left-field and Jazzy, and the guests that Mick brings in do a great job of backing him up with haunting hooks. I mean, some of the topics he brings up ending up being a little overwhelming for him, which is something that could happen to anyone. But this is a great return to form for Mick, and shows just how much of a talent he is.
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