Ezra Collective dropped a new album!

Let’s go.

  1. Part 1 Read by Leticia Wright

This is how the album opens up, and it’s read beautifully by Letitcia Wright – yep. Black Panther herself. 

She approaches the reading with gravity and reverence, and why not? Imagine someone like Sir Ian McKellen or Dame Judi Dench doing a reading? She’s giving it emotion too and it wasn’t what I expected.

  1. Blow Your Trumpet 

The first track takes us into reggae territory more dub than one drop. I love the way it starts off with the piano, no sustenato so it’s very staccato before the titular trumpets come in. I love the melody to this it feels very summery and reminds me of an Afro gospel song that is ancient but is still sung as part of praise ond worship. It’s not unheard of when it comes to Ezra Collective as they did the same with Hear My Cry.

  1. Sweet Echo

The bassline kicks things off on this and you hear the crowd cheering along as soon as it gets started. This is one that would make people at festivals jump and down, and genuinely have a good time. I’m willing to bet that this was captured entirely live. The horns provided a wall of sound over the bass and drums doing their thing. The bassline is doing a lot of the melodic work, I can hear old school hi-life from Ghana influences on the playing. 

I also love the fluid electric piano on this too! 

  1. Don’t Worry 

Slowing the tempo down a little bit, the electric piano takes fron and centret and solo playing the mainline with the horns answering. This is probably my favourite track on the album so far, and each track is strong so that takes some doing! 

The sax solo that comes in at 1:46 is beautiful!

  1. Only Love 

This was the track that told me that Ezra Collective were coming back with something special. This track features Pa Salieu, and he brings a rap/spoken word element to it. He starts off like a true Londoner: 

Ayo Ezra, 

Wagwan are you feeling calm and collected?

With a mix of patois, he talks about his origin story, having been to jail, living in poverty, and living a life that only takes love to bring him to the light. 

This is all over a hi life flavour, and the ever present horns acting as a herald. 

  1. Someday 

This has the old school hi life feel to it, and tells me that Ezra Collective have called on the spirits of the ancestors to bring melodies like this. The electric piano sounding watery is back again and brings a very technical solo from 2:14. The trumpet takes over from 3:17, all playing above and beyond their usual register – but this is Ezra Collective – a band that are virtuoso musicians!

  1. Part 2 Read by Letitia Wright 

Letitia Wright is back to talk about energy that follows people – she speaks so reverently I can listen to her al day. 

  1. Birdie Song 

We go into dub territory now, I guess that was always going to be the way because Letitia references this in her monologue. The beat is sturdy and has space age sounds as well as reverb dipped drums. The organ is present and giving the traditional reggae riffs over the top of the groove. This has quite the bounce to it!

  1. The Last Stand 

This track is militant in its execution! Again the space age sounds are in the background! This is easily another of my favourites on this album for the melodies played by the horns. There’s a bit of a calypso rhythm just before the trumpet comes in before it switches back to reggae again. 

The key change on this? Diabolical. They went a semitone down!

One thing to note, Ezra Collective are taking us on a journey with this album.

  1. Well Organised ft. Lila Ike

This has a distinctive Caribbean feel to it, especially with the drum beat giving it a dancehall feel, but this is fully polished. Lila Ike does a wicked job on this with her voice, and I love the addition of the steel pans as well. This is definitely top 3 in my favourites on the album! Lyrically this song talks about the healing aspect of music and I can totally relate to that. 

  1. El Corazon 

Time to go fully Latin with this now, it feels like you’re in Brazil for their festivals you can almost close your eyes and smell the gorgeous food, see the glorious colours, and feel the carnival atmosphere! Hold your seats for the piano solo at 1:19, it feels like there’s a dance around the keys. There’s the held chords before octaves being played and it’s so well played! A combination of jazz and latin flavours. 

  1. Bunny On The Rise 

The Rhodes is back, and we are back in afro rhythms territory. It’s put through a phaser too, giving it a nice warped sound! This track is guaranteed to get people dancing, the horns are in percussive mode, and it’s glorious. 

I love the bass riff, it’s not sitting on the one, both rhythmically and melodically so it nudges your ear in that direction too, I also love the little run at 4:02 which is chromatic. 

  1. Part 3 Read by Letitia Wright 

Letitia’s back again, and she plays the role of the narrator so well on this, she’s like the voice in your head that’s asking you what it is about the music that touches you referencing calypso, dancehall, garage, afrobeat, lover’s rock. All these elements and genres are represented on this album.

  1. All I Need (ft. Leona Lewis)

This is based around such a lovely chilled reggae groove, the piano is played beautifully over bass and drums. It’s so laid back. Then Leona Lewis comes in with a soulful touch which takes it to a whole other level. I remember when she won X Factor and I remember loving her voice back then. This is so smooth!

  1. Jubilee Feeling 

The tempo is kicked back up again with drums and percussion leading the way. By the way, drums in Africa are used as celebration, or to deliver news, or to herald the arrival, death, or birth. It’s a way of communicating, so using it in a jubilant fashion here fits the assignment.

The horns come in to signify a chorus, the electric piano is passed through a phaser and played higher up in octave making it chime! You can imagine this being played in carnival on a float going down the street with people dancing  in celebration.

  1. Black Flag  

The faster tempo is maintained on this starting off with the electric piano laying down a phased passage. I love the offbeat rhythm on this, as well as the notes the bass is playing over the top, it’s dizzying not to mention the fact the mix is done as such that things fly past you – you could imagine this being used in a classic car chase scene

The keyboard solo is wild, like as if the hands playing it have no control over it and it’s taken on a life of its own. 

  1. Most High ft. Libianca

Growing up in a predominantly African church, and being part of a gospel choir this song jumped right out at me – this song is pretty much like what a praise break would sound like in a church in Ghana but what Ezra collective have done here is that they’ve slowed it down and put a reggae groove on it. 

If this was in its normal hilife style imagine the church aunties breaking out their handkerchiefs and dancing around the church, and releasing unbridled joy. The thing about this song is that it’s a celebratory song and it’s also part of a medley which can go on for ages. 

I don’t mind. I love playing it. 

The trumpet solo is glorious by the way.

So. In conclusion. 

How do I end this review? I go back to the beginning and listen to the album top to bottom again. 

But before I do that, I have to say I have been waiting to review this album – pretty much since I heard the whispers that Ezra Collective were bringing out a new one, and I’ve been telling everyone that it was coming out and that it was going to be a good one. 

I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. 

Review: Del Osei-Owusu/@platinummind