Lack of Afro – I’m Here Now (LOA Records) 
Release Date: Out Now
I’ve been looking forward to the
release of this album for most of 2020 and then it went and dropped while I was
wired in to the end of a morphine drip in a London hospital so I’m only just
getting around to enjoying it. Nevertheless, this latest LP from Exeter’s Lack
of Afro is nothing if not enjoyable so I wanted to make sure I brought it to
your attention. For the uninitiated, Lack of Afro is the musical vehicle
Devonian producer and musician Adam Gibbons who brings in assorted talents from
across the globe to help bring the funk in a way that nobody else is doing on
the UK scene right now.
‘I’m Here Now’, as an album, is a
blast of confidence and a shot of getupandgo in the arm of an otherwise
lethargic world right now so strap on your best headphones (plenty of bass
please) and let’s dive in. We get underway with ‘Not a Problem’ featuring
Watsky and Alyssa Marie on vocal duties and an Arctic Monkeys-esque riff given
a groove and funk energy by a superbly tight drum and bass combo. Recent single
‘You Could Do Better’ is up next with Camila Recchio and Wax stepping up to the
mic for a soulful, Motown jam before another single, ‘Bad Ass Self’, invites
Kennzo to turn the funk up to 11 with the kind of looped riff that will have
your head nodding involuntarily.
That tight guitar sound continues
on ‘Got My Number’ with the deadpan vocals of Jordan Stephens giving this a
Mark Ronson vs the Streets vibe. At the halfway point, ‘Wait For Me’ slows
things down for Mica Millar to take us on a soul infused slow dance before the
instrumental ‘Game Day’ makes a surf-rock play to be used as a the bed music
under a goal of the month montage on Match of the Day. Ric Flo and Elliot Cole
take the steering wheel on ‘Triumph’ which falls somewhere between Beastie
Boys, Prophets of Rage and Dust Junkys heading out on a road trip in a big ol’
Winnebago. ‘Magical Man’ is a surprisingly rocky number that feels like Hendrix
rebooted for 2020 while ‘Still Surviving’ finds Cole returning but this with
Herbal T joining in for a song that is full of restlessness kept in check by
some soothing keys. The album finishes up on ‘Speakers Erupt’ with Marie
returning with Milez Grimez for a track that would feel out of place in a Rage
Against the Machine set. This is an assured album full of infectious tunes,
engaging lyrics and grooves so deep that there will be no chance of the needle
slipping no matter how much the party kicks off. Album of the year contender? I
wouldn’t bet against it.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/lackofafromusic