Alex Macpherson 

Robert Glasper Experiment: Black Radio: Volume 2 – review

Robert Glasper's second album in his celebrity-laden Black Radio series isn't as experimental as the first, but still has some great moments, writes Alex Macpherson
  
  


The second instalment of jazz pianist Robert Glasper's collaborative Black Radio albums is a more straightforward affair than its predecessor. That was an experiment in both name and breathtaking music, but here, Glasper mostly concentrates on wholesome, well-sung soul – reducing even his own piano to a backdrop. The change in guest list is illustrative of this: bigger names (Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, the wearyingly ubiquitous Emeli Sandé) delivering pleasant but undemanding performances instead of the formidable vocal creativity displayed on Volume 1 by Meshell Ndegeocello, Ledisi and Bilal. A few honourable exceptions enable Volume 2 to scale the heights nonetheless. Marsha Ambrosius blends anguish and sensuality on the langurous Trust; Jill Scott is hypnotic and heavy with mood on Calls. Meanwhile, the relative directness of the melodies compared to the oblique improvisation of Volume 1 may be an overall loss, but the sound of Anthony Hamilton sinking his teeth into a sentimental hook on Yet to Find provides enough richness and depth to compensate momentarily.

 

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