Meet Jordan Rakei the boy wonder of Soul-revivals. The pressure is on, to make his EP-hype live up to expectations. With »Cloak«, the singer-songwriter and multi-talented instrumentalist manages to do this and much more, which is a surprise. Whilst the competition plays the Soulection sound over and over again for the 100th time, Neo-Soul with Jazz, well-praticed post-J Dilla-Drums, and Afrobeat and Dub-references merge here. Jordan Rakei’s undisguised singing is an eye-catcher, production and instrumentation shine just as much. Now and then, the detail-loving songs remind you of D’Angelo & The Vanguard, with their all of a sudden change of tempo, their love of the loop, and unusual rhythms, but rather more of Robert Glasper or BBNG with a spookily-talented singer. One thing is for sure, heartache will not be reinvented here, but at the same time Jordan Rakei does not fail, where many others singers and composers with a Hip-Hop background have often become displaced; he doesn’t rap about beats, his songs are versatile and thoughtful. Sure, some tracks are more courageous than others, but even the less than groundbreaking title enhances the album. What you can expect is a diversity of sounds, melodies, and rhythms, without making »Cloak« sound like a motley of thrown together sounds. When you think, the young man is only in the beginning of his 20s, the whole thing suddenly feels unpleasant and then you begin to ask unpleasant questions. If only I had continued to play piano?
Cloak
