White Power Outage Volume 1
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
Listen White Power Outage Volume 1
The Houston outfit Free Radicals are nothing if not unclassifiable, as they often pack hip-hop, rap, funk, jazz, bluegrass and about a dozen other genres into one recording. Here, they host 50+ musicians that span the ages of 4 to 92 for a listen that’s as diverse as the backgrounds of the players who made it.
“America Is A Lie” starts the album with help from Obidike Kamau on the spoken word opener as jazz and funk ideas enter the insightful climate, and “Redlining/Strange Flute” follows with Swatara Olushola’s expressive pipes guiding the reggae inspired atmosphere that makes great use of flutes, too.
Sure, 23 tracks is a lot to digest in one listen, but the abundance of contributors make each track exciting in its own right, including the soulful hip-hop meets jazz of “Look At That”, which recruits D-Ology, while “The Great Australian Heist” features Bryte on the rapid fire hip-hop that’s not without melody. “Café Sin Leche”, one of the best tracks present, then flows with cultured rhythm amid frisky drumming and soothing vocals.
Closer to the end, the bright brass and firm beat of “Chariot Rock” complements the quick rapping and pretty singing from Genesis Blu and Jasmine Christine, and “Piece Of The Rock”, with Matt Kelly, shuffles with a country western influence as gritty singing aligns with some crunchy rock’n’roll near the end.
Despite the non-stop genre skipping present, the message here is quite uniform, as Free Radicals are fueled by their passionate fight to end white supremacy, police brutality, racism, wealth inequality and immigrant detention. In a year as difficult as this one, we could all benefit from the direct wordplay of this very important album, and hope that change is on the horizon.
Travels well with: Stubborn All Stars- Nex Music; The Slackers- Blue