Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
Best Tracks: Black Hole, Rocks Crying, Whatever
Genre: Neo Soul, Post Jazz
Year: 2018
Chris Dave’s first solo album is a concept album on the power of music- which would be a very cheesy message if it didn’t actually deliver on the musical front. Almost two decades past their prime, this project is a massive victory lap for the Soulquarian collective. Even though this project is missing some key members, Chris Dave managed to bring together Bilal, Shafiq Husayn, Pino Palladino, and James Poyser with a new wave of west coast session musicians, plus Anderson .Paak and Elzhi for vocals. This album is the same sort of blend of neo-soul, hip hop, jazz, funk, and psychedelia the Soulquarians pioneered, but Chris Dave pushes it even further into jazz rhythms and psychedelic effects.
The album begins with an atmospheric, spacey opener that transitions into a dark funk rock groove, led by Dave’s stellar drumming. Delay and feedback pile on top of the instruments, drawing from the more experimental Hendrix and Funkadelic tracks. The heavy psychedelic rock touches on this album are what set it apart from other albums in the genre. “Black Hole” is a flawless funk track, not unlike something off Mama’s Gun. “Whatever” is another highlight, going for a more subdued, neo-soul sound. “Clear View” is another highlight, with an emotional performance from Anderson .Paak, and dark, shifting instrumentation to match. The beat switch towards the end of the track never fails to give me goosebumps.
As a session musician himself, Chris Dave puts some relatively unknown musicians up against the popular features he has access to, perfectly showcasing what everyone has to offer. Every corner of this album has a talented musician playing their heart out. All that being said, the album has its weak moments too. Much of this project is skippable, due largely to uninspired writing and a lack of clear direction. If the weak tunes were cut and “Trippy Tipsy” was extended into a 10-minute jam, I think that would’ve made for a better front-to-back experience.