The debut solo album from Richard Russell, featuring vocal contributions from Sampha, Giggs, Ibeyi, Obongjayar, Infinite, Wiki & Syd, and instrumental contributions from Kamasi Washington, Damon Albarn, Rachel Zeffira, Peter Gabriel, Owen Pallett & more.

Tracklist

• Intro
• Close But Not Quite (feat. Sampha)
• She Said (feat. Obongjayar & Kamasi Washington)
• Wet Looking Road (feat. Giggs)
• Mountains Of Gold (feat. Sampha, Ibeyi, Wiki and Kamasi Washington)
• Show Love (feat. Syd & Sampha)
• Echoes In The Bone - Interlude (feat. Rachel Zeffira)
• Bloodshot Red Eyes (feat. Infinite & Green Gartside)
• Cane (feat. Ibeyi)
• Purify - Interlude (feat. Infinite & Peter Gabriel)
• Be My Friend (feat. Infinite)
• Everything Is Recorded (feat. Sampha and Owen Pallett)

The album’s other standout is “Be My Friend,” which also foregrounds Infinite, his voice layered this time so as to become a choir. Russell brings in a sample of Dallas preacher TD Jakes talking about the illusion of solitude: “It is possible to be alone and not live alone/It is possible to feel alone and not work alone.” It’s a poignant insight, but the same sample crops up multiple times across the album, so that by the time it lands here, it sounds like a rare miscue from Russell—a heavy-handed move from someone who’s trained us to expect a light touch. - Pitchfork

Artwork by Maharishi/Hardy Blechman

Brand

Beggars Banquet

Colors

yellow

Listed

January 17, 2024

Model

Everything Is Recorded LP

Category

unknown