Everything Is Recorded By Richard Russell
by Everything Is Recorded

XL label boss Richard Russell brings his considerable Rolodex to bear here on an album not quite defined by its collaborations. The intention was surely to wow the listener with an impressive rostrum of instrumentalists and vocalists - Kamasi Washington, Sampha, Ibeyi, Giggs, Green Gartside - but somehow it manages to miss the mark a little. To be clear, I'm a fan of this record, but it could be a case of too many cooks... well, you know the rest. No-one (with the exception of Sampha) seems to sit comfortably in their role here, even man-of-the-moment Washington noodles away to little significant effect. An album full of so much potential, but left with merely a 'good' tag.
Best tracks: Close But Not Quite, Wet Looking Road, Cane, Be My Friend

This album is a collaborative effort of the record label, XL Recordings, curated and produced by label owner Richard Russell, with an assortment of the labels artists enlisted as features. Unsurprisingly, Sampha kills it on this record, except for the title track which was a little lackluster to me. Giggs' cameo track was cool, and Kamasi Washington's saxophone was as sleek as every (but didn't necessarily fit the vibe of the album.) Sampha's "Close But Not Quite" and Obongjayar's "She Said" make for a very strong start to the album but all in all the record doesn't flow that well and steadily declines in quality. The production throughout is very good, but the project doesn't mesh amazingly well in my opinion.