Despite its role as the progenitor of a whole torrent of styles and formulas that have shaped contemporary popular music, blues, like any other creative language, also needs to be combined from the present to achieve its propagation and therefore its survival. . One of the most relevant exponents, especially with regard to its popular exhibition, of this revitalization is named after Gary Clark Jr.who managed with his appearance at the beginning of this 21st century, flanked by a vision of the genre agitated by a strong rock spirit, to transfer said sound environment to the masses and gather around him all kinds of recognitions and congratulations, embedding in that – so often impregnable- majority market a renewed intonation of the ancestral lament.
The high status achieved by the Texan, however, has not appeased his enthusiastic desire to avoid any accommodative mood, no matter how many benefits it provides him. Without forgetting that his structural legacy has started from an Olympus of guitarists inhabited by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix or Buddy Guy, gradually his albums have dared to roam other compartments, almost always rooted in African-American sounds, first as an occasional guest and now, with this huge “JPEG RAW”, becoming a colossal host with full right to decorate them under his own personality. A kaleidoscopic treatment that, however, found its involuntary origin in that time of uncertainty that meant for many the stoppage derived from the pandemic. In that “obligatory” encounter with himself, an approach emerged that demanded recovering his initiatory passion, adopting the impetuous spirit of every inaugural path but developed with the wisdom that his consolidated career gives him.
A revived musical consciousness, in this case brought about by a desire determined to dynamite any generic border, which is born in parallel to a vigorous lyric, as demonstrated by the acrostic that hides the title of his current album (Jealousy, Pride, Envy, Greed, Rules , Alter Ego, Worlds), which encourages a social change to be addressed through the retraining of our own identity, evoking the need to get rid of so many chains apprehended under social control and daily routine. Different planes that elevate an album that becomes a vibrant experience that shakes both our -often- stale ears and an existence bound by prejudices. An almost holistic liberation where each aspect is part of a tree that urgently needs to be felled, or turned into an emancipatory pyre, to use the flamboyant vocabulary that a good part of the repertoire displays.
Despite the identifying character that this work achieves, its renowned collaborations, apart from offering formal splendor to the songs, represent a declaration of principles in that acceptance of the need to make the teachings of tradition and the current impudence. That’s why George Clinton makes an appearance in “Funk Witch U”, an invitation to the healing power of dance, more than as an idle concept, which also, in its instigating task, means the confirmation that projects such as Parliament or Funkadelic are key in their condition as a family tree with which to define the hybrid nature of this album . An inspirational role that also includes Stevie Wonder’s intervention in “What About the Children”a wonderful theme perfectly aligned with those catchy and luminous rhythms that precisely serve to illuminate, even with interpretive phrasings that seem to emulate the genius of Michigan, the existence of a population deprived of history and future.
The new blood that Naala brings in “This Is Who We Are” It places us in front of an amazing landscape in continuous mutation, lifted at the beginning by epic heavenly choirs – in line with the shooting star to which it refers us in the chorus – to lead to an R&B with a sinuous cadence guided by a piercing guitar. Although the dialogue undertaken with Valerie June in “Don’t Start” assumes a more orthodox characterization in the form of powerful blues-funk through which a gruesome story of jealousy slips, the serendipity born between them exudes an enthusiastic interaction reminiscent of the most effective The Black Keys. And even the outbursts of carnal passion that appear in the album are going to be listened to with a regenerated gaze that does not avoid the conflict between the sexes, making the homonymous song another tribute to the most absolute referential acracy in an entire exercise of contortionism to integrate Prince’s sensuality in a jazzy atmosphere that is crowned with rapturous rapping. A rogue and foul-mouthed ingredient that gives the musician the appearance of the most dangerous “gangsta” when he recites in a “The Letter” that pulsates under a primitive echo crossed by sharp distortion riffs that would make “Eddie” Hazel himself smile, all offered as a soundtrack to act as a speaker and harangue about the need to gather forces for a common goal. Frantic impulses that Keyon Harrold’s trumpet leads to a silkier setting in “Alone Together”, firm candidate for the best adaptation to the present of the figure of the most livinously velvety Marvin Gaye. Emotional relaxation that the caramelized funky of “Hyperonda”, declamation about the right to alter our points of view, or above all the astonishing exercise of transmutation into handsome and naked crooner that is “To The End Of The Earth” and the harmonious final coda of “Habits”which lights the flame of love with melodious matches provided by the more contemporary Amos Lee.
“JPEG RAW” It is a record of change in the full extent and magnitude of the word. It is so because of its daring musical content, probably the most solid argument to elevate its author from now on, and also because of its call to transform the world from the only possible place to which all individuals have access, our own interior. The creative self-demands and necessary arrogance to dare to formulate a journey as daring as this one is always a challenge worthy of praise, but knowing how to take it to the heights that this repertoire reaches can only be understood from genius. Gary Clark Jr. He leads by example when it comes to breaking down that luxurious glass ceiling – already significantly cracked with his previous work – under which he sheltered, thus assuming the exciting but dangerous challenge of going out into the open to pounce on that treasure we call freedom. .