At the height of its fifth installment of the study, Jacob Collier It remains a cultural element of complex classification. Is it the savior of music within the mainstream spectrum? Of the genius who possesses the method for exposing the general listener to music higher than his usual diet? Is he simply an exceptional human being or a piece of living anthropology?
As the questions pile up and the guy remains the only one whose Crocs fit all the time, comes “Djesse Vol. 4” which in itself is a manifesto of the idea of an artist with a truly amazing creative capacity: we would have to see who else has a “second album” that is a conceptual work divided into four volumes.
And, as he demonstrated in his Poble Espanyol show last summer, the not-so-young Englishman shows his grace without sparing anything. “Djesse Vol. 4” It is an odyssey designed by a brilliant mind that also seems to feel. That is one of the keys to Collier’s success, the connection between her “academic” abilities and her sensitivity and emotional strength.
In general terms and in line with his general work, the album is comprehensive, embracing genres that in this case amalgamates with a marked dominance of soul throughout the minutes and that leaves a possible irresistible definition: “Djesse Vol. 4” It’s the craziest gospel album in the world.
The guest list is scandalous, but it doesn’t make noise in vain. The musical service is precise and things are where they should. It is interesting to begin to exemplify with “My heart”a collaboration with Latin pop superstar Camilo who, without abandoning his tacky lineage, moves flexibly between metrics unfamiliar to his own catalog, and then explodes into a fat synth chorus with charming character and groove.
Another high-end featuring is “A Rock Somewhere” where Anoushka Shankar and Varijashree Venugopal who bring the exotic Indian epic to a piece that would perfectly fit the nickname “world music power ballad”.
A good part of the album’s journey is taken up by soulful and progressive ballads – some memorable like “Cinnamon Crush”y “Witness Me” and other more discreet ones like “Little Blue” o “Summer Rain”- and high-profile conceptual exercises “Box of Stars, Part I & II” which could be an EP in themselves if they had been released independently.
But the triumphs continue with the eightiess “Over You” (along with the smiling Chris Martin and the interesting kpopers aespa) and the incredible “100,000 voices” that opens the album and opens the creative floodgates wide. Here Collier made a collage with choirs from 100,000 attendees at his concerts, he combined it with a typical melody of a handsome gringo pop rock soloist, he added a Rush-style bridge, he invoked the spirit of Frank Zappa with arrangements as unexpected as they were shocking and when everything was diluted in a waterfall that liquefied white noise, samba and salsa, a finale appears in full guttural and progressive metalcore that melts neurons. Let’s see if we understand each other: the guy releases records for a multinational, he is a major player in the business worldwide and can afford these luxuries. Little joke.
That violent ending finds some narrative continuation in the rockers “She Put Sunshine” -genius acting, fascinating twists and turns everywhere- and “WELL”-premiered at the aforementioned show in Barcelona last year- in which he plays a strange five-string guitar and further deploys his particular and avant-garde vision of the song concept. Does it need to be said that in this song there are Helmet-like riffs and harmonies Like Freddy Mercury or is it too much?
That’s the exciting place where paying attention to an album by this man can leave you, the one with the constant question and the glorious addition of a kind of educational feedback: the more you listen to it, the more curious you become. Impossible not to end with a question but, really, what more could you ask for?