FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Anderson .Paak - Malibu
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OVER the course of the last few months…
I have been including some more modern/recent albums in Vinyl Corner. Today, I am focusing on Anderson .Paak’s second studio album, Malibu. The second to be names after an area in California – his debut of 2014 was called Venice -, it is a magnificent album. I would urge people to seek it out on vinyl. Rough Trade have it available on vinyl later this month:
“This new album by the Rap / Hip-Hop / Nu R&B wunderkind Anderson .Paak features production from: 9th Wonder, DJ Khalil, Madlib, Kaytranada, Pomo, Dem Jointz, Callum Conner, Hi-Tek, Anderson .Paak and The FreeNationals. Featured vocalists include ScHoolboy Q, Talib Kweli, BJ The Chicago Kid, Rhapsody and The Game. Malibu is the maturation of .Paak's journey from Soul and R&B over into Hip-Hop and even modern dance, all the while giving listeners a deep look into his personal experience. Dive into the deepness that makes Malibu a special time and place, and enjoy - If you've into Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples, then you'll love this”.
Of the four Anderson .Paak albums released so far, I feel Malibu is his best. The album marked a commercial breakthrough for the Californian rapper. If you have not heard Malibu or do not know much about Anderson. Paak, then go and stream the album and get a taste of its brilliance. I think it is well worth grabbing a vinyl copy, as it is a rich and packed listen that sounds great on the format. Five years after its release and I am still coming back to Malibu to hear various tracks and moment.
Before wrapping this up, I want to highlight a couple of positive reviews for Malibu. Released on 15th January, 2016, I think it was one of the strongest albums of the last decade. In their review, this is what AllMusic had to say:
“Brandon Paak Anderson's route from Southern California underground obscurity was not without obstructions, but he efficiently cleared them all. The madcap's rapier sharpened with support from Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra, a stint as touring drummer for Haley Reinhart of American Idol, and an extensive assortment of guest appearances. In 2015, he added dimensions to Dr. Dre's Compton as a player on six cuts, then vitalized a pair of front-loaded tracks on the Game's Documentary 2. Only six weeks after Stones Throw issued a loose EP he made with Knxwledge, Anderson released the proper follow-up to his 2014 debut album Venice. As the design and title of this album indicate, Anderson's work continues to be informed by the sublime and toxic qualities of his environment and sex life. Throughout, he's a (stoned) common man making the best of his consequences, yet he has an otherworldly quality, like he has been beamed down to mine cosmic slop from the L.A. County sewer system and Pacific Ocean floor. He adapts easily to each one of the numerous twists in Malibu's sound.
Over the chunkier and grittier backdrops that range from soul/funk/rock hybrids to oblique hip-hop, he tends to be rasping and animated as he alternates between singing and rapping. His smoother and lighter form of delivery, heard in top form as a secondary component of the deep dancefloor funk groove "Am I Wrong," is so underutilized that it's easy to miss. While Venice was made primarily with L0_def, Malibu was created with a broader, higher-profile range of producers, including the Hiatus Kaiyote-sampling 9th Wonder (joined by Rapsody), Hi-Tek, sticky house groove specialist Kaytranada, and Chris Dave, the last of whom brings ace rhythm section associates Robert Glasper and bassist Pino Palladino. Anderson himself produced four cuts, including the hazily radiant "Parking Lot." Even fellow Oxnard native Madlib is in on the action through "Waters," where a light-of-touch beat, bolstered by a tugging bassline, is colored by a sweetly pained background vocal from BJ the Chicago Kid. Compared to the impressive and occasionally brilliant Venice, this album's mix of high and hard times has deeper resonance”.
There is so much to enjoy through Malibu. I think tracks such as Am I Wrong and Room in Here are among Anderson .Paak’s very best. Paak continues to put out terrific music to this day. On his second album, I think he truly announced himself as a major talent to watch closely. The second review that I want to bring in is from SPIN. When they sat down to listen to the album, they made the following observations and comments:
“Time has always been of the essence for Brandon Paak Anderson, now just Anderson .Paak, a singer-rapper from Oxnard, California who learned to make the most of every moment at a young age. His father was arrested when he was seven, his mother some years after that, and it’s safe to say that the idea of losing time has had a profound effect on him. He articulates this explicitly on his ScHoolBoy Q-aided single “Am I Wrong”: “I never wanna waste your time, my life / So precious, is yours, is mine.” He hates making bad first impressions and believes opportunities are seized, not given. So the 29-year-old hasn’t let any pass him by, taking a handful of guest spots on Dr. Dre’s Straight Outta Compton-tied swan song, Compton, and turning them into what basically amounts to ads for his raspy squawks, which have continually grown richer in texture.
Now comes his aptly timed sophomore album, Malibu, the second in a pair of records named after Cali destination spots (his groovy, laid-back 2014 debut was called Venice). It’s a melody-driven rap release that moonlights as a funk opus, with a serious emphasis placed on soul, thanks in large part to the presence of noted sample heads 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek, Kaytranada, and fellow Oxnard native Madlib, as well as .Paak’s own band, the Free Nationals. The tonal palette is warm and lush, with a transporting quality that’s twofold, sending the listener both to the artist’s western locale and back in time. His voice strains, stretches, skips, and simmers in service of coating his hip-hop blends, which take an old-school approach to funk vamps, packed and layered into soundscapes for his stories and portraits.
Each song on Malibu uses these tactics to heighten perspective, while harmonies thread into the fabric of tunes held together by thumping bass lines. On the chugging “Come Down,” .Paak chants in favor of being trapped in a high. He spells out the intricacies of sliding into your DMs on “Parking Lot,” with lines like, “You told me your whole life story in a few shorts / All the while I never knew the tone of your voice.” BJ the Chicago Kid does a great early-’00s neo-soul impression on “The Waters,” riffing off of .Paak’s singsong raps. The Free Nationals United Fellowship Choir stands at his back as a pounding downbeat keeps pace on “Lite Weight,” each flattening synth tone slithering in anticipation of the next one like a game of Snake. Songs weave together, spilling the details of his tumultuous upbringing and forging his prospective future path with scintillating soul jams. Many years have been lost for the Anderson family, but .Paak is giving meaning to all that time served”.
Go and get a copy of Malibu on vinyl (you can pre-order via Rough Trade). At eighteen tracks and over an hour in length, Malibu could have been an overly-stuffed and unfocused album with too much filler and little flow. Instead, we have this fascinating and consistent work from an incredible artist. Take some time out to investigate Malibu and experience…
A tremendous piece of work.