Review Summary: A declaration, rich and heartfelt
At the core of The Return beats a heart of solid gold. Underneath the validity of its social commentary and its intensely personal touches nestles a bright-eyed R&B groundwork that echoes the aura of Lauryn Hill, even as it deftly inscribes its own unmistakeable mark in the ironclad conviction of the subject matter. That a lot of these preoccupations are rooted in an immediately topical and provocative area of the current social climate is undeniable, but the protest exhibited- both in tone and lyricism- is a lush and erudite expression of both disillusion and idealism that courses through the album like an oceanic slipstream. The admittedly epic work, with an equal-parts disconcerting and endearing sense of realism pervading every second, is nonetheless a remarkably enjoyable and gorgeously consistent full-length that fuses soulful R&B stylistics with a graceful hip-hop delivery, all trussed up with nuanced, modern production choices that glaze the experience like goops of acacia honey.
Immediately apparent on the album is the vibrancy of its sound. Every track feels alive and positively pulsates with a vibe that combines Lauryn Hill, Aquemini-era OutKast, and even a touch of Hendrix into its delicious gumbo. Despite these clear influences, The Return is demonstrably its own beast, exhibiting a great many cultural flashes, especially those of tribal percussion and melody, jazz and soul. An affected patois and linguistic shifts are also utilised to dizzyingly rich effect, layering each song with more than a sprinkling of prideful heritage offsetting the smooth R&B textures on display. The two opening opening tracks, 'Mwana' and 'Freedom', captivate with these sharp choices, and it is a truly creative effect that results. 'Diamond In The Ruff' is another noteworthy example of this sublime blend, with the accented vocal choices used to wonderful effect in interweaving with the melody and forming auxiliary rhyme structures that tease the instrumental tendencies with blissful verve. In doing this, the vocals become less rap and more invocation; singular, laser-focused statements made, not only in their content, but in their delivery and method. These are artistic declarations, roared with a stout heart, with sharp modern stylistic choices underscoring the temperament and crafting a tone that is both heady and luxuriously silky. The track 'Heaven', for instance, is a beautifully sleek production that blends the simplicity of its R&B hook with a strong hip-hop sensibility. The factors work in tandem despite being only a sidestep from each other as genres, and remain completely distinct within the track, layered with a hypnotic attention to detail.
Songs such as 'Grass Is Greener' and 'Dare To Fly' are remarkably fully-formed in their relatively simplistic nature. 'Dare To Fly' especially utilises a distorted, percolating melody for that 'underwater' effect, and has an entrancing sense of scale to its tribal-meets-hip-hop vibe. The percussion is thunderously expressive despite the clear restraint, and the addition of the neat bass hook dancing just beneath the melody complements the deeper voice tones in the verses, as well as the breathy wisps in the chorus. The instrumentation ties the package together into a delicately folded experience, balancing the influences with the clear innovation on display. Similarly, 'Final Form', undoubtedly an album standout, is a masterclass in the marriage of tone and topic. The musical choice feels akin to big band swing upon the initial strains, with all the connotations of grandeur. Then, when the lyrical content manifests, the vibe shifts dramatically; the racial topics being explored and statements made devolve the music to an almost confrontational level; It is as though the music is no longer aristocratic and grand in scale, but rather it becomes a novelty- almost like a culturally bastardized Vegas sideshow. This startling effect is rich and truly mesmerising, as it devolves the music itself but evolves the atmosphere into something truly poignant and far more artistically valid. The blending of rapping and singing here is also well-advised, as are the group vocals and the invocations of power toward the latter stages of the track. Throughout The Return, instrumental choices themselves reflect many of the atmospheric bearings of the lyricism and vocal style, and these are very intuitive production choices that develop further upon the groundwork lain by the composite elements.
The political and social tapestry that weaves its way about the structure of the album is itself a smartly implemented element to the music. It enshrouds the release like barbed wire wrapped tight about a velvet bundle, tearing and ripping into the richness of the musicality and forming an entirely new entity in the process. The juxtaposition of such topical preoccupations against the silky-smooth R&B patchwork is occasionally jarring, but never in a way that repels the listener. The hip-hop voice at the core of the release and the origins of the genre itself are so interwoven with the social history of the culture that is the album's central theme, that both choices are inspired in their merging. Of course, hip-hop protest songs are nothing new in this respect, but as a fully-formed piece of social commentary that takes a myriad influences and imbues them with a levity and richness that is all its own, it is a truly startling, confrontational piece of work that functions so well because of its contrivances, and the statement it so boldly makes is served majestically by them. Such tracks as 'Leading Us Home', with its allusive title and its ragtag sense of campfire simplicity, emboldens the message and atmosphere therein by its careful weaving of the charming melodies and brevity of its address. By the same token, 'Summer' has the reverent appeal of a spiritual awakening, with a simple but beautiful chorus that intones, 'I miss you' in time with the refined melody. The vocal delivery on this track is so interwoven as one with the instrumental itself that it borders on spoken-word, again reinforcing this harmony between content and tone. The politicentric experience throughout The Return is not the sole theme of the record, but where it is explored the treatment is varied- sometimes it is overt (such as on the title track), sometimes it manifests as semblance and metaphor and sometimes it is ironic, yet it is always pertinent to the theme and served appropriately by the atmospheric layers afforded by both the songwriting, and the exemplary production efforts.
Sampa Tembo's debut full-length is lightning in a bottle. That it is epic in scale and ambitious in theme is undeniable, but the flying colours that have resulted from the runaway success of the effort are positively blinding. There is sharp intellect that sits atop this kingdom and benevolently bestows every moment with a regal sense of meaning and majesty, despite the not-overly bombastic sound. The world music influences, especially those in the African style, are incredibly incisive in the context of the record and serve the tone very well. All contributing artists perform admirably, and their addition is never needlessly ostentatious in the context. Clearly a labour of love and an intensely personal offering, the scattershot emotionality combined with the wealth of musical direction, and the addition of the topical content could have resulted in an extraordinarily ambitious dud. In fact, the opposite has happened, and the result is an album insightfully crafted with an extreme passion and a profound statement to make. The boldness of the sound and the flagrant era-hopping is done with such careful control and confidence in the choices that the seamless blend of the 19 tracks on the piece gel cohesively and serve as facets to a far greater revelation than merely the parts that form the whole. The Return is intoxicating; its messages crystal clear, and the effect sublime.
