Robert Glasper, Black Radio III Review

Robert Glasper is a champion of Black music – boasting nine Grammy nominations and four wins for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and an Emmy Award for his song for Ava Duvernay’s critically hailed documentary “13th” with Common and Karriem Riggins. The Houston native has consistently let his music be influenced and carry a critical message across music and film. Starting in 2012, Glasper released the first in a series of albums, the first being Black Radio. His sound and vision were met with high praise and audience approval, and Black Radio was the first album in history to debut in the top 10 of 4 different genre charts simultaneously: Hip Hop R&B, Urban Contemporary, Jazz, and Contemporary Jazz. This feat was then repeated by Black Radio 2. The ongoing Black Radio series has since become Glasper’s calling to blurring the lines between jazz, hip hop, and R&B.

For Black Radio III, the four-time grammy® winner bears the burden of producer, curator, and cultural icon. The album also features a wide range of collaborators, from contemporary black music stars like Killer Mike, ty dolla $ign, D Smoke, PJ Morton, to the most critical lyricists and performers of the past 30 years, Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Common, Gregory Porter, Musiq Soulchild, and India.Arie. Black Radio III is also a statement for these times and is Glasper’s most direct statement of the frustration and opportunity of a world disrupted by social change and equality. The album presents thirteen songs of adventure with captivating expeditions into jazz-influenced techniques mixed with hip hop and R&B. Glasper has a telepathic understanding with each of his guest artists and quickly establishes a solid groove with all the musicians involved. “Shine” featuring D Smoke & Tiffany Gouche has a relaxed R&B feel with a shifting keyboard pattern from Glasper. Gouche’s singing is soulful and is the best part of the track. “Why We Speak” has a beautiful funky groove with excellent singing from Esperanza Spalding. Spalding shows that natural talent does not need to use auto-tune. Another outstanding guest vocalist is Meshell Ndegeocello and H.E.R on “Better Than I Imagined.” The natural tone of the vocalist can ring true without over-processed effects. The groove is deep and sultry, making for a broad audience appeal. Gregory Porter and Ledisi create a beautiful vocal environment in “It Don’t Matter.” Overall, Black Radio III is another special project for Glasper and continues his documentation of his vision of contemporary black music. That’s the short of it!

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