Leaf Erikson: A Canvas Of Hope (self-released, 2019)
May 18, 2019 at 1:35 pm | Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment
Leaf Erikson: A Canvas Of Hope
Leaf Erikson represents Detroit to the fullest on his excellent new album. Produced entirely by Meftah (whose sister Tanya used to be a DJ at WCBN several years ago), the beats are abstract and jazzy, filled with vinyl crackle and lo-fi grittiness, but they avoid sounding like a direct copy of any other well-known producer. The lyrics are what really make the album shine, however, celebrating Detroit in spite of all of its problems. “D.R.E.A.M.” flips Wu-Tang’s anthem, declaring that “Detroit Rules Everything Around Me”, while “Foreclosure” talks about how various suburbs of Detroit (and even Detroit’s midtown) are becoming the hippest places in the area, while the hood is still being ignored. “H2O” also touches on gentrification as well as the continuing Flint water crisis. Still, there’s an extraordinary amount of hope and humility throughout, particularly on tracks like “Rescue Mission” and “Gospel from the North End”.
Strongly recommended.
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The Answer Is In The Beat 
I’m just seeing this today. Thank you. Got more work with Meftah on deck.
Comment by Leaf Erikson— July 6, 2019 #