Shape of Broad Minds

Shape of Broad Minds is a team up of some of hip-hops leading lights, orchestrated by Jneiro Jarel. It covers pretty straightforward hip-hop to other styles which are maybe not so familiar.

The album opener Gorilla Mash is a trippy combination of Hendrix guitar and jazz. Lets Go is an interesting track with a spiralling driving melody that could have got tedious but the rapping and the bass keep it going and there’s a sublime coda.

It’s all pretty laid back, but there are traps. Just as you think you are into the groove and going along smoothly, there’s an abrupt change of terrain, that throws you off. It does tend to lose its way at times getting a bit self-indulgent. But just as it’s getting too much they throw in a tracks like Buzz Around Town and It Aint Dead to pull you back in.

This album is far more diverse than I thought it would be, and while it’s not going to be a constant in the CD tray, there will be times when this will hit the spot.