British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch has dropped his most accomplished album yet. A hybrid triumphant any angle you lend an ear from, the release unifies Soweto’s talent for mixing positive, intelligent spoken word and raps with jazz you can groove as much as chill to.

It’s not that this is better then his past work, it’s just sure to be understood more. Here with stronger rhythms, compositions and a weathered musical maturity he illustrates he can play jazz just as good as any contemporary colleague, if not better. And as you flicker between late jam sessions like ‘Suspended Adolescence’ or ‘A People with No Past’ you wouldn’t be completely judged for thinking this is all just great contemporary jazz. But you’d be wrong. This is after all Soweto Kinch, the champ of wordplay.

London-born but Birmingham-raised, it’s the midlands city that’s always formed Soweto’s biggest influence. And unlike so many of his peers at his age who lost themselves in the urban theme of the day, his passion to fuse both an addiction for jazz and hip-hop meant he found a rebellious streak making some of the most interesting music of the last few years.

‘Paris heights’ offers a tongue in cheek rap of dark financial times aiming at the venomous debt collector while ‘Help’ is an unusual but welcome beauty from Soweto. Projecting the heights of his alto saxophone against Jason MacDougall enriched singing, it also holds a hidden break out worth the find. ‘Trying To Be A Star’ is the main beacon of light here. Experimental, soulful and conscious it’s a great fusion of styles with a strong vocals from Francis Mott.

A celebrated live entertainer Soweto has won numerous accolades including the Rising Star Award at the 2002 BBC Jazz Awards and the prestigious White Saxophone prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival and of course his Mercury Music Prize nomination for his debut album Conversations With The Unseen. On The New Emancipation the appeal won’t be with everyone but enough great jazz to break up his strong opinionated verses Mr Kinch won’t once again has proven he can tap into your subconscious.

Words Ali Raymond
Buy Emancipation