This language of uplift is becoming more common: think of Kendrick Lamar‘s public embrace of an identity as a community role model. His rhetoric was part spiritual (“promise me you’ll stay pure”) and part hippie-coffee-house (“I make music for the revolutionaries and the dreamers”). He frequently flashed the peace sign (just like Yoko Ono at a MOMA event on Sunday). To match his old-fashioned rock foundation, Raury brought a ’60s-like earnestness to his on-stage banter. My City: Atlanta, Featuring Raury, OG Maco & Father
The drummer treated his drums with no mercy - always emphasizing the lowest sounds and practically rising out of his seat to summon extra strength. His musicians and backup singers executed the precisely gridded steps of a soul band. Think of Indigo Child as Georgia’s answer to Ed Sheeran - if Sheeran were raised on a steady diet of blues, gospel, and OutKast.Īt the Highline Ballroom, Raury’s hip-hop side was muted: playing as part of a seven-piece band, the singer opened with “Chariots of Fire,” a loping, chanting number that sounded southern-fried when performed live. You could call his music rock-rap, but that term is mostly wielded as an insult. What’s the instrument you hear most on Indigo Child? The guitar. And this is why everyone wants and can claim Raury as one of their own, because he doesn’t fit cleanly in one category.īut he fits more in some than others. They both think in open, almost post-genre terms, although they use different tools. This young troubadour and a wide-ranging electronic producer are kindred spirits. SBTRKT has long shown a keen ear for collaborators, and he was smart to connect with Raury for “Higher.” The track is a seamless mash: a reverential hook, vehemently rapped verses, and a gleaming, mechanized beat that could sit easily in dance or hip-hop. Raury’s most visceral moment as a rapper doesn’t occur on his own album - you’ll find it on SBTRKT‘s artful Wonder Where We Land. The bass in Raury’s music comes in gently, and instead of the hi-hat, he favors the kick drum. Most rap today is mixed to hit with the force of a tank - avalanches of crushing bass and manic, agitated hi-hats. It’s odd that Raury was picked by XXL: he raps, but Indigo Child isn’t a hip-hop album.
Raury Premieres New Song ‘God’s Whisper’ & Talks ‘Indigo Child’ Album: Exclusive