Another in the increasing list of 'better late than never' discoveries this year is Gregory Skyler Taylor aka Skyzoo.
Brooklyn born and bred, Skyzoo's umpteenth album Keep Me Company dropped a few days ago and for this initiate, it's an astonishing tour de force over a Baker's dozen of heavyweight raps.
The one that led me in sits slap in the middle of the album. Courtesy Call features a Chuck D guest spot, just one of two on an album that is surprisingly and refreshingly light on 'features' and focuses attention on Skyzoo's formidable way with words and flow.
I've picked half a dozen from the album, though Keep Me Company is best listened to in its entirety and in sequence, starting with Community Service featuring JRose and finishing with the epic 8-minute Jazz In The Projects.
There are currently no videos from the album, so I've randomly picked a live session version of Homegrown to headline this post, taken from Skyzoo and Pete Rock's 2019 album, Retropolitan.
And as if all that wasn't enough, Skyzoo dropped a standalone track, The Workload, at the end of October, a colossal collaboration with Method Man. A masterclass in wordplay which crams a whole lot into three minutes. It speaks for the quality of the album that followed that this song wasn't included. And it's available as a 'name your price' purchase.
Keep Me Company has been added to my shopping list for this week's Bandcamp Friday and is up there with the best albums I've heard this year.
Before I sign off, an early 'Happy Birthday' call as Skyzoo hits 42 on Christmas Eve. Have a good one!
No comments:
Post a Comment