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Liberator 6.1
Georgia Anne Muldrow
Olesi: Fragments Of An Earth
(Stones Throw)

"Cosmic thrill requires patience…."

The breathtaking follow-up to Georgia Anne Muldrow's EP requires your patience. Upon being immediately thrust into the chaotic, fragmented album the impatient listener may give up in search of something more palatable and familiar. However, if you stick around you'll discover that her fragments pieced together weave a wondrous tapestry that is the disjointed reality of life in the city. Lyrically gifted, she sings with a wisdom and maturity beyond her years. No longer just that voice associated with the Platinum Pied Pipers or the Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Muldrow has branched out on her own with the help of the influential Stones Throw. Barely beginning her own adulthood, the 22-year-old vocalist creates her background vocals as well as her own beats. She is the first female artist signed to the label that's synonymous with the name "Dilla," and the match seems to fit as she has complete creative license. Comparisons to the late producer are inevitable, but certainly not required. The album begins with the swirling anarchy of "New Orleans" which is almost as unbearable to listen to as it is to recall the horrific events that unfolded not long ago. Her rap talking/singing over the funky beat on "Leroy" is reminiscent of Jill Scott's poetic styling. The vocal layering on the melodic lo-fi "Feet" proves that less is indeed more. A restless beat swings like a pendulum on "Wheels" complimenting Muldrow as her vocals drift from gritty to sweet. It's no surprise that the songstress does it all with familiar ease. Both parents were musical geniuses in their own right and must have endowed their daughter with certain fearlessness when it comes to experimentation. Her mother performed with Pharoah Sanders and her father invented instruments for Eddie Harris. Her multi-layered masterpieces will leave you mesmerized, just as you begin wondering what happened; it will fade to the next fleeting track. There is something nostalgic, yet wildly progressive about her moody and melodic sounds. You'll feel as though you are listening to something vaguely familiar when it hits you: Ms. Muldrow is singing the blues. They've just never been sung like this before.
(Safia Siad)