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10.0
124188
10.0 |
The Independent
In the universally accepting, technicolour world DEACON creates, serpent is free to love and to just be. It may well serve as inspiration for others to do the same
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9.1
124246
9.1 |
Consequence Of Sound
The experimental artist’s sophomore album fuses R&B with pop and gospel
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9.0
124144
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Deacon is a rich and elegant ode to love proving serpentwithfeet’s untouchable calibre
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9.0
124150
9.0 |
Clash
‘DEACON’ is a triumph because it realises and relives love’s quiet, archived moments, be it romantic or spiritual. It’s a triumph because it reminds us R&B exists on a vast continuum, forever a source of inspiration and innovation
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8.4
124203
8.4 |
Beats Per Minute
This serpent is brandishing new skin, redefined and transformed, not by the will of others but by his own love-led volition
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8.0
124204
8.0 |
Gigwise
Preciously tender and intimately warm
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8.0
124207
8.0 |
Paste Magazine
The Ty Dolla $ign and Björk collaborator’s brief sophomore LP is his gentlest, warmest work yet
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8.0
124145
8.0 |
Loud And Quiet
There’s almost an irony to the fact that, both personally and musically, such a complex character with such a wealth of ability and knowledge seems to have expressed himself most succinctly by stripping away the accoutrements. He has made what is, at its heart, a genuine soul record
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8.0
124248
8.0 |
The Observer
This poppy, life-affirming ode to gay domestic bliss is a paean to black people ‘living their damn life anyhow’
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8.0
124268
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
The latest from Josiah Wise unfolds like a party record for people partying alone in their living room
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8.0
124299
8.0 |
Spectrum Culture
serpentwithfeet’s second album is more focused than his first, a stunning portrayal of love in all its forms as it beats Josiah Wise down and ultimately saves him
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8.0
124644
8.0 |
PopMatters
It's a rare record that highlights Black queer love
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8.0
124153
8.0 |
The Quietus
When Wise sings “I’m thankful for the love I share with my friends,” on the chorus of album closer ‘Fellowship,’ it’s hard to imagine – after a year of separations, of text messages just checking in and Zoom calls substituting real celebrations or bereavements – a more beautiful sentiment
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8.0
124166
8.0 |
NME
Album two softens the more uneasy edges of the Baltimore artist's earlier releases and celebrates Black gay love – with blissful results
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8.0
124169
8.0 |
DIY
‘DEACON’ looks for hope in love, much like in the spirituality that birthed it
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8.0
124212
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
The artist scales back the divine aspirations and melodramatic tendencies, resulting in his most secular work to date
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8.0
124231
8.0 |
All Music
More soothing and fulfilling than thrilling, Deacon revolves around the idea that love doesn't have to be a burden. It's a realization that serpentwithfeet transforms into a beautiful, fully realized work of art for his audience to savor
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8.0
124143
8.0 |
Exclaim
DEACON is certainly a less confrontational album than soil, but the album's inviting sound allows Wise's raw talent to shine all the brighter
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7.5
124211
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Whether it’s maturity, finding true love, or a move to the West Coast, DEACON’s disposition is perennially sunny with little effort put to questioning the outcome
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7.0
124151
7.0 |
musicOMH
The former Baltimore troubadour is vibrantly fixing a new identity for himself with the songs that make up DEACON and it is a joyous one that casts a rosy glow
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7.0
124251
7.0 |
Pitchfork
Josiah Wise’s second album is an eager, effervescent tale of romance, outlining a genealogy that stretches from gospel to the shiny, gossamer R&B of the ’90s and ’00s.
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6.0
124235
6.0 |
The FT
Josiah Wise explores romantic themes through expansive and appreciative songs
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