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10.0
124903
10.0 |
The Arts Desk
'Black to the Future' really grabs things by the throat
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10.0
124910
10.0 |
The Skinny
Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet return with Black to the Future, the group's best work to date
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10.0
124926
10.0 |
Gigwise
A masterpiece from start to finish
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10.0
124936
10.0 |
NME
The experimental jazz quartet, led by Shabaka Hutchings, recruit Kojey Radical, Lianne La Havas and more for an incendiary evocation of Black Lives Matte
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10.0
125003
10.0 |
Albumism
Demonstrates the immense power of the quartet, as they inch their way towards wider audiences beyond those that traditionally consume jazz music and point, once more, to Shabaka Hutchings’ figurehead status among British musicians of any genre
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9.0
124955
9.0 |
All Music
Musically and culturally, Sons of Kemet not only holistically conceive of a future, they begin to create one right now
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9.0
124959
9.0 |
musicOMH
Black To The Future is both musically and thematically bold and important. It is a major statement contextualising the present, aiming to better understand the past and, hopefully, providing a provocation for a better future
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9.0
124911
9.0 |
Clash
A revelatory set, one that will remain relevant for some time
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8.5
124972
8.5 |
Spectrum Culture
Armed with a host of likeminded guests, Sons of Kemet continue to stretch the elastic boundaries of jazz with another triumph
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8.3
124965
8.3 |
Beats Per Minute
Black To The Future, in both its taut and tranquil manifestations, reminds the listener that activity starts by examining the strife that festers within. And, in that pursuit, hopefully, none of us stand completely alone
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8.0
124902
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Sons of Kemet prove themselves leaders of London jazz with Black To The Future
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8.0
124956
8.0 |
The Observer
Shabaka Hutchings and co’s urgent fourth album, much of it recorded after the murder of George Floyd, nevertheless lifts the spirits and feeds the soul
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8.0
124949
8.0 |
The FT
The quartet’s fourth album explores different experiences of black identity, culture and history
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8.0
124917
8.0 |
Exclaim
The music is raw, melodic and explosive, and captures the inner reflection one must undertake to properly envision the future
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8.0
124921
8.0 |
Record Collector
Compelling proof that British jazz is leading the way right now. Print edition only
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8.0
124924
8.0 |
The Independent
Never once do Sons of Kemet compromise on their fiercely individual sound
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8.0
124904
8.0 |
Loud And Quiet
While the guests are sporadically compelling – in particular Kojey Radical’s urgent growl on ‘Hustle’ – the record works best when the instrumentalists are left to their own devices on side two
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8.0
124908
8.0 |
Uncut
Some of the guest vocalists on this LP approach this level of militancy but, in places Black To The future is also poppier and dancefloor friendly than anything Hutchinson has ever released. Print edition only
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8.0
124909
8.0 |
Mojo
It's sonically deeper and more emotionally engaging, from start to finish, than any previous SOK release. Print edition only
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7.5
127799
7.5 |
Under The Radar
While it may not take over the world, it is a perfect record for this moment in time as an expression of collective weariness in the midst of an almost two-year and counting pandemic worldwide, the spectre of Brexit in the UK, and amidst the struggles of the civil rights movement in the U.S. to stop police brutality and mass incarceration
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7.4
125036
7.4 |
Pitchfork
Shabaka Hutchings leads his brass band on a propulsive mind- and body-moving record, advocating through music that change comes from speaking directly about collective oppression
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7.0
124958
7.0 |
Crack
While the album lacks some of the intensity that makes the group’s live show so irresistible, it makes up for it with its open-ended lyricism, speaking through Hutchings’ horn as much as through the voices of the guests
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