***ALBUM OF THE MONTH | August 2020***
Jacob Collier
Djesse Vol. 3
Hajanga/Decca
Listen Below
The dizzying intro of Jacob Collier’s electro-soul opus Djesse Vol. 3 sounds like every psychic premonition Raven Baxter has ever had. Perhaps that’s why it’s titled “Clarity.” As it zooms in and out, it predicts the musical destinations he’ll visit across a dozen vignettes that constellate to form a vividly nocturnal theme. From here, I suggest you securely fasten your seatbelt and keep your hands and feet inside the album at all times.
The ride rockets off so intensely with “Count The People” and “In My Bones,” you may not notice blurred cameos from T-Pain, Kimbra, and Tank & The Bangas whizzing by. The former celebrates nightlife with the help of Canadian singer Jessie Reyez joyously throwing its pop refrain in the air. The latter’s frenetic jazz-funk uses pattering slap bass as its choice of wheels. But as dreams permit, it can transform to a spaceship and lift off, leaving a trail of colorful chord changes behind. If these tunes electrify more than they overstimulate, Vol. 3 might be one of your favorite releases this year.
If not, then shelter in the crescent of the neo-soul lead single “Time Alone With You” featuring cool kid Daniel Caesar. No one could accuse him of being a try-hard. His hands-in-pockets, talk-sung delivery anchors the fore while Collier stages an air show of acrobatic harmonies behind him. Their balance is immaculate. And multiple maneuvers will elicit the musician-coveted “stank face.”
Thus far, volumes one and two of the Djesse series have focused on constructing orchestral quilts that seamlessly intermingle classical, gospel, world, bluegrass, and folk music. Vol. 3, however, is laser-focused on R&B, pop, and electronica, with jazz interconnecting them. The self-contained Collier is mathematical and masterful here. Though his sonorous baritone and meticulous arrangements are the main attraction, he generously shares the limelight with co-stars.
On the yacht rock reminiscent “All I Need,” he invites fellow English singer Mahalia to join. Ty Dolla $ign cuts in during halftime as the chorus borrows flares from EDM and cooks them down until they’re soulful again. Lyrical allusions mirror the album’s astral artwork (“So I'll be singing in the starbright / Underneath the moonlight / ‘Cause I love your smile / And it makes me feel alright”).
In a recent Genius interview, Collier explains of the sophisticated single, “I performed all the instruments on this song myself… from the bass to the drums, occasionally guitar, I did lots of vocals… This song actually broke my personal record for number of Logic session tracks... at one point I had 600 simultaneous tracks.”
The first five cuts are such a pulsing quasar that the low light of “In Too Deep” is a welcome variation. Soft 808s and complex harmonics pad this trap-adjacent ballad. Each Djesse installment usually features at least one guest you may not know but probably should. This time, it’s actress and R&B songbird Kiana Ledé. Her sweet chirp assures that their subdued duet never entirely closes its eyes, even while chanting, “You're fast asleep / I'm counting sheep / I'm in too deep / You're mine to keep.”
“Sleeping On My Dreams” is a pleasant surprise in the track list. After a clanging intro, the verses collapse into a liminal sleepwalking state. A curious stew of guitar slides and ooohs boils and pops beneath them. Collier’s lyrics rush out as if to shoulder-shake him from REM sleep. After yawning lines like “My bed is made of feathers / I'll fall asleep, whatever now,” the funky, raving chorus comes bouncing in. This cartoonish interplay is as fun as it is narcoleptic.
The warped and trippy glitches in “Butterflies” and “Light It Up On Me” could rub some the wrong way, but their inclusion has purpose. Besides gently reinforcing the theme, they provide a tension that spikes the song sequence with caffeine. While it has standalone singles to focus in on like the Tori Kelly feature “Running Outta Love,” Djesse, Vol. 3 is best allowed to present from start to finish uninterrupted.
Towards the end, a chorale of Collier’s high-stacked gospel vocals melt and smear along the walls of “He Won’t Hold You.” By the time rapstress Rapsody narrates her verse, the spacecraft has begun its descent back to Earth. It isn’t until this and the epilogue (“To Sleep”) that this third of four planned volumes starts to resemble its two stately predecessors.
Collier well employs his calling card—tying together disparate genres into one, cohesive found-object exhibit—and this is its most adventurous application yet. His talent has never been in doubt, but these 41 minutes sit him at the table with superior left-of-center R&B acts like Vulfpeck or Hiatus Kaiyote. Despite being ironically slumber-obsessed, Jacob Collier’s euphonic fever dream is energetic and wide awake. Depending on how strong you like your coffee, Djesse Vol. 3 could have you wired for days.
Notable Tracks: “All I Need” | “In Too Deep” | “Sleeping On My Dreams” | “Time Alone With You”
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