Jazz
London drummer and producer Moses Boyd released “Songs For Sinners” on 30 October, his first album since “Dark Matter” in February 2020. It’s out on CD and double LP through Exodus, the label behind its predecessor.
It runs to twelve tracks and fifty-two minutes. The record has its roots in the church he grew up in and mixes gospel, jazz, Caribbean rhythms, choirs and London’s soundsystem culture. Raelle sings on “War”, Shantéh on “More To Life” and Amber-Simone on “Criticise”, one of the singles; the first, “Say Yeah”, came out on 1 July.
“The hardest I’ve worked on any music and definitely the most I’ve poured myself into a body of work,” Boyd said when he announced it. “Songs For Sinners is a sound I’ve wanted to create since I got into music. Being surrounded by Gospel music my whole life then finding my way through Jazz and sound system culture.”
Writing for Bandcamp Daily, Michael J. West spots a nod to Duke Ellington: on the opening track, “Precious”, the saxophone slips in the melody of “Come Sunday”.
Text by Aina Torrents