Mustafa - When Smoke Rises
Initial thoughts. It is a very short album. (It is shorter than Reign In Blood at 23 minutes). I like this. It is stripped down, accessible and goes somewhere records seldom do for me. Generally not a genre I click with but something in Mustafa’s approach and delivery resonates with me for reasons I cannot explain.
There is a wonderful balance of maturity, warmth and honesty from an artist so early in their output (debut album). The album has a lovely symmetry. It feels simple and pure. Direct. It oozes confidence yet feels laced with tragedy. It feels accepting not confrontational. I feared the two tracks I had already heard might be clear stand out songs, but the record is consistent the whole way through its short stay.
The use of samples feels so organic and they are used to incredible evocative effect. My cousin, who had been very ill for a very long time passed away yesterday. I had not seen her for a long time and when I took the phone call yesterday it felt distant news both geographically and emotionally. I tried to disconnect from the news as I felt the whole last year has been so draining and I did not want to hard access certain emotions. Stupid to write this, but the album eased access to these emotions and felt so oddly fitting. I’m fine, just wanted to write this down as some kind of tribute to her.
At 23 minutes I would recommend this album to anyone and everyone. There’s something startlingly unique here. I feel we are dealing with a superstar here.
