"...got me in my feelings." : the albums, 2018.

17/anderson .paak/oxnard

i remember hearing "the bird" from his previous album while cooking and listening to kcrw and going "oh?" ("...what's this?..."), taking a few moments to let it all soak in before eventually catching the beat and being like "okay. i see/feel you" with my words and my body.

i remember seeing him live for the first time a few years back outdoors at the fyf festival, watching him bounce effortlessly from leading behind a drum kit to mic stand to rapping and soul singing messiah, the entire field in the palm of his hands, and going "oh? okay. i see/feel you" with my words and my body.

and i remember playing oxnard for the first time and slowly getting swept away in the perfect recreation of that west coast sound and attitude that ruled my airwaves and formative years as a young black kid in 1990s south central, l.a. and going "oh? okay. that's what's up."

with each encounter i find myself further in awe of the fully formed stage presence, craft, and studio output of anderson .paak. and with oxnard my marvel game does not let up. oxnard is the sound of an artist in his lane and in the zone. it's a relaxed and assured set that likes to ride out and coast, settling into its grooves comfortably, particularly in the latter half of the album which vibes and plays like a loose live set featuring the finest funk and jazz session players. it nods its head and takes its cues from dre & snoop, quik & pac, "coltrane with the cobain", parliament, & curtis "super fly" mayfield.  it's that "crack music!" "top tier!" "this shit (that) gon bang at least six summers." and when you press play and take a stroll through anderson's oxnard you can't help but sit back, marvel, and go "oh. okay. i see you", and agree.

KEY TRACKS: 

headlow



6 summers



smile/petty




18/jack white/boarding house reach

19/sons of kemet/your queen is a reptile

20/the carters/everything is love

21/christine and the queens/chris

22/young fathers/cocoa sugar
 
23/pusha t/daytona

24/kurt vile/bottle it in

25/serpentwithfeet/soil