Shafiq Husayn
started working on the prismatic follow-up to
Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka
back in 2010. An irregular series of tantalizing sneak peeks began in early 2012 with "in the making" clips and continued with a mixtape and 12" releases spread across the next several years. Meanwhile,
Husayn
completed LPs with
Krondon
and
Blu
, was sought as a collaborator by
Robert Glasper
,
Sa-Ra
comrade
Om'Mas Keith
Bilal
, and
Chris Dave
-- to name a small percentage -- and greatly supported the growth of
Anderson .Paak
. Even though these welcomed diversions consequently made the completion of
The Loop
a nine-year process, the double album comes across as a highly concentrated burst of creative energy like
En' A-Free-Ka
(which was knocked out in three months). Many of the artists who contributed to that album, and/or made a
-assisted recording following its release, are in on the fun here.
guides an ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists numbering over 60, all the while co-writing and producing everything, playing an assortment of keyboards, and programming his
Sly Stone
-like chunky drums. He also adds to the program's continuous flow of warm low end with his deep baritone, alternating between narrative and background roles. Also like
, this is a modern hip-hop conversion of gospel, soul, funk, and jazz grounded in the '70s, this time with references stretching from
Larry
Fonce Mizell
's sky-high fusion to Schoolhouse Rock, and it's all unfaded. The carousel of lead vocal turns is all about spiritual, generational, and romantic connectivity.
revisit the psychedelic euphoria of "Between Us 2," first released in comparatively atmospheric form on trumpeter
Josef Leimberg
's
Astral Progressions
(and with a similar lineup that includes
Leimberg
and saxophonist
Kamasi Washington
). The likes of
Erykah Badu
N'Dambi
head "Mrs. Crabtree," which enters with a skipping rhyme and remains playful with
Paak
Thundercat
locked into a slack-less groove. Typically zestful and singular features at other points come from the likes of
Coultrain
Hiatus Kaiyote
Nai Palm
, but most prominent are the nurturing and compatible voices of
Jimetta Rose
Fatima
.
Rose
is heard on over half of the songs, and with
she co-fronts "May I Assume" and "On Our Way Home," two of the many uplifted highlights. The late
Austin Peralta
's lilting synthesizer on the former is a reminder of the time required to complete
, well worth the wait and undoubtedly eternal. ~ Andy Kellman