★★★½
You’d be forgiven if you thought you had stumbled upon a late ’80s/early ’90s hip hop album rather than Citizen Kay’s debutWith The People.
It’s an album with strong era influences, shown with a smattering of funk in ‘Our World’ and the Karate Kid-inspired ‘Wax On Wax Off’. This old-school vibe allows attention to be drawn to the simplicity of the lyrics, which at times do border on predictable, but thankfully the album dives deeper than the shallow waters.
‘No Respect’ feels like a genuine throwback rather than an imitation thanks to the incredible vocals of Sarsha Simone, while ‘Let You Go’ showcases a more vulnerable side to Citizen Kay than anticipated. The album takes an emotional risk on ‘My Father (Interlude)’, a spoken-word dialogue between Kay and his father about their emigration to Australia. It pays off, allowing Kay’s psychedelic response ‘Dreamin’’ and the jazz-heavy ‘Family Ties’ featuring Miracle and Kay’s brother Genesis Owusu to really shine. However, With The People doesn’t languish in the emotional for long, quickly bringing back the soul party vibes with the organ-heavy track ‘The Reverend’.
The emotional peaks help maintain a human element, but this debut is a soulful call for celebration.
Citizen Kay’sWith The Peopleis available through Asphalt/MGM
