Album Review: Moses Sumney – Græ (Jagjaguwar)

Moses Sumney’s debut album, Aromanticism, generated all sorts of excitement when released in 2017. Now comes the follow-up…a double album, with Part 1 released a few weeks ago and Part 2 coming in a couple more weeks. Seems like the perfect time to give it some attention.

Part 1 of Græ was released on February 21^st, so by now listeners have had a bit of time to digest the 12 songs on offer. And make no mistake, they’ll need that time as the dozen new tracks are complex, dense and demand the listener’s attention.

Moses was born in California 28 years ago and lived in Ghana briefly before settling down in North Carolina. When he first emerged as an artist in 2014 he defied stereotyping by hanging out and collaborating with the likes of TV On The Radio, Dirty Projectors and Sufjan Stevens…pushing against the expected modern neo soul tag some attempted to put on him.

This time around, Moses sounds more comfortable in his skin, using his impressive voice, particularly his falsetto on tunes like Cut Me and In Bloom, sometimes channeling a young Stevie Wonder.

But there are no massive Motown hooks to be found here. Instead, Sumney (and his many producers) create soundscapes and textures that demand close listening.

And so do Sumney’s lyrics.

Mosses addresses topics of masculinity, unrequited romance, loneliness and personal philosophy along with mentioning fire ants and carpenter bees.

Jill Scott drops by on Jill/Jack with a sample and a producing credit. Fluttering saxophones light up Colouour, while on Also Also Also And And And, Sumney declares, “I insist on my right to be multiple”.

Part 1’s 12 songs sound like the meat of the album, while the 8 tracks that comprise Part 2 seem to be more accessible and direct. Musically, the sound is sparser and less complex.

If you’ve got the time, the patience and the curiosity, Græ will reward the effort you put into it.

Marty Duda