Terrace Martin – Drones
(Sounds Of Crenshaw)
Reviewed by Sam Smith.
LA producer and saxophonist extraordinaire Terrace Martin has over time developed into somewhat of a prolific musician, releasing projects seemingly every year. His latest, Drones, is a star-studded affair and a fantastic fusion of rap, RnB and jazz.
Having worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington and Stevie Wonder, Martin has become one of the most in-demand producers and musicians in the Cali music scene. However, it is on this record that he brings his skill and talent to the forefront, aided by some very capable guest musicians.
Drones is right in that sweet spot for Martin, encompassing elements of jazz, RnB, and hip hop in what is a smooth, chilled out affair musically across the thirteen tracks harking back to the days where jazz and rap went hand in hand, think A Tribe Called Quest and the like.
It is testament to Martin’s reputation as a musician that he can call on the likes of Snoop Dogg, Leon Bridges, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington and Robert Glasper to appear on this record, and they all contribute in their own unique way to the tracks on which they appear.
The title track that features Snoop and Kendrick is a fantastic collab similar in vain to Martin’s work on To Pimp A Butterfly, while Glasper and Washington bring their jazz nous to tracks such as Griots of the Crenshaw District and Listen.
Fresh faces also add to the intrigue on Drones, especially on the rap front with some exciting features. Cordae, Smino and Channel Tres might not have the mainstream name recognition as some of the other guests, but their contributions in no way dilute the quality of the album. In fact, they add to it in a big way on Work It Out and Tapped especially.
Martin has been producing music for over fifteen years and releasing music under his own name for ten, and yet Drones feels like a triumphant statement for a musician whose consistency is worthy of applause.
This album is a coherent affair with few moments of lessening qualitiy. Martin combines his skills as a producer with his skills as an instrumentalist and as a bandleader to great effect, offering up flashes of all of his influences from Miles to Stevie to J Dilla.
Drones is one of the best albums of 2021 and shows that when made well and with an emphasis on studio craftsmanship, there is still room for jazz-rap fusion in this age of standard trap rap. Top work, Mr Martin!!
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