The world seems to be in a state of chaos at the present moment and one of the most simple and purest things that always brings some sort of balance back to it, is the sound of music. Regardless of the genre, the unique sounds seems to put a pause to things even if in our own minds that helps us going to see another day. There’s a world of music that we have around us to choose from but not every choice is a spiritual one or one that takes us higher and puts our minds to ease so when that sound wave hits our senses, we instantly take note. Taking us higher in a cosmic sense is the upcoming new LP by Honest Lee who delivers an amazing follow up to his previous outing that goes even further in sound than before.
The first sounds on Cosmic Justice, the sophomore album from Honest Lee, are his main instrument, drums, but we quickly hear an array of others, guitar, bass, percussion, and various pianos, organs and synths, all played by Lee with dexterity, giving Cosmic Justice it’s singular vision. But Honest Lee does not stand alone because he has adopted an aura of collaboration and inclusion which gives the album the weight of community. Ten of the twelve tracks have guest instrumentalists, predominately hailing from the DC area, with most providing the lead or melodic instrument, hand picked by Honest Lee to bring their unique voices to his tracks.
The most hands-on of these features is the title track, ‘Cosmic Justice,’ which sees New Yorker MKMKMK adding flutes, soprano, tenor and baritone saxes as well as a melody of his own design to follow the chord progression and spacey vibe laid out by Honest Lee’s steady bass line and vibraphone. The result is much more than a sum of it’s parts, sounding a bit like sample fodder from Stark Reality or a live band track produced by DJ Shadow.
By bringing diverse instruments, moods, and guest artists to this venture, Honest Lee has created an instrumental cinematic soul masterpiece in the vein of contemporaries Menahan Street Band, El Michels Affair, Magic in Threes and Adrian Quesada but with his own stamp of collective musicianship. This 50th release in the Growroom catalog stands as a testament to Lee’s creative vision for the label, fostering a sense of collaboration an inclusivity, for all the find their groove.