Robert Glasper Experiment: Black Radio: Volume 2 – review

The second instalment of jazz pianist Robert Glasper's collaborative Black Radio albums is a more straightforward affair than its predecessor. That was an experiment in both name and breathtaking music, but here, Glasper mostly concentrates on wholesome, well-sung soul – reducing even his own piano to a backdrop. The change in guest list is illustrative of this: bigger names (Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, the wearyingly ubiquitous Emeli Sandé) delivering pleasant but undemanding performances instead of the formidable vocal creativity displayed on Volume 1 by Meshell Ndegeocello, Ledisi and Bilal. A few honourable exceptions enable Volume 2 to scale the heights nonetheless. Marsha Ambrosius blends anguish and sensuality on the langurous Trust; Jill Scott is hypnotic and heavy with mood on Calls. Meanwhile, the relative directness of the melodies compared to the oblique improvisation of Volume 1 may be an overall loss, but the sound of Anthony Hamilton sinking his teeth into a sentimental hook on Yet to Find provides enough richness and depth to compensate momentarily.