It takes multiple listening to fully grasp the integration of man, music, culture, and current events Negrito is putting down but don’t get confused: this is a full-on paradigm shift in American music that’s been needed for a long time. Negrito and everyone else on the record are doing some amazing things to move blues music into the future and this song is one of them. “I’m So Happy I Could Cry” interlocks an old-time a cappella intro with a heavy blues/R&B slow jam groove and powerhouse vocals from Tank Ball of New Orleans favorites Tank and the Bangas. He’s a forward-thinker who is true to his life experience and sounds like no one you’ve ever come across. It’s instantly apparent that Negrito is so much more than merely another blues act. Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? opens with the fully new-school shuffle “Chocolate Samurai.” The track is a mind-blowing mix of modern production, roots music skills, and an as-of-yet-unheard artistry that’s ready to conquer the world. He also went on to tour with the late Chris Cornell and Temple of the Dog and played major shows throughout North America and Europe. His debut album The Last Days Of Oakland dropped to critical acclaim and won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2017. In less than a year, he won the first NPR Tiny Desk Contest and was on his way. The difficult life he had led brought Negrito to the blues, the source of all music, and he began busking around Oakland as a test of himself and his songs.
When his son was born, however, all the creative energy he thought he’d lost came roaring back.
#MIXING WITH YOUR MIND REVIEW FREE#
He forgot about seeking fame and focused instead on just being a man, free from those old distractions. He was in a coma for a month, required major surgery to repair his body, and had to face the hard reality that his guitar hand was permanently damaged. He survived a near-fatal car accident in 2000 that left him unable to make music. He lost himself in the process of trying to figure out what new look or style would grab an audience next and ultimately quit the business in frustration. Negrito’s career stretches back decades and includes a million-dollar deal with Interscope, which, sadly, ended in disaster. Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? is the work of a full-blown visionary who not only has vocal and guitar power to spare but writes incredible songs that seamlessly blend every musical and cultural influence he’s ever encountered. Negrito is a two-time Grammy winner with 80 million streams to his credit and, even knowing those facts, it’s easy to pick this new set as his finest effort ever. The record is a genre-bending funk/soul/blues masterpiece that encompasses styles from vintage hits to modern hip hop all at once and launches them out of your speakers with wild, relevant abandon. Fantastic Negrito, Bay Area singer-songwriter, lets it all loose on his new record Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?, which hits August 14th, 2020 via Cooking Vinyl/Blackball Universe.
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