McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive! Review
McKinley Dixon finds worth in living (and beyond) in compelling fifth, Magic, Alive!
McKinley Dixon's journey into the world of jazz rap has been one of great marvel. A Venn diagram of Neo-Soul and hip-hop abstracts, former literary student Dixon has been turning the wheel since his scheming began in 2016 with debut Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? Now, once again incorporating lyrics through pivotal vignettes in life with the sonic accompaniment of jazz, it solidifies his newest as being both real and vulnerable.
The album, rooted firmly as a conceptual project, is based on a grieving story where three close friends lose a fourth - and seek ways to bring him back. From contemplative pondering about his own mortality on 'Recitatif' to the passing of time on the slow stirring of 'All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)’ to landing on the Eureka moment on the horn-fuelled self-titled before discovering the reincarnation actually worked on 'Sugar Water'; it's another demonstration of Dixon turning his hard-fought experiences into joy and resolution.
It's this wide lense view that brings this album to new heights. From it's lush arrangements to its organic beats; Dixon has truly outdone himself here. Aside from the stellar, perfectly locked-in production, the album carries a kind of energy that only comes from genuine comfort in your craft.. Home is where the heart is, after all - which is perhaps why Dixon opted to record this in his hometown Richmond with lifelong friends he's known for years. These friends of mine, know exactly what they're doing. And it shows.
Full of lush instrumentals, skewed rhythms and reflections that span childhood to adulthood, Dixon’s album is a pursuit of endings, beginnings and quiet resurrections, all delivered with a restless energy that’s hard to contain.
A telescopic lean-in into what constitutes magic at all, the instrumentally rich imaginings of Dixon's fifth has firmly placed him in the crosshairs of both fans and field experts within the industry. Of course, his breakthrough For My Mama in 2021 and even Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? did gain traction amongst the sphere of global jazz rap musings but it's his latest here that has really made a lasting impression. For the masses perhaps, it's an album that's gone below the radar. And to many - including his diehard posse - that's unjustifiable.
Amongst its digestible chunks of lyricism, it's main thesis remains: does friendship end with mortality? If there's a story which is told and told well (as is the case here), nothing really ends. It merely lives on through spoken conversations, dreams and most importantly of all, art. It turns out that song and dance is really the only way to live forever. It turns out a few Mancunian brothers also got the memo on this one, too.
Music is a conversation and for Chicago-based rapper McKinley Dixon, it's the perfect heart-to-heart. A project that will once be defined as timeless against its genre backdrop, it shows a visionary artist truly coming into his own.