Magic, Alive! - McKinley Dixon (2025)

There’s nothing tossed together or gimmicky about either side of the equation with Dixon: The music is rock solid live-band funk and jazz, and the flow he lays on top is top-notch.

I suppose it’s hard to throw around comps to Kendrick for being literate and engrossing both lyrically and musically, but it does pop to mind.

Tracks I Liked

Recitatif - minimalist track, maximalist lyric

All The Loved Ones - a banger with a Pink Siifu feature

Magic, Alive! - straight-ahead vocal attack with a great arrangement