Black Pumas - "Chronicles of a Diamond"
The Black Pumas are a Psychedelic Soul and R&B duo out of Austin, Texas. The pair are backed with a five-member backing band, to boot. They’re still a young act — Chronicles of a Diamond is only their second full-length album.
The star of this outfit is clearly Eric Burton, whose soul-filled vocals take front-and-center in every track. The man has incredible range, and can also call forward quite a bit of power when he needs it. He does spend several songs hovering in falsetto, though, and these are generally the weakest songs on the album.
His partner is Adrian Quesada, whose Latin-flavored guitar work provides the backbone of each and every song. It isn’t often technical, in the sense of how we might discuss Prog Metal guitarists, but it is competent and well-executed. Quesada’s flexibility also allows for songs to venture into Funkier or Jazzier territory, as needed; he brings exactly what’s needed to each song.
Burton is also credited with some guitar work, but the bulk of the remaining instrumentation goes to the duo’s backing band, which features two backing vocalists, tambourine, keyboard, bass, and drums. These five members allow for the act’s sound to run much deeper than it would, otherwise.
And, let’s be clear, the majority of these tracks are incredibly smooth, easy listening. “Tomorrow” is a great example of that feature, but it is truly the bulk of the album. Several tracks are just great to vibe to.
Album opener “More Than a Love Song” is one of the best, setting the bar high for the rest of the album right off of the bat. Unfortunately, few of the tracks can really compare. The other standouts here are “Angel” and “Gemini Sun”, which brings a little more technicality.
“Hello” is a bit obnoxious, and closer “Rock and Roll” is just a lot too repetitive.
Otherwise, this album is a fun listen.
Rating: Green