People of the Sun

Anthony Joseph was raised in Trinidad, shifted to London and has, over recent decades, made a name for himself as a poet and spoken word performer who leads a band who resemble something akin to Gil Scott Heron jamming with Miles Davis circa 1971. Joseph's last album, 2016's excellent Caribbean Roots, found him recording in Trinidad for the first time and gave his oratory greater focus. He's again in Trini for People of the Sun but the album is wildly uneven – the production is overblown and, at 70 minutes, overlong. Joseph is a gifted narrator with an eye for detail: ‘Milligan (The Ocean)’ opens strongly and ‘He Was Trying’, with its soft steel pan melodies beneath the words, is gorgeous. But the title-track and ‘Jungle’ both sound like offcuts from Mo’ Wax-style 1990s trip-hop when reviving free jazz with spoken word enjoyed a brief ascendency, while ‘Dig Out Your Eye’ starts with subtlety then gets unnecessarily busy. ‘On the Move’ (a shouty jam) might work at festivals but, listening at home is punishing, all sound and fury. If Joseph can contain his energies and develop his words alongside more subtle arrangements, he could be a contender. Right now too much of this fusion is unfocused.