About

“Jordan Rakei hails from Brisbane, Australia, a continent that produced the acclaimed jazz-funk ensemble Hiatus Kaiyote, and harbors a soul scene in thrall to the nu-funk stylings of early ’00s America. Rakei’s debut, Cloak, harkens back to that same sound; it has the jittery, “boom-clap” kick drums made famous by J Dilla, and the warm and enveloping keyboards that turned up on D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar and Kool & the Gang’s “Summer Madness.” Its centerpiece is “Midnight Mischief,” a five-minute swirl of seduction garlanded with hi-hat percussion and Rakei’s jazz-inflected vocals. On “Rooftop,” Rakei describes the sensation of a first kiss in blushingly intimate terms. Throughout, his voice is quietly insistent, luxuriating naturally within the groove; but he’s just as effective when he picks up the pace. “Talk to Me” combines strummed guitar with Latin jazz rhythms, and on “Toko,” Rakei sings, “Time flies inside of me” over a splintering hard-bop beat. And while Cloak is mostly an album about introspection, Rakei keeps moodiness at bay. On “The Light,” he sings, “life is better when you’re open”; Cloak is the sound of relaxing and letting go.” –Bandcamp

“Jordan Rakei’s Cloak is the kind of album that you’ll want to spend time with. And as a double LP, it does necessitate that time, yet none of the nearly one hour of listening feels at all like a chore. The debut full-length of the Brisbane, Australia-born, now London-based musician, the genre-blending work is polished, ambitious, and completely delightful. It's hardly believable as a first go at an album.

In many ways, though, the accomplishment is unsurprising. The artist, who has played piano since he was young, has gained a following in his native country and beyond, earning radio play for his unique blend of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz; producer credits on a number of tracks; and a feature on Disclosure’s “Masterpiece” from last year’s Caracal alongside the big names of Miguel, Sam Smith, and Lorde, among others. Rakei’s soulful voice held its own against all of them…

…Cloak is Jordan Rakei’s first full-length album, but it also feels like a culmination of sorts—a realization of a career that has been slowly building in Australia and London. The artist, though, doesn’t seem to believe in culminations much. As he says about the album’s theme in a song guide for Faster Louder, “it’s always going to be OK as long as you trust the process.” Whatever Rakei’s process, hopefully it will bring more music like this.” – Thrdcoast

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