Album Review:
By John Powell
I
guess I pegged The Alchemystics as a reggae band with hiphop, funk, and soul tendencies.
While that’s generally the case,
and if 2011’s Spread Hope maybe
fell into that category, For the Future is an evolution for the band
living up to their name. A few
songs strike roots reggae influences, but the truth is that each
song is a tincture of musical styles
perpetuated by having three major vocalists of vastly different
styles coordinating hooks one after another, which is the fine line
between chemistry and alchemy.
The Alchemystics had a rocky
start, a rocky middle, and a rocky
present. With the passing of
bandleader and drummer Demse
Zullo, For The Future can’t help
but turn into a legacy, down to
28 • CIDER MAG • cidermag.com
The Alchemystics
For the Future
its very name. Spread Hope was
the band’s prayer that its strange
concoctions were strong enough
to legitimize the group--people
were into this kind of music. Sure
enough, it did and people are.
For The Future doesn’t have
to rely on crossed fingers, and
instead, this steadier band had
space to grow into their sound. A
series of upbeat, happy, political,
and sexy songs takes us to a good
place. While Ras Jahn and Ian-I
(peaking in his vocal career) bring
the choruses, bridges, and stick to
spiritual-yet-general lyrics, MC
Force helps navigate the songs
into specifics- thankfully. While
Ian-I and Ras Jahn pull out all
the stops, delivering great vocal
performances, without the stories
Force weaves, the songs would
likely come off less original.
This has always been the major drawback for The Alchemystics: too many influences make
them focus on blending maybe
more than solidifying their own
style, but For the Future is one giant step in the right direction; it’s
more cohesive.
One thing The Alchemystics
has always excelled at is creating sensual, propulsive songs that
have uplifting, positive messages, notably: “She Goes”, on which
Force raps, “You know the type/
Wise beyond her years/ You a
strong role model/ Hope my daughters grow into ya.” Why not have
more songs that have a bunch of
men de-sexualizing women and
instead talking about their character? It’s wonderful. “Some men
find it quite intimidating,” Force
adds later, clarifying that he and
his team aren’t those men.
In fact, even on songs like
“Thinkin Bout You” and “Amazing”, the band can write love songs
over lust songs. “It’s amazing how
you do what you do,” Ian-I offers
on the latter, which features a
verse from MC Catalyst, who is
one of my favorite rappers from
the northeast. Catalyst is sorely
under-represented and slays it
whenever given the chance. The
Alchemystics’ maturity may stem
from everyone being a bit older
and having families, but it’s an
extension of the kinds of people
that are in the band to begin with.
For The Future sounds great:
airy, spacious, and mixed nicely
(You can hear every instrument!),
full of Rasta-inspired social justice rage, soul-crooning, and fierce
raps, yet always breezy and always thunderous. “Music still
makes me high,” Force says on
“Stress Relief”, and Ian-I adds, “I
stick to a moral code,” so that we
as listeners know what The Alchemystics are all about. There’s
no better reminder and no better
legacy. It’s time to get hooked on
For the Future.■
June• 2015