JPEG RAW - CD

Gary Clark Jr. 's 2024 album entitled JPEG RAW, his fourth studio release, marks a grand step in his musical evolution... A powerful and expansive artistic statement. While retaining the deep and true resonance of his blues foundations and guitar virtuosity with subtlety yet conviction, he reaches well beyond this time. The emphasis here is on song and studio craft without losing the rawness of his young legend. (Rolling Stone Magazine called him, The Chosen One). The music is dense and adventurous with a more cohesive synthesis of his eclectic musical palette. Hip samples, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Boy Williamson decorate flourishes of African, World Music, even Jazz while merging with blues, rock, R&B and rap; familiar areas he has ventured before, this time with more unity forging a fresh new style. Clark's lyrics are pointed, deeply personal, outspoken and socially conscious with occasional forays into rap and spoken word from Clark himself. The sonics are immersive verging on modern groove-oriented psychedelia with hip-hop driven beats in verses giving way to anthemic choruses, rich with power-chording and wide fuzz riffage.