- Al Dobson Jr.'s full-length debuts—two records that landed in June 2014, one of which inaugurated the Rhythm Section International label—were stuffed with scruffy and scrappy rhythms that distilled hip-hop, Detroit beatdown, house and beyond into bite-sized chunks. They flew by in a scorched summer haze, and because they were so brief, withstood—practically demanded—repeat listening.
On Dobson Jr.'s third album, Rye Lane Volume II & III, the tracks are once again short. But, with 28 tunes stacked together, the record blends into one muddled mass of tumbling toms, grubby kicks and muttered vocal musings. It might all sound like a day spent with the producer, hanging out in his neighborhood's collage of cultures, influences and ideas. But that collage can be overwhelming. Had a third of Dobson Jr.'s similar sketches been cut, Rye Lane would have been a more manageable trip.
The South London resident is a master percussionist, a sample-digging hound and deft with an MPC, and his music skips effortlessly through heartbroken house, Afro blues and sun-drenched soul. It's authentic, richly layered stuff that's endearingly earthy and ramshackle. Each style is as well executed as the next, which is why tracks like the Eglo-influenced "Step Off" and "After Carnival," with its rubbery bass plucks and zoned-out bird calls, feel all too brief. There are countless examples of inventive little grooves and noteworthy chords that, with further exploration, could have made a bigger impression. Dobson Jr. excels in small doses, but Rye Lane's endlessly jumbled aesthetic and penchant for brevity can obscure his abilities.
Tracklist01. Live At Makeover
02. Guyana Special
03. Xingu
04. Commerce
05. Overseas, Lebanese
06. Move It Up
07. Many Schools
08. Sweet Critics pt.2
09. Vibrations
10. What It Is - Shake Down
11. Malfuf Nebetia
12. In The World
13. Love Talk
14. Church Cafe (Introduction)
15. Drum Sounds pt.4 African Salon
16. After Carnival
17. Step Off
18. It's You
19. GuadeloupÇ Meditaáao
20. Yellow Peppers
21. Bey Line
22. Peru Timing pt.2
23. Time Is Now
24. Tracy 36 27 36
25. In The Lobby
26. What It Is pt.2
27. White Rum
28. Mercy