Incorporating elements of jazz, R&B, hip-hop and gospel Come As You Are aligns most easily with the R&B and hip-hop – there’s very little jazz – and the sound and culture of south Los Angeles.
Robert Glasper, Rapsody, Keyon Harrold, and Dixon’s daughter, Isley-Rose, are among the contributors.
There are few big Martin sax features, it’s not that kind of record (you’ll hear sax best on ‘Circle of Love’ and on the very catchy ghetto song ‘Only Real Ones Survive’) but Dixon’s voice is more the obvious factor. He has a persuasive tenor. I skipped most of the tracks after trying with them for a few listens but I liked ‘Circle of Love’ featuring Glasper. It’s a co-write between Dixon, Glasper and Martin. I also liked the gospel tune ‘Not Like That’ featuring a vocal that asks ”will Jesus return?” – the jury’s out on that one – and the romantic title track. The bass and drum lines on ‘Ouch’ are also pretty compelling delivered with very thunderous production qualities.
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