For jazz fans, Steve Lacy is a sax giant who produced some of the most important libertarian albums… Despite the homonymy, “the other Steve Lacy” is not cut from the same cloth. However, at only 21 years old, the Californian from Compton (like N.W.A. and Kendrick Lamar) is himself considered a legend. The guitarist and songwriter for neo-soul group The Internet, he has also written for, played with, and produced for big names like Solange, Dev Hynes from Blood Orange, Mac Miller, Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors and Kendrick Lamar. And to further bolster his CV, he takes part in TED conferences and modelled for Vuitton in Fashion Week!
Like Syd, the singer for The Internet, Lacy tries his hand at going solo with the fantastic Apollo XXI. The record brings together everything we have come to know from him: his ability to combine 90s neo soul, contemporary alternative R&B, 80s funk and jazz fusion sounds. Lacy calmly intertwines sounds anchored in heavy grooves and punctuates it all with pertinent guitar riffs, even Hendrixian solos (Love 2 Fast). It is impossible to not be reminded of Prince – one of his idols – throughout this album. He embraces his inner Rogers Nelson to the point of screaming on Playground and Like Me. But like Frank Ocean and Pharrell Williams, Steve Lacy creates a universe that is new and well suited to him. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz