* En anglais uniquement
The Midnight Hour is the work of
Ali Shaheed Muhammad and
Adrian Younge, accomplished producers whose self-titled 2018 album is synthesized orchestral soul and jazz as approached by golden-eared crate diggers. Known most for his membership in legendary rap group
A Tribe Called Quest,
Muhammad previously joined
Younge -- familiar to deep listeners since his 2009 score for Black Dynamite -- on sessions for the likes of
Souls of Mischief and
Bilal. The two initiated
the Midnight Hour in 2013 only to put the project on ice once they were commissioned to provide the score for the web television series
Luke Cage. Eventually completed and issued in 2018 as a 20-cut double album, The Midnight Hour featured
Raphael Saadiq,
Laetitia Sadier,
Bilal, and
Marsha Ambrosius among its numerous guests. Not all of the songs were new. "Feel Alive," a duet between Karolina and Loren Oden, had previously appeared on a compilation from
Younge's Linear Labs label, while the
CeeLo Green collaboration "Questions" had formed the basis of track six on
Kendrick Lamar's
untitled unmastered. Even more remarkably, a reinterpretation of
Luther Vandross' "So Amazing" applied the original, 30-year-old vocal recording with the blessing of the late singer's estate. ~ Andy Kellman