Ambitious in reach, unapologetic in stance, insightful and deeply nuanced, The American Negro is a critique detailing the systematic racism that affects people of colour and a tracing of the evolution of freedom. Delivered across multiple art platforms – as a film, a four-part podcast and this 26-track album – the project is the magnum opus of Adrian Younge, the LA-based producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, erstwhile law professor and with A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammed, the co-boss of label du jour, Jazz is Dead.

Younge's all-analogue approach lends the album organic warmth, underscoring the gravitas in spoken word declamations such as opener ‘Revisionist History' (“Under the presumption that my blackness has no colour, and under the belief that we are the nameless heroes of America, I present to you the document”) and reinforcing the LP's self-described James Baldwin-meets-Marvin Gaye vibe. Indeed, Younge's fierce intellect and knack for penning anthems, his belief in art (and history) as a weapon and a child's love (and our humanity) as salvation, makes this both an educational tool and an album to vibe to. That he happens to be playing all the instruments with the exception of the orchestra, which he wrote for, only elevates things further. As unsettling and visceral as it is hopeful and beautiful (there's also those soulful golden-era choruses), The American Negro is more than a must have. It is mandatory listening.