Representing two nations, the United States and Holland to be specific, The Foreign Exchange pick up where they began on their assured genre-melding debut, Connected. Expanding on his Percy Miracles alter-ego, Little Brother member Phonte Coleman trades in his commanding MC skills for equally impressive singing pipes, while still finding time to spit a few bars. Fitting the strong vocal performances like a glove, beat maestro Nicolay delivers grooves that mesh electronica with more traditional jazz-like sensibilities.
Leave it All Behind is for the most part an album about love; celebrating it, mourning it, pining for it. If Dwele and Slum Village had an offspring it would sound something like The Foreign Exchange. The neo-soul meets gospel opener Daykeeper sets the tone for the rest of the album, with Phonte and the lush-voiced Muhsinah showing great chemistry, their voices echoing off the walls of Nicolay’s musical cathedral.
The Foreign Exchange very much wear their musical influences on their sleeve, as Phonte teams up with ultra-talented songbird Yahzarah for If She Breaks Your Heart, which comes off as a cross between Madlib and 1980s-era Michael Jackson. Just hearing modern R&B that isn't dripping in overt-machismo and sexual innuendo is refreshing enough.
Much of Leave it All Behind has the same characteristic, as the stylistic fusion they practice is pulled off effectively throughout, something that may have fallen apart in less capable hands. Case in point would be cuts like Sweeter Than You and If This Is Love, where hyperactive drum patterns are married with soulful melodies, two elements that aren’t normally associated.
Phonte’s textured baritone certainly works its magic over the album’s 11 tracks, adeptly proving his versatility as a performer. The fact that he does at times show a limited vocal range, demonstrates a slight weakness in his repertoire, but not enough that it sticks out or affects your listening experience to a great degree. The aforementioned Yahzarah and Muhsinah, along with frequent collaborator Darien Brockington, add weight and dexterity to the vocals.
Leave it All Behind is a very soothing experience, however that means that it does linger into drowsy territory at times, somewhat resembling musical wallpaper. Not to worry though, the majority of the Foreign Exchange’s sophomore effort is highly engaging, still leaving enough room for melodies to linger in the air, with Phonte and Nicolay displaying a gift for making experimental and occasionally off-kilter music sound organic. Leave it All Behind is grown people music of the highest order.
Available through Hard Boiled Records
