The Master of Shades and Hues Returns…
I mean…at this point, the man needs no introduction.
The most accomplished loser of his generation who gets by with little more than two turntables and a microphone is back. Beck Hanson is an American treasure and I’m not afraid to call an all time great. Why? Simple answer? His catalogue is pretty damn close to spotless. His ability to play hopscotch with musical genres with such aplomb almost makes you look at him in a similar light as say…a David Bowie? I realize it is close to blasphemy to put anyone in the same sentence as the Thin White Duke but the connection is evident. From hip-hop to folk to blue-eyed soul to introspective alternative pop to…dance-pop as we have here in the new record Colors, the man is not afraid to keep his audience guessing. It is this ability to confound and astound that makes every Beck release an event and a satisfying listen every single time.
Colors is no different. When Wow and Dreams dropped what seems like ages ago, it was pretty clear that coming off a Grammy win with Morning Phase that dealt Kanye a fatality sending him into a timeout that Beck had gotten his groove back. The former finding our hero messing around with a trap beat and the latter delivering a healthy danceable pop that will send even the most hardened pseuedo-hipster to the dance floor. These two tunes were enough to whet the collective appetite of music fans everywhere. It was just a shame we had to wait so long for the record to arrive.
Colors, quite simply, is the sound of an artist who after almost a quarter century of being in the public eye brimming with unbridled confidence and limitless abandon. From the opening title track to album highlights including Seventh Heaven and Up All Night to the aforementioned singles, Colors is just the latest offering from a man whose place in the pantheon of great American artists is unquestionably secured.
