Many musicians are looking for an identity with which they can identify musically. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Skinny Hightower has found his musical style.

Skinny explains: "This album is a building block for what I’d like to do moving forward: create music that encompasses freedom. I want to make music that isn’t limited by the borderlines of genres or any form of classification.

Music should simply be what it is: music. I’d like to say that THE MAN affirms this statement. It’s jazz, hip hop, R&B, soul, and funk in one package. Despite the genre it ends up being labeled, it’s just music in my mind."

The album opens with the title song which reflects all the influences that Skinny has absorbed during his creative phases. Skinny does not want to copy the music he has already released, because he finds repetition boring. Nevertheless, the title song has retrospective traits, as the rhythm and instrumentation are reminiscent of the music of War, Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield.

Free Indeed signals the artistic freedom in which Hightower operates. A relaxed song with a hint of reggae. Skinny is fully behind his work, which he confirms with the title That's Alright. What sounds like an improvised approach quickly turns out to be a well-considered arrangement in the overall context of the song.

The Greatest Is Love, a quote from the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, is the musical starting point for Hightower's next episode. This is followed by Organics, which musically reworks the previous theme, with the organ providing brilliant musical accents.

Movement is everything and so Move delivers the groovy flow, which translates the joy of life with verve. You Turn Me 'Round emphasizes the strong effect that prompted Skinny to change. It is up to the listener to find out from where to where.

Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. The sapphire is often associated with the night sky and the universe. Its multifaceted nature is reflected in the expansiveness with which Hightower opens up space by constantly adding new instruments.

Song Of David has a monumental feel to it with its drum-oriented intro. Sonic associations gather in this rhythm line, which only later form into a melody whose contours are not immediately apparent. Passion also seems to see itself as a sound image that seeks its strengths more in impressionism than in chasing after a single melody.

On the percussion-intensified North Grove Street Skinny's keyboard skills literally explode. On The Awakening, drum rhythms and melodic annexes also form an inseparable unit. Jazzy improvisation gives the melodic more depth.

The album closes with a sonic recreation of Nightlife. His arrangement of the vibraphone is an elegant evolution of Roy Ayers' work.

With his album THE MAN, Skinny Hightower has practiced some of the principles he set himself. Don't copy yourself, be innovative. Free yourself from musical constraints, be yourself. Don't try to please everyone, good music finds its way. Search for new musical paths, go beyond your own boundaries.

His creativity, musical skills and intellectual reflection have helped him to achieve these aspirations. Skinny Hightower can therefore be justifiably proud of his album, because he has completely reinvented himself.

 

Biography

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Album Information

Title: THE MAN
Artist: Skinny Hightower
Year: 2024
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label: Trippin 'N' Rhythm
 

Tracks:

1) "The Man" (3:19)
2) "Free Indeed" (4:03)
3) "That's Alright" (5:31)
4) "The Greatest Is Love" (4:20)
5) "Organics" (3:25)
6) "Move " (3:33)
7) "You Turn Me 'Round" (3:30)
8) "Sapphire" (2:54)
9) "Song Of David" (3:22)
10) "Passion" (3:43)
11) "North Grove Street" (3:40)
12) "The Awakening" (4:34)
13) "Nightlife" (3:59)