By Frank Alkyer | Published April 2026
There’s something about the soulfulness of Shabaka Hutchings, who now goes simply by Shabaka, that stirs emotion and summons the spirit. It’s been that way with his various bands (Sons of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, The Comet Is Coming, the Ancestors) as well as his solo projects (Afrikan Culture and Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace). So now comes a truly solo project, Of The Earth, one where Shabaka composes, produces and plays every instrument on the recording, which he released on his own record label. It’s spellbinding. The multi-instrumentalist took an 18-month break from performing on tenor saxophone, long known as his main instrument, to pursue his interest in flute. But here on Of The Earth, he returns to saxophone, employing it as just one of many instruments in his artistic palette along with flutes, drum machines and assorted electronics pulled from a portable audio setup he has been traveling with on the road. He pulls it all together into a sound bath that would make Pharoah and Coltrane smile. “A Future Untold” offers a dripping plea from his saxophone over a wash of chimes and electronic soundscapes. With “Those Of The Sky,” Shabaka brings in a chorus of overdubbed flutes and reeds with infectious, slow-groove beat-making. On “Go Astray,” Shabaka raps, his voice processed, poised and driving over an industrial-age, metallic beat. He offers a more inward-looking spoken word on the album’s closing number, “Lowered Eyes.” In between, there are mind-blowing nods to Mother Africa with “Dance In Praise,” “Ol’ Time African Gods” and “Marwa The Mountain.” The way he uses the sound of flutes to soothe, his saxophone to shred and beats to drive on “Stand Firm” is fascinating. As a whole, it seems as though Shabaka has channeled the elders and pulled them into the future. Bottom line, Of The Earth offers a rare, beautiful listen from a modern master of the art form.
