(Reprinted from the March 2023 issue of Downbeat magazine)

As its title suggests, Marcus Strickland’s latest release, The Universe’s Wildest Dream (Strick Muzik )—his third with the Twi-Life ensemble—shoulders some weighty themes. The album’s eight compositions, all by the award-winning woodwinds player, take on, in turn, climate change, racism, Earthly existence, other-worldly existence, enlightenment, and the power of music to heal. The medium for these pertinent messages is Black world music—the galvanizing beats and sounds gifted by the African diaspora.  

 Strickland opens with a lament on global warming—“Prayer,” a folksy riff atop an oozing electronic pedal that frames the poetry of spoken-word artist Gil Scott Heron. This track sets up the next, "Dust Ball Fantasy" (with guitarist /vocalist Lionel Loueke), an expansion into Afro-futuristic electronica and a subtle takedown of billionaire-sponsored space trips.  On “Bird Call,” to denounce the exploitation of natural resources, Strickland turns out a moody solo invoking a mourning dove’s coo. And on “Matter,” he uses protest chants, a sharp groove, and soul-packed vocals (by vocalist Christie Dashiell) to condemn injustices against Black lives.  

Mid-album, Strickland’s airtight rhythm section (keyboardist Mitch Henry, bassist Kyle Miles and co-producer/drummer Charles Haynes) coalesces effortlessly on tunes like “Infinity,” with its repetitious hook, synth effects, and bop influences emphasizing the spiritual insights of Ras Stimulant (spoken word). As on "You and I, an Anomaly," an evolving melodic ramble that reflects that complexity of earth-bound relationships. It’s on the final two tracks, though, that the group yields to Strickland’s softer side: "Amygdala," a slow-pulsed ballad extolling the power of emotional intelligence and "Joy for Jupiter," the album’s buoyantly optimistic finale. Remember, Strickland writes in the album notes, whatever is going on, it’s not the end of the world.

 The Universe’s Wildest Dream: Prayer; Dust Ball Fantasy; Bird Call; Matter; Infinity; You and I, an Analomy; Amygdala; Joy For Jupiter (33:02).

 Personnel: Marcus Strickland, soprano, alto, tenor saxes, bass clarinet; Mitch Henry, keys, piano, organ; Kyle Miles, bass; Charles Haynes, drums; Lionel Loueke (2); Christie Dashiell (4); Stimulant (5).