Timbaland is back with a new album, but it's not what many may have expected. This weekend, the legendary Virginia Beach, Virginia native is back with a 10-song set of Afrobeats instrumentals on a project called TIMBO PROGRESSION. There are uncredited vocalists on the tracks, but this tape mostly focuses on the beat making side of things. Rhythm, grooves, (presumably) native instruments, specifically percussive ones, are what Timbo wants every listener to zone in on. He's long been a king of creating irresistible melodies and hits throughout his multi-decade-long career. So even though he's not in his comfort zone on this album, the "Stronger" engineer is still providing a lot of winning ideas here that "move the soul."
That was a point of emphasis for Timbaland. He wrote in a post teasing TIMBO PROGRESSION on his Instagram, "Progression. Rhythm, percussion instrumentation it’s vital to everyday life." He also added, "This project is a journey of culture and soul and how I hear music." He concluded, "This is a truly amazing experience that I think the worlds needs and I think that you’ll enjoy just as much as I had fun making it." You can tell that he and Swizz Beatz, who he credits as an executive producer, got into the African music culture as every instrumental here is tastefully done. It may not be what OG fans wanted from him, but then again, what's wrong with getting outside of your comfort zone and evolving? He's been on this path lately as his most recent tape before this, Yellow, was a collaborative effort with melodic handpan musician Malte Marten. Together, they made some incredibly soothing and meditative sonic backdrops.
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Timbaland TIMBO PROGRESSION
TIMBO PROGRESSION Tracklist:
- Kent's Bounce, Pt. 1
- Kent's Bounce, Pt. 2
- Motherland
- Lion's Roar
- KpanLogo Bounce
- Gahu Bounce
- Sabar Bounce
- Azonto Bounce
- Shaku Shaku
- Takamba
