Taylor McFerrin
Early Riser
(Brainfeeder)

Brooklyn producer Taylor McFerrin provides a heady swarm of musical choices on his debut full-length album, Early Riser.

Taking nearly six years to complete, McFerrin enlists the voices of several creative forces, which include his father, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin, Brazilian composer César Camargo Marino, singer Emily King, musician Nai Palm (from Australian outfit Haitus Kayote), jazz pianist Robert Glasper, and Brainfeeder labelmates Thundercat and RYAT.

As composer, pianist, and DJ, McFerrin crafts Early Riser like a setlist of sorts: weaving moods and genres in and out of each other like an after-hours spot. From free-form jazz and neo soul tracks to electronic and hip hop-influenced songs, Early Riser is, in a word, beautiful. My favorite tracks include “Decisions,” “Florasia,” “The Antidote,” “Stepps,” “Already There,” and “Place In My Heart,” among others.