Hamilton is everything. The hip-hop musical based on the life of the $10 Founding Father took home 11 Tonys this year (2016), and if you’re trying to catch the show in this lifetime, good luck. It all started when Lin-Manuel Miranda read a biography of AH by Ron Chernow. Inspired by the book, the creator and star of the show wrote and performed an early version of “Alexander Hamilton,” the opening song for the musical, at a White House function, and the rest is history. The music crosses hip-hop, r&b, funk, and dancehall with traditional shoe tune aesthetics, and the songs have developed a cult-like following, with many showgoers showing up for their first Hamilton experience with the lyrics already memorized. History might be boring AF (at least for me), but this album is a super entertaining and educational look at the early days of the US of A. Highly recommended for fans or to-be fans.

• 4 x vinyl lp boxset
• includes digital download code
• music label: Atlantic 06/2016

reviewed by donut savage 06/2016