Triumphant return of A Tribe Called Quest, and a timely one at that, considering the tumultuous year that 2016 has proved to be! The recording of We Got It From Here… Thank you 4 your service started last year, and the opener "The Space Program" sets the album's well-timed political tone: "It's time to go left and not right / Gotta get it together forever." "We the People" follows: "We don't believe you 'cause we the people," "All You Black folks, you must go / All you Mexicans, you must go / All you poor folks, you must go / Muslims and gays, boy, we hate your ways." Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, who passed away before the release of the album, trade more bars that detail the societal issues at hand as the 16-tracker progresses. Production wise, if you are expecting vintage Tribe, you'll quickly notice and welcome the traces of boom-bap/jazz influences in We Got It…. However, live instrumentation and use of off-kilter layers polish and update the sound, and that in combination with the aforesaid, of-the-moment message renders the album something much more than a nostalgic, "victory lap" output from the legendary trio. Guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar ("Conrad Tokyo") and Anderson .Paak ("Movin Backwards") also modernize the vibe, with Busta Rhymes ("Solid Wall of Sound"), Andre 3000 ("Kids"), Kanye West ("The Killing Season"), Jack White ("Ego," "The Donald," and more), Elton John ("Solid Wall of Sound"), Consequence, as well as Talib Kweli also making appearances. Recommended.

• black double vinyl pressing
  
• printed inner sleeves
• music label: Epic 2016

reviewed by donut savage 12/2016