Gabriel Garzon-Montano's 2014 debut EP, Bishoune, immediately attracted attention from the likes of Lenny Kravitz (he took Gabriel on a tour across Europe) and Drake (he sampled Gabriel's song "6 8" for "Jungle" off of If You're Reading This It's Too Late), and the Brooklyn r&b/neo-soul artist drops his debut album on the always trusty Stones Throw. Simply put, Jardin is sublime, from the silky, falsetto vocals of GGM to the minimal-but-efficient production. The singer-songwriter, who is of French-Colombian descent, credits his mother, who was a member of the Philip Glass ensemble in the '90s," as the "reason" that he loves music. That influence, which "instilled within him a painstaking attention to detail" in combination with his heritage, rigorous classical training, and love for Prince lyrics and Timbaland/J Dilla/Pete Rock rhythms, all show in the 10-tracker. There is not a dull moment in the album, and the intimate layers that drive the songs along. Check out "Fireflies," "Sour Mango," "The Game," "Crawl," "My Balloon," and "Trial."

• music label: Stones Throw 2017

reviewed by enbee 02/2017