After the release of some beat tapes and one-man-band instrumental sessions credited to his birth name and primary recording alias
Stimulator Jones, Sam Lunsford takes another step forward with his proper debut album for Stones Throw. The Virginia native's association with
Peanut Butter Wolf's label started in 2016 with an appearance on Sofie's SOS Tape. Yearning hip-hop soul track "Need Your Body," and a cover of
the Isley Brothers' "Choosey Lover" -- replete with flamethrowing
Ernie Isley-styled guitar solo -- followed in late 2017 and early 2018. As with those songs, Exotic Worlds and Masterful Treasures plays out like high-quality late-'80s/early-'90s demos with minor touch-ups made 20 years later for commercial release. The effect is uncanny enough to inspire a multitude of myth-making back stories. These tunes could have been intended for release on Def Jam's R&B-oriented OBR subsidiary but were left undeveloped after Russell Simmons became preoccupied with Newkirk (for instance). In a way, any fictionalization would undersell the songs. Regardless of when they were made or what era they evoke, they're sturdy from top to bottom. Highlights like "Together," "Soon Never Comes," and "Suite Luv" would snugly fit on mixtapes between older deep cuts similarly rich in low end and mellow in tone, from
Dazz Band's "Heartbeat" and
Tashan's "Read My Mind" to
Mac Band's "Luv U 2 the Limit" and
Tony! Toni! Toné!'s "Slow Wine." More importantly, they have their own character, exemplified by Lunsford's sweet harmonies and scholarly and skilled implementations of rhythms that range from boogie to G-funk. Lunsford's unforced sincerity and evident love for his inspirations enables him to sing lines like "Girl, you got me trippin' on you" without coming across like a
Lonely Island-styled caricature or cultural interloper. ~ Andy Kellman